Chapter 4-7: Call Me Maybe

                “Hi Ace, it’s me Yalena, um, again. Just give me a call when you get this,” she hung up, leaving yet another message on his voicemail.

                 It had been weeks since he had contacted her. He had yet to respond to any of her texts, voicemails, emails, or Simbook messages. Although she didn’t condone his behavior or appreciate his insinuation, she could at least vaguely understand his feelings about ‘catching’ her and Glen embracing. She was sure if the situation were reversed, she would have been jealous as well. “But I wouldn’t have beat the other girl up”, she thought angrily.

                She could never get away from thinking about him. It hurt her that he was ignoring her, especially with their baby due to arrive soon. As she played with Brielyn, she felt that history was repeating itself yet again. With Glen, he had not been present or a part of her life because her father had gotten between them. Now with Ace, Glen was the one standing in the middle.

                 As she walked out to the side yard to dispose of the trash after Brielyn had left for school, she felt her first Braxsim Hicks contractions. She’d read about them and knew that they weren’t real but she wished that Ace was here with her. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, checking it to make sure she had no missed calls or messages.

                 “That’s it,” she thought angrily. “He’s not getting out of this so easy.” She hailed the first cab that she could and gave them Ace’s address. When she knocked on the door, she was greeted with the last thing she expected.

                “He’s not here,” Katherine, her high school nemesis said with a smirk on her face.

                “You? What are you doing here?”

                “Oh, my darling brother never mentioned me? I’m not surprised. He didn’t bother mentioning he was dating white trash to me either. Not until he needed me to run interference that is.”

                “I need to see him.”

                “No, what you need is your tubes tied and to leave. I’ll let him know you stopped by,” she said. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Not that I suspect he cares though,” and with that, the door clicked shut resolutely behind her.

                Yalena made it down to the street and into a cab and up her front walk before bursting into tears. She couldn’t believe that Ace would completely abandon her with a baby on the way and then leave that awful bitch of a woman to send her away when she shows up. She sunk to her knees in despair and once the tears started, she couldn’t make them stop.

                 It was in that same spot Lyric found her later when he dropped in to check on her. She had cried herself into an unsettled sleep, there in the corner on the concrete floor. He scooped her up and carried her inside. He hated seeing her like this; crushed and broken from yet another guy who didn’t understand her. He had promised though that he wouldn’t push her until she was ready.

                 What he didn’t promise was not to do anything about the current situation. That evening, after leaving Yalena tucked under her blanket on her couch and getting Brielyn started on her homework, he made a stop by City Hall and waited outside the double doors.

                 “What are you doing here,” Ace asked, seeing him the moment he stepped outside.

                “I think the question you should be asking is what are you doing? She’s fucking pregnant and you’ve abandoned her. Don’t go near her again. Not unless it is to take care of your child. She doesn’t deserve your accusations stemming from jealousy and insecurity that arises from that little dick you think makes you a man.”

                Ace opened his mouth to defend himself or counter with an insult of his own but quickly snapped it closed again, ever so slightly nodded, and turned and all but ran in the opposite direction.  

                 Lyric never mentioned what he did to Yalena. After her confrontation with Katherine, she stopped trying to contact Ace. No way was she going to go through that awful situation again. If he changed his mind, he would let her know.

                Sharp pains woke her from a dead sleep late night. She realized she was having contractions, real one this time. She quickly dialed the numbers that she had in place for just this situation; Glen to come take care of Brielyn and Jeanie to drive her to the hospital. As she waited for Jeanie to arrive, her contractions got even worse and she knew this baby would not be long in coming.

                 Shortly after Jeanie got Yalena in the door, Ace arrived at the hospital. Though he and Yalena weren’t on speaking terms, Jeanie had called him to let him know that the baby was coming. He still had reservations about this being his child but, if it was, he didn’t want to miss a single moment. He paused outside, trying to calm his nerves and work up the courage to go in. Would it be his baby or not? Would Yalena even let him in the room?

                 Hours later, little Camille Avendale was born. Per Yalena’s request, the doctor’s quickly took genetic samples of both Camille and Ace and determined that he was 99.9% the father. He was able to come in and hold his daughter and he instantly fell in love. Yalena though would barely look him in the eye. Not that he wanted to risk Lyric hunting him down again but it seemed that, even if he had, that door had closed.

                 It took some adjusting to get life on a schedule back at the house. It had been a long time since Yalena had taken care of a baby and trying to do that while also caring for her school age daughter was a chore in itself. Medical bills for her labor would be arriving any day now along with normal expenses like rent and food so she knew that she would need to go back to work soon. However, she decided to take the time that she could to enjoy her new little wondrous bundle.

                Yalena made sure to still make time for Brielyn. She remembered her childhood and how, with each new addition, time seemed to spread thinner and thinner between the children and then, when her mother died, none of the kids really got any attention at all. She vowed not to repeat that mistake with her own girls. Sometimes though, she liked her older daughter better when she was sleeping.

                 Brielyn was not the biggest fan of her little sister. “All she does is poop and cry. Why do mommies all get so excited about babies?” She just didn’t understand. Especially when Camille would cry and wake her up at three in the morning.

                 “Ugh, why did she have to go and have another baby,” Brielyn glared down at her sleeping mother, as she went to rouse her from her sleep to take care of the squalling infant.

                 Yalena had her first meeting with Mr. Martin since telling him she was pregnant as she crossed into her second trimester. He wasn’t too horrified by her looks but told her that she needed to lose at least five more pounds and tone up her belly before he’d let her get back in her performing costume.

                She tried to make a habit of going to the gym but it was not something she enjoyed. She had never been very athletic and even worse, she was doing it for a job that she hated. On top of all that, it was extremely hard to run on a treadmill when there were cooking shows on tv.

                 While she worked hard at getting her body back in the shape it needed to be in to wear that horrible leotard, she went back to performing in the parks when she had free time. A girl needed to make money, right? Now that Brielyn was old enough to understand, Yalena hoped she would never have to endure the humiliation of the repoman again and have to explain it to her daughter.

                 “Hey Yalena, I just wanted to check on you guys,” Jeanie dropped in for a visit one afternoon.

                “I have some news I want to share with you. I’m not sure how you’re going to take it though,” she said, nervously fidgeting as she worked up her courage. “Zane and I, well, we’ve been dating for awhile now. It wasn’t anything serious at first. But, well now we’re moving in together. And we just found out we’re having a baby too.”

                 Yalena was quite for a moment and then pulled her friend into a hug. “You’ve always been like a sister to me and now you really will be. Our babies can grow up together! I couldn’t be happier for you guys.”

                Her little green monster couldn’t help but poke his head out of his hole, whispering softly in her ear. “It’s supposed to be you. You’re the one who is supposed to be getting the happy ending.”

Chapter 4.6                                                                                                                                              Chapter 4.8

Chapter 4-6: Don't Think I Don't Think About It

                “C’mon, let’s eat lunch and then head out. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”

                “I don’t wanna eat,” Brielyn whined.

                “And why not,” Yalena asked, exasperated.

                “Why isn’t daddy here? He always toasts the bread first. You don’t know how to make it right.”

                After finally convincing her daughter to eat and cleaning up the kitchen, mother and daughter headed to the nearby gym for use of the swimming facilities. Being as pregnant as she was, Yalena wasn’t in the mood to actually get in the water but she sitting and reading and listening to her daughter was a pretty good alternative.

 

                “Mommy, watch me jump,” Brielyn shouted.

                “Did you see, did you see,” she hollered after coming up for her. The girl should have been born a fish, as much as she loved swimming.

                “Of course baby.”

                “No, you weren’t paying attention. Watch this time,” she commanded as she hoisted herself from the pool, just to turn and jump back in.

                 “Thanks for meeting us here,” Yalena greeted Glen outside. She had finally decided to share weekends with him and this was the first that he would have Brielyn the whole time.

                ‘She’s got her bag with her and she is ready to go,” she said, nodding to the pink bag at her daughter’s feet.

                “Daddy, let’s go! What are we doing tomorrow,” she excitedly asked.

                ‘I don’t know yet but we’ll have a great time. We’ll see you Sunday Lena.” Brielyn barely managed a wave over her shoulder as she ran ahead to the taxi waiting to whisk her away to her weekend with her beloved father.           

                 The weekend came and went so fast that both Yalena and Brielyn could scarce believe it when Sunday night rolled around. Though she had been wary and unsure of how to spend her time without her daughter, Yalena had spent most of her weekend curled up on the couch, catching up on reading or playing her guitar.

                “Daddy, can we go to the park one more time before we go back to mommy’s?”

                ‘Sure thing baby.”

                Even though the sun was setting as they arrived, Glen was sure that Yalena wouldn’t mind the pit stop. She had been understanding and good about trying to get along and make things easy for the sake of their daughter and he was appreciate of that.

                She giggled and squealed and laughed the higher he pushed her on the swings. Thinking back to when he had subtly suggested to Yalena that she not keep their baby was a painful reminder of immature he had been back then. He couldn’t imagine not having this precious girl in his life and knowing that he missed out on the first few years of his life hurt him. He was grateful that Yalena had allowed him to become a part of their lives and was thankful that he had not missed many of the bigger moments of Brielyn’s childhood.

                 “Daddy, can you come live with us,” Brielyn interrupted his introspection.

                “Honey, you know that I have my own house. Why do you want me to come live with you?”

                “I don’t want a new daddy,” she yelled, leaping off the swing and stomping her little feet.

                He knelt down beside her, taking her hands in his. “Brielyn, you’re not getting a new daddy. I will always be your daddy and I’m not going anywhere. Your mommy is just marrying the man that she loves and she deserves to be happy. Doesn’t she?”

                “Yeah, I guess,” she said, staring down as she shuffled her feet.

                He wrapped her in a huge hug and hoped that he was right. After the hug, they headed back to the apartment so he could drop her off and wait until he could have another weekend.

                “Brielyn, c’mon, let’s head inside,” Yalena called to her daughter as they stood outside city hall.

                “No,” she stated defiantly, crossing her arms.

                “Brielyn Avendale. We’re invited to celebrate and have dinner with Ace when he gets his award for civic service. You will come inside, this instant.”

                “I don’t want to have dinner with him. He’s stupid!”

                “Brielyn! Be nice.”

                 Her daughter’s reluctance to her marriage was getting more out of control each day. Yalena couldn’t understand why Brielyn was so opposed to the idea. She had always liked him in the beginning. She was going to have to have a talk with Glen soon to see about finding a solution to this. It was hard enough being a single parent. Being a parent with a new husband and baby on the way with a sullen child would be even harder.

                “Thank you for meeting me Glen,” she greeted him as he brought his coffee to her table.

                “What did you want to talk about?”

                “Brielyn. She’s been pretty hostile towards Ace lately. You don’t know about that, do you?”

                 “When she stayed with me she told me she didn’t want a new daddy. I think she’s afraid that he’s going to replace me.” He felt no shame saying the words, because they were true, even though he was also testing the waters a bit to see if Yalena did indeed plan to replace him with her hot shot fiancé.

                “That’s just silly. Ace will only be her step-father. She’ll still come and stay with you! Maybe I should talk to her, try and explain.”

                “Lena, we can talk to her together. If she sees that we’re getting along and that I’m on board with this too, maybe she’ll start to feel comfortable with the idea.”

                She agreed and they sat and talked some more, both about their daughter and what was going on with their lives in general. His job was going well though it wasn’t something he wanted to do forever. The hours weren’t great and he had to work most weekends which didn’t make thing easy in trying to see Brielyn. Yalena was happy that he didn’t regret his decision to become a part of their lives. She saw how happy her daughter was having a daddy and she couldn’t imagine taking that from her, even after the wedding.

                “Thanks again for meeting me for coffee.”

                “No problem Lena. I’ll be over late this week and we can sit down with Brielyn and talk to her together,” Glen said, hugging her.

                Katherine watched on from the window, not liking what she was seeing.

                “Ace, you’ve got to believe me, I saw them together. They’re not just friends,” she explained to her brother the moment that she got home.

                “Kat, you’re being ridiculous. He’s just Brielyn’s father.”

                “Just her father? That means that he is always going to be a part of your life together. Always coming over, always there to share the big moments.”

                “Yeah, but,” he trailed off uncertainly.

                “Fine, don’t believe me,” she said, seeing her opening, “but I know what I saw. And he’s not just her father.”

                 Glen and Yalena sat Brielyn down together the next time that he came to visit. It was time that they presented a united front and let her know that there was nothing to worry about, even with Ace and a new baby joining the family. Brielyn nodded and smiled and agreed to be nicer. Underneath though, she wasn’t quite convinced.

                 “Daddy, we’re a family,” she said once she got him alone in her room.

                “Of course we are.”

                “Aren’t families supposed to live together?”

                “They don’t have to. There are all kinds of different families.”

                “But don’t you love mommy?”

                She had him there. If he said yes, she wouldn’t be able to understand why they couldn’t live together and be a ‘normal’ family like her friends at school. If he said no though, then how would he explain having Brielyn? She was too smart for her own good.

                 As he went about his week, his daughter’s words kept popping into his head. “But don’t you love mommy” it asked, over and over. He found himself answering it, trying to find a good response. He never really found one that seemed to fit.

                “Glen, that’s the third shot you’ve stuck into the wall. You never miss the board,” Melisa queried as they played darts together.

                “Sorry, I’m just trying to work something out in my head.”

                “Maybe you want to work it out outloud?”

                He sighed. “Brielyn. She asked me the other day if I loved Yalena and I wasn’t sure how to respond.”

                “Well, do you?”

                “I don’t know. I did, a long time ago. So much has happened since then. She’s not the sweet, vulnerable girl that she was that needed protecting. She’s strong, independent, stubborn as hell. And I admire all that about her. But do I love her?” He sighed again, this time in resignation. “Not that it matters. She’s getting married anyway.”

                “Don’t you owe it to yourself, and her, and your daughter to figure it out though?”

                “There’s no time.”

                “She’s not married yet. There’s still time.”

                “That’s just evil, brilliant, but evil.”

                He went home thinking about Melisa’s advice. He didn’t know if he still loved Yalena but he wanted to see if the spark was still there. How could either of them move on with so many questions left between them?

                Glen arrived a little earlier than normal on Friday afternoon to pick Brielyn up for the weekend at his house.

                “Sorry Glen, she doesn’t get out of school for another 30 minutes,” Yalena said as she invited him inside.

                “I know, I wanted to talk to you first,” suddenly he felt really nervous but it was too late to back out now. “Here, this are for you.” Neither of them noticed that Ace had also just arrived and, having a key, let himself in.

                 “Glen, they’re lovely. Thank you,” she said.

                Before he lost his nerve, Glen pulled her into an embrace. She came easily but, in his mind, no questions had been answered. Maybe she was just surprised, or it was the familiarity that they had once shared. Or maybe, she really did still have feelings left for him. Before he could ask her though, they heard an exclamation and slamming door.

                 “Ace,” Yalena said, pulling away guiltily. He ignored her and headed straight for Glen.

                 “Who the hell do you think you are? You have no right to touch her,” he screamed.

                “Listen here asshole, I can touch her if she wants and she certainly didn’t object.”

                 Suddenly and without warning, Ace punched him directly in the jaw. Having been caught off guard, Glen staggered and tripped on the edge of the couch. As he tried to stand, Ace’s kicked him in the ribs.

                “Ace, stop, stop,” Yalena screamed getting between them. “Glen, leave now. I’ll bring Brielyn by later.” He walked out without another word.

                 “What the hell Ace? Did you really have to kick him while he was down?”

                 “You’re taking his side,” he scowled incredulously.

                “No, I’m not taking sides but damn it, can’t you be the bigger person?”

                “You were clearly into it. I saw the way you hugged him.”

                “He surprised me; I wasn’t sure how to react.” She tried to calm him down. “Ace, we’ve got to be the adults here, we’re about to get married and have a baby together.”

                “Piss off. For all I know, that baby is his.”

                 “I want a paternity test,” and then, he was gone.

Chapter 4.5                                                                                                                                                   Chapter 4.7

Chapter 4-5: Fighting Against Nature

                “Yalena…wow. Come in, come in. You look amazing but I don’t want my neighbors to see,” he said, ushering her through the door.

                “I think it’s time we take our relationship to the next level,” she smiled what she hoped was a seductive smile.

                “What do you mean,” he stammered.

                “I swear, sometimes you are so clueless. I think it’s adorable.” She leaned in close to him and whispered in his ear, “I want you to make love to me, right here.”

                 His eyes lit up with understanding and he wasted no time undressing. They didn’t bother moving to the bedroom and instead enjoyed their first time together quickly and furiously against the bar. It wasn’t quite what she had been expecting but what could you expect when you planned on seducing a man the minute you arrived?

                 Later, they moved to his bedroom where they cuddled for a little while. Cuddling turned to more kissing and fondling and this time, they took their time together, looking for each other’s weaknesses and taking their time to truly enjoy the moment.

                “Ace, I have to get home, the sitter is expecting me,” she finally whispered, waking him from his half doze. She rose and found her coat, covering up for the ride back to her apartment.

                “Let me walk you out,” he offered.

                As they reached the elevators, he stepped in front of her to kiss her. “Yalena, I think I am falling for you.”

                “I think I am falling for you too Ace.” They kissed one last time and she resisted the urge to go back inside with him. If she was late, the babysitter fees increased and she could barely afford what she was paying now.

                 Over the next few weeks, Ace and Yalena continued their renewed relationship. Yalena felt that she had finally found a true catch. Sure, he had some jealousy problems but since that night at his apartment, he hadn’t seemed as threatened by Glen as in the past. Her plan seemed to have worked. Though, to be fair, she hadn’t talked to Glen yet about her thoughts on custody of Brielyn.

                During that time, Yalena finally made up with Lyric. She invited him over to the house one afternoon, to clear the air.

                “Look, I’m really sorry for the way I behaved,” she apologized.

                “What happened,” he asked, clearly still hurt. “You couldn’t keep your hands off me and, the next day, you were a different person.”

                “I was drunk and I was really upset that Ace had blown me off, even though we were getting back together. You were right, I was just trying to make him jealous. I’m sorry.”

                “I’m not.”

                “What do you mean?”

                “I’m not sorry about any of it. Not sorry you did it, not sorry I came home with you, nothing. If anything, it proves to me that, when you actually stop thinking and let your defenses down, you have feelings for me too.”

                “No, Lyric, not like that.”

                “Yeah, you do Yalena. You just don’t want to admit it to yourself. And I know why. But I don’t want to argue.”

                “No, what? How can you think that? Or ‘know’ that, as you claim?”

                “You want to be with someone who can take care of you. Someone who is going places. Someone who will be a good dad to Brielyn. Someone with money. Someone…”

                “Lyric…,” she warned him. He was about to cross the line and piss her off again.

                “…like me. You just forget all that about me. Or don’t want to acknowledge it’s there.”

                He hadn’t said what she had thought. She thought he was accusing her of looking for a sugar daddy but, he was right, in a sense about what he said. She did want someone that she could depend on and that would accept her daughter, not just her. Lyric just wasn’t the person for the job. She didn’t know how to make him realize it though.

                “Lyric, I’m with Ace, can’t you just be happy for me?”

                “No. Because I know he’s the wrong guy. But I’ll be patient. I’ll be your friend and wait until you figure it out.”

                He leaned in and gave her a hug, lingering just long enough that she became physically aware of him and then he pulled away. She felt so confused because her body seemed to not be satisfied with just the hug. She had felt the tension between them and, without her mind’s consent, she was responding to it.

                 “Let’s jam,” he said, changing the subject abruptly. He went and grabbed his guitar from the car and they began to play together. All the tension and unspoken words melted away between them and, suddenly, it was like nothing had changed between them and they were back to being the friends that they had always been.

                “Hey, Lena, are you alright,” Lyric looked up from his guitar.

                “I think I’m going to be sick,” she said, setting her guitar down and running for the bathroom.

                As she heaved into the toilet, she couldn’t help praying that she wasn’t getting a stomach flu. She couldn’t afford to miss any work.

                 With the progress she had made with both Ace and Lyric, she decided it was finally time to call Glen. She invited him over to talk and he agreed to be there within the hour. She figured it was petty but she wanted to meet at her house because it was hers and she felt that she had a bit of the upper hand here. Though she had moved on, Glen was still her first love and she wanted every bit of the advantage she could get.

                “I’m so glad you called. I was starting to wonder if you were just going to avoid me forever.”

                “I thought about it. You’re her father and I know you want to get to know her. I’m okay with that but I’d like it to be supervised by me, at least to start.”

                ‘Supervised? You think I can’t be trusted with my own daughter?”

                “It’s not that. It’s just been so long since we’ve talked. She’ll be a child soon and you’ve missed so much of her life. She doesn’t need to be alone with some random stranger that she’s never met before and that’s what you are to her.”

                “If that’s what will make you happy, fine.”

                 She introduced them and then sat in the living room, reading a book so she wouldn’t intrude but was close enough to keep an eye on them. She listened to them playing together and smiled to herself. She was happy that Brielyn’s father was finally in the picture and that he had been interested to be a part of her life, once he had found out about her. She only wished it hadn’t taken all the years that it had.

                 Soon, Glen had become a regular fixture around the house. He was there most afternoons to play with Brielyn and watched her sometimes when Yalena had to work. He helped with the potty training. He was there when she took her first steps, cheering her on as she finally made the walk across the living room, unassisted.

                 When she missed her period later that month, Yalena knew she was pregnant. She’d been nauseous and attributed it to the spring flu season. In truth, she had been in denial once again. She and Ace had been steadily seeing each other and though both hinted at the L word, neither had had the courage to say it out loud. Yet, unlike with Brielyn, Yalena was excited about this baby. She loved her daughter but finding out she had been pregnant had been a horrible day. This time, all she could see where the ups of becoming a mother again.

                 “Want to go the park with us,” Glen asked her that morning when he showed up to spend time with Brielyn.

                “Sure. I’m meeting Ace for lunch but I’ll come for a little while.”

                She sat watching Glen with Brielyn and hoped that Ace would be as good a father as Glen had finally turned out to be.

                 “Okay, please don’t freak out, but I’m pregnant.” She cut right to the chase when she met him outside the small café where they were eating.

                 His face told all. She prepared herself for the worst but then, suddenly, his shock turned to glee.

                 “I’m going to be a daddy,” he exclaimed, leaning over to rub her barely there belly.

                “What are you doing here,” Xander objected when he arrived at his niece’s birthday party to find Glen there. Lyric watched on from the corner, silently hoping that Xander might punch him. Lyric wasn’t about to get involved because he knew that Yalena had accepted Glen back into her and Brielyn’s life and, if he wanted her to finally choose him, he had to accept him as well. But he wasn’t against the guy getting the crap beat out of him by a protective, older brother.

                 “Now, now guys. Let’s all get along,” Ace rushed over, trying to be Mr. Nice Guy as Glen stormed off in the other direction. Xander and Lyric looked at him and then glanced at each other as if to say “who the hell is this guy”. Both men had had the ‘pleasure’ of meeting Ace and neither of them liked him. Neither of them wanted to get in the way of Yalena’s happiness though so they bit their tongues and smiled politely.

                 Yalena carried her daughter to the cake, excited about this next stage in their lives. Her toddler was now going to be a little girl and she couldn’t wait to take her shopping and maybe even get pedicures together. And soon, their family would grow a little bigger with their newest addition.

                 “Mommy, why doesn’t Daddy live with us,” Brielyn asked her mom, almost immediately after blowing out her candles.

                “Your daddy has his own house that he lives in.”

                “But why can’t he share ours?”

                Yalena wasn’t sure how to explain to her daughter that mommy and daddy weren’t together. She’d seen how good he was with their daughter and sometimes she caught herself wondering why they weren’t together. She wasn’t sure if it was her pregnancy hormones but she sometimes found herself wondering about Glen, imagining the what-ifs and could-have-beens. 

                 “Honey, let’s get you ready for bed. You’ve got school tomorrow.” She deftly changed the subject and tucked her daughter in, reading her a bedtime story. She knew the topic would come up again but she hoped that she would have a better answer next time around.

                 After Brielyn had been tucked in and read to sleep, Yalena heard her phone buzz with a text message. “Meet for coffee tomorrow at 9?” Ace queried.

                “Sure. I’ll head there as soon as I take Brielyn to school.”

                Getting her daughter up and ready for her first day of school was easier than she thought it would be. Excitement and nerves had Brielyn up at the crack of dawn, fretting over what to wear and if people would like her. They walked to school in silence, Brielyn clinging to her mother’s hand. In front of the school, she quickly grabbed her into a hug.

                “Mommy, I’m scared.”

                “Don’t be. I’m sure you will make a ton of friends.”

                “Promise,” she asked, staring up at Yalena with those big, gray eyes.

                “I cross my heart.” She crossed her heart and hugged her daughter one more time before sending her through the doors and heading over to the coffee house.

                “Yalena, I’ve been thinking,” Ace said as they enjoyed their coffee together.

                “Mhhm, about what?”

                He knelt. “I think that we should get married. We’re going to have a baby together. We should make this family official.” He held her hand, slipping a sparkly ring onto her finger.

                 He stood and kissed her. She leaned in, kissing him back. This was what she had wanted and what she had been hoping for. She loved him and wanted to spend her life with him, didn’t she?

                 Then why did she have a niggling feeling, going over his words in her head? “He didn’t say he loved me.” And then she pictured Glen in her mind, thinking that this is how it should have been the first time.

Chapter 4.4                                                                                                                                              Chapter 4.6

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I swear, I am not doing this all of my own accord! Yalena is, in game, very indecisive. She wants to get married but doesn't know to who. When she is with Glen, she rolls a wish to marry him. Then, when she is with Ace, she rolls a wish to marry him. All along, Lyric is there, autonomously flirting with her and giving her flowers. Some decisions will certainly need to be made!

Also, just a kind of creepy picture. Do not click if you don't want nightmares. Creepy Outtake

After posing them for the sexy picture, they ended up like this and I couldn't NOT snap a picture of it.