Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) [COMPLETE]

[Double Trouble]

Earth2Mama: So your vote is: Maria shouldn’t go.

Yep, this really could cause a little trouble in Candyland. We will find out today what she’s gonna do. *duck*

Adam’s reaction was kinda expected, wasn’t it? There has to be a reason why Michael is like he is, lol. Genes… and we definitely will see some similarities with Brendan as well.

Sorry, no reunion for Adam and Maureen here. But we hope you’re gonna like the way we went as well.

begonia9508: Oh, we think you’re right.

Cardinal: Interesting… we’ll see how it goes.

Eva: You can count on a strong similarity between Adam and the twins.

Keep cheering! You know Maria isn’t gonna let things go.

lilah: Hmm… you could be onto something.

mary mary: Oh, they do. Adam’s wife, huh? Nicole would certainly be an interesting possibility.

Michael’s family is growing quickly. That would make for quite a party, wouldn’t it?

Alien_Friend: Ya think so, huh? You’re gonna find out more about Adam. There are a lot of similarities between the twins and Adam. Yeah, that’s just not a call he was expecting.

Yep, poor ol’ Spike just wasn’t fast enough on the getaway, lol. Kitty sounds smart.

His family’s getting bigger… and fast. There is an interesting similarity between Nicole and Maria, huh?

Here’s hoping that big brother Alex and the others are right!

destinyc: Oh, she’s Maria… the girl lives on the edge, lol!

kay_b: Well, maybe she should, but…

LOL, interesting speculation about Adam’s two youngest boys. Finding out that he has two more boys isn’t enough of a shock… Brendan just had to go and make the man a grandfather.

We’ll see whether Liz makes it back to Roswell.

As much as we’d like to answer all of those questions… there’s just no way to squeeze it all in one chapter.

April: Looks like we’re just gonna feed your drama addiction, lol.

Don’t give Michael any ideas… he’d probably like the idea of having his own country.

sarammlover: Hmm… you really think she’s gonna leave it alone? Nicole will be a big help. More drama to come!

Maiqu: Okay, share your clairvoyant abilities, girl! How’re ya gonna do that???

Michael and Adam can’t deny that they’re very much alike, huh? We’ll see how this goes once they realize it.

Kind of a Guerin/Smith invasion, huh? Yep, the family is growing fast.

We’ll see what Liz is gonna do about her family situation.


Part 111 – The Winds of Change

Nicole was in the kitchen peeling apples for a pie when the phone rang and she called out for her oldest daughter to answer it. She looked up when Callie ran through the house, feet pounding on the wood floors before she paused in the doorway, phone in hand. “Why are you running through the house?”

“There’s some lady on the phone lookin’ for Dad,” the 13-year-old announced loudly, bobbing her head maniacally to the tune of whatever obnoxious music she was listening to on her iPod.

Nicole winced and shook her head at her daughter as she washed her hands and turned to reach for a towel to dry them. “Did you ask her name?”

Callie frowned at the cordless phone she held. “Did you want me to?” she asked as she blew a bubble and then popped it.

“Could you be more like your father?”

The teenager smirked. “I could try.” She handed the phone to her mother and left the room.

“Dear Lord, give me patience,” Nicole muttered under her breath as she brought the phone up to her ear. “Hello?”

“Hi, I was calling for an Adam Smith,” a young woman’s voice said.

“May I ask who’s calling, please?”

“My name’s Maria. Maria DeLuca. My boyfriend called earlier today and I believe he spoke with… your husband?”

Nicole’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. She hadn’t expected this phone call. “Your boyfriend,” she mused quietly. “Yes, Adam did receive a call from a couple of young men this morning.” She paused a moment before continuing. “It was a rather upsetting phone call.”

“Yeah… they weren’t tryin’ to upset anyone; they’re just looking for answers.”

“And you think my husband has them?”

“I think your husband may be the only one who has them right now. Michael and Brendan need to talk to him and I was hoping I could speak with him and try to convince him to meet with them.”

Nicole laughed softly. “You’re never gonna convince Adam over the phone, Maria. I’m assuming you must be somewhere close to Carson City?”

“Safe assumption,” Maria said with a slight laugh. “We’re vacationing about an hour away from you.”

“Well, I tell you what, why don’t y’all come on out here and meet Adam in person? He’s a difficult, stubborn man at times, but he’s also fair. If you don’t mind coming out here, I promise you he’ll listen to what you have to say. I can’t guarantee you’ll get the answers or the response that you want, but he will listen.”

“Would it be alright if Brendan’s girlfriend and I came out to speak with him? Right now the last thing Michael and Brendan are gonna agree to is going out to meet Adam in person. But, if we can talk to him and at least find out if he’d be open to meeting the twins it would really help.”

“I can only imagine that if all of this is true and those boys are anything like Adam they’re not gonna be too happy if you do this without them.” She chuckled as a thought occurred to her. “On the other hand, if they’re like Adam they’re not gonna agree to meet him after that phone call earlier.”

“Sounds like there may be some common ground then.”

“Well, it can’t hurt to try then. Adam will be home in just a couple of hours, so if you girls would like to stop by around 2pm then you’ll have a chance to speak with him.”

“Thank you…?”

“Nicole,” she said with a smile. “I’m going to guess that you were able to locate Adam with the use of an investigator?”

“Uh, yes… their older brother’s lawyer looked into it for us.”

“Then you have our address?” She nodded when Maria recited it back to her. “That’s the one. I’ll look for you girls around 2pm.”

*****

“Okay, Caela should sleep for another hour and a half,” Karen told Max and Liz as she and Maria prepared to leave for Carson City.

“Um-hmm, you’ve told us about a million times now,” Max said and winked at her. “Don’t worry, okay? I’ve got a nephew back home; he’s about half Caela’s age and I’ve babysat for him on several occasions. We’ll be fine here and you’re not gonna be that far away anyway. Besides that, the twins will probably be home in a couple of hours.”

Karen nodded. “Okay, I’ll try to relax. It’s just hard, ya know?”

“Karen, are you comin’?” Maria called from the porch. “We should get going.”

“On my way,” she called back and let Max walk her to the door.

“I still think this’s a bad idea, ladies. You’re gonna be in hot water with the guys.”

“It’s a risk we’ve gotta take,” Maria told him.

He lifted his hands in defeat as the girls walked to the Navigator. “Just sayin’.” He watched as they climbed into the truck before he headed back inside. “So, whatcha wanna do until the squirt wakes up and gives us hell over the fact that her mommy’s not here?”

Liz glanced up from where she was sitting on the couch and shrugged. “There’s a stack of DVD’s… we could pick one to watch.”

“Yeah, why not?” He crouched down next to the TV to have a better look at their movie choices. “They’ve got Pulp Fiction, what about that? It’s a classic.”

Liz wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Max snorted at her reaction. “So, that’s a no on classics then. Okay, what about National Treasure? Ever seen it?”

“Only like half I think, but I’m good with that.”

“Cool. It’s pretty cool how they tied so much history into the movie, isn’t it?”

“Um-hmm,” she mumbled absentmindedly.

“Hey, what’s on your mind?” Max asked when he noticed her lack of interest.

“Huh?” She looked at him, knowing he had asked her something but she wasn’t sure what it was.

“You’ve got somethin’ goin’ on in that pretty head of yours.” He crossed the floor on his knees and braced his arms on the couch beside her. “What’s on your mind?”

She shook her head. “Just my crazy parents… again.”

He rested his chin in his left hand as he looked up at her. “You got your phone on you?”

“Sure. But, calling them? I don’t know, Max.”

He shook his head. “Call the airlines an’ see if we can catch a flight back down there.”

“You sure? I mean, that’s gonna mean more traveling.”

“Girl, this’s makin’ you crazy. If more travelin’ is what it’s gonna take to give you some peace of mind then that’s what we’re gonna do.”

“I’m just scared it’s only gonna make everything worse.”

“We’re gonna have to do somethin’ one way or the other to figure it out, darlin’.”

“Can you call the airlines?” she asked him as she pulled her cell phone out of her pants pocket.

Max accepted the phone, staring down at it thoughtfully. “When ya wanna go?”

“Well, if we’re gonna be back in Long Beach for New Years’ Eve we should probably go as soon as possible.”

He nodded and called Information for the number, opting to let the operator connect him directly. “Did I tell you Jack wanted to get my sister a new car for Christmas and she said no?” he asked while he was on hold with the airline.

“Really? Why? Her car was… awful.”

Max snorted. “She’ll drive that P.O.S. until the wheels fall off.”

“My car sucks too, but even it’s not that bad.”

“Nowhere near as bad, but I think it’s a sentimental thing.” He rolled his eyes and grinned.

Liz shrugged. “Yeah, maybe…”

He pressed his index finger to his lips, indicating that she needed to be quiet because his call had finally been answered. He stood up and walked to the window. “Hi, I’m lookin’ for…”

Liz couldn’t hear the rest of the call because he walked out of the room and into the kitchen to get something to drink. She lifted her feet up onto the couch and wrapped her arms around her legs. She wasn’t really looking forward to going back and seeing her parents again, but she needed to fix things… or at least make them more bearable. The fact that her parents weren’t talking to her even though the holidays were nearly over bothered her and she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

She glanced up when he came back into the living room as he was ending his call. “Alright, thanks, I appreciate your help.” He hung up the phone and handed it back to her. “I’m sorry, darlin’, but we’re not gonna get on a flight in the next couple of days; they’re booked solid.”

“Oh…” she said, feeling relieved and sad at the same time.

“I did reserve us a flight on the second of January, but that’s the earliest flight we’re gonna be able to catch. Unless you wanna drive down there…”

She shook her head. “No, Max, we’re not gonna sit in a car for 10 or 12 hours just to see my parents. I mean, we don’t even know if they’re gonna be receptive to us…”

“Hey,” he crouched down in front of her, “spendin’ the next few days worryin’ over this isn’t gonna be any good either.”

“We’ll go on the second then,” she told him, her voice determined. “I’m gonna suck it up now and we’ll deal with it next year.”

He grinned at her choice of words. “Just tell me if you change your mind, okay?”

She nodded. “But I won’t.”

“Sooo, wanna watch that movie now?”

“Hmm… I don’t know.” She trailed her fingers over his stubborn jaw. “Caela is still sleepin’, right?”

“Uh-huh.” He took her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles.

“We could go upstairs,” she said with a wink.

“What a great…” he stopped when the front door was thrown open and the twins stumbled inside, laughing about something.

“Hey,” Brendan greeted the couple, well aware that they had just interrupted them.

“Hey,” Max pressed out. At least the twins seemed to be in a better mood now.

“Where’s Maria?” Michael asked after he had kicked his boots off and put his gear away.

“Um…” Liz knew the answer wasn’t going to be one the guys liked.

Michael glanced back and forth between Max and Liz, seeing the uncertain expression in their eyes, and he knew the answer without a single word. “Oh, no, she did NOT do that,” he growled.

“Did what?” Brendan asked when he came to stand next to his brother.

Michael glanced out the window and didn’t see the Navigator anywhere. “Why didn’t you do somethin’ to stop them?” he demanded, staring hard at Max.

“Hey, I told ‘em it was a bad idea.”

“Wait, are you sayin’ that Karen and Maria went to Carson City?” Brendan asked, suddenly catching on. “Where’s Caela?”

“Sleepin’ in her room,” Liz answered.

Brendan stormed across the living room to check on his daughter, muttering under his breath too quietly for anyone to make his words out. Not far away Michael was trying to control the urge to immediately call his girlfriend and yell at her.

Breathe, Guerin! he ordered himself.

*****

Adam frowned at the Navigator parked in the driveway next to the old Corvette he and Shane were restoring on the weekends. The boy had gone crazy when he had brought it home for them to work on as a father/son project and when it was finished it would belong to Shane. The boys piled out of the truck along with the pair of Black Labradors that were constantly underfoot.

“Hey, we got comp’ny!” Brian shouted when he saw the unfamiliar SUV sitting in the driveway. “Who’s here, Dad?”

“Wasn’t expectin’ anyone.” He waved at the house. “Let’s go find out!” He grinned when they whooped and hollered as they ran up to the house. “Shoes off at the front door, guys! Straight upstairs and wash up for dinner,” he yelled when they pulled the screen door open and headed inside. The game had ended more than an hour ago and they were filthy; covered in grass stains, mud, and a few small cuts and bruises.

He followed the boys into the house and his stomach rumbled when he smelled the apple pie cooking. He rolled his eyes when he heard his wife’s expected shout of “don’t run in the house!” as soon as the boys stampeded up the stairs.

“How long before that pie comes outta the oven, babe?” he shouted and nearly tripped over the dogs when they collapsed in the doorway to the kitchen. He quickly righted himself and froze when he saw the two young women sitting at the table with Nicole. “Sorry, were we expectin’ company today?”

“Adam Michael Smith!” Nicole chastised as soon as the words tumbled out of his mouth.

He shrugged, glancing between the two girls.

Maria stood up and wiped her hands on her jeans before she offered him the right one. “Hello, I’m Maria.” She hid her shock at hearing the man’s middle name.

He glanced at his wife as he automatically accepted the girl’s hand. “No need to introduce myself since my wife’s already done that for me.”

Karen followed Maria’s lead. “Hi, I’m Karen.”

He nodded as he shook her hand. His gaze moved over the girls for several minutes as he tried to figure out who they were and why they were there.

“You all take a seat,” Nicole insisted and placed a cup of coffee in front of her husband.

Adam didn’t know what was going on, but he was pretty sure whatever it was he wasn’t gonna like it.

Nicole took a seat next to him and placed one hand on his shoulder. “They’re the girlfriends of the boys that called earlier today.”

His entire body tensed and his hand tightened around the coffee mug. “Where are they?” he grated out.

“They don’t know we’re here right now,” Maria said and made a face. “They’ll probably be totally pissed at us as well.”

“They have every right to be pissed.” He shook his head and stood to pace, feeling too restless to sit still.

“We’re not here to cause any trouble,” Karen tried.

Maria stared at the man, amazed by the similarities. It wasn’t just the physical similarities though, she mused silently. His mannerisms, his attitude... she could see both Michael and Brendan in him.

“I don’t know what kinda sick joke you and your friends have cooked up, but I have exactly five kids and they’re all under this roof.”

“Sorry, but I think you’re wrong,” Maria said, pulling a picture of the twins out of her bag and pushed it across the table; it had been taken recently at Alex’ birthday party.

Adam stood frozen to the spot as he looked at the photograph from several feet away. It wasn’t just a matter of similar features... the boys... He moved closer and his hand shook slightly as he reached for the picture and picked it up. “This’s me... 20 years ago.” His free hand came up and he scratched his neck as he took a couple of steps back to lean against the counter. “Holy hell,” he muttered.

“And you just did the Brendan move,” Karen realized aloud with a soft smile.

He paused and lifted his head to look at the dark-haired girl. “The what?”

“Scratching your neck like that. Brendan does it all the time,” Karen explained.

Maria nodded. “Yeah, and Michael does the same thing with his eyebrow.”

“Nervous tics,” Nicole said with a fond smile.

Maria nodded. “Yeah.”

“The boys just found out that you’re their father, Adam.” Karen said softly as she watched him stare at the picture. It was obvious that he knew the truth now that he had seen the twins.

“She had to have known,” he whispered gruffly. “Good God, they look just like me. That bastard husband of hers had to know... why lie to them their whole lives?”

“She knew... and Hank knew as well,” Maria said.

“I didn’t know... damn, I never would’ve left my kids with that man. I didn’t like the thought of Alex bein’ around him either, but there was no proof that he had ever been a physical threat to them.”

“Hank is a fuckin’ bastard,” Maria pressed out as the memory of Thanksgiving came to her and she wanted to slap that man again and again. “But we know it’s not your fault. You couldn’t know about them ‘cause Maureen never told you or anyone else.”

He set the photo on the counter and his hands fisted at his sides. “Did he hurt them?” He had known the possibility of Hank turning physically violent was there even before the man’s threats had come at him directly.

Maria stared at Adam, but couldn’t say anything. She was pretty sure that he already knew the answer though.

He nodded and sighed. “21 years. They’re grown men.” He looked at his wife. “What do I do now?”

“First you should sit down again,” Nicole told him and took his hand.

He picked up the photograph once more and did as she suggested, sitting in the chair next to her. “I have two more boys, Nic... how crazy is that?”

“Very,” she admitted.

“You wanna be alone for a while?” Maria asked.

Adam looked at the girl. “You’re stayin’ here in Carson?”

“Um, no, we’ll be going back to Lake Tahoe when we leave here.”

“You live there?”

“No, we study in Long Beach. We’re just here for the holidays. And Karen,” she looked at the girl next to her and smiled, “is about to move out to California as well.”

“You’re their...” He glanced at their hands, trying to remember how his wife had introduced them. “Wives? Girlfriends?”

“Girlfriends,” Maria said quickly.

“Okay.” He grinned crookedly. “So no one’s made me a grandfather yet.”

“Um...” Karen said.

“Yeah, actually...”

“I’ve got a grandkid?”

Nicole laughed at him. “Old man,” she teased him affectionately.

“Yeah. Her name’s Brenda Michaela and she’s 18 months old.”

“Brenda Michaela... you named her after both of them? Which one’s the father?”

“Brendan,” she pointed at the picture in front of him. “That’s him.”

He tipped his head to the side as he studied the twin that looked like he was probably the calmer of the two. “I’ll bet she looks a lot like him, doesn’t she?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Um-hmm, strong genes,” he said proudly.

“It’s true,” Nicole agreed. “The kids all look like him; there’s no denying he’s their father.”

“How old are your boys?” Maria asked.

“Shane’s 15, Brian’s 9 and Ty’s 5. And then I’ve got two girls, too. Callie’s 13 and Antonia’s the baby, she just turned 3.”

Nicole rolled her eyes at him. “They’re always yours when they’re behaving or when you’re bragging about them.”

He just grinned.

“Wow, I’m surprised it’s so quiet in here with all those kids,” Maria joked.

“I’m sure you heard them stampeding upstairs like a herd of cattle when we got back a while ago. Callie’s probably listening to music and IM’ing half the country and the little one...” He glanced at his wife. “Is probably up to something if she’s this quiet.”

“The little one is napping,” Nicole reassured him.

“So, would you agree to a meeting with the guys?” Maria asked.

“You know them better than I do... do they want that? Do you think they’re really ready for that?”

“They wouldn’t have called you otherwise. And believe me it was really hard for them just to pick up the phone. They just found out about you shortly before Christmas and they both agreed that they wanted to find you.”

Adam nodded. “I guess hangin’ up on them probably didn’t go over too well.” He looked at Karen when her phone rang and she shifted to pull it out of her pocket.

“Brendan?” Maria asked, almost sure she was right.

Karen cleared her throat. “Yes... as usual, the man has no sense of timing.” She flipped the phone open and lifted it to her ear. “Hello, Bren.”

“Where are you?” he barked into the telephone without even bothering with a greeting.

“Oooh, his temper’s showing through,” she whispered to Maria as she covered the mouthpiece for a moment. “Bren, I want you to calm down before we talk about this.”

“What the fuck are you doin’, Karen? This’s between Michael, me and HIM, and I don’t want you to get involved in this.”

Oh, yeah, this was the side of Brendan that very few people would even suspect existed. “Listen to me, Brendan. If you would just take a second or two to calm down – “

“I won’t calm down,” he interrupted her furiously. “I have every right to be pissed. WE have every right to be pissed. Tell Maria Michael says hi and he’s dumpin’ her ass on the couch tonight.” With that he hung up and left Karen speechless for several seconds.

“That didn’t go very well, huh?” Maria asked carefully.

“Well, let’s just say you won’t have to worry about Michael stealin’ the covers tonight.”

“Guess we’re in trouble. Can we stay here tonight?” Maria joked.

“If they’re like Adam that would only throw fuel on the fire,” Nicole laughed.

“Yeah, well, we already knew that they’d be mad at us,” Maria said.

“They sound a lot like you, Adam. That’s just amazing considering you’ve never even met.”

“So is there anything ya wanna know?” Karen asked Adam.

“How long will you be stayin’ in Tahoe?”

“We’ll probably leave the day after tomorrow. We wanna spend New Years’ Eve on campus with our friends and it’s the twins’ birthday on New Years’ Day.”

“So, they’re turnin’ 21 on the first?”

“Yeah.”

He shook his head, still trying to process the information. “I need to talk to my family, but I...” he looked up when Nicole squeezed his hand. “We want to meet them, but it probably wouldn’t be the best thing for us to just show up.”

“We’ll talk to the boys and then call you again,” Karen offered.

Nicole rubbed Adam’s shoulders as she stood up with the girls. “I’ll walk them out and be right back. Make yourself useful and take that pie out of the oven.”

“Thanks for listening to us,” Maria said. “You wanna keep this?” she gestured to the picture on the table.

Adam’s fingers brushed over the edges of the photograph. “Yeah, if you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“Nah, I’ve got it saved on my laptop.”

He nodded, his gaze locked on the image of... his boys. “Thanks.”

Maria smiled slightly when she saw that Adam was staring at the picture with a lot of emotion visible in his features. He would’ve been a good dad, she was sure of it.

“Just so you know, the boys aren’t looking for any financial help or anything. They just need...” she shrugged, “a real dad who actually gives a damn about them.”

“Just gimme a little time to get used to the idea... I can only imagine the damage that Hank did and I don’t wanna add to that.”

“Alright, we’ll leave ya alone now. We need to deal with the boys at home.”

He nodded wordlessly as he leaned back in his chair and reached up to scratch his neck again.

“Bye,” Maria and Karen both said and followed Nicole to the front door.

Nicole closed the door once the girls pulled out of the driveway and she rolled her eyes when she turned and nearly tripped over one of the dogs. “Damn it, would you stop lying down behind people?” The dog just thumped his tail lazily before flopping over on his side and sighing contentedly. She walked back into the kitchen and hurried to take the pie out of the oven before it could burn.

Adam glanced up. “Oh... sorry.”

“No problem... you like the crust a little crunchy, don’t you?” She smiled, letting him know she was teasing him.

“I just...” he rubbed his hands over his face after he had put the pic aside, “I can’t believe this.”

“Adam, you made it a point to ask if Hank had hurt the boys... Maria didn’t answer your question.”

“She didn’t have to,” he told her sadly.

“I know you suspected that he was capable of abuse...” She bit her bottom lip, knowing that he wouldn’t easily deal with the knowledge that two of his children had been abused.

“If I had known, Nicole...” his voice cracked.

“Oh, Adam,” she rushed to put her arms around him, “you didn’t know. How could you?”

“It’s just not fair. Can you imagine how their lives have been?” He took his wife’s offer and let her take him in her arms to comfort him.

“It sounds like they’ve got a couple of good, strong girls to help them, Adam. Those girls love them, you can see it.”

He nodded quietly and leaned back to look at her. “How do you feel about it? I mean, I don’t just expect you to be totally okay with me having children with someone else...”

Nicole shook her head at him. “They’re your children, Adam. It’s not like you cheated on me and got some woman pregnant... we can’t change the past and I told you years ago that I don’t live in the past anyway. These boys are a part of you and it sounds to me like they could use a positive father figure in their lives... especially if there’s a history of abuse there.”

“I think I wanna meet them. How could I not now, huh?”

“We’ll need to talk to the kids, let them know what’s going on. This is pretty big and if things go well then they’re gonna be very curious about their half-brothers.”

“Why don’t I help you with dinner and we’ll figure out what we’re gonna tell them.”

Nicole smiled and leaned down to kiss him. “I’m gonna put you on potato duty,” she teased.

Adam groaned when she motioned for him to get moving. Five kids went through a lot of potatoes, he thought. But he accepted the mindless chore, needing some time to get his thoughts together and figure out what they should do next.

*****

The miles passed without a word spoken between the two girls as they drove back to Lake Tahoe. Maria had tried to call Michael but he hadn’t answered his phone and a quick call to Liz had let her know that he was there. She turned the radio down after hearing about the winter storm warning yet again and she glanced at her silent companion. “Still no luck getting Brendan?” she asked when Karen finally threw her cell phone in one of the cup holders.

“No, he’s punishing me by ignoring me.”

“Yeah, I’m getting the silent treatment from Michael too.” She wrinkled her nose. “I knew he’d be pissed, but if it brings him some peace with his real dad then it’ll be worth it.”

“I just hope you’re right, girl.” Karen stared out of the window while Maria was driving.

“That makes two of us.” Maria glanced at her. “Were you surprised by the similarities?”

“I kinda expected it. Just didn’t think it’d be that obvious.”

“Really? I didn’t expect them to look so much like him.” She grinned. “Jeez, do you realize the man’s in his early 40’s and has seven kids? Can you imagine having that many kids?”

“Oh, hell, no. I have my hands full with Caela right now.”

“Damn, his kids are 3, 5, 9, 13, 15, and two that’re about to be 21. I’d be insane!”

“Yeah. I can’t imagine that. It’d be too crazy. What about you? Any future family plans?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know about havin’ seven kids! On the one hand it’d be cool to have a large family, but on the other... damn, when would you sleep or have any time for yourself?”

“True. And how’re ya gonna actually have time for each other, ya know? Adam and Nicole seem to be very happy though.”

“True.” Maria snickered. “They must find the time somewhere though... five kids!”

Karen laughed. “You are gross, girl”

She just grinned. “C’mon, tell me you haven’t wondered if you and Bren would still be hot for each other like 20 years down the road.”

“I’m sure we will be,” Karen told her with a smirk.

“Gross,” Maria mocked.

Karen shrugged. “I know he’s the right guy for me.”

“You think he’ll be mad long?”

“I don’t know. This’s new to me too. Brendan doesn’t really get mad that often.”

“Well, I certainly can’t say the same for Michael.” She checked the mirrors before changing lanes. “I wouldn’t put it past him to try to leave my ass on the couch tonight.”

“That bad, huh? Well, the Michael I knew would never ever talk to you again, but he has changed a lot.”

“Oh, he’ll talk to me again whether he wants to or not.”

“He will. Loudly,” the other girl tried to joke.

Maria smirked. “That’s okay. I can take him screaming and shouting at me. It’s when he gets all silent that he worries me.”

“Oh, yeah, a silent Guerin isn’t a good Guerin.”

“No, silent means he’s hurtin’ and pullin’ away from me.” She took a deep breath as they neared their exit, hoping that the risk they had just taken worked out the way she wanted it to.

[Double Trouble]

Alien_Friend: Yup, he would’ve been… and still can be if the twins will just give him a chance! We feel bad for Maureen too, but hopefully she’ll find her own happiness down the road.

We’re pretty sure Adam and Nicole both would gladly accept the Guerin kids into their family.

Hmm… the silent treatment? No, it’s not likely to last for long.

begonia9508: Yup, lots of similarities between our boys and their father.

Nicole is pretty cool and she has a great outlook on life.

If the boys cool off and give this thing a chance they could have a great relationship with Adam and their extended family.

Well, they’re both Guerins, so they’re gonna be angry at first… hopefully it won’t last for long.

mary mary: Oh, the girls are gonna work on them… although the guys aren’t gonna make it easy.

kismet: You have to ask? Lol

Yup, they’ve got a big family.

Nicole just has that outlook on life. If there happens to be a different reason for that… she hasn’t told us yet.

Earth2Mama: You don’t have to fear a bad and ugly Candy disaster, promise. M&M are already past the point where they try to hurt each other with words. Of course Michael is still Michael and we all know he’s gonna be pretty pissed.

It’s scary how biology works sometimes, huh? Think Adam will feel like he’s looking at a picture of himself when he meets the twins?

Nicole is a good wife. She knows what to say or do to calm her husband down. They have five kids together, so you can see Adam and Nicole make a good team.

The reason why Adam left years ago in New York will be explained later. All we know at this point is that Hank was somehow involved.

There is a storm coming up and yes, we will find out now if it matters or not…

keepsmiling7: Max wants to make things better, but this one may prove to be quite a challenge. Lol, hopefully they’ll get to make up for that interruption.

sarammlover: We hope they did the right thing. Nicole understands her husband and she knows how to handle his moods and help guide and support him. The guys will definitely be mad at first. But you’re right, Adam’s a great guy and they’ll be happy once they get to know him.

Max really wants to help his girl, but this is one area that even he is having trouble with.

Cardinal: Hmm… interesting possibility.

That would definitely get them in deep trouble!

Eva: We can understand the happy/sad at the same time.

Yup, the guys aren’t gonna make it easy. But you’re right, the girls just want things to be better for the guys they love.

kay_b: Lol, it was tempting, but we decided one set of twins would be enough with this group.

Maria wants so badly for Michael to have what he was denied, what they were both denied, and after meeting Adam she knows he’s a good guy.

lilah: Oh, yeah, they are. True, with Brendan’s personality, that call easily indicated how he’s feeling at the moment. Adam and Nicole could be very good for the boys if they’d just let them.

Maiqu We know! Now, about those lottery numbers…

LOL, oh, he does know her.

They’re a great couple and easy to love. There are a lot of similarities between him and his boys. Even though our guys are now grown men he can still be a good dad to them if they’ll let him.


Part 112 – Explanations and The Past

Maria stopped the Navigator in front of the cabin they had rented and sighed, relieved that they had made it home before the bad weather they had announced on the radio started. She glanced to her right and met Karen’s eyes. “Think the guys are waitin’ for us?”

Karen nodded in the direction of the porch. “Looks like it.”

Brendan and Michael stood there, legs planted wide, arms crossed over their chests, and their identical expressions stony.

Maria swallowed. “Ready to get to the yelling?”

Karen chuckled nervously. “It’s for their own good, right? They’ll learn that sooner or later.”

“Uh-huh,” Maria muttered doubtfully when she opened the door. She had known that Michael would be pissed at her after what they have done, but as she started to walk towards him her throat tightened.

“Hey,” Karen greeted the guys as if nothing had happened.

Michael exchanged a glance with his twin and he was surprised when Brendan spoke up first.

“What part of ‘I don’t want you to get involved in this’ did you not understand?” he snapped angrily.

“Can we go inside first?” Karen asked when the wind picked up.

“By all means,” he muttered, stepping aside and bowing as he motioned to the front door. “I’d hate for you to be uncomfortable while we argue about this.”

Michael’s eyebrows shot up as he watched his brother. He had never seen Brendan get confrontational with anyone other than him and it was almost enough for him to forget that he was pissed too.

Maria stepped up to the porch. She hadn’t said anything yet and Michael had been too busy watching Brendan and Karen.

“Don’t think you’re getting outta this,” Michael said as Brendan and Karen disappeared inside.

Maria almost snorted. As if she had thought he would let her away with no response to her actions. “I don’t.”

He quickly covered his shock. “That’s good because I told you to stay out of this.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “I told you a thousand times to stop leaving your dirty dishes on the counter but you don’t do that either.”

“So, what’s next? I leave the toilet seat up one too many times and you’ll go dig up some other long lost relative that I want nothin’ to do with and drag them home, too?” He smacked his palm against the railing in agitation. “I told you to stay out of it, Maria. He was very clear about not wantin’ anything to do with us... the last thing I need is someone else who doesn’t want me around.”

“He was just shocked when you called him, Michael,” Maria replied calmly and stepped up next to him. “He was much more willing to listen when we went out to see him.” She paused and watched his face, but he wasn’t looking back at her, his eyes were focused on the car in front of them. “I didn’t mean to deceive you or anything.”

“You waited until we went out to hit the slopes before the two of you went to see him... why didn’t you just tell me what you were plannin’ to do?”

“Because I knew you would rather eat the keys to the car than let me drive there.”

“You should’ve told me, Maria.” He leaned against the post and continued to stare past her. “I deserve the truth... especially from you.”

“I wasn’t planning to hide this from you, Michael.”

“Why not just tell me what you were gonna do? Would I have liked it? No. Fuck no! But, you should’ve told me before you went.”

“And? Would you have let me go? No! Would you have been even more mad at me if I went there AFTER you had told me not to? Yes!”

“This’s a stupid fuckin’ argument,” he snarled and started pacing back and forth on the deck. He was annoyed with her for going to visit Adam without telling him, but he was also agitated because as much as he was trying to act like he didn’t care there was a part of him that wanted to be accepted by a man he had never met.

“Michael,” she reached out to touch his shoulder. She waited until he stopped pacing. “Adam is gonna want to meet you.”

He shook his head and backed away from her. “No, he won’t,” he denied. “He was very clear on that point when we called him and made big fools of ourselves.”

“It was just too much for him all at once, baby.”

He resumed pacing and stared at the porch. “Does he have other kids?”

“Yeah, five of them.”

“Did you meet them?”

“A couple of them, but just for a brief moment.”

“See? What’s he gonna want with two more kids my age?”

Maria sighed. “You and Brendan are his and there is no way around it and no denying it. You know it and he knows it now too. And he’s not gonna just ignore you; I honestly think he’s gonna wanna get to know you.”

“He’s just gonna wanna make sure we’re not a threat to his family.” He wanted to believe her, but he was still hesitant.

Maria shivered and wrapped her arms around him. “That’s not true.”

Michael hugged her for a few moments before releasing her. “C’mon, we should get you inside before you turn into a fat little snowman.” He frowned when she resisted his teasing and he knew she wasn’t finished with the conversation when she took a step back from him. “Look, Maria, just drop it, okay? Call him and tell him you made a mistake.”

“What?” She frowned. “I’m not gonna call him. I’m tellin’ you he’s gonna want to meet you guys. He will come here and you will talk to him, Michael.”

“He will come here and you will talk to him, Michael,” he mocked. “He may come here, but I’m not talkin’ to him, Maria.”

“Fine,” she muttered and started to walk inside. “Miss the chance to get to know your real father.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who walked out on him!” he yelled, following her inside and slamming the door.

Maria didn’t have the chance to reply. She was too shocked when she heard Brendan yell something at Karen as he stormed in their direction.

“I’ve gotta get outta here,” Brendan muttered as he grabbed his coat and shrugged into it. “Karen’s got it in her head that we NEED to meet Adam...” He snorted. “Like I care what he’s got to say. Did he seem that interested in talkin’ to us when we called him? No!”

Michael nodded and glanced around, looking for the keys. “You got the keys?”

“No.”

Both guys turned around to look at Maria, who obviously still had the keys. He had already turned Kyle’s keys back over to him so they needed the keys to the Navigator.

“Don’t give me any shit, Maria,” Michael snapped. “Just gimme the keys.”

“No,” she said firmly, “you two aren’t going anywhere.”

Brendan shook his head as he looked at his brother in disbelief. “Go get the damn keys!”

Maria’s grip around the car keys tightened when Michael started to walk towards her.

Michael’s irritation only grew when his girlfriend showed no signs of being willing to release the keys. “The keys belong to me, so hand them over.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“No?” he echoed. “This isn’t a multiple choice quiz, Maria. Just gimme the damn keys!”

Maria threw her hands in the air in frustration. “Running away won’t get you anywhere.”

“Yeah, it’ll get me away from this bullshit situation!”

Brendan took the opening Maria had just provided and he rushed up behind her and snatched the keys out of her hand, tossing them over her head to Michael.

Maria stared at them, confused as the two boys hurried to get out of the house. She shook her head and hurried after them, stepping out into the cold without her jacket to follow her boyfriend to the car. “Michael.” She grabbed his arm, trying to stop him.

Michael unlocked the door and leaned in to start the engine before he turned to look at her. “What?!” he yelled, feeling trapped and needing desperately to get away.

She took a step back, surprised when he yelled right into her face. “Don’t go,” she whispered, “they said there’s a bad storm coming up.”

He refused to justify himself anymore and he slid in behind the steering wheel and shut the door.

Maria stared at him through the window, hurt and confused. She had a bad feeling in her stomach; she couldn’t explain it, but she knew she couldn’t stop him either.

Michael refused to look at Maria as he backed out of the driveway and turned out onto the snow-covered gravel road. He glanced at his brother who was lost in his own thoughts. “Can you believe this shit?”

“No, I honestly don’t. What the fuck did they think they were doin’ when they went to him without even telling us?” Brendan shook his head in disbelief and slouched down in his seat.

“Women,” Michael muttered. “Let’s talk about our feelings, share our pain... what the fuck is that?”

“Bullshit,” Brendan agreed.

“She should know better than to pull this kinda crap.” He smacked the steering wheel with his palm.

“Yeah and ya know I already told Karen last night that I’m fed up with this stuff and that we don’t need a father, we’re doin’ pretty good without one.”

“I’ve gotta admit, I was impressed with the way you were puttin’ your foot down back there,” Michael said with a grin.

Brendan snorted. “I may have just gotten her back, but she can’t just do anything she wants just because she thinks it’s best for me.”

“Funny how women just walk right in and think they can control shit. I told Maria straight out that I didn’t want her involved... and what’d she do? She orchestrated the entire damn thing!”

“Same thing with Karen.” Brendan stared out through the window. “I hate to admit it, but Maria was probably right about the weather.”

Michael shrugged. “Maria’s usually right,” he grumbled.

*****

Maria walked back into the house and slammed the door behind her. “Fuckin’ stubborn asshole,” she yelled into the house.

Karen was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, annoyed with Brendan’s irrational behavior. “I can’t believe he just took off like that!”

“Hey, the guys are just blowin’ off steam,” Kyle said. He and Tess were engaged in a game of Monopoly with Max and Liz and he was almost certain they were cheating.

“Yeah,” Max said as he rolled the dice, “once they cool off they’ll come back and expect the two of you to apologize.”

“Expect us to apologize?” Maria asked, her voice dangerously quiet.

“I’m not gonna excuse myself for trying to get him involved with his father,” Karen agreed.

“Maybe you guys should’ve just left it alone,” Kyle suggested. “If Michael and Brendan wanted to do this they’re fully capable of makin’ that decision on their own.”

Tess kicked him under the table. “Mind your own business,” she hissed.

“If we had left it alone they wouldn’t have done anything. And when we go back to Long Beach it’ll be even more difficult with the distance,” Karen said.

Maria walked over to the window and stared out into the woods. “They shouldn’t have left with the car.
The weather is changing too fast."

“Michael knows how to handle himself in this kinda weather, Maria,” Max spoke up. He moved his piece seven spaces and cursed when he landed on one of Kyle’s properties with a hotel.

“Jackpot,” Kyle shouted and raised his fist in the air. “Pay up, Evans.”

“He didn’t even take his damn phone with him,” Maria continued to curse when she noticed his cell phone on the coffee table next to the Monopoly game.

“It’s okay, Max,” Liz said when he glared at Kyle. “He and Tess are both getting ready to pass our side of the board... and we do have the best properties.” She grinned and stuck her tongue out at Tess.

Karen glanced around, looking for Brendan’s stuff and located his wallet, a pile of change, and his cell phone sitting on a counter in the kitchen. “Neither did Bren.”

“Great,” Maria muttered.

“That man is in so much trouble when he gets back,” Karen said as she drummed her fingertips on the counter behind her.

*****

Adam and Nicole looked at their children as the three oldest ones finally joined them in the den and settled down on various pieces of furniture. They had decided that they would wait to tell the two youngest at another time; Tyler was five years old but they weren’t sure he was ready to understand what was going on.

“So, what’s up with the family meetin’?” Shane asked, glancing at his sister and giving a half-shrug in question.

Callie turned to look at her parents, trying to determine if they knew Shane had ducked out on his English class to make out with Jenny Grayson during fifth period a few days ago. Nah, they didn’t know, she thought, giving him a slight shake of her head under the guise of adjusting her earphones.

Shane released a relieved sigh and then groaned silently when Callie gave him that smile that told him she would be collecting later. She could read their parents so much better though and it would be worth it because having her on his side was so much better than the alternative.

Nicole hid a smile as she watched the kids. Callie and Shane as usual, were trying to decide if one or both of them had been caught for whatever they had done and Brian was picking at his fingernails, a nervous habit that they hadn’t been able to break him of yet. “Your dad and I wanted to talk to you about something important… something we’ve just learned about.”

“Are you gonna have another baby?” Brian asked.

Shane snorted. “They’re not havin’ a baby, dummy,” he muttered. “They’re like… old.”

“Don’t call me a dummy!” the younger boy yelled.

“Shane, don’t call your brother names,” Adam chastised. “And thank you for your response, inaccurate as it was.”

Callie’s eyes widened in shock. “Seriously? You guys are gonna have another baby? Not that I think you’re old or anything.” She shot a superior look at her older brother. “It’s just, jeez, there’s already five of us… I mean, really? Another little brother or sister… it’d be cool, but wouldn’t we like, have to move or somethin’? I don’t think another kid would fit in here.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “You guys can stop bein’ so supportive now. No, your mom isn’t pregnant… no new babies.” He glanced at his wife when she rested her hand on his shoulder, her fingertips rubbing at the tension she could feel there. “How would you guys feel about two older brothers?”

“Two older...: Shane muttered. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Yeah,” Callie nodded, “you don’t just have older kids.”

Adam cleared his throat. “No, no, it doesn’t work that way, does it?” He reached up to scratch his neck. “I was in a relationship with another woman years before your mom and I even met...” He glanced around the room trying to gauge their reactions.

All three kids were staring at their parents with eyes wide open, but none of them said a word.

“Things... didn’t work out with her and we went our separate ways. What I didn’t know at the time was that she was pregnant... we just found out that I have two boys from that relationship.”

“Why didn’t that woman tell you?” Shane asked.

Nicole could feel the tension in her husband’s shoulders and she stepped in to help. Adam didn’t want to lie to them, but children didn’t need to know everything about their parents. “We haven’t spoken with her, Shane, so we don’t have all the answers as far as that’s concerned. We received a call from the boys this morning; they just recently learned that your dad is their biological father.”

“Are those two women connected to them? Ya know, the ones that were here this afternoon,” Callie asked, confused.

“They’re the boys’ girlfriends. I didn’t believe them when they called this mornin’ and the girls came out here hopin’ to change my mind,” Adam admitted.

“That’s who was here when we came back from playin’ Soccer?” Brian asked as he slipped down off of the couch to sit between the two dogs.

Adam nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“How do we know this’s really true?” Shane said.

“I’d probably have a lot more doubts if I hadn’t seen a picture of them,” Adam said.

“You have a picture?” Callie straightened up.

Adam nodded and rubbed his sweaty palm against his thigh. “You guys wanna have a look at it?”

“I’ll get it,” Nicole told him and stood up to get it out of the desk.

“So, how old are these guys?” Callie asked.

“They’ll turn 21 soon.”

“21?” Shane’s eyebrows shot up in interest. Two older brothers... half-brothers, whatever... who could buy beer legally! This might not be all that bad.

“Where do they live?” Callie asked.

“They live in Long Beach; they’re goin’ to college there. They’re in Lake Tahoe right now, vacationing with friends.”

“Long Beach,” she mused. “Cool.”

“So, they probably surf an’ stuff,” Shane said thoughtfully. The beach meant lots of hot girls in bikinis!
This could actually turn out to be pretty cool if it worked out.

“Here,” Nicole came back and handed the picture to Shane first.

“I wanna see too,” Callie insisted, crowding her brother as she shoved him over to sit next to him in the armchair.

“Damn, Cal, quit shovin’,” Shane grumbled as he pushed her back with his shoulder.

“Quit, Shane, lemme look at the pic,” she argued, making a grab for it.

“Don’t rip it,” Nicole warned them.

“Well, if Shane would stop actin’ like he owns it.”

“I’m the oldest, you tree-hugger, now get off it. Bein’ oldest has privileges.”

Callie fumed when he insulted her efforts to help save the planet. “Tree-hugger?” She snorted and elbowed him... hard. “You’ll thank me one day when you realize I’m right.”

He rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He held the picture out so she could look at it.

She fell silent for a moment. “They look like you, Dad.”

Shane got up and went to the fireplace where several pics of the family were arranged on the mantle. He took his parents’ wedding picture and went back to his seat. “Exactly. That’s almost scary.”

Brian was watching his family, taking everything in as he processed it silently. “Are they gonna live with us?” he asked finally.

Adam frowned. “Oh, no, Brian, they’re not gonna live with us. They go to college, and well, one of them already made me a grandfather and you guys aunts and uncles.”

“One of them has a kid?” Callie asked.

“Yeah, it was Brendan, right?” He looked at his wife for help.

“Um-hmm, Brendan and Karen, they have a little girl.”

“And what’s the other one’s name?” Callie asked. “Who’s who?” She pointed at the pic of the twins.

Adam leaned forward when she held the picture out. “This one’s Brendan and the other one, that’s Michael.”

“Brendan and Michael,” Brian repeated slowly.

“Michael? That’s your middle name, Dad,” Shane said, looking at his parents.

He nodded. “It is.”

“Did that woman name him after you?” Callie asked.

He shrugged. “I can’t answer that, Callie. I haven’t seen her for 21 years now.”

“Are you gonna meet them?” Brian asked curiously.

Adam coughed slightly. “I plan to, yes.”

The little boy bit his bottom lip. “But, you’re not gonna go away, right? You’re still our dad...”

Adam winced and rushed to sit next to his kids. “Hey, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be your dad and I’m not leaving.”

“Promise?”

He tugged his son closer. “Promise.”

“Okay,” Brian breathed as he hugged his dad. “’Cause I don’t want you to go nowhere.”

“When’re we gonna meet them?” Shane asked.

“I’m planning to meet them tomorrow... I have to make some calls before that though. But I think it’s too early to bring you all with me, okay?”

“What?” Callie stared at him. “How can you go meet them and not take us?”

“The boys just found out about me, sweetie. They’re as surprised and confused as I am and we need to take this slow.”

“Well, I think it’s kinda cool that we’ve got two older brothers... don’t you think they’re gonna think it’s cool that they’re getting all of us in this deal?”

Adam chuckled. “I don’t know. For some people the five of you together can be scary.” He turned serious again. “Their childhood probably wasn’t so great and they’re probably not used to having a big family around.”

“Oh, so they don’t have any other brothers and sisters?” Callie asked. Sometimes her own siblings drove her insane and she’d never tell them, but she wouldn’t want to imagine her life without them.

“I know that they have an older brother. His name’s Alex.”

“So...” Shane’s brow furrowed as he tried to work it out in his head. “Are we related to him?”

“To Alex? No, he’s definitely not my son.”

“So, he’s their brother, but... not ours?”

“He’s from another man, so biologically you aren’t related to him,” Nicole explained, especially for Brian, who was looking at them with a confused look on his face.

“Were you married to her, Dad?” Brian asked.

“No, we weren’t married.”

“Oh.” Brian looked at the picture he now held. “Do you think they’re gonna like us, Dad?”

He rubbed his son’s head. “I’m pretty sure.”

“Of course they’re gonna like us,” Callie insisted. “What’s not to like?”

*****

Maria and Karen were pacing on opposite sides of the large living room, their eyes constantly darting to the front door as they waited for the guys to come back. Night was rapidly falling and the wind was blowing hard, bringing more snow with it.

An hour ago a report had come over the radio, informing listeners that the storm was getting worse and the announcer had relayed the request that people stay off of the roads unless absolutely necessary. There had been no further reports since then, but both girls were worried because Michael and Brendan still hadn’t come back and they had no way to contact them.

Max and Kyle had offered to go out and look for the guys, but they hadn’t gotten any further than the end of the gravel road because a tree had fallen and blocked them in.

Kyle and Tess had gone into the kitchen to make dinner and Max and Liz had offered to keep Caela occupied in her room.

“God,” Maria groaned, “I’m sick of the waiting...” She ran her hand through her hair and looked outside one more time.

Karen paused and turned to look at Maria. “You think they’re okay, right?”

Maria nodded even if she wasn’t sure at all. “They probably just can’t get here because of the stupid tree.”

“Leave it to Brendan to go and exert his flair for the dramatic on today of all days.” She smiled. “You probably didn’t know he had it in him to argue like that, huh?”

Maria shook her head. “No, never expected that one. But then again he’s Michael’s twin... I shouldn’t really be surprised, huh?”

“He rarely expresses himself in that manner, but when he does...” she whistled, “look out!”

“God, I wish they would’ve just talked to us for once.”

Karen smiled tightly. “You’ve gotta admit, this kinda reaction was completely expected.”

Maria sighed. “Yeah. But they weren’t supposed to leave us here all worried.”

“No, and Bren is in so much trouble for that.”

“So is Michael.” She turned to Kyle. “Were they trying to get that damn tree moved yet?”

Kyle looked over the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. “Huh?”

“The tree,” she said again. “How long until it’s gone?”

He made a face at her when she snapped at him. “I don’t know. It was cold out there... I didn’t hang around to inquire about whether the tree would be moved soon or not. It’s not technically on our property, so we’re not responsible for it.”

“How could you just walk away without even trying to find out?” She know she was acting like a bitch but she wasn’t able to hold it in.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Tess said as she stepped into the room. “No one but me gets to bust his balls over stuff. I know you’re worried, but get off his ass, Maria!”

Kyle winced. “Babe, do ya think we can phrase that a little differently please?”

Maria just rolled her eyes and headed in the direction of the front door. “I’m gonna check for myself.”

Karen grabbed her coat and hurried after Maria. “I’m comin’ with ya!”

Kyle hurried to place himself at the front door, blocking it with his body. “You two are not going anywhere.”

“I’m not above usin’ dirty tricks to get my way, Kyle,” Maria warned. “Either you get out from in front of that door or you're gonna learn an entirely new meanin’ for chestnuts roasting over an open fire.”

Kyle straightened up at her last sentence but remained standing at the door. “Maria, Michael will never forgive me if you go out there and something happens to you. You can’t go out there anyway; the storm blew a lot of snow on the road and it’d take you too long to get there and it’s not gonna help anyway.”

“I don’t need you to tell me what will and will not help, Kyle.” She turned and yelled for Tess, glaring at her when she appeared over the counter. “Tess, you tell him to move or I’m gonna put one of those decorative nutcrackers to good use!”

Tess shook her head and walked over to the front door with a determined stride. She motioned for Kyle to move and ripped the door open. “Have a look at that, Maria. You really wanna go outside? It’s cold, it’s dark, and there’s too much snow to go anywhere.” Suddenly a powerful gust of the wind made Tess lose her grip and the door flew open completely and made a loud sound as it crashed against the wall.

Maria moved to grab the door, holding onto it tightly as she pushed past Tess and walked outside to stand on the porch. She knew what she was doing, she thought mutinously. She carefully walked down the steps and made it several feet out before she stopped and looked around.

She hated it when she was wrong and everyone else was right. The snow was falling heavily and the only thing she could hear was the wind blowing through the trees.

“Where the hell are you, Michael,” she whispered as she looked out in the direction of the road. The visibility was so bad that she couldn’t even see the end of the driveway.

She turned back around when a quiet sound disturbed the silence and she realized that Karen had followed her outside. The other girl was looking toward the road, her right hand covering her mouth as she tried to keep from crying.

“This isn’t fair,” Karen whispered raggedly. “I just got him back.”

Maria hurried back up onto the porch and she hugged the other girl. “Hey, they’re probably sitting at some bar having a beer and talkin’ about how unreasonable we are.”

They both turned when the door opened and Max leaned against the frame as he hooked his right thumb in his front pocket. “Y’all should really come inside.” He smiled gently when he saw the stubborn expressions on their faces. “Gonna be hard to read ‘em the riot act when they get back if you’re both frozen before they get here.” He nodded over his shoulder. “C’mon, y’all ever had an old fashioned hot buttered rum?”

Maria tried to smile, but she had a feeling that she totally failed. “Thanks, Max.” She turned to Karen and gave her a gentle shove in direction of the front door. “Let’s go back inside, okay?”

Max motioned for Kyle and Tess to go back in the kitchen while Liz got the girls settled in front of the fireplace. He followed his roommate and moved to the opposite side of the kitchen as he started pulling ingredients down.

“What’re you doin’?” Tess asked.

“Why don’t you keep your nose over there in your own business,” he said and went about mixing things in a pot on the stove.

Tess stuck her middle finger up at him and went back to helping Kyle with dinner. It didn’t take long before she was back on his side of the kitchen, hanging over his shoulder as he filled a couple of mugs with the mixture he had prepared.

Max rolled his eyes as he motioned to the cabinet next to her. “Would you like one?” he asked.

“I don’t know... what is it?”

He ignored her question and added rum and boiling water to the mugs, sprinkling them with nutmeg and then topping them with whipped cream.

“Yeah, I want one,” she said, not even really caring what it was. It smelled so good!

“Well, now you have to wait.” He lifted the mugs and carried them out of the room. He walked over to the girls and offered the hot drinks to them. “Trust me, this’ll warm you up.”

“Thanks.” Maria took the cup from Max and took in the excellent smell of her drink.

“Yeah, thanks. Maybe I should look in on Caela first,” Karen replied.

“You won’t have to look far,” he said. “She’s in ‘er room with Liz; we’ve been buildin’ stuff with the box of blocks the guys brought back with ‘em the other day.”

Karen nodded. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you busy with watching my daughter. You and Liz probably want some time alone.”

Max waved her apology aside. “Nah, we’ve enjoyed it. Caela’s a smart kid and she’s very observant of what’s goin’ on around her.”

Maria winced when a cell phone started to ring and she immediately thought that it could be one of the boys or even worse a hospital or the police. “Whose phone is it?” she asked as she glanced around the room.

“It’s Michael’s,” Karen said and crawled over to get it from the coffee table. “It’s Alex.”

“Shit,” Maria muttered and picked up the phone. “Hey, Alex.”

“Hey… um, I was expecting Michael...”

“Yeah, uh... he’s not in the room right now. What’s up?”

“Just wanted to let ya know that we arrived safely back in Long Beach after several hours of sittin’ in traffic because of an accident. What about you? We heard that the weather was getting bad.”

Maria glanced at Karen helplessly. “Yeah, it is. Hopefully it won’t last too long.”

“Alright. Say hello to everyone for us. We’ll see you guys day after tomorrow.”

“Will do. Bye, Alex.” Maria hung up the phone and sighed.

“You didn’t tell him,” Karen stated.

Maria shook her head. “No, it’s not necessary for them to worry too as long as we don’t know more. They can’t do anything from Long Beach anyway. And Isabel doesn’t need anymore uproar right now.”

Kyle entered the living room and glanced at the girls. “Dinner’s in the oven; it’ll be ready in about an hour.” He sat down as far away from them as possible while still being in the same room. “I’ll just hang over here so my nuts will be relatively safe from bein’ roasted or cracked.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “I’m just worried, Kyle.”

“Y’know, I might not run around actin’ like it, but I’m worried, too. I know how serious these storms can be, but I also know that goin’ out in this mess is more likely to cause a problem than solve one.”

“Stupid men,” Maria muttered and placed the cup aside to lie down in front of the fireplace.

“How is that stupid?” he asked, offended.

“I didn’t mean you, I meant the twins.”

“Oh, right.” He slouched down and reached up to take Tess’ hand when she came to stand next to him. “Well, in their defense...” He trailed off and cleared his throat when two pairs of accusatory eyes zeroed in on him. “Maybe we should watch a movie or somethin’.”

“Which one?” Maybe a movie would distract, Maria thought.

“I don’t know... whatever’s on TV.”

Tess sat down in his lap and shifted around to get comfortable. “Oh, one of the channels was gonna play some cartoon movie tonight... Caela might like that.”

Karen stood up. “I’ll go get her and tell Max and Liz to c’mon in here.”

“How’s your drink?” Tess asked. “Max didn’t make me one.”

“It’s good.”

“He said he was gonna make me one,” she pouted.

“I did say that,” Max agreed as he suddenly appeared next to her, holding a mug out. “And I always do what I say I’ll do.”

“What’re we watchin’?” Liz asked as she curled up on the couch and motioned for Max to join her.

“Don’t know yet, let’s see what’s on TV,” Kyle said and gestured to Max, indicating that he should turn the TV on.

Max grabbed the remote off of the coffee table before sitting next to Liz. As soon as the television came to life he started scanning channels, pausing whenever someone expressed interest in whatever was on the screen. “You sure about that cartoon?”

“Wait,” Maria said suddenly. “Let’s watch the local news first; maybe they’ll say something about the weather or that damn tree.”

“Well, I doubt the tree blocking the road to our cabin is that newsworthy,” Max teased as he complied and searched for a news station.

“There’s local stuff on Channel 17.”

He turned to Channel 17 and slouched down next to Liz, holding her close against his side as they watched the local news.

Maria groaned when they announced a commercial break before returning with the weather report and more information about a traffic accident that had emergency crews tied up.

“Turn it up,” Karen said when the news came back on.

“Yeah,” Maria stood up from where she had been sitting and walked over to sit on the armrest of the couch.

Caela looked up at her mother, sensing that something wasn’t right. She stuck her fingers in her mouth and sucked on them as she looked around at the other adults in the room.

The report for the weather was what they had been expecting. More snow, road closures, advising people to stay indoors, and listings for local power outages. The news was turned over to another reporter, this one on the scene of an accident, but being kept back away from the immediate area. The cameraman panned out to show emergency crews working on the scene of an accident that involved multiple vehicles.

“As we have seen over the past hour as this story has been developing, there have been two confirmed casualties. At this time the names of the victims have not been released pending notification of their families. Rescue crews are working diligently to remove the last victim, trapped inside the black Navigator that was hit from drivers’ side by a semi truck. It is unclear at this time whether the individual still inside is merely unconscious or – “

The sound was suddenly filled with static and the screen flickered several times before the cable signal went out and they lost reception.

“Oh my God,” Maria whispered in a daze, still staring at the TV screen.

Karen bit back the scream that she could feel fighting to get out. They were in the mountains and there were probably a lot of black Navigators in the area, she thought. It wasn’t Brendan... he was probably just having a hard time getting back. The reporter had said that the roads were bad... it was just taking time, that was all.

Maria stood up, shaking her head wildly. “No, that can’t be true.” She ran through the front door and stepped out on the porch. The wind wasn’t as strong as it had been before. She stared out into the already darkened woods. “You can’t just leave me like this,” she whispered into the air and felt a tear running down her cheek.

Max grabbed a jacket and stepped out on the porch with her, draping it over her shoulders and letting his hand rest on her arm. “Hey, you’re lettin’ your imagination run away with those thoughts. There’s more than one black Navigator in the county, Michael knows how to handle himself in this weather, and we don’t even know where that accident took place. It could be miles from here, Maria.”

“They said the car was hit by a truck, so no matter how good Michael can handle the roads in this kind of weather, if they were hit by someone else...” She shook her head. “And I know that there are a lot of Navigators out here from the rental business,” she turned to glance up at Max, trying to control her trembling lips, “but how many of them do ya think are out on the road considering the weather?”

This would be easier if she weren’t being so outwardly rational, he thought. “Okay, you’ve got a good point... or two... but we don’t even know how long they’ve been workin’ on that accident. There’s no reason to think they were involved until we’ve got some sort of confirmation. Look, Kyle’s on the phone, callin’ around to the local hospitals, so why don’t we go back inside and see if he’s got anything yet.”

“I’m really scared, Max,” she blurted out as a sob escaped her throat, “what if he finds out that Michael’s dead?”

“Aw, hell, girl,” he muttered and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t think like that. Damn, don’t ever think like that until you have to.”

“I shouldn’t have started a fight with him. I knew that he would react this way. I’m so stupid,” she mumbled against his chest.

“You’re just tryin’ to do what you believe is best for him. That’s not easy to do sometimes, and especially not with a guy like Michael. He fights you tooth an’ nail on things, but he needs you to do that, Maria. He’s a stubborn, mule-headed prick at times, but he’s changed so much since you came into his life. He might get pissed and take off, but I’ve watched him with you, and you don’t have to worry about whether he’s gonna come back or not... the guy wouldn’t know how to live without you now.”

Maria nodded, even though she still felt responsible. “I should see how Karen’s doin’ and we should distract Caela.”

“No problem, I’m very good with kids. You take care of Karen and Liz and I will take the kid.”

Maria nodded and loosened her grip around Max to get inside. “Where’s Karen?”

[Double Trouble]

Earth2Mama: Well, maybe if ya refuse to believe it long enough… it’ll suddenly come true You’ll find out in this part!

Lol, a new baby is, in most cases, probably more presumable than the possibility of getting a pair of 21-year-old twins. Shane definitely sees some advantages coming up.

I’m gonna rip ‘em a new asshole!

Uh-oh! Ouch! Lol, they’d better be okay then, huh?

Karen is fine! We can tell you that much.

begonia9508: Men… stubborn, acting like children… what’s not to understand? Lol! They may thank the girls eventually, but right now, they don’t have a single thankful bone in their bodies. That’s a teenage boy for ya!

zaneri1: A ticked off Brendan can be funny!

We’re glad to know we made ya laugh!

mary mary: Lol, more drama, yes. Cliffhangers, yes. Death? Hmm… c’mon now, it’s us!

Alien_Friend: Oh, we don’t want to make Adam sad. We’ll find out what the boys have been up to.

Aw, he’s Max!

Adam’s family is great, aren’t they? We’ll find out in time if Brooke is as willing to share the twins.

The twins are still learning how to deal with things, but don’t worry… they’ve got plenty of people to give them a hand.

We did leave it that way, but… but, we won’t leave ya hangin’ for another update!

lilah: Promise, we’re not hatin’ on our readers! We love you guys (lurkers, too)! We’ll find out in this next update how our boys are doing.

Maiqu: Oh boy… not just stupid, but… Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! Karen, do something stupid? Surely you jest!

Lol, that is a lotta stupid, but, it makes sense here. We’ll find out how our boys are in this next update.

Shane… typical teenage boy, right? Yeppers, Michael is Adam’s middle name.

kismet: Lol, well, teenagers… Whaddaya do? We’ll check on the boys in this next update.

sarammlover: Ouch, two “BOO’s” this update? Why didn’t they come back when they BOTH realized Maria was right? LOL… she really asked that! They’re guys… c’mon now! And not just any guys, we’re talkin’ about Michael and Brendan.

Cardinal: Keep hoping… and we’ll find out what’s up with the guys in this next update.


Part 113 – Comin’ In Out of the Cold

Before Liz could answer Maria’s cell phone started to ring. Her heart automatically started to beat faster. What if it was someone who was calling to tell her that her boyfriend had been in that accident? She grabbed her phone with a shaking hand, sighing when the caller ID revealed the caller to be Adam. “Hello?”

“Uh, hey, is this Maria? It’s Adam.”

“Yeah, it’s me. Hi.”

“I wanted to call and let you know that I’d like to meet my boys... if you could tell them I’d appreciate it. You just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”

She sighed slightly. “Okay, I... I... I will.”

He paused a moment. “You sound upset. Were they as angry as you expected them to be?”

She started to walk through the room and stopped in front of the window. “They were mad at us as expected and they took off.”

Adam frowned. “You guys were headin’ for some bad weather when you left. Are they out in that mess?”

“Yes.”

He sighed and ran his hand over his hair. How many times had he done something just as stupid when he and Nicole had gotten into an argument? He was older now and he was past the point where he took off when they got into it, but he could easily remember how bad he always felt when he came back and saw how worried she had been. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I wish,” she said honestly. “But the weather is pretty bad. We can’t do anything and they didn’t take their cells with them.” She didn’t tell him about the accident, there was no need to worry him right now.

He winced. “Have they spent much time in this type of weather in the past?”

“I don’t know…”

“I’m sure they’re gonna be alright, Maria.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Did he have the right to ask her to call and let him know they were safe when they got back?

“Yeah, everyone keeps saying that to me,” she said with a sad smile.

“Do you feel like something’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t know. We just fought and now he’s gone and I can’t call him and we can’t get outta here to look for them...”

Kyle came up from behind and squeezed her shoulder when he realized that she was about to lose it again.

“Maria, I could tell from the way you talked about him when you were here that the two of you have somethin’ special... and I don’t know if you’ve ever felt it, but Nicole and I have had moments where we’ve known something was wrong with the other person even though we weren’t together at the moment.”

“I don’t know, Adam. I feel weird and worried and...”

“Trust your instincts, Maria.” He exhaled slowly. “I know that probably doesn’t help right now though. Just focus on what you’re gonna say to him when he gets back.”

“I’m gonna kick his ass for leaving like this,” she told him stubbornly.

“I’ll bet you are,” he said, laughing quietly.

“Okay, Adam, I... I need to check on Karen, okay? I’m gonna call you to let you know about the meeting.”

“Alright, Maria. I’ll talk to ya soon and give that boy hell for goin’ out in that mess.”

“Okay, bye for now.” She hung up the phone and tossed it on the couch.

Liz came out of the kitchen and glanced at her friend. “Hey, is everything okay?”

“Yeah… did you say where Karen went?” she asked, thinking maybe she had missed it.

“She went to her room,” Liz said. “Tess is distracting Caela while we’re makin’ dinner.”

Maria stared at her for a few seconds. “I... I’m gonna look after Karen.”

She nodded. “Alright, dinner’ll be ready soon and tell her she doesn’t need to worry about Caela.” She watched her friend walk up the stairs slowly and she hoped that everything turned out well and that the guys would be back soon.

“I’ll go talk to her.” Maria walked through the living room in the direction of Karen’s bedroom. She knocked softly on the door, but didn’t wait for a reply before she stepped in the room.

Karen was lying flat on her stomach on the bed, face turned to the wall. “Hey,” Maria started quietly.

Karen held her fisted hand against her lips that were pressed tightly together, desperately needing Brendan to walk through the door at that moment. She looked at Maria and sighed raggedly. “No news yet?”

Maria shook her head and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. “They would’ve already called us if it had been them,” she said, not so sure about that because the guys hadn’t even bothered to take their wallets with any kind of identification with them.

“He has to be alright, Maria...” She brushed her tears away, but it was only moments before her cheeks were wet again.

“I’m sure he is,” Maria answered, not believing her own words, but she knew Karen didn’t need another pessimist.

“They both are,” Karen insisted. “They’re probably just lost... y’know how guys are about stoppin’ for directions.”

“Yeah, they are probably stuck somewhere in snow and freezing their stubborn asses off while hating the fact that they didn’t listen to us.”

“Good luck getting them to admit that,” she said with a quiet laugh.

“Yeah, but we already know it’s true.” Maria turned to look out the window. “The weather’s clearing up. Maybe they’ll come home soon if the snow patrol finally manages to get the streets cleared.”

“I think we should avoid going anywhere with snow from now on.” She shook her head. “Brendan loves to try new things, but I’m thinkin’ that maybe this is just too much excitement for me.”

“I doubt that going anywhere else with those two would be any less exciting, girl.”

She smiled when she heard her daughter laughing downstairs. “She already adores him; she connected with him so quickly.”

“Yeah, he and Caela are so sweet together. The Guerin boys are definitely good with kids.”

“It’s amazing they all turned out so well considering how they grew up.”

“Yeah,” Maria said sadly, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. They had already been gone for more than four hours now. God, what’re we gonna do if they don’t come back?

“Have you and Michael talked about children?”

“Um, yeah, a little. We both want kids. Not yet though.”

“I definitely recommend waitin’,” Karen said with a quiet laugh. “I wouldn’t change things for myself because I love my daughter, but it would’ve been nice if I had been a little older and Bren and I had been in a better place in our relationship. Well, not so much our relationship,” she clarified, “but, not havin’ Hank hangin’ over us all the time.”

“Yeah, I’m really glad he’s outta the picture.”

“Me, too. He did so much damage.” She shook her head. “And now to find out that he wasn’t even the twins’ father...”

“Yeah, I know.... it wasn’t really easy for either of them, or for us because we’re dealing with the damage Hank did.”

“No, but I’m really thankful that Hank isn’t their biological father.”

Maria glanced up when the door was opened and her heartbeat immediately increased. Was there any news?

“Hey, just wanna let you know that dinner’s ready,” Liz told them before disappearing again.

Maria glanced at Karen. “You comin’ back downstairs?”

“No, I...” She sighed tiredly. “Well, I suppose I do need to feed Caela.”

“We can do that if you wanna lay down a little longer.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, we love her and we’ll probably fight over who feeds her.”

Karen laughed. “Thanks, Maria.” She didn’t want to upset her daughter with her own worried mood.

“You’re welcome.” Maria stood up and started to walk to the door. “We’ll let ya know if there’s any news.”

She nodded and lay down again, fighting the doubts and fears that just wouldn’t let up.

“Try to not think about it too much, okay?”

“You too.”

Maria closed the door behind her quietly and walked back to the others, who were already sitting around the table. “Karen isn’t comin’ down right now,” she told them and sat down next to Caela. “So, what’s for you little girl, hmm?”

Caela motioned to the plate that Max was fixing, but a moment later her attention was drawn to the dinner roll that Kyle was holding.

“You want what the adults are eating, huh?” Maria asked with a smile.

The little girl made a ‘gimme’ motion as she held her hands out to Kyle and he tore the roll in half before handing one to her. She happily contented herself with tearing off small pieces and chewing on it.

Maria leaned back in her chair and watched the little girl, unable to eat something on her own. She wished she could be just as clueless as Caela was right now.

“Maria?” Liz reached out and touched her hand. “You should try to eat a little something.”

“I can’t.”

“Y’know, the guys are probably just sittin’ on the side of the road somewhere,” Tess said. “Maybe they just pulled over when it started getting so bad outside and they couldn’t see the road. It’d be safer to pull over than to continue driving.”

“You can tell me that over and over, Tess, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. You’d be as worried as I am if Kyle was the one out there.”

Tess nodded, accepting the truth of the statement.

Maria glanced at Caela who was looking between the adults quietly. She knew that they were transferring their worries to her and they needed to change that.

Caela had lost interest in the roll, but she was still pulling it apart as she looked around. “Mama?” she asked quietly.

“Your Mama wanted to sleep a little.”

“Here, let’s try somethin’ different,” Max said as he stood and lifted the little girl out of her high chair. “Liz, you wanna fix her a little plate, darlin’?”

“Sure.”

Maria rested her elbows on the table and hid her face in her hands. The waiting was driving her crazy.

“Has anyone checked to see if the cable’s back on?” Tess asked.

“I’ll do that,” Maria said and got up.

“Well, I didn’t mean right now...”

“But I do,” Maria snapped back, and then winced. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be so bitchy.”

“I forgive you,” Tess said graciously and then grinned when Maria made a face at her.

Max settled Caela in his lap and reached for a small spoon, offering it to her and pulling the plate close enough for her to reach. “Okay, kid, dig in, and try not to cover me in food.”

Maria sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. She was stunned to see that the cable was really back on and she switched to the local channel again. When she saw that there was some stupid documentary about the local forest she rolled her eyes and got a little more comfortable as she waited for the news again.

“Maybe I should go sit with Maria,” Liz said as she stood and picked up her plate. “Just to keep her company.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Max said and reaching out quickly before the food that Caela had just let drop from the spoon, landed on his jeans.

Liz caught his chin and tipped his head up so she could lean down and kiss him before going into the next room.

Maria glanced up when her friend entered the living room and she pulled her feet closer to her body to make space for Liz to sit down.

“Anything yet?”

“No, just stupid shit about the trees here and the economy.”

“Trees, huh?” Liz took a bite of her food, her eyes focused on the television.

“Yeah, totally boring.”

She pointed at the screen with her fork. “They’re goin’ to a commercial.”

“So, how was your day? Where’d you and Max go?”

“We went skiing early this morning and then we came back here and... spent some time together,” she said with a goofy grin.

“Uh-huh... spent some time together? Interesting.”

Liz blushed but she couldn’t stop the smile that surfaced at Maria’s light teasing.

“Remember to take your pill every day,” Maria said with a grin.

“Religiously,” Liz promised.

“One mama out of the four of us is enough for one year.”

“No, no,” she laughed, “Max and I are not plannin’ to become parents before we’ve graduated from college.”

Maria lifted her eyebrows. “Y’all already talked about that?”

“We’ve talked about precautions.”

“Ah, okay.” Maria turned her head back to the screen when the program suddenly changed and the news started again.

Liz felt Maria tense up when the reporters started talking about the accident again. At least this time they heard that it was at one of the exit ramps off of the Interstate coming into the city, but before that really had time to register the camera was focused on the man reporting from the scene.

Maria wasn’t sure if she really wanted to hear it. Part of her wanted to know what was going on but another part wanted her to cover her ears to prevent her from what the man on TV was going to say.

“The last victim of this accident has now been removed from what little remains of the black Navigator that was impacted by a semi truck earlier this evening. Unfortunately, we’ve just received word that the man rescue workers were trying so hard to save perished before he could be freed from the wreckage. This accident now has a total of four fatalities and seven others taken to local hospitals for mild to severe injuries. No word yet on the identities of the fatalities, the only information we have so far is that there were three men and one woman, but until official notifications can be made officials will not be releasing the names of those involved.”

Maria bit her bottom lip painfully hard until she could taste blood in her mouth. “Three men,” she choked out.

Liz hurried to put her plate on the coffee table. “Maria, don’t just assume the worst.”

She shook her head sadly. “What should I assume, Liz? They’ve been gone for almost five hours now, they left in a black Navigator, they’re men, and it’s quite possible that they took that highway.”

“They could have, but you don’t know that they did.” She glanced back towards the kitchen. “Look the weather’s startin’ to clear up; you want me to ask Max if he and Kyle can try to go look for them again?”

“I don’t know,” Maria whispered as she stared out the window.

“I’ll go ask him.”

Maria stood up slowly and walked to the window. She wrapped her arms around herself and took a shaky breath. Her mind was imagining Michael in that accident, helplessly trapped in the car and in pain. She didn’t want to think that way but she couldn’t help it.

Liz went back into the kitchen and paused in the doorway, watching Max for a moment as he cleaned Caela up while she sat in her high chair once more, happily singing a song with Tess.
“Max?”

He glanced over his shoulder and straightened up when he saw her expression. “What’s up, darlin’?”

“Can I talk to ya for a moment? Um... not in here though.” She didn’t want Caela to hear any of it.

“Yeah, sure.” He reached out to tickle Caela’s chin as he passed her, smiling when she giggled.

Liz led Max away from everyone. “They just said on the news that the last person from that accident died and that three of them were men.”

He didn’t need her to explain how that information had affected Maria. He nodded and hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll get Kyle and we’ll see if we can get out of the driveway yet.”

Liz nodded. “But be careful, okay?”

“Hey,” he murmured as he leaned in close to her, “I’ll be fine. Kyle and me, we’ve got each other’s backs.”

“Okay... I think I’m gonna check on Maria again.”

Max nodded and went to get Kyle.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Kyle asked when Max joined them in the kitchen.

He quickly explained the situation, leaving out anything that could be understood by Caela. The last thing he wanted to do was upset the little girl. “So, we need to see if we can get out to the road.”

Kyle nodded. He was beginning to worry as well, but he had been trying to hide it. “Let’s go then.”

The guys went out into the living room, going to the closet by the front door and pulling their coats on before grabbing their gloves and a couple of flashlights and heading out into the cold night.

Maria was still standing at the window, watching the guys as they went through the deep snow.

“Damn, this’s a lotta snow!” Max exclaimed as he jumped down off of the porch and the fresh snow in the driveway came up to his knees.

They plowed through the snowdrifts, slowly making their way down the driveway to the gravel road. “Even if we can get out onto the road we’re gonna have to clear the driveway,” Kyle said.

“I’m gonna kick Guerin’s ass when he gets back,” Max grumbled and kept walking. He already felt exhausted.

“Tell me about it,” Kyle muttered. “I thought it was bad when we had one Guerin runnin’ around startin’ shit... now we’ve got two of them.”

“You think there’s a possibility that they... that they are the victims of that accident?” Max felt bad for even thinking of it.

“No,” Kyle denied quickly. “Guerin knows I’d kick his stupid ass right off the planet if he let somethin’ like this happen.”

“I guess he hasn’t even considered that his girlfriend’s goin’ crazy right now.”

“Man, you know Guerin thinks on a completely different level than we do.”

“Damn,” Max muttered when they came to the end of the driveway where it intersected with the gravel road and he saw the tree was still there blocking the street.

“Well, we didn’t really expect it to be gone,” Kyle said as he held his flashlight up, running the beam along the trunk of the tree. “There’s no way to get around it either... damn ditch that runs on both sides of the damn driveway’s gonna keep us from doin’ that.”

“Yeah and the snow’s too high to try and go around the property.” Kyle shrugged. “I doubt they’re gonna get crews out to deal with it tonight. It’s not exactly stoppin’ traffic.” He grinned and shoved Max, catching him unaware and knocking him off-balance and face-first into a snowdrift. “Forgot for a minute there that you’re a city boy and y’all don’t know what snow is in Texas.”

Max got to his feet slowly and glared at Kyle. “You’re gonna regret that, Valenti.”

He snorted. “Bring it on, buddy.”

Max shook his head. “Not yet. It’ll be unexpected. Let’s get back to the girls. Maybe the twins called.”

“You’re right,” he agreed. “Not about you bringin’ it, but about the twins.”

Maria was still standing at the window and she glanced up hopefully when the boys came back into the house.

Kyle shook his head as he stomped his feet, shaking the snow free of his boots. “Sorry, Maria, we still can’t get past that damn tree.”

Maria nodded slightly while quiet tears ran down her cheeks.

Kyle felt horrible for not being able to tell her that it would be alright, but he didn’t know what else to say.

Max shrugged out of his coat as he crossed the room and he reached out to touch Maria’s arm, exerting just enough pressure to get her attention. “Hey, why don’t you try to rest for a bit? We’ll let you know if we hear anything, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered and glanced out the window one last time before she started to walk to her room, her steps weak and quiet.

Max and Kyle exchanged a glance as she left the room and slowly made her way upstairs.

She opened the door to her bedroom, unable to hold back the sobs when she saw all of Michael’s stuff lying around and she crashed to the bed, inhaling his scent that still lingered there. Her fingers wrapped around a shirt that her sloppy boyfriend had left lying on the bed and she pulled it closer, holding it tightly against her.

Maria stared at the pattern on the shirt, tracing her fingers over it and imagining him there with her. She sighed after several minutes and eased over to lie on her back. Her gaze locked on the ceiling as she tried uselessly to force her mind away from the image of Michael, trapped in the mangled truck, his body broken and bleeding. Her right hand came up to grasp the dog tags where they rested between her breasts, holding them so tightly that they were leaving an imprint on her palm.

She eased her grasp after a while and her thumb traced over the letters engraved in the silver and then down to the small stone that was embedded in the corner. She had been repeating the motion for several long minutes before she realized that one of the tags was missing the stone.

She quickly sat up and lifted the tags so she could inspect them. She separated them, looking at first one and then the other one, and she frowned when she realized that the second one didn’t have a stone inlaid into the silver.

“What the hell?” she muttered as she leaned in closer to the lamp and studied the tag. It was one of Michael’s tags, she realized, wondering why she had one of his tags on her chain.

She suddenly smiled and carefully enclosed the tags in her fist. His tag and hers... together. She knew that he still had two tags on his chain and tears flooded her eyes at the realization that he had paired their tags together and he was wearing them close to his heart.

Okay, it was a totally sentimental thought, but it was symbolic and until he dragged his ass back into the cabin and denied it, she would believe that he had done it for that reason.

Tess stopped in front of Maria’s bedroom and knocked softly. She didn’t want Maria to be alone. She knew her friend well enough to know that the girl would cry the whole time thinking the worst.

Maria got up and pulled the door open, barely glancing at Tess before turning and going back to the bed. Her hand was still wrapped tightly around the tags, refusing to let go of them and all that they symbolized.

“Hey, sweetie. How’re you doin’?” Tess sat down on the edge of the bed and placed one hand on Maria’s arm.

“Why hasn’t he come back yet, Tess? He wouldn’t stay out, not like this... I don’t care how pissed off he is, he wouldn’t just let me worry like this.”

“The weather probably didn’t allow them to come home. Maybe they’re stuck in the snow somewhere and have to wait for the snow patrol.”

Maria leaned back against the headboard and pulled her knees up to her chest so she could wrap her arms around them. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” She brought her hands up to rest on her raised knees and she stared at the chain resting against her thumbs.

Tess raised her hand and brushed a strand of hair out of her friend’s face. “He’s alright, Maria, and when he comes back we’re gonna kick his ass.”

“Maybe I pushed too hard, Tess... maybe he wasn’t ready to deal with Adam and I should’ve just left it alone.”

“Oh, no, girl, stop blaming yourself for anything, okay? You know you did the right thing. And he knows it as well.”

“I thought I was doin’ the right thing...” She looked down at the tags again, nestled together in her palm. “I don’t know, Tess, sometimes it’s hard to know what the right thing is, y’know?”

Tess leaned forward to hug her tightly. “I’ll tell ya what the right thing is; come downstairs with me and we’ll have another drink that Max is gonna make for us.”

Maria forced a laugh. “Okay. I should check on Karen first though.”

“She’s sleeping, I just checked on her and Caela.”

“I have a feeling Michael isn’t the only one who’s gonna be in trouble when they get back.”

“You’re so right about that.”

Maria grimaced. “I’ve kinda been a bitch to Kyle.”

“Well, for today you get away with that,” Tess said and gave her friend a gentle shove.

“I should probably apologize to him... I’ve made multiple threats against his more sensitive body parts.”

“Uh-huh, you’d better not be planning to do anything like that.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Idle threats, girl.”

“Alright. Let’s go downstairs, okay?”

She nodded and stood up, shrugging into the shirt Michael had left laying on the bed before following Tess out of the room.

Kyle glanced up from the phone when the girls entered the living room again and after several more seconds he hung up. “I can’t get any information,” he said, frustrated.

Maria forced a smile as she moved to the rug in front of the fireplace and sat down. “Thanks for everything you’ve done, Kyle. I know I’ve kinda been a bitch about things today...”

He waved her off. “It’s okay, I know you’re worried.”

“Yeah, but that’s probably no reason to threaten to emasculate you.” She looked up when she heard laughter from the kitchen. “So, what’re we gonna do now?” she asked, feeling a little helpless. “This waiting is nerve-wracking.”

“Hey, you guys wanna take a break from playin’ grab-ass and get in here and find a movie we can watch or somethin’ we can do?” Kyle hollered to the couple in the kitchen.

Maria glanced at Tess when she sat down close to her. “I guess I’ll just lay down here...”

Tess leaned back, arms stretched out behind her as she rested her weight on her hands. “Have you noticed Liz and Max?”

“Yeah, they are... different, huh?” Maria got more comfortable on the rug and rested her head on Tess’ thigh.

“Different,” Tess snorted. “Try sexing it up, girl.”

“Sorry, I’m not really in the mood,” she replied while staring at the ceiling.

Tess ran her fingers through Maria’s hair. “He’ll come back, Maria.”

“What makes you so sure?”

She reached down and tugged Maria’s fisted hand open, motioning at the tags resting there. “Because that jackass loves you.”

Maria smiled sadly. “He does.”

Maria started to cry quietly again. What if she had lost him? What if he wasn’t coming back?

A heavy thumping sound on the porch drew everyone’s attention and they all froze for a moment before turning to look at each other.

Maria held her breath. Was there somebody at the door? Was it Michael? Or someone with bad news?

The doorknob turned slowly and a moment later the door swung inward and Michael and Brendan walked in, covered in a light dusting of snow and stomping their feet.

“Michael,” Maria breathed as she got to her feet in just seconds. She ran across the room and threw herself into his arms without paying attention to the snow.

“Maria?” Michael’s arms came around her and he hugged her trembling body tightly. “What’s wrong?” He looked around at the others, but his attention was pulled away before he had time to register the full extent of their worried expressions.

“Brendan! Oh, my God, you’re alright!” Karen exclaimed as she ran down the stairs and straight into his arms.

“Okay, what’s goin’ on?” Michael asked. He had been expecting Maria to have plenty to say, but he had been anticipating a very furious woman.

Maria’s mood suddenly changed into anger and she slapped his chest several times. “What’s goin’ on?” Tears of relief were running down her face, but her tone was angry. “Don’t you ever dare do that to me again, do you hear me?” With that she pulled away and ran away from him in the direction of their room.

Michael’s jaw dropped at her weird behavior and he held his hands up in question as he looked at the others. “Okay, someone wanna clue me in here?”

Karen took Brendan’s hand in hers and dragged him with her. Right now, she just wanted to be close to him, tomorrow he would get the yelling.

Brendan didn’t bother trying to get an explanation. He was smart enough to just roll with it and wait for Karen to tell him what had happened.

Michael shook his head. “What the fuck is goin’ on?” he demanded. “We leave for a couple hours and when we get back you’d think we’d been gone for months.”

“Try almost five hours,” Max said, glad to see the guys safely back.

Kyle waited until Michael had gotten rid of his jacket and boots. “Maybe you should have a look at this.” He gestured to the TV where the news was just starting again.

Michael crossed the room and stared at the television screen, wincing when he saw the footage of mangled vehicles. His breath caught in his throat when he saw what was left of the black Navigator that had been T-boned by a semi truck and he immediately understood her reaction. “Holy fuck,” he muttered. “How long have you been watchin’ this?”

“For almost two hours. They said there were three male victims; one of them died while they were tryin’ to save him.”

“And you let her watch that? What the hell were you thinkin’, Kyle?” He hurried past him without waiting for an answer.

“Well, sorry, I didn’t know that’d happened before we started watchin’ the news,” Kyle snapped after him.

Tess reached up to take Kyle’s hand and tugged on it to get his attention. “Hey, he’s just worried about her.”

“And we were worried about him, hell.”

Michael took the stairs two at a time as he ran to the second floor and hurried down the hall to the bedroom he and Maria were sharing. His heart clenched painfully when he stepped inside and saw his girl curled up in a little ball in the center of the bed.

Maria heard him come in but she didn’t move. The tears were still running down her face but she couldn’t stop them. The last few hours had been too emotional, and those feelings all wanted out now.

He closed the door behind him, not wasting any time as he crossed the room and joined her on the bed. He pulled her resistant body into his arms and cradled her close, rocking her as she sobbed uncontrollably. “Ah, hell, baby,” he whispered gruffly. “What were you thinkin’ watchin’ that over and over?” He pressed soft kisses to her head as she uncurled just enough to clutch at him.

She held onto him tightly, unable to say anything at first. It took her several long moments to formulate a sentence. “I thought you weren’t coming back...”

“Girl, you don’t ever have to worry about that.” His hand slid up to cradle her cheek as he attempted to bring her gaze to his. “Hey...”

She frowned. “So you wouldn’t have worried if I had been out without my cell phone for over five hours while there was a snowstorm outside and it was dark and cold?”

She had him on that one, he admitted silently. “I would’ve been out of my mind,” he whispered as his fingertips gently traced over her features. “But, I didn’t make all this progress and fall in love with you just to go out and get my ass killed in an accident.”

She snorted lightly. “It’s not like you plan something like that, it just happens.” Her mind went back to the day her mother told had her that one of her best friends had died.

“No, no, no, baby,” he said when he realized where her mind was taking her. “I understand what you’re sayin’ and I’m not tryin’ to downplay your fear or worry...” He sighed and the side of his thumb brushed over her lips. “There’s nothin’ I can do to change the past few hours, Maria. I knew we had bad weather comin’ in and I shouldn’t have taken off like that... I’ll try to remember to think twice next time, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered softly. “Just hold me in your arms.”

He held her tighter and they lay there in silence for several minutes. “Tell me what I can do to make you feel better,” he said after a while.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. All she could think was how glad she was he was there.

He shifted just enough to stretch his right hand out and switch off the lamp on the nightstand. The full moon outside spilled in through the window, bathing the room in the ethereal white light. He settled back against the pillows and tugged her closer, feeling her body press warmly against him. “I love you,” he whispered, his lips brushing her temple.

She squeezed his arm. “I love you, too.” Maria lifted her head slightly to look at him. “That was really scary.”

He reached up and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. “I’m sorry for runnin’ outta here the way I did earlier... if I hadn’t you wouldn’t have been worried like that.”

“Are you still mad at me?”

He cleared his throat. “I’m not happy that you did that, Maria, but I’m not as pissed as I was before.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

“Wouldn’t stop you from doin’ it again though would it?”

“Well, a few minutes ago I would’ve said no... but, yes.”

“Wanna explain that?”

“I just... I guess it’s my fault that you just took off, and I never would’ve forgiven myself if something had happened to you.”

“We can’t predict the future, y’know,” he said quietly. “You really think you’re gonna stop doin’ what you think is best for me in an attempt to keep bad things from happening?”

She looked up again. “It’s stupid, right?”

He smiled. “I’d never say that it’s stupid for you to wanna protect me, Maria, but it’s unreasonable to think you can control what’s gonna happen.”

“Just like you said you would never die in a car accident, huh?”

Michael came up on his left elbow and shook his head at her. “Don’t turn this around on me, Maria.”

“I’m just sayin’ you can never know what’ll happen.”

“No,” he said slowly, “I guess not.” He shook his head. “I don’t wanna talk about this anymore... I don’t like talkin’ about somethin’ bad happenin’ to either of us.”

She took his tags in her hand and smiled when she saw one of her own there.

He looked down, following her gaze when he saw the smile that lit up her features. “What’re you... Oh, um...” He felt hot suddenly and he reached up to scratch his chin. Damn, was he blushing?

She could feel his discomfort and stretched up to brush a kiss against his lips. “Thanks.”

He relaxed when it became obvious that she approved of him switching one of her tags out with one of his. “You’re not gonna make a big deal of it, right?”

She chuckled. “No.”

He shrugged and reached for her tags, lifting them up and examining them in the moonlight. “You don’t think it’s some girly, romantic notion?”

“It’s romantic,” she started. “I love you for doin’ this. It really means a lot to me.”

“But, it’s not girly, right?” he demanded.

“No, it’s not. But I can say it was my idea if anyone asks, okay?”

“Well, no...” he shook his head. “You don’t have to do that. I mean, IF anyone finds out, and no one should be close enough to you to even notice it.”

“Not even the girls?”

He frowned as he considered her question. Good point, he thought. All the girls were so damn nosy... and if they found out the first thing they’d do would be run to their boyfriends – his best friends – and share the information that he was a big romantic sap. He cleared his throat. “Okay, so it was your idea... that works for me.”

She grinned. “Thought so.”

Michael rolled his eyes but he didn’t counter her statement. It wouldn’t do any good anyway... she knew she had him.

“Are you gonna talk to Adam if he comes here?” Maria asked carefully. She didn’t want the man to come here and then be ignored.

He shrugged one shoulder as he shifted over to lie on his back, loving the familiar weight of her body as she followed him and rested her left arm on his chest and watched him. “I don’t know... what’d he tell you? You read people pretty damn good. Does he really wanna get to know me an’ Bren?”

“He’s confused and of course a little scared. I think it’s still hard for him to remember what happened in New York, but he wants to come here and meet his sons.”

“Is he anything like either of us?” he asked.

She shrugged slightly. “We didn’t talk to him for very long and his family was around.” She smiled. “But he does the neck scratching thing just like Brendan. And he has your temperament too.”

“Really?” He smiled slightly. “So, I’ve got a lotta half-brothers and half-sisters, huh?”

“Yeah. I just saw the girls for a short while, but they seemed okay.”

“You already made arrangements for him to come here?”

“If the weather doesn’t act up again he could be here for lunch tomorrow. He called earlier and told me that we should tell him when to come. I guess it’s not too late to call him now.”

“Why do I have a feelin’ I’m not gonna be very hungry?”

“You wanna go somewhere else? Without all the others around?”

“Part of me says yeah, let’s go somewhere else, but the other part... the guys are practically family, so there’s really no reason to go anywhere else, I guess.”

“Okay, don’t worry, baby, it’s gonna be weird first, but Adam’s cool.”

“Would he bring his whole family or would it just be him?”

“Probably just him tomorrow.”

He nodded, more at ease with that than a bunch of people he didn’t know being there. “So, you talked to him... did you like him?”

“Yeah. He seemed pretty cool. He’s into sports and he was really great with his family.”

“Okay, let’s worry about it tomorrow. For now, let’s either do or talk about somethin’ else.”

“Anything you’ve got in mind?”

He smirked. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” She lifted her head to look at him. “What’s that?”

“I’m thinkin’ we haven’t made it into that hot tub yet and there’s nothin’ like the hot tub in the middle of winter.” He waggled his eyebrows playfully.

“Hmm... are ya gonna give me a massage in there?”

“I don’t know...” His right eyebrow quirked as he watched her. “That what you want?”

“Oh, yeah, I need your hands on me.”

“Whatever you want,” he answered agreeably.

“I love it when you say that.” She grinned.

His eyes darkened when he saw her smile and he shifted to look down at her. “What else d’you love?”

“You,” she answered simply.

He watched her for several long moments, just enjoying the opportunity to let his eyes trace over her features. “I suppose you want me to get outta this nice, warm bed to go get the hot tub ready?”

“Uh-huh, you went out at this stormy weather, so I think you’ll do fine with this, too.”

“That’s cold, woman,” he growled, but got up to go and get things ready anyway.

[Double Trouble]

Alien_Friend: We’re pretty sure they’re gonna hear about it from their friends and hopefully they’ll think twice in the future. Michael didn’t waste any time once he realized what was going on.

mary mary: True, she can’t just leave Adam hanging like that! We’ll see if she remembers to make that call.

begonia9508: Ah, Maria has her ‘softy’ moments, lol. But don’t worry, she’ll still be tough when she needs to be.

Earth2Mama: We’re sure the boys are glad you’re no longer threatening them about ripping them a new one. LOL.

The boys already knew what they did was wrong. Especially Michael should know after Maria’s reaction to him being gone.

Exchanging the dog tags was really romantic. Michael probably didn’t even think how romantic it was, lol. Shows how much he loves her.

We couldn’t let them get hurt or worse… we love Brendan and Michael too much by now!

The meeting between Adam and the twins will happen soon.

sarammlover: They’re growing and learning that jumping right into a fight doesn’t solve anything.

lilah: Of course we do!! Chances are good that the others will have something to say… maybe not all at once, but it’ll be said. Yeah… how could he say no to Maria?

Poor Kyle… just wasn’t getting any love, lol.

Ah, we couldn’t let that problem last for long… needed a little peace on Earth for DT land.

Maiqu: Aw, c’mon… evil? Really? **Authors laughing maniacally** Okay, maybe it was. Hey, he’s Michael!

She might just do that.

Cardinal: Of course… totally clueless, aren’t they?

Hmm… we’ll check in on Karen and Brendan in this next part.

Eva: Great! No hospital for our boys!

Well… not in this next part, but coming soon! Promise!

April: So right! Michael isn’t a type, who would show everyone that he can be romantic if he wants to be.

He had a few moments, but he only shares them with the one person, who made it in his heart.


Part 114 – Making Plans

Maria reached for the phone that was lying on the nightstand, glancing at the clock and realizing that it wasn’t all that late. Michael was a little more accepting of meeting his father now and she just knew there wouldn’t be a better time. She bit her bottom lip as she stared at the lighted display on her phone when she flipped it open. She scrolled down to Adam’s number and hit the call button before she could change her mind.

“Hello,” Nicole greeted, recognizing the number on the caller ID.

“Hi, Nicole, this’s Maria. Can I talk to Adam?”

“Sure, he’ll be down in a few minutes; he’s just putting Antonia back down.”

Maria glanced up when Michael ran back inside and shut the door behind him.

“We’ll be ready in a couple minutes,” he said. His right eyebrow quirked when he realized she was on the phone. “Is that him?”

She turned the phone away. “Not yet… you wanna talk to him?”

“Huh-uh, tomorrow’s soon enough.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll finish up out there an’ come get you when you’re done.”

“Was that Michael?” Nicole asked.

“Yeah, that was him,” Maria nodded even though the other woman couldn’t see it.

“So, how mad was he that you came here to meet with Adam?”

“Don’t even ask. Once he calmed down he wasn’t very mad at all, but then I told him that Adam was hoping to come over...”

“Oh, I can imagine.” Nicole chuckled. “If he has his father’s temperament... I can just imagine his reaction.”

“We’re better now.”

“That’s good, I’m glad. Oh, hold on a sec, Maria, Adam’s here.”

“Okay.” Maria waited on her cell and heard Nicole and Adam talking in the background.

“Maria, I didn’t expect a call this soon,” Adam said after accepting the phone from his wife. “I was hoping, but... the boys are alright?”

“Yeah, they’re back and in one piece,” she told him, relieved.

“Good, that’s good. Any interest in us meetin’?” he asked, hopeful and nervous at the same time.

“Well, I don’t know what Brendan has to say about it right now. But Michael’s okay with it, so yes!”

He nodded and squeezed Nicole’s hand when she looked up at him. “She’s not sure about Brendan, but Michael’s said yes.” He turned his attention back to the phone. “Just tell me where and when and I’ll be there.”

“What about right after breakfast?”

“Tomorrow? Yeah, tomorrow’s good.” He wrote down the directions as Maria gave them to him and afterwards he looked at his wife. “You’re sure he’s ready for this?”

Maria glanced outside where Michael was leaning over to check on the hot tub. He lost his balance and almost fell into it fully clothed. She giggled slightly. “He’s been through a lot lately, but he also wants answers.”

“That’s understandable. Havin’ too many questions and no answers will drive you insane.”

“You are coming alone, right?”

He laughed quietly. “Yeah, in spite of my kids’ protests, it’ll just be me. I don’t wanna overwhelm the boys the first time we meet.”

“Yeah... there’d be a very good chance Brendan and Michael would run again if you came here all together.”

“Well, let’s not make ‘em run. So, I’ll be there around... 10am? Later, earlier?”

“10am will be fine I think.”

Adam nodded. “Then I’ll see you guys in the mornin’. And, Maria? Thanks... for everything.”

“Don’t thank me before ya met them, Adam.”

“Regardless of what happens, you’ve already helped a great deal.”

She smiled. “I just want my boyfriend’s life to be normal for once.”

“Sounds like it might be headin’ in that direction.”

“I really hope so!”

“That makes two of us. I’ll see you guys in the mornin’, Maria.”

“Bye, Adam.”

*****

Brendan stayed silent as he followed Karen into their room, but he wasn’t expecting it when the door closed behind them and she collapsed in his arms. He leaned back against the door and held her close, rubbing her back and wondering what had happened to upset her so badly. “Is Caela okay?” he asked, thinking that maybe their daughter was sick.

She mumbled something that he didn’t have a prayer of understanding but he was able to decipher the nod she gave in response to his question.

“And… you’re okay… right?”

She leaned back and looked up at him, deep blue eyes swimming in tears that spilled over and ran down her cheeks unchecked. “Do I look okay to you?”

Every instinct that he possessed screamed in warning and he realized he had just made a serious error. “Um… no?”

“How could you take off like that? Wasn’t it enough that I was alone the last couple of years? Did ya really have to scare the hell outta me?” She took several steps back to sit on the bed, shaking her head wildly. “What was it? Some kinda punishment?”

“What? No!” Brendan took a couple of hesitant steps forward. “We had to pull over and wait out the storm... We were lucky that we were close to an old cabin so we had someplace to wait it out.”

“Why’d ya go out anyway? You knew that storm was coming! How could you scare me like that?”

“I was pissed off, Karen! You went out and did exactly what I told you I didn’t want you to do! I wasn't thinkin’ about the storm or anything else when we took off. Damn it, I know you don’t think I did it just to scare you like that!”

“Next time at least take your fuckin’ cell with you,” she shouted back.

Her anger only fueled his temper and he found himself yelling in response. “Next time mind your own fuckin’ business!”

“I did that because I wanted you to get to know your father... and your reaction was to run away from your family instead of talking. You have a daughter now... you can’t afford to be as careless as Michael probably still is, Brendan. You’ve got a lot of more responsibility to carry than he does right now.”

“You wanna throw responsibility in my face?! Oh, no... huh-uh... You do not get to pull that card with me!”

“It’s not somethin’ you can deny.”

“I never tried to deny any responsibility I have! I’m so fuckin’ responsible it’s ridiculous for a guy my age!”

She snorted. “Then why did you take off with your brother, even though you knew that it wouldn’t help the situation AND a storm was coming up?”

“God, I hate it that you’re so damned rational in the middle of a fight! I needed to get away for a while, alright? If I had stayed we would’ve fought all night about that little stunt you pulled!” He jerked his coat off and threw it in the chair behind him. “I don’t want Caela raised in that type of environment... kids shouldn’t have to be around people who’re always fighting.”

“We don’t fight a lot, Brendan.”

“I know what it’s like to hear your parents arguing... it’s upsetting, and she shouldn’t have to put up with that. I spent my childhood hiding in my room, waitin’ for the yelling to stop... my kid deserves better than that.”

Karen threw her hands in the air helplessly. “This is ridiculous.”

He fell silent and shook his head in confusion. “What?”

“This fight right here, it’s totally ridiculous, ‘cause we’re fightin’ over different things.”

“How d’you figure that?”

“It’s obvious.”

He was completely confused. She wanted to know why he had left and he had just explained it.
“Okay, let’s put aside the fact that I’m a genius for a minute, because I’m totally missin’ the point!”

“Obviously you’re still mad because of what Maria and I did and you’re worried about Caela even if she can’t even hear us, while I’m tryin’ to explain to you that just running away without a cell, without anyone knowin’ where you were goin’, without any warm clothes, when you knew that there would be bad weather was a totally irresponsible thing to do.”

That shut him up. He reached up to scratch his neck as he finally realized what her point was. “Um... I’m sorry?” Okay, he thought after a minute. Maybe an apology wasn’t the way to go.

She shook her head. “We thought you’d had a bad accident. We thought you wouldn’t come back to us. Can you imagine how scary that was?”

Oh. He slowly crossed the room and sat down beside her. “I wasn’t thinkin’, Karen. Yeah, I was pissed and I wanted to get away, but I wasn’t doin’ it to hurt you. You’ve gotta know that I’d never intentionally do that.”

She leaned against his shoulder. “I’m just glad you’re here again.”

“I’m sorry I worried you like that,” he whispered.

She nodded slightly. “I don’t wanna lose you again!”

“I’m not goin’ anywhere, Karen.”

“Okay,” she said quietly.

He turned to face her and he reached up to cradle her face in his hands. “They say hindsight’s 20/20, and whoever they are, they’re right. Takin’ off like that was stupid and I’ll try to think twice next time. I know we’re nothin’ like my parents and God, there’s still so much I’ve got to learn about bein’ a parent, but, I want this, Karen.”

Suddenly some mumbled cries could be heard in the room and it took both of them several seconds before they realized that it was Caela’s voice coming over the baby monitor. “She was upset all afternoon and evening since you left, so maybe you could look in on her. I bet she’ll calm down, when she sees that Daddy’s back.”

He leaned in to kiss her gently before standing up. “I’ll go get ‘er.”

Karen nodded. “Can you bring some leftovers from dinner when you come back? I’m hungry.”

“Sure. Be back in a few.”

He left the room and went downstairs, barely noticing that the others had disappeared as he made his way to Caela’s room. “Hey, what’s the matter with my little girl?” he asked when he saw her standing up against the rails of the crib.

She held her arms up and he picked her up, settling her against his left side as he turned to go to the kitchen. “Let’s go get Mama somethin’ to eat, huh?”

Caela made an approving sound and clapped her hands.

“Like that, huh?” In the kitchen he sat her in her high chair and started rummaging through the refrigerator. “Let’s see what you guys had for dinner...” He made a face at the leftovers and shook his head. “Huh-uh, that looks like Kyle had a hand in makin’ dinner... and I’m not eatin’ whatever that was.”

He pulled out what he needed to make a couple of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, quickly making them and sliding them on a plate and covering them with a few napkins. He grabbed a couple of bottled drinks and filled a sippy cup with juice that he handed to Caela before picking her up again. He gathered everything else up and hit the light switch with his elbow on the way out of the room.

They made their way back upstairs and he nudged the door open with his foot, turning and pushing it closed again before crossing the room to hand the plate to Karen.

She groaned in pleasure. “That smells awesome.”

He grinned. “I can still make an awesome grilled ham an’ cheese.” He shrugged one shoulder as he set the drinks on the nightstand. “It’s better with freshly sliced tomatoes, but I couldn’t find one, so this’ll have to do.” He placed Caela on the bed and then stretched out on his side so she couldn’t get too close to the edge. He smiled at Karen when she handed him one of the sandwiches and he tore off a small piece when his daughter made a grab for his food.

*****

Maria stretched out on the bed and watched Michael as he walked around the deck to get the hot tub ready. She was still feeling a strong relief that he was back, alive and well. How could she ever survive without him anymore?

A shiver ran down her spine when a cold breeze came into the room from the slightly open door and she pulled the blanket around her. A few seconds later Michael came back into the room and rubbed his hands together to get warm again. “Okay, how do I get outside and in the tub without getting cold?”

He snorted. “I seriously doubt that’s possible. You’re gonna have to suck it up and suffer a little bit of cold for a minute or two.”

“Will you carry me?” She waggled her eyebrows at him.

“Girl, you have got a serious thing for me carryin’ you.”

“I deserve to be carried around,” she pouted.

“You do, huh? I think you’re just cheatin’ ‘cause you don’t want your feet to get cold.” He sighed when she just looked at him and he made a downward motion with his right hand. “Alright, but you might as well strip now. I’m not carryin’ you out there and then waitin’ while you get naked.”

“Alright.” She climbed out of the bed and started to pull the tee shirt she was wearing off, followed by the tight jeans and her underwear.

Michael watched her, dark eyes following every single movement she made as she revealed more skin with each piece of clothing that was removed. “You sure you wanna get in the hot tub?”

“Something better in mind?” she teased when she saw his heated gaze.

“Me, you... hot, sweaty sex.”

“You don’t think we can combine that with the hot tub?”

“Yeah, but Mike Jr. might need some time to recover after goin’ out there in the cold and right now he’s ready to go.” He grinned at her hopefully, but he knew how much she was looking forward to hot tub sex.

“I doubt that Mike Jr. will have a problem for long out there.”

“I hope not.” Mike Jr. sure wasn’t having any problems at the moment he thought as the last of her clothing hit the floor. He stripped everything but his jeans off before scooping her up and heading for the balcony doors.

“Fuck,” she hissed when they stepped outside and she held onto him tightly. “Freezing!”

“You think it’s freezin’ for you? Imagine what it’s doing to Mike Jr.”

“You’d better hurry then.”

He crossed the deck in his bare feet and leaned over to ease her into the warm water bubbling in the hot tub. He reached for the snap at the top of his jeans and then shook his head and followed her in without taking them off. “Couldn’t do it,” he said with a shrug as he fought to free himself from the soaked denim.

Maria laughed as she watched him struggling with his jeans. “Wet jeans are difficult to handle, did ya know that?”

“A shriveled dick’s difficult to handle too, smartass.”

She sank deeper into the water until only her head was outside and she sighed happily.

Michael rolled his eyes at her as he tried desperately to rid himself of his jeans. “Yeah, don’t help or anything... I’m sufferin’ over here, but don’t worry, I’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

She chuckled and leaned over to grab the cuffs of his jeans to pull on them strongly.

“Oh, yeah, there we go!” he shouted when the wet denim slid down a few inches.

“Impatient?”

“Like you’re not?”

“I am,” she admitted.

He fell silent as they fought with the denim, finally succeeding in pulling them free and he grabbed them, tossing them on a nearby deck chair before sliding down in the water and stretching his arms out to rest along the edge of the tub.

Maria leaned back again and watched Michael from the opposite side for several long moments. “Where did you and Brendan spend the last few hours?”

“There’s an old cabin about six miles from here; it was a lot closer and safer to stop there than to try to drive back in that mess.”

She nodded. “Kyle tried to convince me you would do the right thing in this weather.”

“Well, he’d know.”

“Didn’t convince me, though.”

“Wouldn’t have convinced me either.”

“What’d ya do in the cabin? Were there other people there?”

“No, it’s not much more than an old abandoned one-room shack. Not much to do but sit and wait the storm out.”

“Well, it kinda makes me glad you didn’t have fun either,” she admitted with a small smirk.

“I’m so glad my suffering makes you happy,” he growled, but he knew what she was saying.

“Next time, promise me you’re gonna at least take your cell with you.”

“Hell, Maria, I didn’t take off without my cell on purpose, but it wouldn’t have mattered in that storm.”

“Alex called while you were gone to let us know that they arrived safely back in Long Beach.”

“Are you tellin’ me to let me know they got home safely or to make a point that the cells were workin’ here?”

She shrugged. “Both, I guess.”

“Maria, I’m not lyin’ to you; we took the old highway when we left here and it winds through the valley.

With the storm and that location, there won’t be a cell signal. This cabin sits up above the valley, so you’ve got a better chance of keepin’ a signal durin’ a storm.”

She shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t wanna talk about it any longer. It was scary and it freaked me out, so thank God it’s over.”

He frowned as he leaned back and slouched down further. “Do you think I’m lyin’ to you?” he asked, needing to know the truth before he could let it go.

“What? No, why would I think that?”

“I need to know that you believe me.”

“I do believe you.”

He studied her features in the moonlight for several minutes before he nodded. “Okay then.” He reached out to grab her right foot when she stretched her leg out to let it rest on his thigh.

Maria sighed slightly. “That feels good.” She closed her eyes and rested her head on the edge of the tub and tried to relax a little.

Michael was sitting up, sliding closer to Maria when he heard someone moving around on the deck below.
“Hey, Guerin, that you up there?”

He rolled his eyes when Max spoke up. “Yeah, Evans, whatcha want?”

“Man, tell me you’ve got some extra protection that you won’t be needin’ tonight,” he said, keeping his voice as low as possible.

Maria gasped for air and giggled. “Afraid that Liz might hear ya, Max?”

Max rolled his eyes. “No, I’m tryin’ to be discreet.”

“Yeah, as if asking this way is discreet,” she hissed at Michael and rolled her eyes.

Michael grinned at her. “Well, he could’ve done somethin’ really – “ The words froze on his tongue when he saw a pair of hands reach around the railing and a moment later Max pulled himself up to peer over at them. “If y’all could just gimme an answer and talk about me behind my back after I’ve gone back inside that’d be great.”

“Max!” Maria shrieked and sank into the tub as much as possible.

“Look, Guerin, simple answer... yes or no... hurry up before your girl drowns herself for no reason.”

“Bathroom,” Michael hissed. “Next to the sink. You can count yourself lucky that I’m not willin’ to get outta here in the cold, ‘cause otherwise I’d kick your ass right off that railing.”

Max nodded. “Safe to go in your room in a few minutes? I assume you won’t be goin’ inside right away?”

“You’d better do it NOW.”

“Well, alright,” Max said and hauled himself up and over the railing. “I was tryin’ to be considerate, but if you just wanna be a dick about it...”

“Evans, would you please just take the condoms and then leave us alone?”

Max just grinned. “Be happy to.” He winked at Maria and jumped back out of the way when Michael cupped his hand and sent a wave of water in his direction. “Hey!”

She waited until Max disappeared in their room and less than a minute later he walked out to the hallway and closed the door behind him. “Should we lock the door?”

“Not sure it’ll matter with Spider-Man crawlin’ up the side of the damn cabin.”

“I guess they’ll be distracted now.” She leaned back again. “So, where did we stop?”

“I believe you were comin’ over this way,” he growled.

“Weird, I thought you were giving me the massage I asked for.”

“What kinda massage you got in mind?”

“How about a full body massage?”

“Sounds like a challenge in here.”

“Sounds like a lot of fun to me.”

“Uh-huh, I’m sure it does.” He tipped his head to the side as he tried to work out the mechanics in his head.

“Want me to come over?”

He just grinned at her.

She nodded with a smirk and moved forward in his direction. “Where do ya want me?” she asked seductively.

“Oh, hell, Maria... anywhere, everywhere.” He reached for her and pulled her up against his body, his mouth taking hers in a heated, passionate kiss.

She groaned into his mouth when his big hands came around her slim waist to press her tighter against him.

His hands moved over her body, loving the feel of her smooth skin against his. He growled in approval when she shifted to straddle his hips.

“I guess the massage has to wait, huh?” she asked breathlessly as her hand slipped between them to slide along his length.

“Keep that up and you’re definitely gonna have to wait,” he rasped.

Her grip around him tightened in response to that; she watched his face intensely, loving every single expression in his eyes when he was aroused like this.

“Guess that means you’ve changed your mind.” Her touch was making him hot and driving him crazy.

“Depends...” she teased. “How much do ya want me?”

He rolled his eyes at her. “You’ve got my dick in your hand, I’m hard as a rock, and you’re seriously askin’ that?”

“Well... I was hoping for you to go into action rather than answering the question...”

“You’re kinda in the drivers’ seat, baby.”

“Then let’s change that. I really want you to take control,” she breathed against the soft skin of his cheek.

“You like that, huh?” he growled as his hands settled on her hips and he pulled her closer.

“Yeah, ‘cause I trust you.”

“Makes me crazy when you say stuff like that.” He waited until she released him to shift her into position so that his erection could gently nudge her entrance. “I wish I had the words to tell you how much I love you,” he whispered as his hands tightened on her hips so he could hold her still while he teased her.

She shook her head and locked her eyes with his. “You’ve already said things I never would’ve imagined hearin’ from anyone, baby.”

He let his hands relax, but continued to prevent her from sliding down on him, knowing it was driving her insane. “The past few months have been pretty rocky and I wanna do whatever I need to do to make things a little easier from now on.” He could see the confusion mingling with the desire in her eyes as he carried on a conversation as if they weren’t naked with him barely inside her.

She chuckled breathlessly. “Don’t know if that’s possible.”

“No?” He let her slip down a little more, grinning when her eyes darkened even further.

She grabbed the edge of the tub tightly to steady her trembling body. “Well, maybe, I don’t know.” She was babbling and she knew it, but thinking straight just wasn’t possible right now.

“Maria DeLuca admitting that maybe she doesn’t know somethin’?” he teased.

“Michael,” she whined, “stop that.”

“Stop that, huh? You sure about that?” His grin was wicked as his hands tightened on her hips once more, holding her still as he braced his feet and thrust up into her. “Better?” he rasped.

Maria was surprised by his sudden move and she gasped as the nails of her other hand dug into the flesh of his shoulder.

“Um-hmm, you’re sure.” He chuckled breathlessly and relaxed back against the tub as he gave her time to adjust. His hands moved up from her hips, caressing her sides and back as he made his way to her breasts, palming them and watching her eyes as his thumbs massaged her stiff nipples.

Maria smiled slightly as she looked down at him. He was hers and she was his; they had connected so strongly the last past few weeks, it was almost scary.

“What’re you thinkin’?” he whispered, wondering at her secretive smile.

She shook her head slightly, not wanting to tell him that she was the one who was scared of the fact that they were almost so close that it wasn’t possible for her to think of a life without him anymore.

“Not gonna tell me, huh?” His hands started to retrace their path as he waited for her to let him know she was ready.

Maria leaned in closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her eyes searched his, knowing that was all that was necessary to let him know he could continue.

Michael recognized the look in her eyes and he held her close as he started to move, keeping things slow at first.

Her eyes slid shut and she leaned her forehead against his as he continued to move in and out slowly.

He watched her, waiting for the subtle shift in her features that would let him know she was ready for more and he grinned when it suddenly surfaced. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him as he intensified his movements.

“You’re makin’ me crazy,” she groaned and bit into the skin of his neck teasingly.

“Must be doin’ somethin’ right then,” he growled as he nudged her cheek with his nose. He smiled at her when she lifted her head and he kissed her as he thrust up into her, the move sending water splashing over the sides of the tub.

“Everything,” she confirmed with a whisper.

His expression held just a hint of smugness mixed in with happiness as he worked hard to send her over the edge.

Maria wasn’t even able to tell him that she was ready when the waves of her orgasm began to wash over her and she had to fight the temptation to just crash into his arms fully because she knew it wouldn’t be comfortable for him in this position.

“I’m right there with ya,” he huffed out.

She ran her hands through his wet hair and stared into his eyes, getting lost in them.

Michael loved her so much that he felt like he couldn’t contain it. She was more than he had ever expected to have because he had never believed he deserved someone like her, but she was teaching him differently. “I love you,” he whispered, kissing her deeply as he thrust up into her one last time.

“I love you, too, Michael,” she whispered softly.

He pulled her closer and let her rest against his chest as their hearts slowly calmed down. “Our room looks a lot farther away than it did when we came out here,” he mused drowsily.

“Yeah,” she said without even glancing up.

“I think you should run inside first... get that door open, grab some of those nice warm, fluffy towels...”

“No,” she complained, “not fair!”

“Meanin’ it’s more fair for me to do that for you?”

“We should go together,” she decided.

“That’s awful fair of you,” he said suspiciously.

“You can carry me if ya want....”

“Uh-huh, there you go with that again.” He leaned over the side of the tub, stretching as far as he could to grab his jeans. He frowned when he finally snagged one of the belt loops and he realized the denim was stiff. “My damn jeans are frozen,” he grumbled as he glanced at the distance between the tub and the doors to their room.

She chuckled, enjoying being close to him. She didn’t really care how they got out of the water and back to their room.

“Ya know, this’s gonna suck,” he muttered. “Alright, because I love you, I’m gonna get out and run inside to grab the towels.”

“You’re the best,” she said grinning.

“Uh-huh, remember that when we’re nice an’ warm in bed here in a few minutes.” He gave her a quick kiss before climbing out of the tub, hissing at the ice cold air that hit his wet body, causing a predictable reaction from the family jewels.

He lunged for the door, gritting his teeth against the frozen deck under his feet. He turned the knob and pushed inward... and nothing happened. He cursed out loud and tried again before accepting that the door was locked. “I’m gonna kick his ass,” he snarled, realizing that Max had probably locked the damn door out of habit.

“What’s wrong?” Maria asked.

“What’s wrong?” he repeated, turning to face her. He had cupped his hands protectively over himself, trying to keep the important parts from totally freezing. “Captain Caution locked the door.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “No, he didn’t,” she said. “Damn.”

“Damn is right,” he muttered. “I don’t suppose you brought your phone out here with you?”

“Ha ha, funny, Michael.”

“Wasn’t makin’ a joke, Maria.” He glared at her as he tried to figure out how to get inside with the door locked.

“You’re gonna have to climb down,” she gestured to the railing.

He snorted. “Yeah, Maria, I’m gonna climb down lookin’ like this.”

She shrugged. “What else should we do?”

He released his death grip on his pathetic dick and scooped up a handful of snow off of the railing, forming it into a snowball and then leaning over the railing, pulling his arm back and aiming it at the room at the end of the cabin. “Fuck,” he muttered when it smashed against the wood instead of the window as he had intended.

“That won’t work,” Maria denied.

“Unless you’ve got a better idea than me climbin’ over the side of this cabin like a friggin’ monkey then you can be quiet and let me concentrate.”

“Fine.”

He gritted his teeth at her sulky tone and looked around for something else to throw. When that didn’t provide him with inspiration he started packing another snowball, but it missed the window too. He glanced at the railing and stubbornly shook his head. [/i]He was NOT climbing over the railing in his current state![/i]

Maria leaned back in the tub and watched him but stayed silent. There wasn’t any other option other than climbing down.

“You realize if anyone’s down in the livin’ room the first thing they’re gonna see is...” He gestured at the lower half of his body as he glared at her.

She laughed out loud. “Hopefully it’s not Liz then.”

He snorted. “Mike Jr. isn’t gonna impress anyone in this condition,” he grumbled.

She rolled her eyes. “You know what, I’m gonna climb down, okay?” She started to get up. “But don’t give me shit about it in the future if Max or Kyle sees me naked.

“No, no, you’re not goin’ down there like that!” He’d be damned if either of his friends was gonna get a look at his girl like this!

Maria smirked inwardly. She had known he would react like that. Pfff, as if she would ever consider climbing down there.

Michael debated the best way to make the climb and finally settled for hauling himself over the side and letting his body hang low enough that he could feel the railing below under his feet. He was trying to brush the snow away when he lost his footing and slipped, falling backwards into the snow.

“Are you okay?” Maria asked loudly.

He jumped up and ran up the steps, teeth chattering as he responded to his girlfriend’s question. “Yeah, workin’ on bein’ an ice sculpture, but other than that, s’all good.” Damn, he hoped she hadn’t seen that!



A/N: We're not sure if we can post in our regular updating schedule the next week, since we'll both pretty busy. We will try through, just no guarantee. You can check out our Author's page here, we will keep ya up to date there, when the next uppies will be posted.

[Double Trouble]

Earth2Mama: Brrrrr, can you imagine what this snow could do to Mike Jr.? lol

Brendan is still new in his father role and he’s realizing slowly that he has a lot of responsibility all of a sudden. It’s not only him anymore, but we’re sure he will do fine. Think the others will give him another lesson? Hm… we will see.

LOL, Max and Liz definitely discovered something new together and it seems like they are REALLY having fun, huh? Maybe Max didn’t really think he would have sex at the cabin, so his condom storage was only … short.

Max probably didn’t even realize about the door, it was just a move out of habit. Michael won’t be very understanding though – as you can imagine, lol.

kismet: Well, they’re learning. Michael definitely has his moments.

How was that mental image for ya?

Brendan’s not going anywhere.

Cardinal: That’s it exactly! Hmm, well, with Michael you just never know.

True, ruined the leverage, but made for a much easier make-up.

The further frozen adventures of… Mike Jr. LOL!

begonia9508: LOL, now that would’ve been a sight to see, right? Brrrrrr!

mary mary: Yeah, freezin’ and fallin’ off… not good for Mike Jr. Here’s hopin’ for a nice, unlocked door.

Aww, thanks!

lilah: Yes… perhaps Michael should stick to indoor sports for a while… we’re pretty sure Maria wouldn’t complain.

Natalie36: Um… we’re sorry?

Alien_Friend: Those moments are always worth waiting for!

Ah, yes, Brendan’s coming out of his shell. Karen’s the only one who’s ever really known him so well.

Thanks! A good week, but exhausting… and looks like it might drag out for a bit more. But, we’ll keep you guys in the loop!

Hmm, the meeting with Adam. Why don’t we just pop in on them and see how that goes?

sarammlover: Oh, he does love her! Karen is the one person who has ever fully known Brendan – she brings him out of his little shell.

kay_b: Tess? Now why would you think we’d have Tess on the other side of that door? She would be an interesting choice though, wouldn’t she?

The meeting with Adam is coming up very, very soon. The meeting with all those half-siblings is a bit further away. Michael is lucky… and he knows it!

Maiqu: Perfect, ‘cause that’s the way we took it!

LOL…

We’re glad you’re lovin’ Adam! Let’s drop in and see how that meeting goes here in this next part!

zaneri1: Thanks for reading!




Part 115 – Finally Getting Some Answers

Of course the door was locked, he thought as he jiggled the knob uselessly. “Well, my dignity’s about as close to bein’ gone as it can get,” he muttered as he pounded on the door. Apparently he was wrong about that, he realized when the curtain was pushed aside and Tess peered at him, her blue gaze filled with humor as it slid over him.

“Open the fuckin’ door, Harding!”

“Kyle, come here,” Tess called, laughing.

Michael refused to let her get the best of him so he stood back and held his arms out at his side. “Go ahead, make your jokes... I ain’t got nothin’ to be ashamed of.”

She opened the door just as Kyle joined them. “Guerin, what the hell?” He hurried to cover Tess’ eyes with his big hand.

Tess shoved his hand away. “Please, I’m familiar with the naked male body, Kyle.”

“But you’re not allowed to see my friends naked,” Kyle grumbled and glared at Michael.

“Hey, man, don’t give me that look!” Michael snarled as he pushed past them to get inside where it was warm. “If Evans hadn’t barged in to find out if I had any extra condoms then HE wouldn’t have locked us out on the balcony.”

Maria relaxed in the hot tub, resting her head on the edge of the tub. Sooner or later someone had to get her outta here, right?

Michael marched out of the living room, ignoring the fact that he was naked as the day he was born, the only exception being the dog tags that were nearly frozen to his chest. He stalked up the stairs and past the door to his room so he could beat on the door to Max’ room. He leaned up against the doorframe, expression nonchalant as he waited for the door to open.

Max looked up, surprised when someone pounded on the bedroom door. He and Liz had just been about to switch off the light to get some sleep. He pulled the blanket snugly around Liz’ body and made sure that nothing could be seen before he walked over to open the door... just to see Michael... naked.

“Michael?” he asked with a frown.

“Yes, Max?”

“You’re naked.”

“You’re observant,” Michael mocked.

Max shifted to stand in front of him so Liz couldn’t get a look at his friend. “And? The reason why you came over here is?”

“Because in your haste to snag a few condoms... I’ll assume it was a few, although you could be the one-hit wonder type... but anyway, that’s not the point. The point is you fuckin’ locked us out on the balcony, you stupid moron!”

Max looked surprised. “Oh...”

Michael actually took a step back at his friend’s response, his expression shifting to offended.

“Sorry, guess it was just habit to close and lock the door behind me, ya know? Didn’t do it on purpose.”

“That’s nice... you didn’t do it on purpose... that makes it all better.” He shook his head and turned to walk back to his own room, providing Max with an unwanted view of his backside.

Max shook his head in disgust and closed the door.

Michael grinned to himself as he walked back to his room and reached for the doorknob and turned it. He shook his head in disbelief when it turned but the door didn’t open. “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me.”

He braced his shoulder against the door and tried not to think about how completely stupid he had to look as he threw his weight against the wood. He yelped when it gave and the door flew inward and he ended up on the floor. “Well, that’s a vote in favor of hardwood floors,” he said, wincing as he got up and looked down at Mike Jr. “Might be sore for a bit, but no rug burns.”

He hurried over to the bathroom and grabbed a couple of towels off of the heated towel rack and rushed over to unlock the door so he could get to Maria.

“What took you so long?” she asked when he finally came back.

“Maria,” he said, his tone patiently exaggerated as he motioned for her to get up so he could wrap her in the oversized fluffy towel, “I want you to think about that and then take that question back... and then we’ll both act like you never asked it.”

She frowned at him and then shrugged. “Whatever.”

Um-hmm, whatever, huh? he thought, annoyed. “Tess now has first-hand knowledge of what I look like naked... front and back.” Take that!

Maria grinned. “Good, then now she can be jealous about what I have!”

“Considerin’ Mike Jr. and his state comin’ in out of the cold... I’m not sure jealous is exactly the word I’d use.”

She glanced down at him. “Come on, he’s still impressive.”

“Yeah, not for a guy my size. Maybe once he’s had time to thaw out.”

She shivered. “Okay, can we please go inside before the talking?”

“I’m sorry... do you have body parts that are actually tryin’ to retract?”

She pulled the towel more tightly around her when she stepped out of the tub and hurried inside without answering his question.

“And I’ll take that as a no,” he muttered as he secured the towel she hadn’t taken around his waist so he could cover the hot tub. Thankfully the damn thing was one of the self-cleaning models so it was one less thing that he had to take care of.

*****


Max came downstairs, his booted feet making a solid thudding sound against the steps. He was whistling as he stopped in front of the mirror that hung on the wall near the coat rack and he paused in front of it to run a comb through his hair.

“What’re you doin’?”

He turned when Michael spoke up behind him and he grinned. “They’ve finally got that tree outta the driveway so me an’ Kyle are takin’ our girls out for the day. We’re gonna head over to a nearby town that has some big crafts thing goin’ on that Liz an’ Tess wanted to check out and afterwards we’re gonna take ‘em out to lunch.”

“You guys don’t have to leave,” Michael insisted, feeling that panic clawing at him getting even worse. “It’s okay for you to be here when… y’know, when HE gets here.”

“Michael, buddy, you know we’re here for you and we appreciate that you’re willin’ to include us in this, but this’s somethin’ you an’ Bren need to do.”

“Yeah, Guerin,” Kyle added, slapping Michael on the back as he joined them, “Evans is right. We love ya for includin’ us, but when it gets right down to it you guys only need your girls to be here with ya for this.”

“Ungh, get away from me, Valenti... you’re gonna have us all holdin’ hands an’ singin’ We Are the World if you keep up with this shit,” Michael complained.

Tess and Liz came downstairs together. “Are we good to leave?”

“Good to go, ladies,” Kyle said with a grin. “I think Guerin might need a hug first though.”

“Aww, really?” Tess stopped in front of him.

“Touch me and I’ll pour your coffee down the toilet,” he growled. “Every single overpriced ground of it.”

Liz sighed, relieved. “Whew... I thought I really had to hug him.”

Michael glared at her. “You discover sex and suddenly you’ve become a comedian. Well, guess what? You’re not funny.”

Tess and Liz exchanged a quick glance and nodded before they both approached Michael and hugged him, one girl on each side.

“You’ll be fine, Mikey,” Tess told him and ruffled his hair before stepping aside again. Oh, she wanted so badly to comment on the night before but he was sooo not in the mood for teasing of that nature right now. Just have to save it for later, she thought with a wicked grin.

“Ungh, God,” he grumbled, shaking free of them. “Maria!” he shouted, brushing his hands over his arms as it he could wipe their touch off.

“Huh?” Maria leaned back to look out of the kitchen at her boyfriend.

“I’m bein’ assaulted out here by your friends,” he muttered.

“Assaulted?” She looked puzzled. “What’d you girls do?”

“They’re touchin’ me.”

“Aww, Grumpy Bear just needed a little huggy-wuggy,” Max teased and ducked out of the way when Michael turned on him.

“Let’s get outta here. Make sure you take care of him,” Kyle told Maria with a wink.

“Assholes,” Michael snarled at their retreating backs.

“Sooo,” Maria wiped her hands on a towel and joined him, “need a huggy-wuggy?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not an 18-month-old baby, Maria,” he grumbled.

“Okay,” she shrugged, “no hugging for you.”

“Didn’t say no,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her close.

She smirked in satisfaction and let him pull her into his arms. “Are ya nervous?”

He shrugged and buried his face against her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

Brendan walked inside from the back deck, rubbing his hands together to warm them. He hadn’t been able to sit still all morning and he had moved from one place to the next constantly. He glanced at his brother and Maria and he moved past them to Caela’s room so he wouldn’t disturb them. Maybe being around his little girl would help calm him down.

Caela looked up and made a happy sound when her Daddy waked inside. “Da-da,” she tried to stand up slowly.

“Hey there,” he said quietly as he leaned over and picked her up. “Whatcha buildin’ in here?” He grabbed a couple of the colored blocks she had been playing with.

She just smiled at him and took one of the blocks in her tiny hand.

“Wonder if you’re gonna be into architecture like your uncle and your... grandfather,” he wondered aloud.

“Nah, she’ll probably develop video games like her Daddy wants to do,” Karen said as she entered the room.

“You think she’ll be anything like me?” he asked, turning around to look at his girlfriend.

“Of course. Look at her; she’s so much like you already.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” she leaned against his side and brushed her hand over Caela’s head, tickling her neck. “See, she makes the same gestures when someone caresses the back of her neck... just like you.”

Brendan smiled at his daughter’s response. “I’m so nervous about meetin’ this guy, Karen.”

“You don’t have to be. He’s a very nice man.”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that,” he said with a small smile. “He obviously made a good impression on you.”

She nodded. “Definitely. You could tell that he felt bad for not knowing about you all these years.”

“What if he doesn’t like us?”

She snorted. “How could someone not like you? Now Michael on the other hand...” she grinned. “I’m kidding.”

“At least he and Michael have somethin’ in common... they’re both into architecture.” He felt his nerves starting to fray again.

“Don’t think about that, Brendan. You’ll have something in common with him too, and besides that you’ve got a sweet little daughter who is loved by everyone.”

“Guess we’ll have that in common,” he joked weakly. “We’ve both got kids... well, we’ve just got the one, but she’s pretty awesome.”

Caela smiled at him and smacked two of the blocks together.

“C’mon, let’s go in the living room, he’ll be here soon.”

Brendan nodded and followed her, setting his daughter down on the floor of the living room and taking a seat on the couch to watch her.

Michael stood at the window and watched the driveway. “Come over here,” Maria told him.

He turned his head to look at her. “I’d rather just wait over here... I wanna see him before he sees me.”

Maria shook her head slightly and got up. “I’m gonna get something to drink. Anyone else?”

“Huh-uh.” He looked down when a little red block skidded across the polished floor and he put his foot out to stop it. He crouched down when Caela walked over to him to retrieve the block and he picked it up for her.

The little girl looked at him intently when he handed her the block, her expression serious. “Mi....tel,” she tried.

His eyebrows shot up when she attempted to say his name and he grinned when she repeated it. “Hey, Maria,” he shouted, “c’mere an’ check this out!”

Maria walked back in the room with a glass of orange juice in her hand. “Huh?”

“Watch this.” He gave his niece a little nudge. “Say it again,” he encouraged her. “Michael... c’mon.” He looked up at his girlfriend. “She said my name.”

She lifted her eyebrows questioningly. “Really?”

He rolled his eyes. “Why would I make that up?”

Maria crouched down to look at Caela. “Can you say my name too? MARIA, it’s simple.”

Caela looked between them. “Mmm... Mmm... Me...” Her lips moved as she tried out the new word. “Mia!” she forced out and threw her block at the same time.

Michael laughed. “I’ve got a new girlfriend, everyone. Her name’s Mia.”

Caela’s face scrunched up as she smiled and she reached out to pat Michael’s chest. “Mi-tel.”

“Mi-tel,” Maria repeated with a grin.

“Better than Mia,” he said.

They were disturbed when a car pulled into the driveway. Maria could see Michael tensing up again when he looked out the window.

“Here we go,” he muttered. “Hey, Bren – “

“No need to shout, I’m right here,” Brendan said as he scooped Caela up in his arms.

“Want me to open the door and let him in?” Maria asked.

Michael felt like he was frozen to the spot as he watched the man step out of the car and turn to walk up to the front door. “Holy fuck, do you see what I see, Bren?”

“Hey, that’s not a word I want her pickin’ up,” Brendan growled, hitting his brother with his elbow.

Maria rolled her eyes as the boys ignored her question and she walked to the front door.

Adam fought to bring his nerves under control when he suddenly found himself facing Maria. “I hope I’m not too early,” he said with a smile.

“No, the others have already left. How was the drive? Any problems because of the storm last evening?”

“No, no problems at all. I didn’t really leave too early, just kinda eager to meet my boys,” he said with a nervous laugh. “Nicole would have my ass in a sling if she knew where the needle on the speedometer was during the drive.”

Maria laughed. “Alright, c’mon in, it’s freezing.”

He stepped inside, stomping his feet to dislodge the snow from his boots. He shrugged out of his coat and froze as the door closed behind him and he found himself facing Michael and Brendan.

Neither of them said anything at first, they just stared at each other.

“So…” Maria started to fill the awkward silence. “Adam, this’s Michael and Brendan.” Stupid, Maria thought, kinda obvious, don’t ya think?

He reached up and scratched his neck as he looked at the boys... men, really, he thought as he stared at them. He held his hand out to the one closest to him. “Brendan, it’s good to meet you.”

Brendan stared down at the offered hand for several moments before shaking it. “Hi... um, Adam.”

Adam reached up to gently squeeze the little girl’s hand, releasing it after just a moment when she pulled back and turned to hug her daddy tightly. He turned to Michael and offered his hand once again. “Good to meet you too, Michael.” He smiled, hoping to break the ice. “You boys have got a couple of very determined women on your hands.”

Michael took his hand. “Stubborn would be a better description of the evil blonde,” he said and glanced at his girlfriend with a slight wink.

“True, however, 17 years with my own stubborn blonde has taught me to choose certain words wisely.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Okay, we’re stubborn. Get over it and let’s move out of the doorway.”

“That’s not reserved for blondes alone,” Adam grinned and winked at Karen.

Karen shook her head in amusement and walked over to Brendan. “Gimme our baby girl, I think she needs a new diaper.”

“Huh?” Brendan frowned down at Caela for a moment before he realized what Karen had said and he turned to hand their daughter over. “Right. Karen,” he hissed, “his hair’s startin’ to go gray.”

“Why don’t ya have a seat?” Maria tried… again.

Adam nodded and followed the others over to take a seat on one of the couches. “So,” he said, rubbing his hands on his thighs, “I’m not really sure what uh, what we should do here... maybe you guys have some questions?”

Michael and Brendan looked at each other. “Why’d ya leave New York?” Michael blurted out.

He cleared his throat. “You don’t waste any time do you?” Damn, he really wished Nicole was with him.

“You said we should ask,” Michael said.

“No, no, it’s a valid question and you’re well within your rights to ask it. I guess I just hadn’t quite prepared myself to answer it so soon.” He took a deep breath and nodded. “But, there’s nothin’ you guys can’t ask me. If we have a chance of hopefully buildin’ any kinda relationship we need to be honest with each other.”

“You want something to drink Adam? A water? Coffee?” Maria asked, knowing that the man was nervous.

“Um, you know, I don’t really care for coffee... would you happen to have any chocolate milk?”

Maria laughed out. “Tons!”

“Oh, that’s right, you’ve got a kid in the house... should’ve known.”

“Yeah,” she had gotten up and tapped Brendan’s shoulder, “a big one.”

“Maria,” Brendan complained when she drew attention to him.

Adam grinned when he realized that it was Brendan and not the little girl who was into chocolate milk. “Bet you like just about anything chocolate, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s like a drug,” Brendan admitted.

Michael snorted and shook his head.

He just smiled. “Don’t worry, you’re not alone with that addiction.” His expression became serious once more as he turned back to the subject at hand. “Why did I leave New York?” He smiled tightly as he ran his right hand over his face. He was thrown back in time to a cool winters’ night in New York and he could almost feel the crisp air as it whipped around the corner of every building he passed in his hurry to get home.

He had run to the little market a couple of blocks over to pick up a few things for dinner before rushing to get home before his date was supposed to arrive. His apartment hadn’t been anything to brag about because most of his money at the time had gone to pay for his father’s care, but it had been sufficient to meet his needs. He had been young, in love for the first time, and climbing the ladder of success at the firm he worked for. He had been struggling financially, but he was confident that it wasn’t going to stop him from having a life with Maureen. He adored her little boy and was looking forward to raising Alex as his own; the kid was smart as a whip and the man who had fathered him had no interest in him.

He smiled at the man who held the door open as he neared his building and he ducked inside as the wind picked up once more. “Thanks, Mr. Templeton,” he said with a slight nod at the older man.

“Evenin’, Mr. Smith,” the doorman greeted and tipped his hat politely. “You have a guest.”

“Already here, huh?” He grinned and ran his fingers through his blond hair and glanced around the lobby. “She must’ve gone upstairs already.”

“Yes sir,” Mr. Templeton answered.

Adam crossed the lobby and stepped onto the elevator, riding up to the seventh floor and rushing down to his apartment. He shifted the grocery sack to his left arm and dug around in his pocket for his keys. He could hear the low, soothing tones of the easy listening station he favored for his dates with Maureen and he smiled to himself as he entered his apartment and saw the low lighting.

“Honey, I’m home,” he called out as he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on the hook behind the door. He moved around the short wall that separated the kitchen/dining area from the living room and the lit candles placed in the center of the table made him smile.

He frowned when he didn’t see Maureen or hear Alex. The little boy wasn’t very noisy but it was usually pretty noticeable when he was around. He moved into the kitchen and set the sack on the counter, dropping his keys next to it and turning to look around the shadowy apartment.

“Maureen? Alex?” he called as he began to move through the rooms. He was passing through the living room on his way to the bedroom when a dark figure suddenly eased out of the shadows and he froze. “Who the fuck are you?”

“I thought it was time for us to meet,” the man stated as he sat down on the arm of the couch. “Since you’ve been screwin’ my wife for a couple of months now.”

Adam bristled at the man’s crude terminology. “You must be Hank,” he said slowly.

“That’s right.” He took a drink of Scotch from the glass he held in his right hand but his eyes never left the other man. “And you’ve been fuckin’ around with a woman who doesn’t belong to you.”

“I love that woman.”

Hank scoffed at such sentimental drivel. “Maureen will not be continuing this little affair the two of you have been involved in and you will stay away from my wife and son.”

“You don’t even want them!” Adam exploded, furious at the man’s belief that he controlled anything in his life.

“What I want is none of your business, Mr. Smith, and you’d do well to remember that I’m not a man you want to cross.”

“Just give her a divorce and custody of Alex. Look, she doesn’t want your money, not a penny of it. All we want is to be free of you.”

“You can be free of me… leave New York.” His cold eyes raked over the other man. “You probably think you can carry on this affair under my nose without my knowledge, but I assure you that you will not so much as see my wife and son again.”

“Maureen has already told me that she wants to leave you. I won’t back down as long as she wants to divorce you to be with me.”

“Your father requires a great deal of care, Mr. Smith.” He studied his nails for several long seconds. “It would be a shame for one of his nurses to make a small mistake. Your sister’s husband holds down a decent job, but should he lose it they would be financially ruined; they’d lose their crappy little house, their brat would be attending a public school because really, you can only do so much, and then where would they be?”

“Don’t threaten my family,” Adam growled.

Hank smiled slowly. He was many things, but a murderer was not one of them. “All I have to do is threaten you to ruin your family, Mr. Smith. You see, if you don’t leave New York I will do what is necessary to ruin them and the responsibility will fall on your shoulders.”

“You think my family will worry about my reputation? If it means getting Maureen and Alex away from you I think they’ll understand.”

“Your reputation isn’t what interests me, Mr. Smith. Your inability to provide financial support for your father’s care… the private schooling for your niece that you’ll no longer be able to pay the majority of the tuition for, and not to mention your career that’ll take so long to reestablish once you’ve recovered from your… unfortunate run-in with a burglar.”

“My what? You have no way of – “

“Oh, but I do.” He stood and walked to the door. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t be easily convinced, but that is why I will always win and people like you will always be crushed beneath my heels.”

Adam moved quickly, grabbing the other man and slamming him up against the door, his forearm pressing against Hank’s throat as he met his gaze. “You won’t win because I won’t let you ruin me or my family, and I won’t let you keep Maureen and Alex from me.”

“You’re a stubborn little prick, aren’t you?” Hank was amused by the man’s show of righteous indignation. “It’s just a shame that I won’t be here to see you take the beating that’ll get you out of my life and out of my wife’s bed.”

Adam’s right hand curled into a fist and he swung as hard as he could, feeling the satisfying crunch of bone against bone as his knuckles connected with Hank’s nose. They were pushed away from the door when it was suddenly shoved inward but before he could do anything else he was hit by something heavy from behind.

He was vaguely aware of movement around him and as he fought to stay conscious and push himself up onto his knees he could hear conversation between two… maybe three men.

“He drew blood with that punch… make sure there’s no evidence that I was here.”

That was Hank.

“How bad you want him beaten?”

He didn’t recognize that voice, but it was emotionless.

“Make sure he’s out of commission for several months at least, but I want the bastard left alive. I want him to remember why this happened.”

Hank again.

“What’s the story on this one?” another voice asked. “He doin’ your wife or somethin’?” The snickering that followed was quickly subdued.

“Just make sure it’s a beating he won’t forget and I don’t want him permanently crippled. As usual, keep the scene clean. I don’t want anything to tie me to this mess.”

“No problem, boss. You might wanna get outta here so’s we can get started.”

Hank had crouched down next to him, staring at him for several long minutes before speaking. “You will leave New York, Mr. Smith.”

He had still been trying to clear his vision from the blow to the back of his head so he hadn’t seen the kick coming when Hank stood up once more.

“I don’t remember much after that,” Adam said as he rubbed at the thin, nearly unnoticeable scar that ran along his jaw line… a reminder of that night and a vicious kick he had been unable to stop. “When I woke up I was in the hospital and I’d been there for several weeks in a medically induced coma to allow my body to start healin’.”

“What happened to your family?” Brendan asked.

“My uh, my father was eventually moved to another facility that wasn’t as adequately staffed as the one I had selected and the level of care he received was substandard.” He swallowed hard. “He passed away before I was able to leave the hospital. The money I had set aside for my niece eventually ran out and my sister and brother-in-law couldn’t afford to keep her in private school any longer. Not in New York anyway. It was just too expensive. He took a job in Seattle and they had me moved there to be closer to them; I was in rehab for months but I eventually regained full use of my body.”

“Did you ever try to find our mother again?”

“I did,” he answered. “I sent letters to a third party that we had used to communicate in the past and I eventually received a response. She sent a letter asking me to back off along with a picture of Alex. I tried to get back into my life, but I couldn’t let it go… I made several trips to New York. I talked to cops, lawyers, district attorneys, anyone who would give me five minutes… and I finally had to let it go. There was no evidence in my case, there was no proof that Hank was anything but the perfect businessman, husband, and father that his publicist showed, and I couldn’t change it.”

“You had to let it go so you could get on with your life,” Michael said quietly.

“If I had known about the two of you…” he swallowed hard and shook his head. “Nothin’ would’ve stopped me from takin’ you away from him. I don’t care what I would’ve had to do.”

Maria could feel the tension in Michael’s body and she reached out so touch his shoulder, squeezing it slightly.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face, before leaning forward and looking at her. “I think I need some air,” he admitted quietly.

She nodded. “Okay.”

“Excuse us,” Michael told Adam and took Maria’s hand.

Adam watched them leave, a little worried by Michael’s abrupt departure.

“Just give him a few minutes,” Brendan told him, knowing his brother all too well. “He needs some time to get his temper back in control.”

“I guess I can understand.” Adam leaned back in his seat. “When I was younger I would’ve reacted much worse I think.”

Brendan smirked a little and nodded to the front door. “He’s getting better since he’s with her.”

Karen walked in with Caela in her arms again. “Da-da,” the little girl said happily when she saw Brendan.

“How long have you two been together?”' Adam asked, watching the couple with their daughter.

“We just got back together,” Brendan answered as he put Caela down. She stood between his legs and leaned back against his chest as she studied the stranger. “Hank got between us before I knew about this little person.” He pressed a kiss to his little girl’s head. “We won’t let that happen again.”

“No, we won’t,” Karen agreed quietly.

“My youngest daughter is three years old.” He sighed and forced himself to ask the question he had been holding back. “How bad was it? Growing up with Hank?”

Brendan shrugged nervously. “I…”, he scratched his neck, “I was pretty clueless for a very long time about what was going on. In Hank’s eyes, I was the good twin, while Michael was the bad one. He wanted me to step in and run his company after he retired.” His gaze moved to Karen and he laid a hand on her thigh. “Hank had the opinion that Karen wasn’t good enough for me, so he fixed it so that she broke up with me. It just came out recently that that bastard was responsible for it.”

Adam clenched his fists again and again, before he even realized it and tried to relax. “So when you say Michael was the… bad twin in his eyes, does that mean…”

Brendan shook his head. “That is something you should talk to Michael. We…” he coughed, “I mean Michael and me, we didn’t get along very well the last few years; Hank managed to drive a wedge between us and we’re just starting to finally be real brothers again.”

Adam leaned back and starred at the ceiling for a long moment. “What about Alex? How was he treated by Hank?”

Brendan shrugged. “Hank never really seemed to be very interested in him. Weird, huh? I mean, why would he choose me over Alex – his real son – to eventually take over the company? It still doesn’t make sense to me. It was like Alex was just… there for him, ya know? Michael and Brooke got the worse of it.”

“Brooke?” Adam asked, surprised.

“Brooke’s our little sister. She’s 16 and Alex has custody of her. Big brother also has a baby of his own on the way... his fiancé’s pregnant.”

“Alex is engaged and about to a father? Damn,” he muttered. “He was such a serious little boy back when I knew him. He loved to draw, color, and build, but he was so quiet he worried me. He was just startin’ to learn to relax and play when Hank found out about the affair.” His thumb absently traced over the old scar. “I wanted to get him away from Hank but I was told by too many lawyers that I didn’t have a legal leg to stand on… no one would even consider my request to have Hank declared unfit.”

“I don’t think Alex remembers you. If he does he hasn’t mentioned it.”

“He was just a little guy. I’d be surprised if he remembered me.” He shifted to pull his wallet out of his back pocket. “I had this done last night,” he said as he pulled a small picture from one of the plastic sleeves and held it out to Brendan. “It’s a copy of an old pic of me an’ Alex. Your mom and I had taken him to the zoo.” He smiled. “He loved the chimps. They made him laugh.”

Brendan looked down at the pic in his hands, smiling sadly.

“So, um, you’ve got a sister as well?” Adam asked. “Brooke, right? Is she… Hank’s?” he asked carefully.

“She is if our mother doesn’t have any other surprises for us,” Brendan grumbled.

“Do ya get along with your Mom?”

The young man shrugged. “Not easy right now. She let us believe Hank was our father our whole lives. She saw how he treated us, especially Michael and Brooke and still did nothing. We… we don’t really know how to feel about it.”

Adam nodded. He was hurting inside as he thought about the fact that Maureen was alone right now, her own kids turned away from her. But on the other hand, he could understand the boys as well.

Brendan took his daughter from Karen again when she leaned over to get in his lap. She observed the strange man carefully. “Ki-ki,” she suddenly shouted when Michael moved past the window outside on the porch.

Adam nodded and looked out of the window where Michael and Maria were standing, facing the road. “She reminds me a lot of my own wife. I think after my life in New York I wasn’t really easy to deal with either.”

“You’ve got a big family now, huh? Did you already tell them about us?”

“Yeah, we did yesterday evening. At least the older ones: Shane, Callie and Brian. We saved it for later for Tyler and Antonia”

“How did they react?” Karen asked as she stood up the go with Caela to the window, so she could look out of it.

Adam laughed slightly. “I’m pretty sure my oldest boy’s thoughts were on the advantages of havin’ older brothers who can buy beer legally and my oldest daughter was dreamin’ about laying out on the beach in California. They reacted pretty well and I had a hard time convincin’ them to stay home today.”

“You should come to California some day and bring your family with you,” Brendan said without even realizing what a big step that would be.

“I’d like that,” Adam said, pleased by the unexpected invitation. “One day when you guys are all comfortable with that we’ll do it.”

“Yeah, we’ll have to talk to Alex and Brooke... she’s had a difficult time with all the changes here lately.”

Adam nodded. “Yeah, the last thing I wanna do is cause any problems and it’d be better if everyone was ready when we all get together.”

Brendan lifted his head when the door opened and Caela ran to greet Michael as he stepped inside behind Maria.

“Ki-ki!”

Michael shook his head and caught her when she held her arms up. “Thought we were workin’ on my name,” he growled.

“That is your name, Ki-ki,” Maria teased as she ruffled his hair.

“M’ria,” he grumbled, ducking to get away.

“My Ki-ki,” Caela said as she reached up to pet his hair.

Michael grimaced. “Thanks, baby,” he said as he looked at his girlfriend. “See what you started?”

Maria grinned, thankful for the little distraction Caela was offering them.

Michael was having a hard time dealing with the knowledge of how his real father had been ripped away from him. He hadn’t said much outside on the porch, so she had just wrapped her arms around him and waited for the tension in his body to slowly loosen up again. She was pretty sure that he was asking himself how much better his life could’ve been if he had grown up with Adam.

Michael used the distraction that Caela provided to study the man who had fathered him. There was no denying it; the resemblance was beyond contestation and he had even recognized some of his own mannerisms in the man. There had been glimpses of Brendan as well and he wondered if his own kids would someday bear that much of a resemblance to their father.

Brendan watched his brother as Karen talked to Adam and he could see the expression of curiosity in Michael’s eyes. He could see that Michael wanted to talk to their father but he wasn’t sure if he was ready for it. He glanced at Maria, hiding a smile when he saw the way she was watching Michael and Adam.

“I was thinkin’ maybe you and I could take a walk or somethin’, Michael,” Adam said after several minutes. He could feel the younger man staring at him, trying to figure out what he wanted to say or do. “I’ve had a little time to talk to Brendan, so if you’re interested, maybe we could hang for a few minutes.”

Michael took a step back, brow furrowing as he tried to figure out how the man had known he was watching him. “I guess,” he muttered finally. “If you’d rather talk without anyone else around.”

Adam hid his humor when Michael tried to turn it around on him and he cleared his throat before turning to look at him. “I’d appreciate that.”

“Guess I’m gonna start to prepare lunch,” Maria said. “Will you stay for lunch, Adam?”

“I don’t know…” He glanced between Michael and Brendan.

“She’s makin’ Lasagna. You should try it,” Michael told him.

“Yeah! And Karen’s makin’ chocolate dessert.”

Adam chuckled slightly. “Okay, I’m in then.” He grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch and gestured for Michael to move forward.

Michael glanced at Maria for a brief moment and she smiled at him with a soft nod. Alright, he thought, I can do this. He put his outer gear on as well and stepped out on the porch, waiting for Adam to join him.

“Where ya wanna go?”

Adam shrugged. “I’m not very familiar with this place or Lake Tahoe, so you’re gonna have to tell me.”

“Yeah, okay.” Michael reached up to scratch his eyebrow. “We can just follow the old loggin’ road further down. It goes down by the river.”

Adam nodded. “Lead the way.” They walked in silence for a while before he spoke again. “You know, when I was your age I would’ve preferred bein’ run over rather than talkin’ about anything personal.”

Michael shrugged. “I’m not really sure what you want me to say.”

“Whatever you wanna say. No one’s said anything overt but I’ve got a bad feelin’ about your childhood. There’s probably a part of you that’s blamin’ me right now. Is it rational? No, of course not. If I had known about you, I wouldn’t have left you or Brendan with Hank whether or not your mom left him, but the fact is, that doesn’t take away a bit of the pain you guys went through. So, you wanna yell at me, yell. You wanna throw a couple punches to get it outta your system, I can take it.” He grinned. “Leave a mark on this good lookin’ body and there’s gonna be hell to pay when Nicole gets her hands on you though.”

Michael snorted. “Good lookin’ body?”

Adam lifted his arms on his sides, grinning. “Hey, are you telling me, I’m not good lookin’?”

“You’re… old,” Michael teased. “I can’t hit an old man.”

Adam chuckled and fell into a steady pace next to his son again.

“I’m not blaming you,” Michael denied after several more minutes of silence. “I know that you didn’t know about us and if we’re bein’ honest here, even if ya had known, I doubt that you would’ve had a chance against that asshole.”

“I would’ve tried,” Adam told him. He needed to make sure that the boys knew he would’ve tried everything. Every day!

Michael glanced at his father and nodded dumbly.

“I won’t ask what you went through growin’ up with that bastard ‘cause unless I’m way off it’s not somethin’ you talk about.”

Michael shrugged.

He nodded. “I know it couldn’t have been easy for you. I’m always here for you, Michael. I don’t treat bein’ a father like a part-time job. There’s no way to get back what was taken from us, but what we do from here on out... that’s up to us.”

“I don’t...”

Adam could see the struggle in his son – the struggle to open up, to trust. As a young man he’d had a hard time expressing his feelings but he knew Michael’s reservations stemmed from years of abuse and not just the basic discomfort guys experienced at the thought of opening up. “Tell me about school,” he said, looking for a safe topic.


A/N: We won't be able to post the Thursday uppy again . Blame our busy real lifes! We will be back next Sunday with all three fics! Have a nice week!

[Double Trouble]

Eva: Congratulations on being Numero Uno!

Well, Hank is beyond cruel, so that description fits him.

The reunion is a great gift and especially in the case of the twins. They can now begin the New Year with the knowledge of where they come from and who their father is.

Earth2Mama: Loved Michael’s little revenge on Max? 

Feel free to hurt/hit Hank! We’ll send him your way if we see him.

We’ll have that big family meeting! Not sure about Maureen though…

zaneri1: Thanks! The guys are doing well so far!

begonia9508: Thanks, we hope it meets expectations!

You can definitely see both boys in him.

Sadly Maureen just couldn’t get it together enough to leave Hank. She claims she didn’t know the extent of the abuse… but even the suspicion should’ve been enough to make her leave. But, unfortunately, as is often the case, it wasn’t enough for her to make that decision.

Adam had a right to know about his boys and Maureen certainly knew how much he loved Alex, but for now we have only her explanation to go on.

keepsmiling7: Probably funnier for us than it was for Michael!

Natalie36: Well, don’t stop breathing! Here’s the next part.

Alien_Friend: He’s a good guy. We’re pretty sure this relationship will be a positive thing for all of them.

Hank wouldn’t have the guts to face off against Adam one on one. That would be justice considering the only thing he really loves are his money and the power that it gives him.

We’ll find out if Alex will remember Adam… maybe meeting him in person will allow him to remember. He wanted very badly to get Alex away from Hank, but every door he tried just slammed in his face.

Thanks! It was busy and exhausting, but overall, it was good.

mary mary: Hank definitely deserves to suffer for everything he’s put everyone through. Death would be too easy and it doesn’t qualify as him suffering.

We’re glad you’re enjoying Liz’s “coming out”.

kay_b: Yeah, it just had to be Tess.

Building a relationship is something they definitely want to do and they finally have opportunity to do that.

Hmm… we’ll find out.

sarammlover: Adam’s a great guy and he wants to build a relationship with his boys. Looks like the girls meddling brought about some good results.

Maiqu: We’ve got a feeling that even when she’s finally mastered the pronunciation of his name, Uncle Michael’s always gonna be “Ki-Ki”.

Adam rocks, huh?



Part 116 – Moving Forward and Making Amends

“Guess ya already know that we go to college in Long Beach, so… I’m going for a degree in architecture.”

Adam shook his head a little, amused. “It’s weird how biology works even though we never met, huh? I knew I wanted to learn about architecture when I was only in the fifth grade; I dreamed about buildin’ my own house someday.” He glanced around at the snow-covered trees, loving the landscape and making a mental note to bring his family here someday. “And I did.”

“Your house in Carson City?”

“Yeah, it should’ve been bigger though. I hadn’t thought about the fact that we would have five kids one day. Well,” he corrected, “actually seven for me now. God, I’m old!” Adam laughed and shook his head.

Michael snorted. “I own some property in Long Beach. I’m plannin’ to build a house out there.”

“Have you always had an interest in architecture?'”

“Yeah, now I know why that pissed Hank off.” He grinned. “Pissin’ him off was just a bonus. Made the beatings worth it.” His expression became closed off when he realized what he had just admitted.

Adam smiled sadly. “I can imagine.”

“What was our mother like?” Michael asked, grateful that Adam hadn’t tried to take that subject any further. “She’s told us she wanted things to be better for us but I can’t understand why she didn’t leave him.”

“Knowing Hank, she probably couldn’t stand against him on her own.”

“She mentioned that he had made a threat about takin’ all of us away from her if she left him,” Michael shrugged. “Don’t know what to think about that or if I even believe it or not.”

“Do you see your mother now and then?” Adam asked, confused.

“No. Last time we saw her was last month when we found out about you. She went back to New York to settle some things and figure out what she was gonna do. Alex suggested she should move to Long Beach, but...”

“You’re not sure you’re ready to deal with that yet,” he guessed.

Michael nodded. “It’s just been a little too much lately. Getting Hank to sign the papers for Brooke’s custody, suddenly findin’ out that we have a different father, my sister going off on that, my mother finally leavin’ Hank’s ugly ass...”

“That’s a lot happening in a short time.”

“Yeah, guess it would’ve been a lot worse if I hadn’t had Maria with me,” Michael said. It wasn’t as difficult as it was at first to talk about her and his feelings towards her anymore. He had accepted that he was totally in love with her.

“You guys have a pretty special relationship, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s good... really good.” He shrugged. “Woman’s as stubborn as I am.”

Adam chuckled. Love and respect underlined the younger man’s words. “How long have you two been together?”

“Well, we started hangin’ out back in September, I guess, but we’ve been together since just after Thanksgiving.”

“You thinkin’ about a future with her?”

Michael glanced at Adam. “Yeah, I care about her a lot.”

Adam nodded. “Guys like us need stubborn women who know how to handle us... when to let us go and when to rein us in.” He chuckled. “I’m well beyond the point where I think I don’t need anyone. Nicole made sure of that,” he said with a slight shake of his head.

“How long have you been with her?” Michael asked.

“Little over 18 years and we’ve been married for 17 of ‘em.”

“Wow, so you guys got married pretty quick then.”

He nodded. “Yeah, we were together about a year when I asked her to marry me.”

Michael turned to lean against the fence that bordered to road they were on. “So, how’d you know when to ask her?”

“I knew I wanted to marry her after a fairly short time, actually. I can’t really describe it, but I was just certain from the very beginning that I wanted that woman to be at my side for the rest of my life. The thought of having kids with her and a house... it didn’t scare me.”

Michael gazed around the landscape, nodding absentmindedly.

“But I think it’s different for everyone. You can’t be 100 % sure of any relationship; it’s a leap of faith.”

“No doubt,” Michael agreed.

“Think Maria might be someone ya wanna spend the rest of your life with?”

“Maria’s really the only one I could ever imagine that with. She’s like a bulldozer sometimes and while that can be a good thing it can also be a pain in the ass.”

“You’re talkin’ about her comin’ out to see me after our conversation... damn, was that just yesterday mornin’?”

“I know, right? Seems like it was several days ago.” Michael crossed his arms over his chest. “Your wife ever pull shit like that?”

“For the most part I think Nicole’s finally grown out of that.” He snorted. “Although, when I got home yesterday and found out who was sittin’ in our kitchen...” he shook his head, “I could’ve happily gotten into it right then and there.” He grinned. “She won’t get into an argument with company around, but boy, when no one’s around... look out!”

“She’s a fighter, huh?”

Adam smiled as he thought about his wife. “Yeah, but women like that, they’re always gonna have your back, ya know?” He nudged Michael with his elbow. “Life’s never dull with that type of woman.”

Michael snorted. “I hope not. Even if Maria is annoying and stubborn and really nerve-wracking sometimes, I don’t wanna change it. ‘Cause in the end, I love her for bein’ her. She’s not like every other chick I screwed around with.”

Adam lifted his eyebrow in question.

“Well, ya know... before Maria, I wasn’t really into relationships...” he shrugged. “Guess ya could say it was pretty much a night and goodbye back then.”

“But with Maria all that suddenly changed...” Adam guessed.

“Um, not immediately.” God, that wasn’t a time he wanted to remember. Of course he had loved to play those little games with her, but it had been so superficial and there had been times when he had felt like shit after they had gotten each other off and he had been alone again. “She made me want more before I even understood what that meant.” He reached up to scratch his eyebrow as he fell silent.

Adam watched him, observing the similarities between them. “Brendan mentioned that the two of you have just recently gotten close.”

“Huh? Oh, that... yeah, Hank made sure he kept us at each other’s throats. To be honest, the antagonism between us was more my fault. Hank knew which buttons to push to keep me on edge around Bren. We lost almost eight years because of that.”

“Don’t blame yourself for that, Michael. Hank is an expert at manipulating people.”

Michael shook his head. “I’m also to blame for that though. I knew Hank is a manipulating asshole. Guess I was kinda envious of the fact that our parents actually believed in Brendan, but didn’t give a shit about me.” He glanced at Adam. “I’m over that now,” he added quickly. “I know now that Brendan didn’t have it easy, always tryin’ to keep Hank happy... somethin’ I never would’ve done. I didn’t care if he was proud of me or not.”

It hurt Adam to hear his son talking about his life. Could he really imagine what his boys had been through? “I wish it had happened differently... for all of us.”

Michael shrugged. “It’s better now. Me an’ Bren, we’ve started rebuilding our relationship, he’s got Karen and Caela back, I’ve got Maria, an’ we’ve both got Alex an’ Brooke. Alex has worked hard to get our family together so we’re tryin’ not to fuck it up.”

“You’re close to Alex and Brooke?”

“Yeah. He’s got custody of the kid, so sometimes that makes things a little difficult for him I think.”

Adam nodded. “Finding that balance between brother and guardian. Yeah, it’s the same with your own kids. Sometimes you’ve gotta draw the line, be the,” he made air quotes, “bad guy for their own good.”

“Yeah, Alex said somethin’ similar to that. Kinda got on our ass about lettin’ her do a couple shots.” He grimaced when Adam lifted an eyebrow. “It was watered down... yeah, yeah, I know an’ I’ve already got one lecture about that.”

“Tell me more about Brooke,” Adam said, curious about the girl.

“Typical 16-year-old,” Michael said. “She’s finally start to date.”

“Doesn’t make ya happy, huh?” Adam guessed, amused.

“No! Maria’s tryin’ to convince me that I should give her more space...”

“You must be very close to your sister.”

“Yeah. Well, I always felt the need to protect her and she was just as against Hank as I was, that made us even closer.”

“I’m glad you guys had each other.”

Michael stared off in the distance, wondering how things would’ve been different if they had been raised by Adam. “Do you think our mother would’ve really left Hank if he hadn’t come after you that night?”

“I know she was plannin’ to leave, Michael. We had made arrangements and at the time, yeah, I believed that she would leave him. I have to believe that she would have.”

“But then Brooke wouldn’t be here...” He shook his head. “I know I wish things had been different, but I wouldn’t change it that way if it meant not havin’ the kid around.”

“We can’t change the past, but I’d be happy if we could get the future worked out a little better.”

Michael nodded.

“Excuse me...” Adam said and pulled his ringing cell out of his pants pocket. “It’s my wife.” He turned a little away from Michael. “Hey, darlin’.”

“Hey!” she greeted him warmly. “I wanted to know how things are going. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine; I’m outside talkin’ with Michael right now.”

“I’m glad that things are working out,” she told him, relieved. She had worried that the meeting could turn out not as well as they had been hoping. Worried that maybe the boys would blame him for not trying to find out about them.

Adam frowned when he heard his kids arguing in the background. “What’re they fighting about?”

“They’re just upset right now. The company we rented the cabin from called a few minutes ago and told me that the one we had planned to stay in over New Years’ was hit by a tree during that storm last night. Looks like we won’t be going there.”

Adam closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Damn, and we’re not gonna get another one this close to New Years’ either. Just tell the kids to calm down. We’ll figure somethin’ out.”

“Yeah, will do. We could still go and visit my Mom in Washington.”

“We could, but the kids have been cooped up for the past month because of the weather. If we don’t get ‘em out someplace where they can burn off some of that pent-up energy soon they’re gonna blow somethin’ up.” He laughed quietly. “Don’t worry, Nicole, we’ll come up with a backup plan.”

“Alright. I’m gonna hang up now and leave you alone with your boys again. Do ya know yet when you’ll be back?”

He glanced at his watch. “In time for dinner.” He scratched his neck as he thought for a minute. “Why don’t we take the kids out for pizza and maybe a couple rounds of mini golf, just to get ‘em outta the house for a while tonight.”

“Yeah, good idea. I’ll get them ready so we’ll be good to go when ya get back.”

“Good luck with that,” he said, smiling. He knew what it took to get all five kids ready in time to go anywhere.

“Bye, Adam.”

“Problem?” Michael asked when Adam slid his phone back in his pocket.

“My wife just wanted to make sure I’m good and to let me know that the cabin we rented for New Years’ got hit by a tree last night during the storm.”

“Oh, that sucks. Where were you guys gonna be stayin’?”

“North of Lake Tahoe, probably about a 30-minute drive from here.”

Michael looked around, his eyes tracing over the landscape. “Your kids enjoy winter sports?”

“They do, yes.”

“That’s gotta be somethin’, havin’ five kids.”

Adam chuckled. “Sometimes it’s crazy, but I wouldn’t change it.”

“What’re they like?”

“They’re all different. Shane is the oldest and he’s just at that age where he’s discovered that the opposite sex can be quite interesting,” Adam rolled his eyes. “Callie is 13 and she and Shane together can be quite annoying. Brian is the quiet one, while Tyler and Antonia still need most of our attention right now.”

Michael smiled. “They sound like a rowdy bunch.”

“They are,” he shrugged. “It’s a full-time job raisin’ ‘em, but they’re great.”

“Are they close?”

“The age difference is big enough it makes it difficult at times, but yeah, they all care about each other a lot.” He laughed a little. “We told them about you two last night and their first thought was there was a new baby on the way again.”

Michael snorted. “Think that would’ve been easier news to give ‘em?”

“They reacted pretty well to two older brothers.”

“Your kids are fortunate to have the kind of security that allows them to feel safe even when somethin’ crazy like this comes up.”

“I’m pretty sure that Caela will experience that as well, from what I’ve seen. And so will your own kids someday.”

“Caela’s a very lucky kid. She’s a sweetheart an’ Bren’s great with her.”

Adam nodded. “You two really scared your girls last night.”

Michael scratched his neck as he avoided Adam’s gaze. “Yeah, I know. Bren knows too... said Karen told him off pretty good last night.”

“Maria was really worried when I called.”

He stretched his right arm out along the top of the fence and pushed the snow along the edge. He wasn’t used to having a parental figure worry about him or treat him like he mattered. “Yeah, well, we talked an’ stuff when I got back.”

Adam nodded. “I know that I have no right to tell you anything right now because we don’t really know each other yet, but let me give ya a little advice. You don’t find someone ya really love that often in life. Always remember that when you’re pissed off at her for some crazy thing she’s done.”

Michael shrugged. “Probably good advice,” he mumbled.

“Should we head back?” Adam glanced at his watch.

“Yeah, I guess so... Maria’s probably just dyin’ to know how things are goin’.”

“Yeah, probably,” Adam said amused.

“She’ll play it off an’ act cool until you leave and then she’s gonna be all over me wantin’ to know how it went.”

“I know. Nicole is so much like her. I always take a deep breath then and remind myself that she does it because she cares.”

Michael smiled to himself. “Yeah... I’m okay with her interfering an’ pushin’ me to do stuff most of the time.”

*****


“That lasagna was really great,” Adam told the two girls and leaned back in the chair.

“Thanks, Adam. We all love Italian food.” Maria stood up and started to carry their empty plates over to the sink while Karen was cleaning up the mess Caela had left.

“Believe me baby, everyone could hear how much you love Italian food,” Michael said and rolled his eyes at her.

“Yeah, what’s with all the moaning and groaning, Maria?” Brendan asked, shaking his head.

“I can’t help it,” Maria defended herself, “it always happens, can’t control it.”

“She did that when we were out with her mother the first time,” Michael told Adam. “Can you believe that?”

The man chuckled but didn’t say anything about it.

Brendan glanced up when his daughter started to fuss when Karen tried to clean her hands. “She’s pretty tired after last night.”

“Yeah, I’ll get her down for a nap now,” Karen said and lifted her up in her arms. “Say good night to your Daddy.”

The little girl leaned forward to grasp Brendan’s collar when Karen held her towards him.

“Good night, sweetheart,” Brendan said and ruffled her hair.

“Da-da,” Caela replied, too tired to protest when Karen pulled her back against herself.

Adam got up to his feet when Karen walked past him. “It was nice to meet you, little girl,” he said softly.

Caela made a half-hearted attempt to wave before sagging limply against her mother’s shoulder. She rubbed her right fist against her eyes and struggled with a smile when they passed Michael. “Nigh-nigh, Ki-ki,” she mumbled sleepily.

Michael didn’t even try to say anything about the name, knowing that it was useless to try.

“Finally given up tryin’ to fight it?” Brendan asked with a grin.

“I’ll come up with a name for you eventually and then teach her,” Michael growled.

“I already have a name,” Brendan said, his tone smug. “Da-da, Daddy... that’s all she needs to know.”

“I still can’t believe I’m already a grandfather,” Adam shook his head as he watched Karen and Caela leave the room.

“Bren did that to ya,” Michael said, grinning at his brother.

“Weird huh? You were the one who was havin’ plenty of sex the last couple of years and I’m the one with the kid,” he stuck his tongue out at his brother.

Michael snorted. “I’m sure you’re makin’ up for lost time.” He grinned at Adam. “Watch out, you’ll have another grandkid this time next year.”

“Oh, really?” Brendan asked, pretending to be surprised. “Are ya pregnant, Maria?”

“Bite your tongue!” she hissed.

“Alright,” Adam glanced at his watch. “I think it’s time for me to head back home again. We wanna take out the kids today since they’re pretty much unbearable during the months with bad weather.”

“Guess that’s gotta be pretty crazy with ‘em bein’ cooped up in the house for several months.”

“Yeah, I can assure you it is. Definitely an advantage that you guys live in Long Beach. Pretty much good weather all year around, huh?”

“Pretty much perfect weather year-round,” Michael corrected.

“Are you guys all staying in Long Beach after college?”

Brendan shrugged. “That’ll probably depend on jobs, but, I know I’d like to stay close. Me an’ Karen have talked about it an’ we’d like Caela to be raised around family.”

Michael glanced at Maria. “I guess we’re plannin’ to stay in Long Beach as well,” he half-asked, half-stated.

Maria nodded. “Long Beach is perfect and it’s close enough that we can visit my mom or she can visit us.”

“Where does your Mom live?” Adam asked as he placed his chair under the table to get ready to leave.

“Roswell,” she answered with a smile.

“Uh-oh, famous Roswell, huh?”

Michael rolled his eyes. “I’ve been there and there weren’t any aliens.”

“You just didn’t look long enough,” Maria said with a smile and wiped her hands on a towel.

“The existence of extraterrestrials has been – “ Brendan’s contribution to the conversation was cut off when Karen came up behind him and covered his mouth with her hand.

“Do not encourage him in a conversation about aliens or UFO’s,” she warned with a smile.

Maria shook her head. “Well, to be honest there’s nothing really exciting about the town at all. But I love it.”

Brendan grabbed Karen’s hand and tipped his head back to glare at her. “I happen to know a lot about the subject.”

“Yeah and we both know that you can continue for hours and ramble about it. Not gonna happen, Bren.”

“Ya know, it’s a very interesting subject. Especially when you consider the conspiracy surrounding the ‘47 crash and let’s not forget Area 51.”

Michael got to his feet as well. “Can I walk you to the door while Brendan is lost in his Alien thoughts?” he asked Adam.

Brendan rolled his eyes. “Ya know, no one ever wants to listen to this stuff!”

Adam grinned. “I’ll bet you an’ Callie will get along really well,” he said, shaking his head. “The girl is a conspiracy theorist.”

“Well...” Michael scratched his eyebrow, “maybe next time we meet you can bring your kids with you, if they want.”

He laughed warmly. “Michael, my boy, you don’t know what it took to keep them at home this trip.”

My boy, Michael thought. Hank never would’ve referred to him like that. He coughed slightly. “Guess that’s good, huh?”

“I think it’s very good.” Adam reached out to squeeze the younger man’s shoulder. “Just do me a favor, okay? Don’t let them talk you into givin’ ‘em alcohol... otherwise, you an’ me, we’re both gonna catch hell from my wife.”

Maria laughed. “I think Long Beach will be exciting enough without any alcohol.”

“Uh-huh, we’re talkin’ teenagers here, and I love my kids, but I know Shane’s getting to that age where he’s especially interested in tryin’ new things...” He grinned. “And alcohol and girls are at the top of his list.”

“Ya won’t be able to keep him from watching hot girls in short bikinis if ya come to campus,” Kyle said as he walked into the kitchen, followed by Tess, who smacked the back of his head.

“Hey, you guys are back,” Maria said, surprised.

“We are!” Tess said and walked over to give her friend a little hug. “And I bought something nice for you, girl.”

“Really? What is it?”

“Something you’re gonna like.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Adam, this’s Kyle, my best friend from New York, and his girlfriend and Maria’s best friend, Tess.”

Adam shook hands with the couple and he couldn’t help but smile with Tess stood back to study him for a few moments before her gaze bounced back and forth between him and the twins.

“Hey, everyone,” Max said, sounding exhausted as he placed tons of bags full of stuff on the kitchen table.

Michael snorted when the girls ignored Max in favor of descending on the bags, chattering incessantly about how cute this was or how sexy that was... wait, sexy? He stretched, trying to see what they were looking at.

“Yo, Guerin, wanna introduce me before you hurt yourself?” Max asked, elbowing his friend.

Michael sighed. “Welcome to the chaos, Adam. This’s my friend Max. He’s from Texas but we don’t hold it against him. He goes to college with us and we have to live with him,” he joked. “And that,” he gestured at Liz, who had just come into the room, “is his girlfriend and also one of Maria’s close friends, Liz.”

Adam watched their interaction as they pushed, shoved, talked over each other, and generally added to the chaos. He greeted the new couple and then motioned to the door behind him.

Michael nodded and he and Brendan followed Adam out of the kitchen as they headed to the front door.

“Well,” Adam stood at the front door and scratched his neck. “I... I...” he chuckled at his lack of words. “I really don’t know what to say.”

Brendan grinned and held his hand out to shake Adam’s hand, tugging him close and giving him a quick hug. “It was good to meet you, Dad,” he said, surprising the older man. “Michael’s got your number and the girls have your address, so we’ll catch up again soon, okay?”

Adam nodded. “Yeah... yeah, sounds good.” He turned to Michael, not sure if the boy would be just as ready for a hug as Brendan had been.

Michael held his hand out, accepting his dad’s strong handshake and hoping like hell the man didn’t expect a hug. He wasn’t ready for that... not yet. The conversation had been a big enough step for one day. “We’ll catch up, like Bren said.”

Adam nodded, sensing that Michael needed to keep a safe distance between them. “We will. Just call me whenever you’re ready to meet again.”

“Cool. Thanks... ya know, for comin’ out here an’ meetin’ with us.”

The older man nodded. “Thank your stubborn girlfriends for that.”

“Uh-huh, what about your wife?”

“Well, I guess we can give some credit to her as well.”

Michael smirked. “We’ll get together again. Maybe next time we’ll meet your family an’ you can meet the rest of ours.”

“I’d really enjoy that. My family’s curious to meet you, and of course, the kids would love to come to Long Beach anyway.”

“So, you guys wouldn’t mind drivin’ down there?” Michael’s right eyebrow lifted. “That’s a long drive with five kids.”

“Well, we should definitely choose a time where we could head down and maybe stay for several days. It’d be too much for a one-day trip.”

“Hell, with the amount of stuff we had to haul around just for Caela I can imagine what you’re gonna have to pack an’ haul,” Brendan said, shaking his head.

“Well...” Michael scratched his eyebrow, “since you guys can’t spend your New Years’ where you were plannin’ to...” he shrugged, “maybe you could spend it in Long Beach. Catch a football game, maybe our birthday party...” He rolled his eyes. “The girls are insistin’ on puttin’ a party together.”

Adam was surprised by Michael’s suggestion and he could see Brendan was too. He had thought about inviting them over as well, but he hadn’t been sure if Michael would be okay with it.

“Yeah,” Brendan nodded, “you could watch Michael in action on the field and we can show ya around a little since the campus will be pretty empty around that time anyway.”

“You play football?” he asked.

“Yeah...”

“Kyle, Max, and Michael are kinda the stars of the team,” Brendan said, when his brother didn’t tell Adam anything more.

“I’m not a star,” Michael grumbled, feeling stupid for even saying it.

Brendan rolled his eyes and looked at Adam. “I’m pretty sure that everyone on campus knows his name.”

Adam laughed and slapped his oldest son on the back. “Just ‘cause your name’s written on your jersey, right?” he said, teasing.

Brendan snorted and earned a glare from Michael.

“Maybe you’ll also get the chance to hear Michael entertain with his band.”

“You’ve got a band too?”

“You talk more than Maria,” Michael told Brendan.

“Whatever. And, yes, he does have a band. Well, he and Kyle do, I guess. Michael does the vocals though.” He held his hands up and backed off when Michael glared at him again. “Alright, I’m leavin’ now.” He smiled at Adam. “I’ll talk to ya soon, Dad.”

Adam nodded at his son when he backed into the house, than glanced at Michael again. “I have the feeling you’re gonna be stuck with my oldest kids as soon as they meet you.”

“I’m pretty sure it’ll be the same with your baby girl,” Maria said when she joined them. “Every little person seems so be in love with him from the very first moment.” She rolled her eyes.

“M’ria,” he complained.

“It’s the truth. Remember that little man at the motocross event? And Caela? It’s obvious.” She turned to Adam. “I wish it was just the little ones ya know, but the bigger girls on campus are the really annoying ones.”

Michael grinned. “She doesn’t like it when those ‘bigger girls’ take notice.”

She waved him off. “I can take them all.”

He draped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her up against his side so he could kiss her. “You can take ‘em,” he agreed with a smile. “Ain’t a one of ‘em that’s a match for my girl.”

Adam could hear the truth behind Michael’s words, even though the couple was just fooling around.

Maria smiled up to her boyfriend. “So, have ya already made plans to meet again? You will meet again, right?”

“Maybe,” Michael said, holding her close so she couldn’t see the grin on his face.

“Maybe?” she asked confused. She had thought the meeting had gone pretty well in the end.

“Maybe.” He pinched her side. “Maybe... New Years’.”

“Uh, really?” She glanced between Michael and Adam. “That’d be cool.”

“Really.”

She nodded. “You should definitely do that, Adam.”

“I’ll talk to Nicole about it when I get home, but I’m sure she’ll think it’s a good idea.”

“Call us when ya know. We’re goin’ back to Long Beach tomorrow, so we can book a hotel for you and get everything arranged.” Maria was excited about it. She hadn’t expected the boys to invite Adam over so soon, this was a good sign.

“Oh, you guys don’t need to do all that,” Adam protested.

“Nah, that’s okay,” Michael told him. “We can have a look at some hotels near campus. Just give us a call and tell us if your wife and kids are good with it and how long ya wanna stay.”

“Alright, I’m not gonna argue with you about it, but only if you agree that when you guys come visit us you’ll let us handle everything.”

Michael nodded, happy that Adam had made a suggestion about visiting him as well. “Deal.”

Adam smiled, glad that they had been able to make some progress during his visit. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and slid a card out of one of the plastic sleeves. “That has my email address and numbers on it... home and work. You need anything or just wanna talk you guys feel free to contact me, okay?” he said as he held it out to Michael.

He let go of Maria and took the card his dad was offering. “Okay. Thanks.”

“Drive home safe, Adam,” Maria said. “We’ll see ya soon.” She turned to go back into the house, squeezing Michael’s arm slightly before leaving.

Adam looked at his son, reluctant to leave him. The boy had been left too many times in his life and even though this wasn’t the same thing he wanted to make sure Michael knew he was there for him if and when he needed him. “Don’t ever hesitate to call, Michael. And remember that it’s okay to need other people. Looks like you’ve got a pretty good start with your friends and Maria.”

Michael nodded dumbly and tried to find some words. It was weird to say goodbye to Adam and he didn’t know what to say or do. “I know now that I can count myself lucky to have them all, so... Call us when you’ve talked to your family. And if your wife isn’t good with coming to Long Beach, then it’s okay.”

Adam could tell that Michael was trying not to set himself up for disappointment. “Nicole’s gonna wanna go an’ take the kids, so no worries there.” He smiled and started to walk backwards to his car. “I’ll give ya a call soon, Michael.” He tripped over something and just barely caught himself before he fell. He grinned sheepishly as he pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Let’s keep that just between us, huh?”

Michael laughed slightly. “Okay.”

Adam grinned as he opened the door. “Take care of yourself, son.”

“I will.” He leaned in the doorframe and watched his father climb into his car and start the engine.

Max walked up behind him and gave him a little shove, making Michael move so he could step out on the porch. “Looks like things went okay,” he said as he pulled the door closed behind him.

“Yeah, I think it went pretty well.” Michael turned his gaze away from Adam’s car as it left and glanced at his friend.

“That’s good.” He nodded to himself. “It’s good you were still here to meet him.” He had tried to ignore the need to say something about his friend’s reckless actions the night before but he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Michael frowned. “It’s good I was still here? Where else would I be?”

“I don’t know... dead?” His right hand shot out and he shoved Michael back. “What the fuck were you thinkin’ last night?”

Michael swallowed once.... twice. “I didn’t know that you were watching an accident on TV that showed a car similar to ours, Max.”

“That’s not the point, you irresponsible, dumbass! I may not have grown up with this kinda weather, but I’m smart enough to know you don’t go out and put yourself in unnecessary danger. NO!” he shouted when Michael opened his mouth to protest. “No! I know you were pissed and hurt – don’t bother denyin’ it – and I know what you do when you’re feelin’ like that. But you don’t just have yourself to think about, you stupid motherfucker!” The words poured out, words that he hadn’t been able to say to Jason. “You have no idea what you’d do to the people who care about you if somethin’ happened to you! You think we’d just put you in the ground and go on with our lives, never think about you again?” He shoved Michael again. “It leaves a huge hole when someone you care about dies, asshole! I buried one brother... don’t put me in a position to bury the closest thing I have to one now.”

Michael opened and closed his mouth several times, but no sound escaped his lips. His back rested against the wall of the house where he had stayed after Max had shoved him. He looked at his friend and how he was struggling with his feelings that were more dedicated to his dead brother right now than to him. “I’m sorry,” Michael admitted quietly. “I didn’t... I didn’t mean to do this to you guys. I just wasn’t... thinkin’ straight.” What a lame excuse, Michael told himself.

Max took a step back as he realized what he had just said and done. His heartbeat started to calm and he breathing slowly returned to normal. “You might piss me off sometimes and drive me insane at others, but I don’t wanna see anything happen to your stupid ass, Guerin.”

Michael ran his hand over his face, suddenly feeling like the biggest and most selfish person in the world. The realization that he had scared all of his friends last night hit him. He glanced at the ground. “Sorry, I... suck.”

Max’s mouth dropped open at Michael’s response and after a moment he started laughing. “Not that what you did last night was funny,” he said when he had himself under control again. “You have no idea how hard it was to keep tellin’ the girls you guys were okay and not knowin’ if it was true or not.”

“I know that! Brendan and I didn’t do it to scare anyone.”

“You’ve gotta learn to think before you do shit like that, Michael.”

“I’m tryin’, okay?” Michael said, a little offended now.

Max nodded. “Sorry, just hits a little too close to home, ya know?”

Michael scratched his eyebrow for like the hundredth time that day. “Listen, Max, I talked to Kyle as well about this stuff a few days ago. I know that I’ve pulled a lotta shit during the last year since we’ve been livin’ together on campus and I can count myself lucky that you’re still talking to me after all the things I’ve said or done, so... thanks, okay? For still bein’ my friend.”

He knew what it had taken for Michael to say all of that so he knew better than to take it lightly. “You’re kinda stuck with me now, Guerin. I’m not goin’ anywhere.” He punched his roommate’s shoulder. “Just make sure you don’t either.”

Michael made a face. “That really did sound gay, you realize that?”

Max grinned and moved before Michael had time to figure out what he was doing. “Nah, if I had hugged ya,” he yelled and did just that, “and said all that then we could say it was kinda gay.”

“Oh, my God, Evans, you’re scarin’ me,” Michael complained and backed off.

Max laughed and let his friend go. “Let’s go inside and see what the girls bought.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “I really doubt that it’s gonna be of any interest to me, but yeah, let’s go inside before ya start getting all touchy-feely with me again.”

“No interest to ya, huh?” Max grinned and shook his head. “You did hear Tess say she brought somethin’ back for Maria, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Might be somethin’ you’ll find interesting.”

Maria glanced up when the boys entered the room. “Everything okay?” she asked with a frown. She could’ve sworn she had heard yelling from outside.

“Yeah, now that Evans has expressed his love for me and hugged me an’ shit,” Michael grumbled.

“Uh-huh,” she said, confused and shaking her head. “Anyway, we were talking about going out tonight, what do ya say?”

“Where ya wanna go?” he asked as he jumped over the back of the couch and landed next to her.

She snuggled closer to him. “Kyle said there’s a little bar in town where you guys went the last years… he said it has a dance floor.”

“I don’t dance,” he denied

“You guys can sit at the bar while us girls dance and be sexy.”

“Hell, I’ll dance,” Max said with a grin as he sat down next to Liz.

Michael rolled his eyes. “I’ll dance,” he mocked under his breath.

“You can watch me dance,” Maria said with a smirk.

Michael grinned. “Happy to,” he said, relieved that she was content to let him stay off the dance floor.

“And you’re gonna look so hot in your new dress,” Tess told Maria with a wink.

His eyebrows lifted in interest. “New dress, huh?”

“Yeah, you’re gonna like it.”

“There anything to go with it?” he asked as his eyes traveled over her body heatedly.

“Wait and find out.”

“Oh, there is... I know there is.”

“Down, boy!” Tess said and threw a small pillow off of the couch at him.

“You didn’t just throw a pillow at me, Harding,” he growled, grabbing a pillow as well and throwing it directly into her face. “Take that.”

“Hey!” she shrieked and scrambled over Kyle to get out of the line of fire.

“What? Now you’re hidin’?”

“Kyle! Don’t you let him hit me!”

“Throwing a pillow isn’t hitting, Harding,” Michael rolled his eyes and slumped back on the couch again.

Tess grabbed the pillow he had thrown at her and eased off of the couch to creep around behind him. She held onto the pillow with both hands and raised her arms, swinging hard and smacking the back of Michael’s head.

Michael shook his head to clear it. “You’re dead, Tess,” he yelled and got to his feet, jumping over the couch with a smaller pillow in his hand and running after her when she started to escape.

“Totally feelin’ the love in the room,” Kyle said, watching the chase as he slouched down.

“At least we have a lighter mood now,” Maria said, relieved.

Kyle glanced at Max, nodding when the other guy shrugged. He had overheard just a few words of the fight between his roommates when they had been outside and he had been expecting it. He would have his own words with Michael, but it would be later when the two of them could talk without any interruptions.




Next update for DT will be on Sunday again! Sorry about the delay again! Real life is pretty busy (still!), but it will get better eventually.

[Double Trouble]

Earth2Mama: Thanks!

Lol, there are some definite similarities between our boys and their dad.

It’s possible, Michael’s made some major progress and he’s feeling better about things. He’s still not quite as open and accepting as Bren, but he’s getting there.

Too many questions about Maureen at that point might well have made Michael back off because he would’ve felt that his mother was the real reason Adam was there. He’s definitely moved on and there would’ve been no romantic interest or intent had he pursued the topic, but Michael is still Michael and we all know what happens when he feels threatened. Ungh, we’re gonna hope Hank is stupid enough to forget that the twins have a birthday coming up here pretty soon.

Whew, wouldn’t have wanted to be on the other end of Max’s rant! You just never know though, maybe it’ll get through Michael’s thick skull.

begonia9508: Thanks!

And it looks like you were right! There are a lot of similarities between Adam and his boys.

mary mary: Lol, we’re not sure, but it’s okay with us if everyone’s just waiting for Sunday mornings!

Adam is the greatest and he’s a man the boys can look up to. Just wait until they all get together for New Years’!

We will find out more about what’s going on with Max, Liz and the Parkers, not in this update, but in the next one.

Alien_Friend: We’re glad you enjoyed it!

Adam is very intuitive and being a good father is very important to him.

Michael found himself talking to Adam and revealing much more than he expected to. A meeting between Maureen and Adam would certainly be interesting, wouldn’t it? We hope she would’ve chosen to leave, too. The meeting between everyone is gonna be a lot of fun and very memorable for the twins.

Brendan is definitely the more open and accepting of the twins, but Michael seemed to take to Adam pretty well, so you just never know what’ll happen there. We’ll have more moments between Adam and the boys.

Max certainly went off on Michael, but the possible outcomes of the twins’ stunt the night before brought his own loss to the front of his mind. He never had the chance to really vent his pain and anger at anyone, and Michael inadvertently provided him with an outlet for those emotions.

It’s been a good, but very busy week. Thankfully it looks like things will be slowing down here pretty soon!

Cardinal: It definitely made Michael stop and think, and it allowed Max to finally express those feelings. It ended up being good for both of them.

We think Michael’s gonna like having Adam as a dad.

destinyc: The meeting went well and that’s what they all needed.

Max definitely needed to get that off of his chest and Michael needed to hear it.

We’re hoping there won’t be any problems with getting both families together.

Eva: Thanks!

New Years’ will be a time of celebration, as it should be. While there might be some slight hiccups as people get used to each other, we’re hoping to avoid any disasters. It will be chaotic, but it’s gonna be a lot of fun!

Max needed to get that out and Michael needed the reality check. Losing someone close to you is never easy, but having them ripped away from you, having that chance to say goodbye stolen from you… it’s especially hard to let go in that situation.

sarammlover: Yeah, Max needed to get that out. It’s true… Michael took what Maria said to heart, but having Max go at him like that really pounded the lesson home. Max is the calm one, quieter than him, definitely easier going, so to have him go off on him like that… it made him stand up and pay attention.

Adam is great! He will make an awesome role model for the twins.

kismet: It went very well… yes, it did.

Whew, he did get it out! We think it probably helped both of them.

zaneri1: Thanks! We’re glad you enjoyed it!

April: Um… the whole summer without Internet? Just typing those words made our fingers shake with withdrawal symptoms! Rest assured, your fanfiction community does not feel like you’re a traitor.

Thanks, Max couldn’t hold it in any longer. He needed to get it out and Michael needed to hear it and understand that he needs to think a little harder about things without just taking off when he’s pissed because if something happened to him there are people who care about him and don’t want to see him hurt.

We’re glad Adam is surprising you and he’s definitely a good guy and he wants to make a relationship with his boys work.


Part 117 – Looking To the Future and Tripping Over the Past

“Mom, Dad’s home!” Callie shouted, nearly trampling Shane on her way to the front door.

“Damn, Cal,” Shane yelled, annoyed when she practically ran him over and left footprints on his back.

“Daddy?” Antonia questioned as she looked around at the others. She dropped the crayon she had been using, deserting her coloring book and running to join her brothers and sister.

Nicole rolled her eyes when Brian and Tyler ran down the stairs and barreled through the hall ahead of her. The kids had been irritable and antsy since finding out that their vacation plans had been ruined and they were taking it out on each other. She could hear Adam assuring the kids that everything was alright as he tried his best to herd them through the hallway and back into the living room.

“Let your father in the house,” she insisted, reaching for Tyler and Antonia since they were the smallest and they were the ones making it so difficult for Adam to maneuver through the house.

“What’re they like, Dad?” Callie asked.

“Are they into sports? They are, right?” Shane demanded.

Adam chuckled. “Would you guys mind if I take off my coat first?”

“Did they ask ‘bout us, Dad?” Brian asked as he tugged on his father’s coat.

Adam tried his best to get out of his coat and shoes before he sat down on the couch and his kids were all over him. He was assaulted by questions once more as Antonia climbed up to sit in his lap to give him her full attention. He wrapped his arm around her as she leaned back against his chest, content to let the others talk.

“C’mon, Dad, tell us what they were like!”

“Callie, give your dad a few minutes to adjust to bein’ home,” Nicole said. “Matter of fact, go make him a cup of hot chocolate. Shane, go take the dogs out for a few minutes and after the two of you have calmed down you can come back in here and find out how the visit went.”

“Aww, Mom, that’s not fair!” the teenage girl complained.

“Fair has nothing to do with it. Now go,” she insisted as she shooed them out of the room.

Antonia snuggled closer against her Daddy and hugged him.

Nicole walked up behind the couch to massage her husband’s shoulders. “You’re tense.”

“The meeting went well, but...” he shook his head. “What that...” He bit back the curse word before it slipped out, mindful of the fact that little ears were present. “What he did to those boys... my boys... It’s a wonder they’re as stable as they are.”

She squeezed his shoulder. “You can’t change the past Adam, but we can do something about the future.”

He reached up to take her hand and tipped his head back to look up at her. “You’re gonna love ‘em, Nic.”

She smiled. “I’m sure I will since they’re your boys.”

“They’ve got a younger sister and you can tell how much they love ‘er. Brendan, he has a little girl and he and Michael are both great with her.”

“No fair that you didn’t wait for us, Dad,” Callie muttered when she came back with the hot chocolate.

“Your mom generally knows about things before the lot of you,” he teased with a smile.

Shane came back as well and took a seat in the armchair.

“You did not take the dogs out that quickly,” Nicole said, shaking her head.

“C’mon, Mom, don’t make us wait, we wanna hear the story.”

“I’m guessing the dogs are out in the backyard,” Adam said as he glanced around at his family.

Shane nodded.

He looked at his wife. “See? The dogs are out.”

“Dad,” Callie groaned. “C’mon, don’t leave us in the dark any longer.”

“The meeting went very well and the boys are both interested in meeting you guys... maybe over New Years’ if y’all think you might wanna do that.” He glanced at Nicole as he continued. “Course, I don’t know why you guys would wanna spend the holiday near the beach...”

“Are ya kidding, Dad?” Shane asked, excited. “They invited us to Long Beach?”

“Yeah, kinda shocked me too. Wasn’t sure if they’d be okay with another meetin’ so soon much less meetin’ all of you, but... their birthday is on the first and their girlfriends are plannin’ the party. Oh, and apparently Michael plays football and they’ve got a game on New Years’ Eve and he’s also in a band that might be performing that night or at their birthday party, can’t remember which.”

“This is soooo cool!” Callie said. “Seems like this Michael guy is pretty cool.”

Shane nodded. “Yeah, and we can go watch a college football game.” College football game meant cheerleaders and lots of hot girls from campus hanging out watching the game.

Adam grinned at their enthusiasm. “You’re gonna like Brendan, Callie... he’s a conspiracy theorist just like you.”

“How are they, Dad? I mean, are they cool? Or do they seem boring?” Shane asked impatiently. “I bet they’re pretty cool, only cool people live in Long Beach and do all that stuff.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty cool, Shane. You’re gonna like ‘em. They’ve got a younger sister... 16 I think, and their older brother has custody of her. They seem to have a very good relationship with them and I even met some of their friends; they’re all very nice.” He bit back a smirk as he switched to his son’s favorite word. “Cool, they’re all very cool.”

“So, are we gonna go to Long Beach?” Callie glanced back and forth between her Mom and Dad.

Adam bit his lip as he looked up at Nicole once more. He was certain that she would say yes, but he didn’t want to just answer for her. And he knew better than to answer for her. A lesson he had learned years ago. “Whatcha say, Nic?”

“Well, let’s say we’ll see what we can do. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get a hotel room that’s big enough for all of us so close to New Years’.”

That was as good as a yes in his book, Adam thought, hiding a smile when the kids groaned at her answer. He would wait until they were alone to tell her that Michael and Maria had insisted on taking care of all the arrangements.

“I can get online and see if I can find a hotel,” Shane offered.

“You could do that,” Adam agreed. “Matter of fact, why don’t you go see what you can find. Callie, you can take a look and see what there is to do in the area around that time of year.”

“What to do? We’ll be in Long Beach, Dad.”

He rolled his eyes. “I assume that means you’d be content to spend the entire trip camped out on the beach?”

She shrugged. “How long’re we gonna stay?”

“Your mom and I will figure that out and get back with you. Just be patient and let us get some of the details hammered out, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, groaning at the parental answer.

“What about their brother and sister?” Brian asked, the words mumbled because he was chewing on his thumbnail. “Are they gonna be mad at us?”

“What makes ya think they’d be mad?” Adam took boy’s hand to keep him from chewing on the thumbnail.

“Maybe they don’t want us to make things... I don’t know, Dad. Maybe they don’t wanna share their brothers.” He shifted a bit closer to his mom and dad, torn between his independence and wanting them to make him feel like everything was okay.

“That could happen at first,” Adam didn’t lie to his son, “but in the end they’ll come along. It’s a new situation for all of us now, but we’ll figure it out.”

“What if they don’t like us?”

“What’s not to like?” Nicole said with a soft smile and rubbed her son’s head.

Brian didn’t complain about the affectionate gesture, which only showed his uneasiness with the situation. “Will we meet them all if we go to Long Beach?”

“I think we will. Brendan has a little girl and Alex’ fiancé is pregnant as well.”

“So, they’re kinda gonna be like more family?” the little boy asked curiously.

“Seems like there’re a few new little people, yes.”

“Does that mean less Christmas presents now?” Tyler asked with a frown.

Adam laughed. “No, don’t worry.”

The youngest boy sighed in relief.

Nicole chuckled. “I think a little trip into the sun after all the snow up here will be good for all of us.”

“So, we’re gonna go, Mom?” Shane asked.

“IF we find a place to stay.”

“C’mon, Callie, let’s go start lookin’,” he said insistently. “Long Beach is pretty big, so if you take one side and I take the other we’ll find somethin’ quicker.”

Adam shook his head in amusement when his oldest children left the room, uniting to ensure the trip would take place. He leaned back to look at his wife. “You’re good with this, right?”

Nicole smiled and nodded. “It’ll be good for all of us.”

*****

Brendan walked downstairs, smelling the food Karen was cooking and hearing his daughter laughing about something. He leaned in the doorframe and watched his girlfriend behind the counter. She was busy with cutting vegetables while Caela was attempting to do the same with a tomato and what looked like a Popsicle stick. He shook his head, amused when he noticed the mess his little girl was making, but she was so cute as she concentrated on doing whatever Mommy did.

“Wanna help us?”

Brendan glanced up when Karen spoke to him. “Huh? Oh, sure.”

“Lost in thought, huh?”

He smiled and pushed himself from the doorframe again to walk up behind her. “Just realizing again how lucky I am with you two women in my life,” he nipped her earlobe and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

A shiver ran down her spine when she felt his breath brush against the skin of her neck. She turned around to face him. “And so are we.”

Brendan stared into her blue eyes, wondering again how he had managed to survive the last couple of years without her. He glanced at his little girl. Without both of them. “Hey, I’ve been thinkin’,” he said as he lowered his head to kiss her.

“Thinking?” she mumbled against his lips.

“Um-hmm... we haven’t really made any solid decisions about what happens next. I mean, we’ve talked about it and kinda compared ideas, but we haven’t said what we’re gonna actually do.”

“And you’re suggesting what?”

“Well, first, I guess I wanna know if you wanna go back to New York before the beginning of the year.”

She studied him carefully. “The plan is for Adam to come to Long Beach around New Years’, right?”

He nodded.

“I guess there’s no time for us to go back to New York then; that’d be too much traveling for her,” she said and glanced at Caela.

“You just wantin’ to go back ‘cause your mom’s gonna be there alone?”

She shrugged. “I talked to her earlier on the phone. She said it’s okay.”

“Uh-huh,” he said slowly. “Okay, so I’m about to make a suggestion that involves money...” He reached up to brush her hair back over her shoulder. “If you don’t think it’s okay, just tell me. Why don’t we call your mom, invite her down for New Years’ and my birthday, and I’ll spring for the flight? We can put her up in a nice hotel down by the beach... it’ll be like a mini-vacation for her.”

Karen wasn’t sure what to say about that. If anyone deserved a vacation right now, it was her Mom. But she also knew the woman was stubborn and always wanted to pay for herself. A trip to Long Beach wasn’t anything she could afford though.

“I know how Rosie is ‘cause you’re just like her.” He shook his head and grinned. “Not that it’s a bad thing, it can just be frustrating at times for a guy like me who has money to spend but the women in his life won’t let him do it because they’re stubborn and independent.” He held his hands up when she started to protest. “And there’s nothin’ wrong with either of those traits until they start getting in the way of the guy bein’ able to treat them the way he feels they deserve to be treated.”

She hung her head. “I guess we can ask her. Pretty sure she’ll say no, though.”

“She won’t say no to me.” He grinned and hooked his thumb over his shoulder to motion at Caela. “She won’t say no to that little girl... we’ll double team her.”

Karen chuckled. “Okay.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I need to get dinner finished.”

“Is your mom home now? ‘Cause I’ll go ahead an’ call her.”

“I think so.”

“Alright,” he muttered as he walked over to the table to pick his phone up, “I’ll just give ‘er a call.”

“Okay,” she said skeptically and started to cut into another tomato.

Brendan punched in the number and lifted the phone to his ear, listening to it ring a couple of times before it was picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Rosie, it’s Brendan. How’re you doin’?”

“Oh,” the older woman was surprised. “Hey, Brendan, I’m good, thanks. Everything okay?”

He smiled to himself. Uh-huh, he would show Karen just how persuasive he was. “Things are great... I’m takin’ real good care of your daughter and granddaughter. Tonight’s our last night here in Lake Tahoe.”

“I have no doubt you’re doing just that, Brendan,” Rosie told him. “What’re ya gonna do then? Karen told me you’ll probably go to Long Beach?”

“Well, that’s kinda why I’m callin’... see, my birthday’s comin’ up here in a couple days an’ I was just talkin’ to Karen about how nice it’d be if you’d be here for New Years’ and my birthday but she didn’t think you’d accept it if I sent you a ticket and got you all set up in this really great hotel on the beach.”

Rosie chuckled. “She knows me so well.”

Okay, now she was gonna be difficult. “Yeah, and, I mean, I understand where you’re comin’ from, Rosie...” He sighed. “Well, okay... I guess I don’t really understand, but... you know what I mean,” he finally huffed out in frustration. He glared at Karen when he heard her laughing at him and he paused to think of a different approach.

“I’m all good here, Brendan. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Well, I know I don’t HAVE to worry about you, and that’s not really what this call’s about anyway... I just kinda wanted to invite you to come out here an’ be with us over New Years’.”

The woman on the phone stayed silent. She really wanted to say yes because she missed her daughter and grandchild so much. But she had never accepted money from anyone in her life.

“Rosie, it’s not charity... I’m gonna marry your daughter one of these days an’ when I do I’m officially adoptin’ you,” he said, his tone teasing. “C’mon out to Long Beach an’ let me spoil you for a few days, huh? You gave me somethin’ I can never hope to repay you for when Karen brought me home to you and you accepted me for who I was. You made me feel loved and safe... you’re partly responsible for the man I am today... let me do this for ya, huh?” He paused. “Please?”

She was touched by his words and was glad that he couldn’t see her right now. Otherwise he would’ve seen the tears in her eyes. “Okay,” she whispered into the phone.

“Yeah? Really?”

She nodded until she realized that he couldn’t see it. “I’m curious about your life in California.”

“Hear that, Caela? Grandma’s comin’ to Long Beach,” he whispered as he reached out to ruffle her hair. “You’ll love it, Rosie, I promise. You’re never gonna wanna leave.” At least he hoped that was how it worked out.

Rosie chuckled when she heard the happy sounds her grandchild was making in the background. “Can I talk to my daughter for a moment, Brendan?”

“Sure, hang on just a sec an’ I’ll get her.” He held the phone against his chest as he crossed the room to press up against his girlfriend’s back again. “So, your mom wants to talk to you.” He kissed her neck. “And I’m gonna go find another phone and get her flight taken care of an’ have the tickets couriered over to her,” he said with a hint of smugness in his tone.

She was too happy about the fact that her Mom agreed to notice that Brendan was looking at her with the I-told-you-so look as she accepted the phone from him. “Hey, Mom.”

Brendan rolled his eyes when she waved him away without acknowledging his victorious win.

“Hey, sweetie. So, your boyfriend convinced me to come to California for a visit.”

Karen smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it. But, if it means getting to spend time with you then I’ll suffer.”

“So, he already asked you to marry him?”

“Well, no, not officially.” She took a few steps to locate Brendan as she lowered her voice. “He’s made it clear that he’s going to though.”

“I’m glad things are working out for you the way you deserve it, sweetie.”

Karen bit her lip as her eyes lovingly moved over her boyfriend’s animated features as he talked to someone on the phone. “Do you really think I deserve him, Mom?”

“Are you kidding? Of course you do.”

“Even after everything I’ve put him through?”

“You didn’t do this to hurt him, Karen. You know that your decision was right at that time.”

Her eyes widened. “Has Bren talked to you about it?” she asked, surprised by her mom’s response. The woman had stood by her and supported her through the pregnancy and helped her to raise Caela, but she had never once felt that her daughter was right for withholding Caela’s existence from her father.

“Just a little bit. I know enough.”

Karen knew that her mom wouldn’t say anything more about it so she dropped the subject. “His whole family’s accepted us, Mom... it’s been so great seeing Caela interact with them.”

“How’s his twin brother doing?” Rosie didn’t know much about Michael, but from what she had learned during the years that Brendan and Karen had been together in New York, she knew the boy had been... difficult to deal with sometimes.

“Michael has become surprisingly... domesticated,” she said with a smile. “He has a girlfriend now who knows how to handle him and he seems to have settled down quite a bit.”

“That’s good.” A loud ringing could suddenly be heard in the background. “Oh, sweetie, I need to hang up, Mrs. Carter and I want to go out for a coffee. Call me tomorrow and tell me about this trip I’m gonna take, okay?”

“Alright, Mom, have fun. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Karen closed the phone when the call ended and she turned to look at her little girl... who had managed to mutilate the tomato on the high chair tray and mash it all over her face and in her hair. “I think Daddy needs to get you cleaned up while Mommy finishes dinner, don’t you?”

“Da-da,” was all Caela said as she raised her hands into the air.

Brendan walked into the kitchen, phone held between his shoulder and ear. Karen rolled her eyes when she saw the credit card clamped between his teeth as he looked around for something. She reached up to take the card and waved it in front of his face.

“That’s disgusting... do you know how many people have touched your card? You don’t know where their hands have been.”

He rolled his eyes and took the card from her. “Whatever.”

“Seriously, Bren, it’s gross!”

“I need a pen...” he saw one on the counter and he grabbed it up. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, talking to the person on the phone now. “Leavin’ JFK at 9:45am and arriving in Long Beach at 3:49pm... and that’s with a connection in Phoenix?” He paused. “Uh-huh, okay, hold on a sec...” He looked at Karen. “Hey, you think your mom would prefer a non-stop flight?”

“Are there any for that day?”

“What’ve you got available for the non-stop flights, same day?” He listened as the woman rattled off prices and he shook his head. “No, I don’t care about the cost just tell me what you’ve got that’s non-stop.” He was silent for a few minutes as he scribbled numbers down again. “Okay, that’s departing JFK at 7:55am and arriving at 11:05am or departing at 12:30pm and arriving at 3:40pm, right? Okay, hold on again.” He glanced at his girlfriend. “Whatcha think? Early mornin’ or around noon?”

“What day?”

“The 30th? They’ve got the same flights available tomorrow, but I didn’t wanna rush her.”

“Take the early one then… I think. On the 30th.”

“Okay.” He turned his attention back to the phone. “Yeah, I’ll take the tickets for the 7:55am flight on the 30th. Oh, and I wanna arrange for a pick up for my mother-in-law... I don’t want her fightin’ to get a cab to the airport first thing in the mornin’.” He shook his head at the woman’s next question. “No, we’ll arrange her pick up on our end ourselves.”

Karen went over to Caela and disposed of what was left of the tomato. “Come on, we’ll clean ya up a little until Daddy’s ready for you.” She walked to the sink to get some paper towels.

“Um-hmm... yeah, and I want return transportation arranged from JFK when she arrives back in New York.” Brendan listened to the woman droning on and on about the flight information and rolled his eyes when she finally got to the end of her little speech that he was certain she had to give every customer. “Yeah, I’ll be payin’ for it with a credit card...” he frowned when she interrupted him. “Well, of course it’s my credit card, why would I pay with someone else’s?”

He shook his head and gave her the information, waiting as she read it back to him to make sure it was correct. “Yeah, that’s it. Yep... um-hmm.” He scribbled down another series of numbers. “And you’ll send the confirmation email to me?” He nodded when she recited his email address back to him. “Yeah, alright, thanks.” He shook his head as he disconnected from the call. “Good grief! What a pain in the – “ He bit his tongue when Karen just smiled and shook her head at him and he turned to look at Caela. The little girl was watching him expectantly, hanging onto his every word. “So, anyway, we’ve got the flight booked, now we just need the hotel... we can go online after dinner and find one you think she’ll like.”

“After dinner, huh?” Karen teased. “We’d better hurry then.”

“Well, we could do it durin’ dinner, but somebody still likes to throw food an’ there’s no reason to abuse my laptop like that.”

She laughed. “After dinner’s good. I guess we’ll have plenty of time before the others come back.”

Brendan glanced at their daughter and frowned at the mess she had made. “Well, I can go get her cleaned up and... changed... How long before dinner’s ready?”

“About 30 minutes.” She glanced at Caela. “Why don’t you two go take a bath? I think she’d love that."

“Yeah, I’ll just bet she would. Maybe after dinner though... she’s just gonna be an even bigger mess an’ we’re gonna have to do this all over again.”

Karen nodded. “Okay, then just clean her up a little and set her in the playpen while ya start looking for a hotel room.”

“Alright.” He lifted Caela up out of her high chair and shook his head at the mess she’d made. “C’mon, you little messy person... let’s see if we can clean ya up a little bit.”

*****

Michael parked the Navigator in front of the club they had decided to spend their last night at before going back to Long Beach. He glanced in the rearview mirror and made a face when he saw that Kyle and Tess were still all over each other. “Could ya please stop that in my car?”

“It’s not exactly your car, Guerin,” Tess said and leaned back in her seat to glare at him, wiping her mouth from all the kissing.

“Count yourself lucky,” he grumbled back.

“Let’s party, people!” Kyle said excitedly and got out of the car with his girlfriend.

Michael turned his head and looked at Maria, who was holding her hand out to him, palm-side up. He frowned. “What do ya want?”

“Car keys,” she reminded him.

“I’m gonna drive, Maria.”

She shook her head at him. “Oh, no, you’re gonna have a good time with your friends tonight and drink some beer. I’ll drive.”

Well, hell, who was he to argue with that logic? He handed her the keys and they got out to follow the others inside.

“Maybe Kyle and Tess could ride back with Max and Liz later,” Maria mused as she walked next to Michael. “The Navigator is... spacious.”

He missed grabbing the door that Max had pushed open as he and Liz hurried inside out of the cold and he turned to look at Maria as a slow smile pulled his lips up at the corners. “So, takin’ the keys... sendin’ me out to drink... an’ now you wanna ditch Kyle and Tess? I think somebody’s got a plan that she’s been keepin’ secret.”

“Think so?” she teased with a smirk.

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up against his body as he stared down into her green eyes. “Um-hmm... I think so... and I also think I like the plan.”

She was glad that he was finally in a better mood. Michael had been quiet all afternoon after Adam had left and he definitely could use some distraction. “Good, just watch out and hold your liquor, big boy.”

He grinned and lowered his head to kiss her. “Y’know, you’re kinda hot when you’re all bossy,” he murmured against her lips.

“I’m always hot, Guerin,” she said playfully and took his hand. “Let’s go inside.”

No point disputing that statement, he thought as he reached for the door and held it open for her.

“What took ya so long?” Max asked when Maria and Michael finally joined them inside.

“Mind your own business,” Michael growled.

“C’mon, we found a table,” Tess suddenly appeared in front of them and took Maria’s free hand to pull her with her through the crowded room.

He rolled his eyes when everyone just followed Tess and he made it a point to take his time getting to the table.

“Here,” Kyle had already gotten three beers for the guys and he handed them to Michael and Max when they got to the table.

Michael nodded and lifted his gaze when the girls all stood up. “Where’re you goin’?”

“Dancing,” Maria told him with a wink.

He waved them away. “Go on then... I’ll just enjoy it from over here.”

“Thanks for your permission,” she told him with an eye roll, but she smiled to let him know that she wasn’t serious.

He smirked. “I’ll be watchin’ to make sure no one puts their hands where they shouldn’t be.” He just grinned when she shot a warning look at him.

Kyle snapped two fingers in front of Michael’s face. “Guerin, turn your jealous eyes away from your girlfriend and relax.”

“I’m relaxed, Valenti. Maybe you should pay attention ‘cause the girls already have a few admirers... and one of ‘em’s got his eyes on your girl.”

“Huh?” Kyle leaned forward to look at the girls. “He’d better not make a move.”

Max leaned back in his chair in a lazy sprawl and smiled when Liz waved at him. “You guys need to chill out.” He pulled a toothpick out of his shirt pocket and slid it out of the little plastic covering before putting it in his mouth and chewing on it. “The girls know exactly who they’re with and they’re fully capable of sayin’ ‘no’. They’ll let us know if they need us to step in.”

“Max is right,” Kyle said to convince himself and leaned back again.

“Okay... y’all keep thinkin’ like that.” Michael slouched down and reached for his beer, his pose relaxed but he was aware of every move Maria made.

“So, Guerin, what’s with the shit you pulled yesterday?” Kyle asked, placing his beer on the table and looking at his friend seriously.

He glanced up at Kyle when he spoke, recognizing the tone; calmly asked, carefully worded, but he could hear the undercurrent of anger in his voice. He shrugged. “I shouldn’t have done it, okay?” He had lost count of the number of times he had apologized for it already.

“Why’d you do that in the first place? You know this kind of weather, you should’ve known better.”

“Yes, Daddy, I knew better, but I wasn’t exactly in a rational mental place at the time,” he snapped.

“Hey,” Max leaned forward between his two friends. “Easy, okay?” He turned to Kyle. “He knew it was wrong.” Then he turned to Michael. “And if ya come up with something like this again, Kyle and I will make sure you suffer for a very long time.”

“I’ve already suffered... you two are never gonna let it go.”

“Hey, Evans,” someone suddenly shouted over the music. Michael didn’t have to turn around to see who was there.

“That who I think it is?” Max asked before turning to see if he was right.

Kyle laughed, “I was wondering if you guys were around,” he greeted Don, Tommy and Pete.

“Heard a rumor you guys are all tied down now?” Tommy asked as he shook hands with Max and Kyle.

“A rumor?” Max asked, glancing at his friends.

“Uh-huh,” Don agreed and pointed at Michael. “Ran into him the other night at one of the restaurants an’ he was hooked up with some chick... what the hell was her name? Mary? No, Marie, right? Dude was sayin’ you guys are all hooked up with just one chick apiece now... we figured he’s gotta be pullin’ our legs on that one. Right?”

“Yeah, Guerin,” Tommy agreed, “you just told us that shit because ya wanted to get that chick naked after dinner right?” The three guys laughed and high-fived each other as they waited for an answer.

Kyle sat up when Michael’s eyes narrowed dangerously and his posture tensed up, reminding him of a coiled snake, waiting to strike. “Look, guys, we know how much you enjoy havin’ a good time and we’re not tryin’ to stop that or anything, but don’t talk about our girls like they’re just one-night stands.”

Max nodded. “Be respectful or back off,” he warned.

“And her name is Maria,” Michael hissed in Don’s direction.

Tommy lifted his hands in defeat. “So, you’re serious, huh? Fine, we can still drink a beer together, can’t we?”

“Just watch your mouth about the girls,” Michael grumbled.

Two of the guys took a seat at the table, while the third went to get another round of beer for everyone.

Maria glanced to her boyfriend and rolled her eyes. “Not them again.”

Tess followed her gaze. “Who?”

“The three guys who just sat down at our table.”

“Who are they?” She could see them laughing and joking with their guys but she didn’t recognize them.

“Some friends they used to party with every time they were here at the cabin.”

“You didn’t like them?” Liz asked, wondering at the hint of dislike in Maria’s voice.

“Well, it was pretty obvious that they didn’t like me as a girlfriend for Michael.”

“Oh, well, if they’re old party buddies then they probably won’t like any of us,” Tess said decisively. She shrugged because she didn’t really care.

“Guess the parties were pretty wild. Michael didn’t tell me much, but I could tell he was uncomfortable with them around.”

Liz raised an eyebrow in interest. “Max hasn’t said anything about it either.”

“They probably don’t want us to know what they did up here before,” Maria mused.

She frowned. “Why?”

Maria shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably a lot of alcohol and sex.”

Liz shot a speculative glance over her shoulder. She had known of course that she wasn’t the first girl that Max had ever been with, but she didn’t care for the thought of him with other girls... at all. “Well, it’s in the past, so maybe we don’t really need to know about it.”

“Right,” Maria agreed.

“Let’s get a drink,” Tess suggested.

“Table or the bar?” Liz asked.

Tess glanced at Maria. “What ya think?”

“Hmm...” She was dying to know what the guys were talking about, but on the other hand she wanted Michael to relax and he had been anything but relaxed the night they had run into the same three guys. “Let’s just go to the bar.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Michael watched his girlfriend, noticing that she seemed to be done dancing for now. He wondered if she would come over anytime soon. Don had been talking about old times the whole time and it wasn’t really a theme he wanted her to hear about.

“C’mon, Guerin, where’s your mind?” Pete complained when he realized Michael wasn’t really into the conversation.

He glanced at the other guy in front of him. “I’m here, man.”

“Uh-huh.” He turned his attention to Max. “So, what about you, Evans? You really settled down with just the one girl?”

Max nodded confidently. “Yep.”

“Damn.” He knew better than to try to pry any details out of Evans when it came to sexual relationships. The guy was just no fun when it came to stuff like that.

Maria glanced at the boys from afar and caught Michael’s eyes. She winked at him to show him that it was okay if he wanted to hang out with the others.

He nodded and tipped the bottle he held in her direction, letting her know he understood.

“Ungh, dude, chick’s got you pussy-whipped,” Tommy muttered with a shake of his head.

Michael turned and rolled his eyes at him. “Whatever.”

Kyle leaned back in his chair and took a drink of his beer. “So, you guys still hittin’ the party circuit pretty heavily?”

“Hell yeah, man!” Don nodded. “There’re dozens of hot chicks next to our cabin. They’re from California too. Man, I tell you... each one’s better than the one before.”

Michael shook his head, wondering now how he had maintained that kind of lifestyle in the past. He lifted his head and met Maria’s gaze head on. Nope, he wouldn’t go back to that kinda life for anything.

“Maybe we should go over there. Michael’s staring at you constantly anyway,” Tess said.

Maria smiled. “Must be this hot little dress.” She smoothed her right hand over her hip as she looked down at herself. She would’ve known he was watching her even if she hadn’t been looking right at him; the man had the most intense gaze she had ever known. She signaled the bartender for another drink that she could take to Michael. “Excellent choice, you guys; the dress is beautiful and it fits to perfection.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll bet Michael can’t wait to get his hands on you,” Liz said with a smirk

Tess glanced at her. “Parker, it’s still weird to hear ya talking like that.”

Liz grinned. “I could stop.”

“Nah, hell! I’ll get used to it. Come on, ladies.”

Kyle turned to follow Michael’s gaze when he noticed that his expression was changing. He grinned when he saw the girls heading for their table. “Hey, babe,” he greeted when she stopped beside him and leaned against his side with her right arm across his shoulders.

Their three visitors just glanced at each other when they were suddenly surrounded by couples.

Max reached out a tugged Liz down in his lap. “No more dancin’?”

“Just takin’ a break,” she said with a smile. “Who’re your friends?”

“This’s Don, Tommy and Pete. Guys, this’s my girlfriend, Liz.”

Liz smiled and shook the guys’ hands, easily detecting their discomfort in spite of their smiles. She turned back to Max and reached up to trace his jaw line with the fingertips of her right hand. “So, you wanna dance with me?”

“Sure.” He placed the beer on the table. “’Scuse us.”

Tommy shook his head and raised his hand, letting the waitress know he wanted another beer. “You guys have changed since last year,” he said quietly.

Maria watched the people around the table and could practically feel Michael’s tension growing the longer she stood there next to him. What the hell was he afraid of? What was he worried about these guys revealing? She placed her drink on the table and handed the other one to Michael. “Here, I’ll be back soon,” she told him and went off to find the bathroom.

Michael glanced up when she made her exit and he decided to get up and go after her. “Order some hot wings next time the waitress stops by,” he told Kyle before leaving the table.

Maria leaned against the wall in the hallway which led to the ladies’ room, but she didn’t really want to go there. She had just escaped because the situation at the table had been weird.

Michael rolled his eyes when he realized where Maria had gone. Why did girls always head for the bathroom when something was bothering them? He paused at the dim entrance to the hallway when he saw her leaning against the wall and he took a few hesitant steps towards her. The music was muffled, but it reverberated through the walls. “Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey back at ya.”

“You okay?” he asked carefully.

“Yeah. Are you?”

He nodded. “Those guys just remind me of the guy I used to be, Maria, and I don’t need or want either of us to think about that. I’m not that guy anymore.”

She sighed. “But I know you’ve changed, Michael, so what’s the matter?”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, Maria. The guys make comments that make me wanna punch ‘em in the mouth, but if I do that it’s gonna piss you off so that just leaves me with tellin’ ‘em to shut up... I’m not the kinda guy who just tells other guys to shut it.”

She looked at him directly. “You sure there’s nothin’ that you’re worried about these guys tellin’ me about you that you don’t want me to know?”

“What’re they gonna tell you? That I used to have one-night stands on a fairly regular basis? That I used to party all the damn time? That I didn’t give a fuck about pretty much anyone or anything? You already know all that. No, I’m not worried about anything they could tell you.”

“Then I don’t know what your problem is, Michael. You act like you’ve got something to hide. You tell me you don’t so...” she shrugged. “Okay.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie, he thought. They were one-night stands, results of too much alcohol, and a lack of care and concern for anyone including himself. Maybe it wouldn’t even come up and it wasn’t like they were gonna be in Tahoe for much longer anyway. The guys had to be getting bored with hanging out with them now that they all had girlfriends so they’d leave soon and there’d be nothing to worry about.

Maria sighed when he didn’t say anything else but she had the feeling that there was something... “Alright, Michael. If there’s nothing you wanna tell me, then go back inside. I’ll be right back.”

Michael shrugged and turned to go back inside. She knew there were things in his past that he wasn’t proud of and they had never sat down and actually talked about those things... they were just kinda... unspoken.

Maria watched him leave before she turned to go into the ladies’ room.

Michael came back and sat down. “Ordered your food,” Kyle told him.

He nodded and reached for his beer, making a face when he took a drink and realized how warm it was. He looked over at the three guys who were still hanging around. “So, you guys must be ready to head on out to some party or other, right?” he asked with all the subtlety of a jackhammer.

Don snorted. “Are you kiddin’? Parties at your cabin were the best. Now that you’ve turned into...” he made a face, “boyfriends, the area’s pretty dead at night during the week.”

“Well, there’s gotta be somethin’. What about the Hendricks place? I know he’s gotta be up here this time of year... he always threw a good party.”

Don waved Michael off. “His parents sold the cabin.”

“Garcia? His family owned the lake house down off of the old highway.”

“He already left like two days ago. He wanted to go to New York over New Years’, right?” Don glanced at Tommy.

“Yeah, we should’ve done somethin’ like that too.”

“Hell, it’s not too late to get the betting pool started,” Pete said, glancing around at the women in the bar.

Michael felt the panic setting in. Didn’t these guys have anything better to do with their time? “Nah, you guys wanna do that you should head over to the bar on Lexington... bigger bar, more chances to score...” he glanced at his watch. “And look, it’s still early. You should go. Now.”

Maria came back from the bathroom and glanced at the table with the boys. Tess and Liz were both sitting in their boyfriends’ laps and Kyle and Max didn’t seem to be bothered. Why was Michael so tensed up?

“The bar on Lexington? Man, that place’s a dive,” Pete complained.

“Yeah,” Don agreed, “I wouldn’t sleep with any chick over there... not even to win the bet.”

“Ah, c’mon, just ‘cause you hold the record for most chicks in a single night doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t have a little fun,” Tommy snickered. “Besides, you only won ‘cause you took two at a time that last time we hung out, you slick bastard.”

“True, Guerin, you are the man!” Pete yelled and held his right hand up for a high-five. He frowned when Michael’s expression remained stony and he didn’t raise his hand to return the gesture. “Dude, what the fuck is wrong with you tonight?”

Maria frowned when she heard the guys talking. A bet? And sex with two girls at one time? Uh-huh, sure Guerin, you’ve got nothing to hide!

Michael slid down in his chair when he felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand up, a clear indicator that Maria was nearby and most likely staring daggers at the back of his head. Why hadn’t he just admitted it? He had known... he had just KNOWN this would come out!

“Uh-oh, looks like you’re in trouble, Guerin!” Don said when he saw the blonde behind them. Admittedly, she looked much hotter tonight in the short black dress.

“Thank you, Don,” Michael muttered icily. “Maybe now you an’ your big fuckin’ mouth can get lost.”

Tess glanced between Maria and Michael. The other girl hadn’t heard the entire conversation, but her friend didn’t look very happy.

“Come on, I need a drink,” Maria told the curly blonde and pulled her from Kyle’s lap.

Liz glanced around the table before her gaze settled on Michael and she wondered why anyone would want to sleep with multiple partners in one night. And two at a time? Ungh! But, on the other hand, Michael wasn’t the same guy he had been when they had first met him and Maria knew that. Right now he was the picture of misery and she actually felt bad for him when she noticed the way his hooded gaze followed his girlfriend.

She shifted to look up at Max, smiling when he just nodded and offered her his hand to help her up. She knew without having to ask that Max hadn’t participated in those games and she wondered how she would’ve dealt with it if he had. “I’ll be back,” she whispered as she leaned down to kiss him before heading off after her friends.

[Double Trouble]

Earth2Mama: Maria needs some time to cool off before she faces Michael again. The girls will help her as much as possible.

A lotta Guerin/Smith family in Long Beach… ya know that’s gonna mean a lotta chaos, lol. But, in a good way, of course.

Uh-oh, proposing? Brendan? Hmmmm…….

mary mary: You’re right, and that’s part of the reason she walked away – the other part is that she’s seriously pissed! Which she has every right to be. Hopefully the “insensitive, immature clouts” will be taking their leave now.

Oh, yeah, the party’s gonna be quite the chaotic affair, lol!

Alien_Friend: Nah, we won’t see a big fight like we used to see with these two. He has no interest in that type of lifestyle any longer and once she has a little time to cool down she’ll realize that.

Brendan’s a sweetheart and he just couldn’t handle the thought of Karen’s mom being all alone.

Adam’s family is great and their interaction with the rest of the family should be something to see!

Oh, well… um… sorry, we completely forgot to post our note to let everyone know that while things have slowed down it’s gonna be another update or two before we’re back on schedule. We miss posting our Wednesday/Thursday update, so we’ll be back with it just as soon as we can.

Natalie36: We’re getting closer to being back on schedule with our twice-a-week posting schedule.

zaneri1: It’s not so much surprise as it is anger and hurt that Michael lied when she asked him if there was something he needed to tell her. No, no, lol, Maria and Tess didn’t have a bet like that going on while they were in Europe.

begonia9508: No worries, between Liz and Tess… and a little rational discussion our Candies will work things out.

Adam and his family will have a great time, we’re sure of it.

sarammlover: Ah, it won’t last long. It’s not about the past so much as the fact that she asked Michael directly if there was anything he needed to tell her and he said no… had he said yes and then explained it would’ve been a different story. We’re pretty sure our boys have left those past ways behind them.

April: Nah, c’mon, they’ll deal with it and fairly quickly. They’ve moved past that old system they used where they dragged it out for chapters on end. Talking definitely needs to be done… time to deal with that big fat elephant, lol!

guelbebek: The big family meeting will be chaos at its best!

You are right on target! It’s not about his past, it’s about him denying that he had anything to hide.

Cardinal: Yup, precisely the reason behind Maria being upset. They’re definitely volatile, but they’ve come a long way since the beginning and they’re learning to deal with things a little more maturely than they would have in the past.

kay_b: He knows… oh, he knows.

It’s gonna be a blast for sure!


Part 118 – Makin’ Up is NOT That Hard To Do

Karen heard quiet laugher through the closed door of the bathroom downstairs and smiled. Her little girl liked to bathe as long as she had someone to share it with. She opened the door quietly, unnoticed by Caela and Brendan. She leaned in the doorframe and watched them playing with some little yellow bath ducks.

“Hey,” Brendan said, amused when his daughter splashed water in his face.

Karen couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them.

“How long have ya been watchin’ us?” Brendan asked when he finally noticed her.

“Long enough to realize I had no idea how much you enjoyed bath time.”

“Well, it’s a lot more fun when you’re not the only one in the tub.”

Karen just shook her head at him. “You’re lucky she doesn’t mind sharing her toys.”


“We definitely need to get one of those oversized tubs.”

“Just add it to the list of things we’ll need for the new place.” It felt weird to even say something like that. She had spent her whole life conscious of every penny and Brendan had no clue what it meant to be aware of money beyond knowing it was a concern he would never need to worry about.

“Don’t think about the money, Karen.” He shook his head because he knew where her mind was going. “Please.”

She smiled. “I’m trying, Bren, that’s the best I can do for now.”

He nodded. “Alright,” he lifted Caela higher in his arms. “I think someone’s getting tired.”

“She’s had a busy day,” she said, smiling at her little girl’s sleepy face. She reached for a towel off of the warming rack and shook it out.

“Yeah, and she met her real grandfather for the first time, that was exciting, huh?” He looked at Caela who looked anything but excited. “Well, maybe tomorrow.” Brendan leaned forward to place her in her mother’s arms.

Karen chuckled. “Tomorrow is another plane ride, isn’t it, little girl?” She wrapped Caela in the towel and pressed a kiss to her head. “Let’s hope she doesn’t come down with a cold with the change in weather.”

Brendan frowned. “Hopefully not.”

“Well, you know how cold it is in New York and it’s pretty cold here... Long Beach is gonna be warm. The climate change might mess with her system for a few days.”

“Well, at least it’s not as hot as it is in the summer now.”

Karen smiled. “No, it’s not. It’s kinda like... you remember when our class took that trip up to Niagara Falls? The weather was completely different the further north we went and you came down with that bad cold?”

He made a face as he climbed out of the tub as well. “Yeah, no fun.”

“Ungh, Bren,” she complained when he shook himself like a wet dog, making sure to pelt her with as much water as possible.

He grinned. “Still don’t like that, huh?”

She smacked his arm with the back of her hand. “No, still don’t like that.” A smile lifted the corners of her lips as her gaze slid over him. “See some other things I like though... we’ll see what we can do about that after we get her down for the night.”

He smirked at her. “Can’t wait for that.”

She tossed a towel at him. “I’ll get her ready for bed while you clean up the mess you’ve made in here.”

He sighed. “Okay.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I know you weren’t hoping I’d do it.”

“I’ll do it.” He leaned forward to kiss Caela’s cheek. “Be a good girl.”

She smiled sleepily without lifting her head up from Karen’s shoulder.

Brendan waved Karen off. “I need to dry off.”

She smirked as she turned to walk out of the bathroom. “See ya in a few, Bren.”

*****

Jeff Parker sat down at the dining room table, tired after another long day of running the restaurant and dealing with customers and suppliers. He yawned as he reached for the stack of mail sitting on the table, pulling it towards him and sorting through the envelopes one at a time. The pile was considerably smaller when he was finished and he stood to carry the junk mail into the kitchen. He paused to flip the overhead light on as he reached over to drop the stack into the trash can sitting against the wall.

He was reaching for the coffee pot when a thought occurred to him and he turned back to look at the trash can, his expression slightly confused. It had been just a brief flash of bright green as the papers he had dropped into the can landed inside and it had taken a moment to register, but as he leaned over to lift the stack he had just discarded he saw the green envelope again. The sight of his only daughter’s handwriting, distinct and sure as the addresses were written across the front in her precise print made him pause before reaching inside to pick it up.

He knew he hadn’t thrown it away by mistake and he carefully lifted it out of the trash can, wiping dried coffee grounds off of it as he ran his fingers over the jagged edge where it had been torn open. His vision blurred with the realization that his wife had opened it, read it, and then discarded it as if it were of no importance. Liz deserved so much better than what they had given her as parents, he thought sadly.

He grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and carried it along with the card through the small apartment. He stepped into his daughter’s bedroom, standing in the center and letting the memories assail him. So many memories. Bringing her home from the hospital for the first time… so many nights sitting beside her crib just to make sure she was breathing… losing her first tooth… her first day of school… the first time she had ever looked at him and saw only her hero who had all the answers and could fix any problem… When had he stopped being the hero in his daughter’s eyes? When had he allowed himself to be pulled so far under by his own circumstances that he let his daughter become a casualty of a marriage that had fallen apart?

He walked over to the window and lifted it up, stepping out onto the rooftop balcony and looking out at the stars. He crossed to the corner where her telescope still stood and his fingertips traced over it as he looked up at the star-filled sky. How many nights had they sat out here when she was younger, talking about anything related to astronomy or marine biology for hours on end? He had learned everything he could about the latter subject, not because he was interested in it, but because she was and when she started talking about it she came alive. He had seen that same spark of life in her when she had visited right before Christmas and brought Max with her and he had been relieved to see that she had chosen a path that was making her happy.

He wanted her to be happy and to experience love the way it was meant to be between two people in love. He had never deluded himself into believing that Sean was the right man for Liz, and he had been certain that she would eventually see that there was more to love than just companionship and a safety net that could be counted on.

He sighed. Not that he and Nancy had ever given her much of an example to follow. There had been a time when they had been happy together but over the years they had grown apart and as time passed they had eventually fallen into a pattern that now seemed irreversible. He wasn’t even sure there was anything left to salvage from their broken relationship and if there was, he didn’t know if he cared enough any longer to even try.

He sat down on the low wall that bordered the balcony, resting his right elbow on the handrail for the fire escape as he took a drink from the bottle he held. After a moment he set the bottle down and slid the card out of the envelope. He smiled at the picture of dolphins on the front, shaking his head at the absurdity of marine mammals wearing Santa Claus hats as he opened the card and read it.

Anger began to build up inside of him as he looked at the envelope a few minutes later and the dark spots dotting the festive green paper reminded him of how carelessly Nancy had tossed the card in the trash. He shook his head as he gently closed the card and slid it back into the stained envelope.

*****

Brendan walked up behind Karen as she put Caela down in the crib. “Hey, I thought she’d be asleep already.”

“She’s suddenly wide awake.” She shook her head. “It happens on the rare occasion... and apparently since we had plans for after she went to sleep…” She turned to look at him, smiling at the picture he made as he slouched against the doorframe, arms crossed over his bare chest, jeans slung low on his hips, the ragged cuffs grazing his bare feet. Caela needed to go to sleep... and soon! “Guess you’d better figure somethin’ out, Daddy...” she lowered her voice, “’cause Mama’s got plans for the evening.”

He nodded as he heard a cell ringing in the living room. “I think that’s your phone.”

“Alright, I’ll go check it... you get her to sleep, mister!”

Caela made a happy sound when Brendan walked up to her and she held her arms up to him.

He lifted her up out of the crib and settled her against his side. “You remember what we talked about earlier?” he asked, glancing at the door to make sure Karen was still busy with her call. “Hmm? You’re gonna give your old man a hand, right?”

She smiled brightly at him even though she had no idea what he was talking about.

Brendan reached into his pocket and pulled out the black velvet box, holding it tightly as he used his thumb to push the top up. “See that? We want Mama to see that and say one word... just one... remember what that word is?”

She looked at him with eyes wide open, but stayed silent.

“We want her to say ‘yes’... that’s it, just one little word. When she gets off that call I’m gonna hand you this box and you’re gonna take it to her... got it?”

Caela laid her tiny hand on the box, smiling.

“Right... you take the box to Mama.” He shook his head and covered her hand with his when she lifted the box up to her mouth. “No, don’t chew on it.”

Caela frowned for a moment at her Daddy, but then smiled again.

Brendan glanced down at his little girl when he heard Karen end the call. “Okay, it’s show time…” He placed her on the floor facing the door when he heard Karen’s footsteps getting closer. “Take it to Mama, baby girl.”

Caela glanced back at Brendan, who nodded at her. She started to walk towards the door, her small hands holding onto the black box tightly.

Brendan watched her, his heart in his throat, and he had a difficult time swallowing past the knot of fear when Karen stepped into the room and looked down at their daughter. What if she said no? He knew he was moving fast, but he knew what he wanted. Damn, what if she wasn’t sure about it?

Caela looked up at Mommy, concentrating to remember what Daddy had told her. She held up the small box. “Mama...”

Brendan reminded himself to keep breathing when Karen accepted the box and looked up at him.

“Bren?” she asked quietly, her heart starting to beat a mile a minute.

He cleared his throat. “You’re um... you’re s’posed to open it up.”

Caela looked between her parents, smiling up at Mama as she suddenly remembered something important. “Yes!” she shouted.

Brendan winced. “Well, little girl... that’s not exactly your part.”

Caela’s bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

Karen felt her breath catch in her throat as she opened the tiny box and she blinked to see through the tears. She had known he was going to propose, he had told her as much, but to actually see the ring... Were they ready to take this step? “Bren...”

He wasn’t sure what her reaction meant. Was she just overwhelmed? Was she trying to find the words to tell him no? Was she torn between yes and no? He took a deep breath and stared at her directly. “I... I want you to wear my last name, Karen.” He scratched his neck nervously.

“Brendan, I...” She tipped her head to the side when she noticed that the inside of the band was engraved but it was too small to read. She didn’t even want to think about how much he had probably paid to have that done. “What’s it say?”

“It says: From now – until forever.” He watched her eyes as they watered even more.

It was something she had said to him one night when he had gotten in a big fight with Michael. He had come to her, upset and not understanding why things had changed with his twin. Karen had tried to comfort him that night and even though they hadn’t been in a relationship for very long at the time she had told him that she would always be there for him. From now – until forever.

“Brendan...” she couldn’t hold the tears back and she was grateful when he gathered her up in his arms and held her tightly.

“Don’t cry,” he whispered and reached down to caress Caela’s head when she looked at them, confused.

She handed the ring to him and then held her hand up so he could slide it into place.

Brendan’s heart started to beat faster when she gave him the ring back. Was she saying no? But then he realized that she was holding her hand up to him. With shaking hands he took the ring out of the small box and slid it onto her finger.

“I would be proud to wear your last name,” she whispered as she reached up to frame his face in her hands. “I love you so much, Bren.”

He smiled at her, relieved. “I love you too.” He glanced down when Caela pulled at his jeans. “Both of you.”

Caela tugged more insistently when her efforts didn’t receive the desired results. “Da-da!”

He chuckled and bent down to pick her up. “Impatient girl.”

She smiled as she settled against him, but a moment later she was yawning.

“Seems like she’s finally getting tired again,” he whispered to Karen with a smirk.

Karen shook her head. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”

Brendan walked over to the crib and placed his daughter inside. “You be a good girl and sleep all night, okay, baby girl?”

Caela smiled tiredly and rubbed against Daddy’s hand when he cupped her cheek in his palm. She wrapped her arms around her stuffed toy when he reached for it and pressed it against her chest. “Nigh-nigh, Da-da.”

“G’night, sweetheart,” he whispered as he bent down to kiss her head.

Karen watched him, loving him even more as he so patiently dealt with their daughter before turning to look at her.

“Where do ya wanna go? Living room? Our room?”

“Why don’t we go to our room? She’s more than likely down for the count, but we have the baby monitor, so we’ll hear her if she starts moving around too much.”

He nodded. “Alright.” They walked through the door and Brendan glanced back at his daughter one more time before he switched the light off and closed the door.

Karen entered their room ahead of him and she waved him over to the bed. “You just wait for me, okay?”

“You don’t have to like, ya know, put anything special on or anything… seriously,” he growled. “I like when you do that stuff, but we’ve been dancin’ around this all day an’ I’m good if we just… ya know, get right to it.”

She snickered at his impatient tone. “Bren, you’re a sweetheart, but you just dim the lights and get comfortable and let me take my time with this, alright?”

He grumbled under his breath but he did as she had suggested. It wasn’t until she had disappeared into the bathroom that he realized not only how impatient he was being, but also how thoughtless. Jeez, moron, she just agreed to marry you and your only interest is getting her into bed… take a moment for some romance why don’t you? “Hey, Karen? I’ll be right back,” he hollered over his shoulder as he rushed to the door.

Karen smiled as she glanced at her reflection. He was still learning as far as romance was concerned and she knew better than to rush him. She put on the sheer robe and walked out into the room, lighting the candles that he had overlooked in his haste to make the moment romantic. She turned the rest of the lights off and rearranged the pillows on the bed, tossing the smaller, decorative pillows over onto the armchair by the window.

She could still remember one of his attempts at being Mr. Romantic not long after the first time they had made love. He had surprised her and taken her to a nice hotel and he had worked hard to set a romantic scene… rose petals had created a trail to the bedroom, they had been scattered across the bed, candles had been placed around the room… and they had discovered his allergy to the rose petals when he had broken out in a horrible itchy red rash all over his body.

When she had asked him where on earth he had come up with the romantic notion he had been red from a combination of embarrassment and the irritating rash when he had admitted he had been reading romance novels so he knew how to make it nicer for her. She looked up when she heard his ragged inhalation when he stepped into the room and saw her standing by the window. She knew between the moonlight and the glow of the candles he would be able to see that she wasn’t wearing anything beneath the robe.

She glanced down at his empty hands. “No rose petals?” she teased with a gentle smile.

He made a face. “Not funny, Karen!”

“Oh, c’mon, you tried and it was very sweet.”

He shrugged. “Sorry for my lack of romance.”

“No, no, no, you don’t have a lack of romance,” she denied as she walked over and wrapped her arms around him.

“It’s just been a long time, sorry,” he whispered against her neck.

“It’s been too long,” she agreed as her right hand moved over his back. “You don’t have to be somethin’ you’re not, Bren... I love YOU just the way you are.”

He smiled against her lips when he started to kiss her softy. “Love you too... Mrs. Soon-to-be-Guerin.”

“Soon, huh?” A shiver raced down her spine at the thought of being his wife. “How soon?”

He shrugged. “As soon as ya want it to be.”

She smiled, knowing that he meant it. “We’ll make that decision later.”

He nodded. “Right. We don’t need to rush anything. And we have to make sure to tell Rosie first, huh?”

“Oh, I have a feeling she’ll know before we say a word.”


“You’re probably right,” he stared down at her hand with the ring he had just given to her. “I can’t even tell you how glad I am to have you back in my life, Karen.”

“I’ll never let anything come between us again,” she promised.

He smiled and picked at her robe. “Anything?” he teased.

Karen laughed and shook her head as she gave the sash at her waist a gentle tug and a moment later the robe slid from her shoulders to pool on the floor at her feet. “Not anything at all.”

*****

“What on earth are you doing out here at this hour?”

Jeff looked up when Nancy spoke and he realized that he had been sitting outside for several hours. He held the envelope up and only one word came out. “Why?”

“I will not accept that or any other gesture of apology – “

“It’s not an apology, Nancy!” he shouted. “She has no reason to apologize to either of us! We’re the ones who have turned our backs on her… even after what happened when she came here recently, even after that, she’s still trying to find a way to mend things. And she’s not the one who broke them!”

She drew back at his words and tone. “Are you implying that I’m at fault?”

“No, damn it, I’m sayin’ we’re both at fault! Why do you even care that she doesn’t want to spend her life married to Sean? She cares about him but she’s never been in love with him and you know it!”

“I know nothing of the sort,” she denied.

“Then you’re either a liar or you’ve managed to fool yourself into seeing somethin’ between those two that isn’t there.” He shook his head. “I’ve let this go on for too long and I’m done with it.”

“What’re you saying? You want a divorce?”

“No, what I’m sayin’ is things have to change or we’re gonna lose her for good and in spite of your behavior I don’t think you want that anymore than I do. God, what happened to us, Nancy? This isn’t who we used to be.”

“This restaurant happened to us, Jeff! Your determination to make it work because your mother opened it and left it to you when she died! This wasn’t what our lives were supposed to be like! You gave up everything – your dreams, my dreams, a future that wouldn’t have been so unstable, just to run a business that you never really wanted. When she got sick we put all of our plans on hold to stay here and help her out and I was fine with that, I understood it. But when she died and left this damn restaurant to you, you couldn’t let it go! You were supposed to sell it, put the money towards our future, and then we were supposed to leave this place, but we didn’t do that!”

“Fine, you resent me – “

“Goddammit, Jeff, you had a bright future!”

“A future that would’ve meant more money?” he asked after a moment. “That’s what this’s really about, isn’t it?”

“We lost every penny my grandparents left me just to keep this place afloat and it’s been chewing away at our marriage for years.” She shook her head when he just looked at her. “No, don’t look at me like that! You knew when we got together that I needed stability and running a restaurant in this up and down economy, especially a little small-town restaurant like this, there’s no such thing as stability.”

“So you’re punishing our daughter because of the choices we made?”

“She’s making a mistake! She knows exactly what she’s getting with Sean… he’ll give her stability, he’ll make sure she’s taken care of, he’ll – “

“How do you know Max can’t provide those things? She’s in love with that boy and if the way he treated her, the way he stood up for her, and the way he looked at her are any indication, he’s completely in love with her too.”

“Love is a poor substitute for stability.”

Jeff shook his head. “She has a connection with Max that has never existed with Sean, Nancy. Damn it, you know what it feels like to be young and in love; would you seriously deny her that?”

“I’m trying to stop her before she discovers what it feels like to put all of yourself into a relationship that you wish you’d never…” The words trailed off and they stared at each other in the following silence.

Jeff held the envelope up after several tense minutes. “She asked us to come and visit before New Years’. I’ll call and book a flight a little later this mornin’,” he said as he shook his head. “I won’t let her go into the New Year feelin’ like she doesn’t have a parent she can count on.”

“Save your money, Jeff, don’t book a second seat.”

“Nancy, let this thing go for her sake,” he begged. “You wanna try to work this out or call it quits then we can work on that after the first of the year, but we’ve put too much on her already and she needs us to be the parents… and she needs us to be supportive for once. Just go with me and let’s do this for her.”

“What exactly do you intend to do with the restaurant while you’re gone?”

“I’ll only have to arrange for coverage for a day or two and we close early on New Years’ Eve and we don’t open at all on New Years’ Day.” He shrugged. “I’ll just close up shop on the 31st because we don’t really have that much business that day anyway.”

“Lose money by closing down and throw money away on a last-minute flight, hotel, and either taxi fare or a car rental.” She shook her head. “It’s no wonder we’ve never gotten anywhere.”

He chose to ignore her last statement. “I’m not throwin’ the money away, Nancy.” He straightened up and held the envelope up for her to see. “We’ll figure things out between us when I get back.” He left her alone on the balcony, his thoughts already turning to the things he needed to do before going to visit his daughter.

*****

Maria swallowed her tequila and wiped her mouth, not really caring that she had offered to drive right now. This screamed for a drink.

Tess sat on the stool next to her best friend and reached out to touch her arm. “Ya wanna talk about this?”

“No.” Maria ordered another shot of tequila and swallowed it down before sitting down on the nearest barstool. “I mean, what is there to talk about?”

“Maria,” Liz said as she sat on her other side, “that stuff, it’s all in the past.”

“I know that,” Maria said, turning to the barkeeper to order another drink. “It’s nothing I couldn’t deal with, Liz. But I asked him if there was anything and he said no.”

“Well, Michael has a screwy way of looking at things sometimes, girl,” Tess spoke up as she motioned for a drink. “To his way of thinking it probably doesn’t matter.”

Maria snorted. “He knew it mattered, he was just too much of a pussy to tell me.” She took the tequila from the bar.

“Maria, seriously, girl... if you had somethin’ like that in your past would you wanna tell him? Think about it! You could tell he wasn’t exactly proud of it.”

“But I asked him just a few minutes ago and he said there was NOTHING, okay? How could he tell me that there was nothing those guys could tell me about him that I didn’t know when there was? After all the shit we’ve already been through.”

Kyle leaned forward and grabbed Michael’s beer from the table, taking a sip.

“What’re you doin’, Valenti?” Michael asked with a frown.

“You’d better stop drinkin’ ‘cause your driver just tossed back her third tequila.”

“Yeah, I can see that. I’ve got two eyes ya know,” he snapped.

“Come on,” Kyle tried to calm his friend down, “she knows it’s in the past and she’ll come around.”

“Uh-huh, not sure we’re talkin’ about the same woman.”

“Dude, are you seriously letting yourself get this wound up over a chick?” Tommy asked.

“Yeah, fuck her, man.” Pete took a drink of his beer. “If she can’t – “

The words never finished formulating because before he could articulate the next sound Michael’s hand was around his throat, pinning him against the back of his chair.

“I want you to leave,” he said, his voice dangerously low.

Max leaned forward, laying a hand on his friend’s arm and looking at him. “Let him go, Michael,” he turned to the guys. “And Guerin’s right, you obviously can’t accept that some people grow up, so get lost.”

Tommy and Don stood and helped Pete to his feet when Kyle pried Michael’s fingers away from his throat. They looked around at the three guys, willingly saddled with a bunch of chicks, and just shook their heads.

“C’mon, man, these guys blow big time,” Tommy said.

“Yeah, who knew they’d turn into the biggest pussies up here?” Don muttered.

Michael clenched his fists at his sides, ready to go after them if they uttered more wrong word.

“I know, right?” Pete glared at Michael as he turned to follow his friends. “Chick must be seriously hot in the sack to put a leash on Guerin’s dick.”

Max grabbed Michael’s shoulder when he was about to jump out of his chair. “They’re not worth it, relax.”

Michael shook him off. “Don’t see why it matters. She’s gonna pissed well past New Years’ after this.”

“Uh-huh, and if ya get all bruised up now, then it’s gonna be well past Spring.”

“Not gonna matter... did you see her face?”

Max glanced at Kyle for help.

“It was just a surprise. C’mon, Michael. We all know that Maria loves you, she won’t back off because of something like this in your past.”

He folded his arms over his chest as he slouched down in his chair. “She asked me if there was anything I needed to tell her and I said no...”

Kyle snorted. “None of us would tell a girlfriend somethin’ like that.”

“Yeah, and it’s not like either of you would have to worry about that, would you? Do me a favor and take your halos off,” he snarled.

“Fine, whatever,” Kyle snapped back and leaned back in his chair, glancing at his girlfriend.

“What’d she expect me to say? ‘Oh, yeah, Maria, ya know how my past with women is kinda questionable at best? Well, just so ya know, I used to make bets with those guys to see who could screw the most women in a night. Oh, and just to make sure I won the last time I took two chicks to bed at the same time... yeah, that would’ve gone over real well.”

“That’s what Kyle was just sayin’,” Max tried. “No boyfriend would wanna tell his girlfriend somethin’ like that; Maria will realize that.” He made a face. “Of course, tellin’ her ‘no’ right to her face in response to a direct question is a different story.”

“Yeah, thanks, Max, ‘cause I hadn’t figured that one out for myself yet. You know what she’s doin’ over there? She’s tellin’ ‘em how she asked me and I told her there wasn’t anything to tell.”

“Let her get drunk and she’ll feel horrible tomorrow. You can take care of her then and make things better again,” Kyle advised.

“Oh, yeah, Kyle... I’m sure she’d just love to fly home with a hangover. I can just imagine how much she’d thank me after pukin’ her guts out on the flight.” He rolled his eyes.

“You shouldn’t drink that much, sweetie,” Tess said when Maria ordered another tequila.

Maria considered her friend’s advice and then decided she was past caring and tossed the shot back as soon as the bartender placed it in front of her.

Liz and Tess exchanged a worried look. “Wanna go dance?” Liz tried.

“I don’t feel like dancin’,” Maria said, slurring her words just a bit. How many shots had she done since coming over to the bar? She couldn’t remember but she was lightly buzzed and it felt pretty damn good. “Is it hot in here?”

“Yes,” Tess said, “pretty hot. Let’s get some air.”

“Okay.” Maria rested her head on her forearms. “Go get it,” she mumbled.

Tess shook her head. “Come on, girl.”

“You can bring it to me,” Maria said, trying to pull her arm free.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Maria frowned. “I’m not bein’... ready... ridi... whatever you said.” For some strange reason she just couldn’t seem to get her tongue to work right.

“Alright, you have two choices girl. You either pull yourself together and get up or I’ll get Michael.”

That made her remember why she was mad again. “You can have him.”

“I can have him?” Tess asked confused.

“Yep.” She motioned for the bartender to set her up again, not noticing when Liz shook her head and cancelled the order. “Might have to share him though.”

“Oh, no, girl, I don’t want you complicated boyfriend, he’s all yours.”

“Not all mine...” She frowned internally when she realized how self-pitying she sounded. Michael was hers. She was more than woman enough to satisfy his dumb ass!

“You know he loves you, Maria,” Liz said, getting the blonde to look at her. “And he doesn’t need or want anyone else.”

“I’ll go remind him...” Maria frowned as she felt around on the floor with the toe of one shoe. “Where’d the floor go?”

“Why don’t ya just sit here and let him come to you, huh?”

“Yeah, Maria,” Liz agreed, “make him come to you.” Besides, it was quite possible that Maria would do a nosedive right now and that would just piss her off.

Maria nodded and turned in her seat to rest her back against the bar. “I’ll just sit here.”

Michael was watching the girls and he shook his head when she turned to lean against the bar, nearly missing it with her elbow and falling to one side before the girls caught her. They hadn’t had dinner so he knew the alcohol was hitting her hard and fast the way she was tossing the shots back.

Maria glanced at her boyfriend. “Ha! He can’t even take his eyes off of me. And you know why...” She turned to Tess and pointed a finger at herself, “Because I’m freaking hot in this dress.”

“Yes, you are,” Tess agreed because it was true and because Maria needed to be placated.

“And I’m so much better than two random chicks in bed,” Maria declared loudly.

“Wanna prove it?” some guy who had overheard her last sentence asked.

Liz’ eyes widened and she looked up at the tall man who had paused at Maria’s self-proclaimed announcement.

Michael sat up straighter when some guy stopped in front of Maria and started talking to her.

“No, I don’t wanna prove anything to you,” Maria dismissed the guy.

“Oh, c’mon, baby,” he said, blue eyes raking over her hotly. “Trust me, I’m a one-on-one kinda guy and you wouldn’t wanna share me anyway.” He winked lasciviously. “I’m that good.”

“You’d better get lost or her boyfriend’s gonna rip you into pieces,” Tess told the guy when she saw Michael’s expression. The boy was ready to kill.

“Um-hmm, then why’s he all the way over there when you’re over here lookin’ hot enough to set the place on fire?” he asked, directing the question at Maria.

Liz bit her lip and glanced at Michael. How much more would it take before he came over and hit this guy?

Michael had finally had just about all he could take and as soon as the guy reached out and placed a hand on Maria’s thigh he shot up out of his chair and crossed the bar before Max or Kyle had time to move.

“Uh-oh, good luck,” Tess said and tapped the guy’s shoulder.

Michael knocked the guy’s hand away from Maria and then shoved him back away from her. “You got a problem, buddy?”

“Do you?” the other guy challenged.

“Yeah, you’ve got your paws on my girl.”

“Why would you let her sit at the bar all alone in this dress, man?” The guy shook his head.

Yeah, because he LET her do anything! “That’s none of your damn business.”

Maria groaned. The last she wanted was another fight where someone would get hurt. “Stop it.”

“You hear that?” Michael growled. “She said to stop it... now get lost.”

“Whatever,” the guy growled and started to back off. Chick wasn’t worth a fight anyway.

He relaxed just slightly when the guy took off and he was unaware of Tess and Liz disappearing and leaving him alone with Maria. “So...”

“Sooo....” Maria mocked, not looking at him.

“You wanna take a walk?” he asked, not really wanting to get into a fight with her in front of a bunch of people.

She glanced down at herself. “Do I look like I wanna take a walk in this dress?” Okay, she was probably too bitchy, but the tequila was clouding her mind.

“Fine, Maria, let’s just do this standin’ right here then.”

“Fine,” she said back and moved around the chair to sit more upright, still struggling a little for her balance.

“This’s fuckin’ great,” he bit out as he leaned against the bar next to her, taking the side she seemed to be favoring every time she nearly fell out of her seat. “Look, I didn’t wanna drag that stuff up, alright? It’s nothin’ I’m proud of and did you really wanna know about it?”

She wished now that she hadn’t drunk so much so she could think more clearly. “I’m too drunk for this, Michael,” she said, feeling exhausted.

“You wanna let it sit overnight? You’re only gonna be more pissed the longer we wait to have this out.”

She sighed. “Let’s go to the car then.”

He nodded and reached for her arm to steady her as she ungracefully slid off of the barstool.

“Don’t go so fast,” she complained.

Michael rolled his eyes when she tripped over her own feet and then stared at the floor accusingly. He supported her unstable weaving for a few more minutes and then just settled it by swinging her up in his arms and carrying her through the door.

Maria shivered when they got outside and the cold wind hit her bare skin, bringing shivers and clarity. “Freeezing,” she chattered.

“Oh, crap,” he muttered. He had completely forgotten and walked right outside without grabbing either of their coats. “Sorry.” He hurried over to the truck and unlocked the door, settling her inside and closing the door so he could run around to the other side.

Maria sat in her seat, still shivering like crazy.

He shoved the key in the ignition, nearly snapping it in two in his haste and he turned the heat on high, waiting for it to warm up. “It’ll just take a few minutes.”

She almost smiled at his caring attitude, even if they were in a middle of a fight.

“You wanna just hit me with whatever you’re holdin’ in over there?”

She rubbed her hands over her legs to warm them up. “Cold,” she complained, unable to start yelling at him while her teeth were chattering and she was shivering uncontrollably.

Michael leaned over the seat and wrestled with the backseat until he could drop one of them and reach for the blanket stowed in the back. He slid back into his own seat as he shook it out and covered her with it. “Here, that should help.”

She nodded. “Sooo... two at one time, huh?”

He slumped back against his door and looked everywhere but at her. “Not somethin’ I’m proud of, Maria.”

“How was it?”

“What? Sex with two women at the same time?”

“Yeah...”

He shook his head. “You don’t wanna know that, Maria, and it doesn’t matter what I say it’s just gonna piss you off even more.”

“Was it... better than just one?” She had to ask.

He controlled the urge to roll his eyes. He had known she wouldn’t be able to leave it alone. “No, it wasn’t. Maybe some guys like that, I don’t really know since it’s not somethin’ I’ve ever sat around and discussed with anyone, but I didn’t even do it because it was somethin’ I’d been dyin’ to try. I did it to win a stupid bet.”

She snorted. “And you won.”

He shrugged. There was no reason to deny it. “Look, Maria, you know who I was six months ago and you know who I am now... I can’t keep apologizin’ for the guy I was before you knew me.”

“It’s not like you have to apologize. But you didn’t tell me when I asked you.”

“What would you have said if I’d told you that on a bet I screwed half a dozen women in one night and just to make sure I won I did two at the same time?” He turned to look out through the windshield. “I didn’t wanna see you look at me with disappointment or disgust in your eyes, Maria... is that really that hard to understand?”

“But you knew chances were good it would come out anyway.”

“And I was hopin’ it wouldn’t... sue me for wantin’ to keep that particular skeleton in the closet,” he snapped.

“Anything else in that closet?” she snapped back.

“I don’t know. It’s not like I keep a mental record of every stupid thing I ever did. Damn it, Maria, I hadn’t even thought about that stupid bet until tonight. You have no idea how much I had been drinkin’ the night that happened... or how drunk I got afterwards to forget it.”

“Did you use protection?”

“God, Maria, you an’ me, that’s the only time in my life I haven’t used protection. I might’ve done some stupid shit, but I’m no fool.”

“Just makin’ sure,” she mumbled and tugged the blanket closer.

“When we started screwin’ around we never agreed that we were exclusive, but we got hot and heavy pretty fast.” He stared at his hands where they were fisted in his lap. “Look, I went down and got tested just to make sure I was clean because even though I didn’t wanna admit it there was somethin’ different about you and even in the beginnin’ I didn’t wanna put you at risk because of my past sexual encounters.”

She stared at him, surprised. “When did ya do that?”

He scratched his eyebrow and shrugged. “Right after that night on the beach. Despite everything we said about us just usin’ each other to get off...” he shook his head. “What we were doin’ required a lot of trust and I wanted to... just wanted to protect you the only way I could at the time,” he mumbled, feeling stupid now.

“You so fell in love with me that night,” she pointed out.

“Maybe.”

“I did as well.”

“So... are ya still mad at me?” he asked slowly.

“A little.”

“So, tell me how to fix it.”

“I don’t know...” She looked at him softly.

“Okay.” He picked at the steering wheel cover while he waited to see if she’d say more.

“Hey, I said that there’s nothing anyone could say that would make me turn away from you, Michael. I meant it.”

He nodded silently. “I’m sorry, Maria... just didn’t really want you to know that about me.”

“Wanna go back inside?”

“Do you?”

“I’m not sure.”

He bit his bottom lip. “We could take a drive. There’s this spot in the valley where you can watch the sun come up over the lake... it’s pretty cool. We could spend the night out there.”

She couldn’t help but wonder if he had ever taken another girl to this spot there or if it was a place he just visited in private. “Sleepin’ in the car?”

“Yeah... well, maybe not JUST sleepin’,” he said with a small smirk. “I’ve never seen anyone else up there. I found it by accident one night when I was out just drivin’ around. I’ve stayed out there overnight a few times just because it’s so peaceful.”

“Never shared it with anyone?” Maria asked, shaking her head because she couldn’t hold back the question.

“No one I ever wanted to share it with before now.”

“I’m not really dressed right for that, don’t ya think? I’m gonna freeze to death in the car in this little hot dress.”

“Got a couple sleepin’ bags in the back,” he said, nodding towards the rear of the truck. “Full tank of gas and lots of body heat.”

“We should go back inside to tell the others though.”

“Send ‘em a text message.”

“My phone’s at home. Do ya have yours?”

His eyebrows lifted in surprise. “After the shit you gave me over not takin’ my phone the other night?”

“That’s different, Michael. YOU are with me. Why would I need a phone?”

“Ungh, that’s the most illogical argument I’ve heard outta you all day.” He shifted and reached for his phone, freezing when he didn’t find it. “Um... I left it in the bar. Brooke sent me a text a while ago and after I answered it I put it on the table ‘cause I figured she’d text back. I forgot it when I went after you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Someone has to go inside then.”

“Fine, I’ll go.”

She smiled satisfied. “Bring the coats.”

He locked the door as he got out and shut it after him. “Bring the coats,” he muttered as he hurried to the entrance. She always sounded so damn smug when she got her way.

Kyle glanced up when Michael came back to their table alone. The other guys were gone and now it was just Tess, Max and Liz with him.

“Where’s Maria?” Tess asked quickly.

“Where do you think she is?” he growled. “We’re gonna take off, might not be back until mornin’.”

“Take off? Where’re ya going?”

“None of your business.” He grabbed his cell phone, checking it for any messages before shoving it in his pocket and reaching for their coats. “Anything else?”

Liz got up from Max’ lap and stood in front of Michael. “You and Maria are good again, right? Is she okay?”

“Maria’s fine, we’re fine, and now we’re leavin’.” He glared at Liz as he turned to leave.

“Don’t come back too late, we have to leave at 10 am,” Kyle yelled after him.

Michael rolled his eyes and raised his hand to acknowledge Kyle without looking back at him.

[Double Trouble]

Earth2Mama: Just saw that one comin’, huh? Well, Michael and Maria may not be quite ready for that step just yet.

Jeff is in a bad situation and not dealing with it has only made it worse. Liz’s card was a wakeup call and he knows the time has come to man up.

Yes, she will! And we’re pretty sure he will, lol! Oh, yeah… he couldn’t and wouldn’t admit it back then, but yeah, he was a total goner!

Hmm… a Jeff/Maureen hook-up… that would be… hmm, different.

mary mary: Thanks for reading!

keepsmiling7: It’s doubtful since they hadn’t even acknowledge the extent of damage their marriage has suffered.

Natalie36: Thanks for reading!

kay_b: Why? Because he’s Michael and he doesn’t like to be questioned, lol.

Alien_Friend: Well, he does tend to bounce back and forth, lol.

Caela was happy to give Daddy a helping hand.

It was about time, huh? Liz will be very happy about her dad’s visit.

Thanks! We’ll be back on track here really soon! We really appreciate everyone’s patience. 

sarammlover: Yes, they are capable of conversing in a mature fashion, lol! Now, let’s get on to the making up part of the evening, right? Bren and Karen are cute.

Cardinal: Aww… we take that as a great compliment!

Yup, our Candies are starting to show their maturity!

begonia9508: Who could resist those two together?

It’s true, what’s past is past.

Nancy should remember that from Christmastime, but she’s likely blocked it from her memory since it doesn’t fit in with her plans for Liz.


Part 119 – Explaining the Past

Maria glanced up when Michael got back in the car and dropped his cell phone in the console between them. For just a moment she could see an image of a woman who looked remarkably like her wearing a bikini before the light on the display went out. “Was that me?”

Michael looked around as he shifted to get comfortable. “Was what you?”

“On your cell...”

“Oh, yeah, of course it’s you.” He rolled his eyes. “What kinda goofy-ass question is that?”

“Just never realized you took that photo of me.”

He grabbed his phone and held it out to her. “It’s a damn good pic.”

“When and where was this taken?” she tried to recall the day.

“That afternoon when we went down to the hot springs. You remember... the cabin Kyle’s parents own?”

She frowned. “Ah, right. The day that ended in a mess.”

“Yeah, but everything up until that night was pretty good.”

“You were already acting a little weird when we went up there,” she remembered. “It was like you were torn between something.”

He reached up to scratch his eyebrow. “You remember the night before we were supposed to leave to go up to the cabin?”

“Uh, yeah.”

He stared at the digital readout on the stereo face as he picked at the steering wheel cover again. “Do you remember askin’ me to stay the night?”

She sighed. “Yeah. You left in a hurry.”

“That was the night we made up after we got in that big fight about you bein’ emotionally involved. We made up and we were both just about asleep and you asked me to stay... that’s the moment I realized just how emotionally involved I had gotten and it scared the hell outta me. You’d made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t the kinda guy you wanted to keep around long-term and I was scared that if I suggested that we actually get involved you’d tell me what we had was over and I wouldn’t have you in my life anymore.” He shook his head, still staring at the stereo. “The thought of us not bein’ together in any capacity seriously scared me... and I knew right then that you had more power than anyone else in my life to hurt me. But at the same time I didn’t wanna let you go. For someone like me... that was like jumpin’ out of a plane with no ‘chute and trustin’ someone else to catch you.”

“So when we were together that day at the cabin ya wanted to be with me, you just didn’t wanna get hurt,” she said softly.

“I was used to bein’ hurt physically...” he shifted uncomfortably. “Even emotionally sometimes, I guess, but... I could handle it from anyone else, ya know? I didn’t know if I could survive it if you were the one who hurt me.” Damn, he hated talking about stuff like this! “I wanted so badly to tell you that I wanted us to really be together that last night at the cabin, but I choked. That fear wouldn’t let me get the words out, and then I panicked and went on the attack to protect myself. And I hated myself for it ‘cause all I wanted was to tell you that I loved you an’ for you to tell me I was a guy you wanted in your life.” He lifted his head to stare out through the windshield. “And instead I freaked out and we got in that huge fight that lasted for what felt like forever.”

She shrugged. “Maybe that had to happen, ya know? For us to realize that what we had going on was bullshit.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged but still didn’t look at her. “I couldn’t get the words out... so I told you I wanted us to have sex ‘cause I didn’t know how else to ask for... I don’t know... more, out of our relationship at the time.”

“I should’ve known better, Michael. I knew I had feelings for you and I tried to ignore them.”

“I’m just glad we’re past all that now.”

“Me too,” she reached out to touch his leg.

His eyes lowered to follow her hand and he stared at her fingers where they were splayed against his thigh before he finally looked up to meet her gaze.

“I think we handle things different now.”

He nodded silently as he reached up to cradle her face in his hands. “Do I tell you enough that I love you?” he asked quietly.

She nodded dumbly. “I love you too,” she whispered.

He gave her a soft smile as his thumb traced over her lips. “Let me show you tonight.”

“How ya gonna show me?” she asked him with a cheeky smile.

“Well, that spot out in the valley’s cool, but... maybe we should go to one of the hotels instead. Someplace where I can show ya how much I love you.” He glanced up and smiled at her. “Where you won’t have to hide all that soft, sexy skin in a sleepin’ bag ‘cause it’s cold.”

“A hotel? Can we afford that?” She rolled her eyes. “I mean, I know you can...”

“Since when is my money an issue?” he asked cautiously.

“It’s not an...” she made quotation marks in the air, “issue. It’s just that I feel bad when you pay for things for both of us and I... don’t.”

“Oh.” He scratched his eyebrow. “I guess I just never thought about it. I mean, I wouldn’t spend the money if I didn’t want to, but if it makes you uncomfortable...” He didn’t know how to reconcile that; he had money and had never had to think twice about buying anything he wanted. “We can do somethin’ else if you want... hell, I don’t need a fancy hotel room to show you how I feel.”

“Maybe I should think about getting a job at the beginning of the year,” she mused.

“The firm Alex is with deals with a lot of architectural landscaping firms. He might be able to point you in the right direction.”

She nodded. “Yeah that’d be cool.”

“So, what’s that mean for tonight?”

She leaned back against the seat and pulled her feet up on the seat under the blanket. “I’ll go wherever ya wanna take me tonight.”

He snorted and shook his head at the way her mind worked sometimes. What should he do? he wondered as he reached for the gearshift. Would it bother her if he took her to one of the upscale hotels that the area featured? “What would you rather do?” he asked before taking his foot off of the brake.

“Do any of the hotels have room service?” she asked, amusement evident in her voice.

“Baby, I don’t ever stay in a hotel that doesn’t offer room service.”

“I don’t ever stay in a hotel that doesn’t offer room service,” she mocked. “Ya know, for those of us in the lower class it’s a luxury to have that.”

“Stick with me an’ I’ll show you a whole ‘nother side to life.” He leaned across the console to kiss her. “Just like with everything else... reel me in when I’m getting outta control, okay? I’m used to havin’ money to throw around an’ I don’t always think how that affects people who aren’t in the same financial class.”

“Well, as long as ya spend your money on presents for me, I won’t complain,” she joked. “Ya know... I’m not serious.”

“I don’t look at you an’ think you’re with me ‘cause I’ve got money or ‘cause you don’t have that kinda safety net... havin’ money just means I can spend it on the people I care about.” He shrugged. “And, hell, Maria, there aren’t that many people who fall in that category.”

“Uh-huh, don’t say that. The Guerin family’s increased a lot recently.”

“Huh, well, okay, that’s true... guess I can’t say I can count ‘em all on two hands anymore.”

“Yeah, but see... I think that’s a good thing.”

“Yeah?”

She dropped her feet to the floor again and put on her seatbelt when Michael started to drive. “Don’t ya think?”

“You think Brooke’s gonna be okay with this? Alex, I know he’ll deal with it because... well, because he’s Alex and he always finds a way to find the positive side of things, but, the kid’s had it pretty rough recently.”

“True, but she also knows that this’s important to you and Brendan. She’ll come along.”

“I hope so.”

“Tell me what ya think about Adam,” she said carefully. He hadn’t said much about it at all.

“He seems pretty sincere about tryin’ to build a relationship with me an’ Bren.”

“He is,” she nodded and stared out the window at the passing lights.

“He said his kids took the news about me an’ Bren really well.”

“His family seemed pretty nice… the ones I met anyway. His house is very beautiful, but well... he’s an architect.”

“Yeah, he said he designed it himself.” He flipped his turn signal on and took a right onto the busy Main Street.

“I have to admit, I was surprised that you invited him out to California.”

“Well, it just kinda came out while we were talkin’. His wife called an’ I guess the place they were plannin’ to spend New Years’ fell through ‘cause it got damaged in that storm, so...” he shrugged. “It just kinda felt like the right time, ya know? New year, movin’ forward... maybe it’s time to let the past just stay in the past.”

She smiled. “Yeah, I like that.”

He reached over and took her hand, bringing it to his lips to brush a kiss against her knuckles. “So, since New Years’ has turned into this huge family thing... you wanna call your mom and see if there’s any way she can make it to Long Beach for a couple days?”

She thought about it for a while. “I doubt that she will get some time off,” she said sadly, “but I’ll ask her.”

“Hey, who knows, maybe it’ll happen. I mean, she did work over Thanksgiving and Christmas... they’ve gotta owe her some kinda time off for a holiday.”

“True, but she might’ve taken the shift willingly because it means more money and she hadn’t made other plans.”

Michael just barely caught himself before he offered to help out and take care of it. “So... maybe, if her schedule’s not set in stone yet we could split the cost for a round-trip ticket for her.”

“It’s already too late to call her tonight. I’ll try tomorrow morning,” she decided, not wanting to get her hopes up that Amy would have time to come for a visit.

He nodded. “Okay, yeah, no reason to wake her up for that. Or call her at work, I guess, since she’s probably at work right now.” He turned onto the service road and looped around under an overpass to get to the hotel he had decided on.

“I don’t know,” she tried to remember her mother’s shift.

“Well, either way, we’ll give her a call tomorrow after breakfast.”

“Thanks,” she said and snuggled a little closer to him.

Michael bit his bottom lip and hoped he hadn’t just opened up a can of worms. He was gonna feel like crap if he got her hopes up and then her mom couldn’t make it. He drove for several more minutes before turning into the long drive that led to the hotel that was set back well away from the busy road. He pulled up in front of the entrance and shifted into park. “Lock the doors and I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” she waited until he pushed the door closed, then locked herself in. Maybe she could try to call her mother, she thought, but she didn’t have her phone with her and she didn’t know the number.

Michael came back outside a few minutes later, sliding the key card into his shirt pocket as he unlocked the door. “Hope you don’t mind that we’re lookin’ kinda obvious since neither of us has an overnight bag.” He winced. “Is that gonna bother you?”

She snorted. “Hell, Michael, if they want they can listen at the door, I don’t care. We don’t know them.”

He nearly choked at her smartass comment. “I have no idea why I even ask questions like that. Although if I catch some perv listenin’ at the door I’ll kick his ass.”

“Ya know, you could carry me over the threshold and we could tell everyone that we just got married,” she joked.

“That one little sentence would’ve had me runnin’ for the hills not that long ago, but it doesn’t scare me at all now.”

She chuckled. “Well, it’s not like we’re really married if we just say it. Maybe they’d give us some extra service if we tell them it’s our honeymoon.” She waggled her eyebrows at him.

“Guess I should’ve asked for the Honeymoon Suite,” he snorted. One of these days, he thought. One of these days he knew he was gonna marry her. “C’mon, you crazy woman, let’s get inside so I can get you outta that hot little number.” He tossed the keys to the valet standing nearby and followed her inside. “We’re on the fourth floor,” he said and motioned to the glass elevators on the far wall.

She sighed playfully. “Okay, no marriage today,” she said and winked at him before she entered the elevator.

****

Max held Liz close as they moved to the music, their bodies in perfect sync as the deejay would shift from one song to the next, keeping the crowd on the dance floor happy. Liz’ hands had started to move over his shoulders and arms, sliding up so her fingers could tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck. He smirked lightly when she added pressure and he followed her direction, lowering his head and kissing her.

Liz wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself tighter against him. She felt like she was on fire and every touch was just driving her awareness of him higher. There was only one way to ease the ache that was building between her legs and the thought of waiting until they got back to the cabin was unbearable.

He could feel the tension in her body as she rubbed against him while trying to be as subtle as possible and he was getting harder by the second. He wasn’t sure if she was fully aware of what she was doing until she broke the kiss and looked up at him. She stretched up and her lips brushed against his ear as she raised her voice to be heard over the pounding music.

“I need you,” she rasped.

Max’s heart rate slammed into overdrive at the need in her voice and he glanced over his shoulder to locate Kyle and Tess. “We just need to…”

“I don’t think I can wait that long,” she whimpered. “I need to feel you… inside me.” She was still a little embarrassed to actually say things like that out loud, but what other way was there to say it? She had never expected to feel this way and it was the first time since she and Max had started a sexual relationship that she had experienced this level of hunger for him while out in a public place.

He smiled gently at the blush on her cheeks and he leaned closer to let his lips press against her ear. As long as he could find a place where they wouldn’t be discovered he wasn’t worried about it, but he didn’t want her to be embarrassed or humiliated by her feelings or desires. “We’re in a bar, darlin’. There aren’t a lot of options for a few minutes of privacy.”

Liz bit her bottom lip as she looked around at the sea of people surrounding them. A part of her balked at what he was insinuating – and she had heard the girls talk about quickies in public, so she knew there weren’t exactly a plethora of options – but the part of her that felt like she couldn’t survive without his touch threw caution to the wind. “I don’t care.”

Max led her off of the dance floor, weaving through the crowd and heading for the hall that led back to the restrooms. She was clinging tightly to his hand and she giggled nervously when he paused at the door to a storeroom or closet across from the ladies’ room, looking around as he jiggled the doorknob experimentally.

The door opened and he stuck his head inside to look around, seeing nothing but shadows as he felt around for a light switch. When he didn’t find it he reached out into space and finally located the string dangling from the bare bulb that hung suspended from the ceiling.

“Nothin’ fancy,” he said as he tugged her inside and closed the door behind them. “But it’s better than a restroom. You sure about this?” he asked when she looked around uncertainly.

Liz leaned back against the door and smiled shyly. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” she admitted needlessly.

Max rested his forearm against the door next to her head as he leaned in and kissed her. He smiled when she started to kiss him back, her hesitation melting away as her body reminded her why they had gone searching for someplace with some semblance of privacy. His right hand slid down along her side, fingertips ghosting over the material of the dress she had bought that afternoon while they were out. “You’re sure?” he asked once more as his hand reached the hem of her dress.

“This isn’t… bad or anything, right? I mean, you’re not gonna think less of me afterwards?”

“Darlin’, I love you, and these moments of spontaneous insanity are nothin’ to be ashamed of.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “I take it as a compliment that you’re so turned on you can’t wait to get back to the cabin.”

“I’m killin’ the mood, aren’t I?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “It’s kinda throwin’ a bit of cold water on the mood, but I’m pretty sure we can salvage it.”

Liz smiled and reached up to stroke his face, loving the different textures between his skin and his goatee. “Thank you,” she whispered and nodded to let him know to continue.

His hand resumed its original journey and his right eyebrow lifted when his fingertips encountered the lacy edging high on her hip. Either she had bought something he hadn’t seen or… his fingers followed the lace until he could feel her damp heat… with no barrier between them.

Her eyes lifted to his and she bit her lip uncertainly until she saw the heated expression in his eyes. She had spent several hours trying to figure out how exactly Tess’ gift was supposed to be worn and it had taken multiple attempts before she had finally gotten it on right. But in that moment, seeing the look on his face made the hassle so worth it.

Max smiled at her. “When we get back to the cabin I’m gonna undress you slowly and enjoy the full effect of this hot little outfit.”

Liz shifted restlessly when he hurried to pull a condom out of his wallet and she reached for his jeans, unfastening them and shoving them down. She smiled to herself when she took him in her hand and he hissed as he tried to control himself. She felt pretty proud as she acknowledged that she was the one to do this to him. She stroked him, her hand tightening around him the way he liked as she studied the hard, warm column of flesh in the weak light.

He rolled the condom on and looked at her as his hands gripped her thighs and he lifted her up, pressing her back against the door so he could line himself up.

“Max?”

He stared into her eyes as she slid down on him and he held still when she called his name. “You okay, darlin’?”

“I wanna feel you without anything between us.”

His hand shot down to grip the base of his dick and he rested his head on her shoulder as he drew in several deep, calming breaths.

“Um… wrong time to tell you that?”

He huffed out a strangled chuckle at her question. “I’d love to make love to you without a condom, and we will,” he promised, “but not right now. The time needs to be right and I need to be a lot more in control because we don’t wanna risk a pregnancy we’re not ready for.”

She laughed when he breathed a sigh of relief and released his grip on himself. “Sorry, Max.”

“We’re gonna have to work on your sense of timing,” he said as she settled more fully against him.

Liz squirmed when he was finally sheathed inside of her, loving the feeling of fullness. “God, you feel so good, Max,” she whispered raggedly.

“So do you.” He was careful to support her as he withdrew and thrust back inside, kissing her and capturing her breathless cries of pleasure.

Liz’ head thumped back against the door when his lips moved down to nibble at her throat and when he used his nose to nudge the material of her dress out of the way she knew he intended to leave his mark on her. She had always thought it was so tacky when her own friends had talked about stealing away for sexual pleasure in public places, and she still wasn’t convinced that it wasn’t tacky, but it felt so good!

She could feel the pressure building inside of her and she could tell by the change in Max’ breathing and his quickening pace that he was getting ready to let go. His eyes were as dark as the midnight sky as he met her gaze and she gave him a slight nod, silently telling him that it was okay to let go.

His hips slammed into her hard and fast and she grabbed onto his ears as her lips crashed onto his, needing that connection as she flew apart into about a million tiny pieces. Max followed her over the edge and as his body started to relax he slumped against her, resting his forehead against hers.

“I love you, Max.” Her hand settled against his jaw as she stared into his eyes. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, darlin’.” He smiled warmly. “You okay with this?”

She smiled shyly and nodded. “I still think it’s a little on the tacky side. Not me needing you so badly, but just the whole… dark corner in a public place thing, ya know?”

He chuckled. “As long as you don’t regret it, I can deal with a little tacky ever now an’ again.”

Her thumb stroked over his lips as she shook her head. “No, no regrets, Max.”

“Good. Then we’d better see if we can’t clean up a little bit and get back out there before Tess comes lookin’ for you.”

“Oh, my God… she’d tell everyone!” She smacked his shoulder when he just grinned. “We don’t want her to do that!”

“No, of course not, darlin’,” he agreed. “Just wonderin’ how many shades of red you’d go through before you passed out if this little gem of information ever fell into her hands.” He kissed her as he lowered her to the floor. “Don’t worry, that woman would never hear it from me. I can joke around and have fun with the best of ‘em, but I don’t go around braggin’ about what goes on between me an’ my girl. That’s private and it stays between us.”

She nodded. She had known that. He wasn’t the type of man who shared private moments with everyone and he would never do anything to intentionally embarrass her.

“C’mon, let’s straighten ourselves up an’ get back out there.”

Liz smiled. “Maybe we should take a break from dancing,” she suggested.

“Worried you might get all worked up again?” he teased, loving it when she blushed. He laughed and nodded. “Why don’t we just go have a drink an’ I’ll teach you how to shoot pool?”

“Won’t that mean lots of touching?”

“I certainly hope so,” he said as they stepped out of the room.

“No pool then,” she stated decisively. “Otherwise, we’re just gonna end up in here again.” She paused in the hallway and turned to smile up at him as she glanced back at the storage room. “Well, okay, maybe you can teach me to play pool.”

Max chuckled and pulled her into his arms so he could kiss her. “Liz Parker, you’re gonna love livin’ on the edge.”

“As long as you’re out there with me, Max.”

“Always, darlin’.”

After taking a few moments to freshen up they walked back out to the main room and detoured to wander over to the bar for a couple of drinks. They stayed there for a while before moving over to the pool tables and taking a seat at a nearby table as they waited for one to come available.

“Where have you two been?” Tess demanded as she and Kyle joined them. “I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for you!”

“Why?” Liz asked curiously.

“What? Because… because…”

“Because she’s nosy and wants to stick her nose in our business, darlin’,” Max answered with a wink.

Tess glared at Kyle when he laughed out loud and he shrugged at her offended look. “What? It’s true, babe. I love ya, you know I do, but you’re always stickin’ your nose in someone else’s business.”

“I only do it because I care,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and turning to look at the wall.

Kyle shook his head and let her pout. He knew it wouldn’t last long anyway. Before they left the bar to drive back to the cabin she’d be back to quizzing Max and Liz about where they had been for the past half hour. He had his own suspicions about where they had disappeared to, but he knew well enough to let it go because Max was a gentleman and he would never confirm or deny his suspicions if he were to voice them.


*****


He stepped out on the fourth floor and checked the room number on the key card before pointing to the right. “Room 473.” His eyes traveled over her as she walked ahead of him and he smiled to himself.

“Wow,” she glanced around the room. “Definitely the best hotel room I’ve ever spent a night in.”

Michael shrugged out of his coat and tossed it on the couch set up in front of the large flat-screen tv mounted to the wall on one side of the room. He kicked his boots off and crossed to the other side, taking the half dozen steps that led up to the bedroom area. The walls on two sides were glass but there were no other buildings to obstruct the view of the mountains that seemed close enough to reach out and touch.

Maria followed him slowly, taking in every detail of the room. “Wow,” she paused, “the view is... amazing.”

“I take it the glass walls won’t bother you?” he asked with a grin.

She glanced at the huge bed and shook her head. “No.”

He turned to face her, his expression turning serious as his dark gaze moved over her.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and slipped out of her uncomfortable high heels, rubbing her feet slightly for a few moments before she glanced up and recognized the look in his eyes.

“Every-damn-thing you do turns me on,” he whispered huskily as he moved to kneel on the floor in front of her. His hand brushed hers aside as he cupped her foot in his much larger one, kneading the instep and soothing the soreness away.

She groaned happily. “Everything you do, Michael Guerin, feels amazing.”

“You think this feels amazin’? Just wait,” he growled.

She leaned back on the bed, resting herself on her elbows as she watched him in front of her.

“Probably should’ve gotten you naked first,” he said with a grin. “S’okay though... we can work around it.”

“You better not rip this dress,” she warned him.

He rolled his eyes at her. “I think I’m a little more civilized than that.”

She chuckled. “I really doubt that, Michael, when it comes to sex. But this’s the only thing I have to wear when we leave tomorrow, so I think the dress is safe with ya tonight.”

“Well, I make no promises regarding panties... I tend to get a little aggressive with that particular barrier,” he teased as his hand slid up over her leg to toy with the edge of her dress.

She smiled secretly. He hadn’t seen her underwear yet. She had bought it a few months ago during a shopping trip with Tess when things had just started with Michael, but she had never showed it to him... yet.

Michael’s eyebrows lifted when he noticed the smile on her face. “What? You know somethin’ I don’t... spill!”

“No,” she shook her head, “you’ll find out eventually.”

“Maria,” he whined, but was immediately distracted when she rubbed her stocking-covered foot over his crotch.

“Don’t be impatient,” she told him in a whisper.

“You did not seriously just say that,” he growled.

She chuckled and pushed him away slowly to get up again and walk around him until she stood behind him, her back to the glass wall.

Michael turned around slowly and levered himself up so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes riveted to her silhouette as she stood outlined by the moonlight coming in through the windows. His fingers itched to touch her and after a moment of just watching her he stood and slowly crossed the room to stand in front of her. He motioned for her to turn around and his fingers clumsily fumbled with the zipper as he fought to unzip it without damaging the dress.

His right eyebrow quirked when he saw the hint of black lace as the zipper moved lower and lower. He had no idea what she was wearing under the dress but he knew he didn’t recognize it. When the zipper was as low as it would go she eased her arms from it and the material whispered against her skin as he slid it down over her body. His heart skipped a couple of beats when he followed the lacey backing of whatever the hell she was wearing and he saw the matching g-string panties. “What was that you were sayin’ about me not bein’ impatient?” he rasped.

“Holy fuck, Maria,” he whispered gruffly when she stepped out of the dress and turned to face him. No, he still didn’t know what she was wearing, but damn, she was hot in it! Some kind of lace and mesh material on both sides, just barely covering her nipples. The two sides were connected by thin straps that came together in the center with a zipper. Garters attached to the tops of her stockings completed the look and he felt like he was gonna blow just from looking at her. Thank God she wasn’t still wearing the heels or he would’ve been a goner for sure.

“This dress screamed for sexy underwear and I decided tonight was a good night to wear it... and to show you.”

“I sure hope you know CPR ‘cause I might need it.”

“I think you’ll survive, baby, just breathe in and out,” she told him, proud that she could do that to him.

“'Just breathe,” he muttered. “Tell that to my heart ‘cause I think it stopped beatin’ a few seconds back.”

She let her fingertips run over his shirt-covered chest, stopping right over his heart. “Doesn’t feel like it stopped beating.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” he whispered gruffly. “I know I never did anything good enough to deserve you.”

She shook her head. “Don’t say that, Michael.”

“No, I just meant that...” he grinned and shrugged as he took her hand and pulled her closer. “I figure no one else really deserves you either so I’m just gonna be glad I’m the one that’s got you.”

She grinned as well and wrapped her arms around him. “You should be, I’m really great.”

“And so modest too,” he said with a wink. He let his hands slide down over her sides, taking in the different textures and loving the fact that she was comfortable enough to be so uninhibited with him.

She smirked and laid her left hand on his right shoulder, slowly walking around him and climbing the first of two steps that went up to the area where the bed was. She stopped at his backside and let her hands run down his strong arms slowly. “I love your body,” she whispered in his ear from behind.

Michael shivered in response to her husky words and the feel of her so close. He wondered what she had in mind for him. Not that it mattered, he thought, because he’d love whatever it was.

She turned him around slowly, looking into his eyes deeply while a soft smile appeared on her lips and her fingers fumbled with the first button on his shirt.

He would’ve been happy to just jerk the shirt over his head and be done with it, but something about her expression and her touch told him not to rush it.

“Impatient?” She teased when she recognized what it took for him to not help her as she started to undress him.

“Me?” He chuckled throatily. “Yeah, maybe just a bit.”

Maria lowered her gaze when she had opened the last button on the shirt and the fabric fell apart to show his well-toned front side. How had it happened that this sexy boy loved her and cared for her the way it should be? How was it that she had already found the man she had always wanted? Okay, it wasn’t like they’d had a fairytale start, but looking back now, it had been all worth it.

“What’re you thinkin’?” Michael asked, watching her and feeling the intensity of her gaze like a physical touch.

She shook her head slightly. “Just how lucky I am.”

He smiled but stayed silent. Even though he had accepted that she felt that way it was still a surprise sometimes to know that this amazing woman felt lucky to have HIM in her life.

She glanced up again and cupped his face in her hands. “I know you’re still struggling to believe that you deserve to be loved,” she shook her head. “You’re everything to me, Michael.”

He nodded, letting her know that he understood. His hands came up to settle at her hips, exerting just enough pressure to urge her closer.

She laid her arms around his neck loosely. “Wanna show me how much you love me now?” she asked playfully.

“Yeah.” He grinned. “But you seemed to be in the drivers’ seat there for a few minutes, so if you wanna take control...” he held his arms out at his sides. “You know I wouldn’t give another soul on this planet that much power over me.”

She laughed quietly. “Yeah, I know. But you brought me here... so show me what ya had in mind, Mr. Guerin.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded, biting her lip.

He leaned back just a bit and nodded at what she was wearing. “Whatever that is, it’s sexy as hell, but ya think you could lose it?”

“Wanna help me with it?”

“I’d love to just watch, but if ya want me to give ya a hand...”

She smiled and started to walk up the last step and then a few steps away from him. “Nah, if ya wanna watch...”

His mouth went dry as he looked up at her and nodded.

She looked at him teasingly as she pulled down the zipper down painfully slow.

“Are you tryin’ to kill me?” he asked, sounding strangled.

“Ya know how long it took me to get this on?” She shook her head. “A helluva lot longer than this.”

“Know how long it would take for me to get it off of you?” he growled. “You’d never get it on again though...” he smiled appreciatively. “And that’d be a damn shame.”

“Not even in the morning?”

“Maria, if I got my hands on that thing there wouldn’t be much left of it.” He shook his head. “Too many bits and pieces that’d come apart.”

She raised her hand. “Then stay where ya are, big boy.”

“Getting bigger all the time,” he said with a grin.

The fabric that had just barely covered her upper body fell to the ground when she pulled down the last inch of the zipper.

He shifted restlessly and rubbed his hands together as he watched her.

Maria watched him, amused when she raised one foot to the edge of the bed and ran her hand over her thigh, playing with the garter.

Oh, yeah, she was trying to kill him. He swallowed hard when she just toyed with the garter, fingers tugging at it teasingly.

“Hmm, maybe I’ll take the other one off first,” she said and placed her foot back to the floor just to raise the other.



A/N: Alright, one more week with just one update to follow, after this we should be back with two uppies a week!

[Double Trouble]

keepsmiling7: Glad to know that little “tacky” scene was well received.

Earth2Mama: Hmm… why? Because we’re mean! But does it help if we tell ya that M&M will have their moment NOW?

kay_b: New Year’s Eve should be interesting to say the least!

Alien_Friend: It was a nightmare, and one we hope these two will never repeat. They’re learning to deal with things instead of simply reacting and keeping everything to themselves.

Nope, Michael doesn’t act like a rich kid. Having money is second nature to him and it isn’t something he’s ever had to really give much thought to.

Oh, Tess would have a field day if she ever found out!

Aww, thanks! And guess what? Yes, you can go back to looking for your Thursday updates this week!

Natalie36: Thanks for reading!

mary mary: Lol, nothing wrong with a little practicality! We’ll see how things play out while the folks are visiting.

begonia9508: Tess just has to know everybody’s business. No, not her best character trait, but it could be worse, lol.

Eva: Thanks! More… for the M&M fan… hmm, yup, you’re right and it’s comin’ up in this next part!

zaneri1: It was past time for Jeff to tell her a thing or two. Don’t worry Liz isn’t planning to go to Roswell over New Years’.

Like to see that, huh? Perhaps at some point.

Yes, he does! And he has to otherwise Tess would run right over him.

sarammlover: Lol, well, he’s Max and Liz was in definite need of some alone time with her guy. And we’re pretty sure he’ll always be willing to oblige. Michael and Maria continue to set things on fire. And, hey, would ya look at that? We’ll be returning to two updates per week this week!

Maiqu: Welcome back! Yes, college does tend to get in the way of some of the most important things, doesn’t it?

Michael did pretty well with Adam!

Aww, it’s possible, lol!

Friendship is so important to these characters.

Jeff’s about to take a very important step and it’s something his daughter really needs.

Yes… oh, Tess… Whaddaya do though? The girl just has to stick her nose into everyone’s business.


Part 120 – Heading Back Home

“Maria,” he complained. “In a minute you’re not gonna have to worry about it an’ you’re gonna be goin’ commando when we leave in the mornin’.”

She shook her head at him. “You wanted me to do it alone, remember?” She unclasped the first garter slowly before she did the same with the other side.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think you were gonna try to kill me in the process. Jeez, you pick the weirdest times to drag things out.” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how you do it ‘cause I know you’re just as horny as I am right now.”

She walked over to him, intentionally swaying her hips more than normal. “You’re allowed to take the rest off if ya promise you won’t rip anything.”

His eyes slid down over her, eyeing the stockings and lace like it was his worst enemy. “Promise not to rip anything,” he muttered. “Ya know how flimsy that crap is?”

“Crap??” she asked as she took a couple of steps back.

Big mistake, Guerin, he thought. “No, baby, that’s not what I meant,” he hurried to assure her.

“Uh-huh.”

Okay, there was only one way to get her mind off of that slip. She had probably paid a small fortune for the ‘crap’ and the last thing he wanted to do was annoy her right now. He moved up a couple of steps and knelt on the one below the platform where she stood.

She looked at him skeptically. What was he doing now?

Michael reached up, hands settling at the edge of the stocking on her right leg and he made an effort to take it slow as he carefully removed it.

She lifted her leg slightly to allow him to take it off.

One down... his gaze lifted to the sheer panties she was wearing... two to go. He forced his hands to cooperate and move to the other stocking, dragging it out and grinning when it was her turn to shift impatiently.

“Who’s takin’ it slow now, huh?”

“Just bein’ careful... don’t wanna rip anything,” he teased.

She let her hand wander down over her belly and into the small panties, giving herself a little bit of the needed friction.

Michael froze as he straightened up from fully removing the last stocking and his breathing took on a strangled quality as he watched her touch herself.

She watched him through half-closed eyes. “It’d be much more satisfying if you were the one doing this.”

“Yeah, for both of us,” he growled and leaned in to nip at her wrist. “My playground and I don’t like to share.”

She removed her hand slowly and waited for him to touch her.

Michael could feel his heart pounding and he wondered if it would always be like this with them. God, he hoped so! He hooked his thumbs in the thin band of material that served as a waistband and carefully tugged it down over her hips and thighs before releasing it to let gravity handle it from there. His big hands rubbed up and down her thighs, moving inward with each stroke. He shifted to the side to see how far away the bed was and he stayed on his knees as he maneuvered her back towards the edge of the bed and motioned for her to sit.

She did what he asked her for without questioning it.

He continued to let his hands slide over her flesh, smiling to himself when each time he neared his destination her legs would part but as soon as he backed off they would come together as she sought to ease the pressure that was building. He shook his head when his hands reached the tops of her thighs and his thumbs came together to press against her mound and he insinuated himself between her legs, preventing her from finding even that small relief.

“You are so mean,” she whined.

“Huh-uh,” he denied, kissing her deeply before letting his lips trail along her jaw and down to her neck. He distracted her with his lips and tongue as he reached her breasts and he waited until she leaned back on her hands to reach between her legs and slide his forefinger through her wet folds. He chuckled when she arched back like she had just received an electrical shock.

A knock on the door had them staring at each other in shock. “Who’s that?” she hissed.

“Room Service,” a muffled male voice called out.

Michael glanced over his shoulder. “Room service?” He shook his head. “Did we order room service?”

She shook her head. “Not that I know of.”

“We could just ignore him... he’ll go away.”

She nodded, but just as Michael leaned in again, the guy at the door knocked again.

Michael snarled several long and descriptive curses as he stood up. His gaze traveled over her as she reclined on the bed, skin flushed, and her legs parted just enough to tease him. “Don’t go anywhere,” he rasped as he backed away.

He stormed down the carpeted stairs and rounded the bar area to jerk the door open. “What the hell do you want?” he snapped as his right hand smacked the doorknob in agitation. “Can you read?” he demanded, indicating the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign hanging from the knob.

The uniformed hotel employee swallowed hard as he looked up at the imposing figure of the angry man standing in the open doorway. “Room service,” he squeaked pathetically.

“Do. Not. Disturb.” Michael rapped his knuckles against the sign with each individual word. He snatched it off of the knob. “This means we don’t want any interruptions,” he said as he waved it in the guy’s face.

“Yes sir, but I have an order for Room 473...” he motioned to the number on the gold plaque attached to the door. “That’s your room, sir.”

“Who the fuck ordered room service?”

“Someone in this room. They didn’t give me a name...” He took a quick step back when the room’s occupant glared at him menacingly. “I was just told that it was a special order...” he motioned at the cart behind him. “Strawberries... warm chocolate sauce?”

“Oh.” Michael suddenly felt stupid. He had made the request when he had checked in. “Just put it right inside the door... don’t go any farther.”

The man looked at him like he had lost his mind. “Yes sir, of course.”

“Don’t do anything, just put it inside and go away.”

Maria giggled when she heard the absurd conversation going on between the two men and she raised herself up just enough to yell, “Give him a tip, Michael!” She knew him well enough to know he’d kick the guy out without a dime just because he was annoyed by an interruption he had unwittingly arranged.

Michael glared at the man when his eyes shot up in an attempt to follow her voice. “When I said not to go any farther, that included your eyes,” he growled as he pulled a bill out of his wallet and pushed it in the man’s hand as he shoved him out the door.

He turned to the cart and smiled to himself as he lifted the covers off and snatched up the bowl of perfectly-shaped strawberries along with the bowl of warm chocolate sauce.

“What’d he bring?” Maria asked, leaning back on the bed again when Michael approached her.

“Strawberries and warm chocolate to dip them in.” He took one of the strawberries and handed her the rest as he settled on his knees before her again.

“Yummy.”

He dipped the strawberry in the chocolate and held it over her breasts, letting it drizzle over her skin. He repeated the process several times as he created a chocolate trail down to her center. “Pretty damn creative,” he decided as he finished and bit into the sweet fruit and leaned back to eye his handiwork.

“Hey, I want some too,” she complained. “Feed me.”

He dipped the berry in the chocolate and leaned over her, careful not to mess up his artwork as he held it out to her.

“Lower,” she told him when she couldn’t reach it with her mouth.

He wasn’t expecting it when she grabbed the panels of his shirt and pulled him forward and he shook his head at her when she bit into the fruit with a smile and a wink. “The chocolate sauce wasn’t supposed to get on me,” he complained, looking down at their bodies where they were pressed together now.

“I like it,” she told him and leaned forward to lick some of it from his chest.

Well, okay, there were some advantages, but still... “You would,” he growled.

“Sweet,” she licked her lips and leaned back again.

“I had somethin’ sweeter in mind,” he said as he pressed against her center. “But I might have to rethink that now that I’m all sticky too.”

She groaned slightly and let her head fall back.

He snorted and leaned back to look down at himself and then shot a quick look at Maria. Nah, no rethinking it, he decided. His hands settled on her thighs as he moved in to follow the chocolate trail that was now smeared across her skin.

Maria’s arms started to go weak and she had to lie down on the bed fully when Michael continued to lick the chocolate from her skin.

He chuckled against her flesh and raised his head to look at her. “I’ve heard of goin’ weak in the knees, but what’re you doin’?”

“Knees, elbows, what’s the difference?” She shrugged. “You’re makin’ me all weak and wobbly.”

He was pretty proud of himself. “I’m about to really make ya all weak an’ wobbly,” he teased as he pressed kisses against her skin from her belly button to the top of her mound. “Gonna make ya scream, baby.”

“Uh-huh, no more talking now,” she begged, shifting restlessly.

“Huh-uh,” he agreed as he nibbled along the crease of her thighs and took his time moving in closer to where she wanted his attention most. He used his thumbs to massage her, smiling when she followed his cues and her legs parted even more for him. His hands slipped down and he parted her slick opening to his hungry gaze, running one thumb over her sensitive inner flesh and listening to her breathing increase.

Maria grasped onto the sheets below her, digging her nails into the fabric. “Michael, come on!” she breathed.

He grinned at her impatience and considered drawing it out since she had made sure to keep him on the leash while he was removing those little lacy scraps of nothing from her body but he decided to save that for another time. Her right leg settled over his shoulder with the slightest nudge from him and he lowered his head to slide his tongue through her folds as he reached up to slide one finger inside her, testing and stretching before adding a second and setting up a maddening rhythm before focusing his attention on her clit and feeling her body tense up under him as she felt her peak approaching.

Maria bit her lip, not sure how much of her sounds would be heard in the next room. Not that she really cared, but she knew Michael hated to share anything.

He could feel her holding back and he knew why she was doing it without asking. He raised his head to look at her, his hand still pleasuring her and his thumb momentarily massaging that little knot of nerves in his absence. “Hey, don't hold back on my account.” He nodded at the wall behind her. “They’re soundproofed.”

“Okay,” she told him breathlessly, groaning when he lowered his head again.

Michael went back to work, his lips and tongue taking the place of his thumb as he did his best to push her over the edge.

She trailed her hand though his hair when her orgasm washed over her while her other hand was pulling on the sheets tightly. “Michael,” she groaned, wanting him to come up to hold her, but she was unable to say another word.

His free hand was furiously working to free him from the confines of his jeans and he finally succeeded just as she screamed her release out for the second time. She was still gasping for air when he lowered her leg to settle over his hip and he surged up, his mouth setting over hers as he buried himself inside her in one smooth thrust.

She broke the kiss and gasped in surprise.

“Hey there,” he whispered, grinning.

“Hey,” she replied, still breathless.

He held her against him as he shifted over onto his back and reached up to touch her face.

Maria stared down into his dark eyes and a shiver ran down her spine when she saw the look in them.

He scooted further up the bed and rolled them back over so that he was on top again. “Love you,” he rasped as his hips started to move.

It still felt like her stomach was turned upside down when he told her he loved her, but in a good way.

Michael saw her eyes soften at his words and he smiled. Sweat dripped off of his brow and created a light sheen on his chest as he put everything he had into sending them both over the edge this time. He could feel the tell-tale signs in his own body and he knew Maria well enough to know that she was already close again.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, wanting him as close as possible when they both came.

“Ready?” he grunted, knowing he was seconds away but fighting it off so they could enjoy that moment together.

She loosened one arm around him again and searched for his hand to intertwine their fingers.

Michael felt her hand fumble for his and he flexed his own hand, letting their finger interlock to grip each other tightly. He still didn’t fully understand the connection they shared during these intimate moments, but he hoped they never lost it. His mouth settled over hers as the kiss deepened and his thrusts became shorter and harder as he felt that band snap and he came.

As they both started to relax again Michael rolled over to his side slightly and took her with him. She rested her head on one arm, while she looked at him intensely and played with his hair that was more flat after all of their activity.

He smiled at her and reached out to rub at a spot of chocolate on her breast. “Ya happy?”

She nodded and smiled at him. “I am.”

“You know I’m all sticky and it’s your fault,” he said, lifting one panel of his shirt up to reveal the chocolate mess there.

“And you still have your shirt on,” she realized.

“Still wearin’ my jeans too,” he said with a tired grin. “Only got ‘em undone enough to get the important parts out.”

“Maybe we could take a shower to get this chocolate off of our skin?” she asked.

“Later, when I can feel MY legs.” He smirked and shook his head.

“Not sure I can keep my eyes open that long,” she told him with a tired smile.

“Uh-huh, see? Think we’re just gonna be a sticky mess in the mornin’.”

“What time is it?”

“Hell, I don’t know.” He lifted his arm up and pressed the button on the side of his wristwatch to illuminate the face. “Almost a quarter after one.”

“Time to get some sleep then,” she mumbled.

Ungh, he was gonna so regret not taking a shower when morning came! But, on the other hand he was really too tired to be bothered with it right at that moment. “Good idea.”

“Lose your clothes, baby,” she told him with closed eyes and rolled over onto her other side. “And then snuggle up.”

“Why do I always have to do all the work?” he complained half-heartedly as he kicked his jeans and boxers off. He sat up to pull his shirt off and winced when one side pulled against his skin where it was stuck to him. “Ungh, I’m gonna go wash this chocolate off, baby, otherwise I’m gonna be stuck to you in the mornin’... and not in a good way.”

“No, don’t go ‘way, Michael.”

“You want me like this?”

“Just don’t go ‘way, Michael,” she said again, reaching behind her to grab him but she couldn’t reach him.

“Alright, but I’d better not get one complaint in the mornin’,” he muttered as he shrugged out of his shirt and rubbed it against his chest and stomach before tossing it on the floor. He settled down behind her and pulled her into his arms, sighing in contentment when her body melted right into his.

Maria sighed when she could feel him against her. She laid one hand on the arm that was wrapped around her and she rubbed it for a brief moment. “Nigh-nigh, Ki-Ki,” she said with a smile.

Michael rolled his eyes and reached for the covers to pull them up over them. His niece had tagged him with a nickname that was gonna follow him for the rest of his life, he just knew it. “Nigh-nigh, Mia,” he said softly, his tone mocking.

*****

Max tossed the keys on the counter and looked to see if there was any coffee made. There wasn’t, but he had expected that so he pulled down the necessary items to make a fresh pot. He glanced over his shoulder when someone came in the kitchen and he rolled his eyes when Tess got a cup down and set it next to him on the counter.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll make enough for you,” he grumbled.

“Thanks, Max, you’re a peach.”

He frowned at her and shook his head. “Don’t you have anything better to do than torment me on a daily basis?”

“Well, I certainly have other things I could be doing, but you’re just so fun to mess with.” She grinned at him and left the room.

“I sure as hell hope you don’t think I’m servin’ you!” he called after her and sighed in annoyance when she didn’t bother to respond. “Spoiled little pain in the ass…”

Liz lifted an eyebrow when she stepped into the kitchen and heard Max muttering to himself and she bit her lip to keep herself from laughing at him when she figured out what he was going on about. He and Tess had a strange relationship, but then, Tess’ relationship with Michael was a little strange too, she mused.

“Hey, darlin’,” he said when he realized she was in the room with him. “You want somethin’ to drink?”

She shook her head. “Nah.”

“You got somethin’ on your mind?”

She shrugged and sat down at one of the barstools, watching him as he prepared the coffee.

He was guessing whatever she was thinking about it didn’t have anything to do with what had happened earlier that night because her expression was pensive.

“Do ya know where Maria and Michael went?” She tried to distract her current thoughts.

“No, I heard the same thing you did. He just said they were goin’ for a drive and they’d see us in the mornin’.”

She rolled her eyes. “Leave it to them to take off without telling anyone where they are. Any ideas?”

“Knowin’ those two? Holed up in a hotel somewhere in Tahoe.”

“Well, let’s hope they at least remember to set an alarm clock before they get it on.”

Max nearly choked on a laugh at her words, but he tried to cover it up. He didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her, but she was constantly learning new phrases and terms and he couldn’t help that it amused him to no end.

“I can’t believe it’s already the end of the year.” She shook her head. “Time’s gone by so fast since summer and so many things have changed.”

He nodded. “Anything you’d do differently?”

She shook her head. “No... Well, maybe realizing earlier that Sean wasn’t right for me, but nothing else...”

He shook his head. “You realized it when you were ready and when you could deal with it.”

She smiled. “I guess it took a certain man for me to see the truth.”

He grinned as he turned to check on the coffee. “You nearly killed me with the waitin’, but I wouldn’t change it.”

“I nearly killed you, huh?” she asked, amused. “Remember the first time we met and you came up next to me with no shirt? And Sean was sitting next to me.”

“Liked the view, did ya?”

“Liked it? I didn’t know where else to look.”

“Don’t think Sean was enjoyin’ it as much as you were.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Max.” She forced down the teasing smile that was trying to surface.

He snorted and shook his head. “You’re hilarious.”

“What? It could be true.”

“I don’t think I’m his type.”

“Why?”

“What? You think I am?”

Liz shrugged. “I don’t know.”

He rolled his eyes. She was messing with him, she had to be. “Besides, I heard he kinda has a thing for Brendan... me and Brendan, we’re completely different types.”

“You heard?”

“I heard, yes.” He glared at her. “Are you tryin’ to push me off on your ex?”

She snorted when she saw the glint of humor in his eyes. “You heard from who?”

“Brooke.” He nodded to himself. “Brooke is of the opinion that Sean’s got a huge crush on his buddy.”

“Brooke?” Liz frowned. “She knows that Sean’s gay?” she hissed quietly.

“Darlin’, I think she knew before anyone else really gave it much thought.”

Liz bit her lip as she thought about that. “But, the others don’t know, do they?”

Max shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not somethin’ we all sit around an’ talk about. No one’s gonna make him feel bad for his choices, Liz; the guy’s got enough on his plate and none of us are gonna add to that.”

She nodded. “I’m gonna try to convince him to hang out with us for New Years’, okay?”

“That’s fine. You think he’s gonna talk to someone about this? It might help him to deal with things... especially since his own parents kicked him to the curb the way they did.”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t really know you guys that well, but maybe he’ll agree to hang out.”

“That’s cool. And if anyone hassles him he’ll let you know, right? Since you guys are close and all?”

“I hope so.”

“’Cause it wouldn’t be cool for someone to give him shit over this.”

“People are cruel sometimes.”

“Yeah, they are, and there’s no need for it.” He turned to pour coffee into two cups, picking one up and holding it out just as Tess ran into the room. “Now go away, we’re talkin’,” he said as he handed the cup over and then waved her away.

Tess rolled her eyes at him. “I wasn’t planning to stay anyway, Evans,” she told him and left again.

“Coffee thief,” he grumbled and shook his head.

“Sooo... are ya ready to head back to Long Beach?” Liz asked.

Max stretched and yawned. “Yep, how ‘bout you?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“What else are you thinkin’?”

She stared down at her hands where they were folded on the kitchen counter. “I wrote a letter to my parents. Well, it was just a card, but…”

“When?” he asked carefully. Her tone indicated that it had been long enough that she had expected a reply by now.

“Christmas Eve,” she admitted quietly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“You don’t have to apologize for that, darlin’,” he assured her as he came around the island to sit next to her.

“I should’ve told you though.”

“What’d you say in the card?”

“I asked them to come to California around New Years’.”

“And you haven’t received a response from them,” he guessed, hating that she was being hurt by the two people who should love her unconditionally.

She shook her head sadly. “No.”

“I wish you hadn’t done that.” He shook his head when she looked at him questioningly. “Not because I didn’t know, just because I hate to see you get hurt over this over an’ over again.”

“I had to at least try.”

He nodded. “I know,” he said quietly.

She sighed. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Ladies choice... whatever you wanna talk about.” He smiled at her as he nudged her with his knee. “Unless you’d rather go upstairs and let me get an eyeful of what you’re wearin’ under that dress.”

Liz flushed hotly at the intense look in his eyes. How was it possible for this man to want her as much as she wanted him? She loved him in a way that she had never dared to even wish for and she knew without a doubt that he loved her with the same depth. Why would anyone ever settle for less? She took his hand as she slid off of the stool to stand beside him, sliding her fingers through his and smiling to herself when he followed without pause or question.

*****

Kyle glanced at his watch as he came inside from loading the last of his and Tess’ things in the back of their rental. “Hey, has anyone heard from Guerin this mornin’?” he yelled.

“I tried his cell a while ago, but he didn’t answer,” Max answered without looking up from the zipper he was trying to fix on Liz’s suitcase. Her answer to packing more than she had brought was to try and cram it all into one bag and expect it to fit… and then she had been surprised when the zipper had refused to stay in one piece when she had tried to close it.

“Maria’s not answering either,” Liz said as she came into the room with a couple of shirts she had found. “Max, can I – “

“Darlin’, you’re not gonna get another thing in this bag… just stick it in mine.” He nodded at his bag, sitting by the door and with the zipper still intact.

“Does anyone even know where they were going?” Tess asked as she leaned over the railing on the second floor.

“No clue,” Kyle said and pulled his cell out of his pants pocket again. “Damn it. Not that I reminded him last night...” he said ironically and punched the button to call Michael again.

Max looked up when Caela shrieked happily and streaked through the living room, dripping wet and naked from head to toe. Brendan was right behind her and he managed to catch her just as Karen stepped out of the little girl’s room. He bundled her up in the towel he held and carried her over to her mother and they disappeared into the room so they could get Caela dried off and dressed.

Kyle glared at the phone when Michael’s voicemail picked up again. “If you called me, you know who I am... If you didn’t get me I’m obviously busy. Leave a message and I’ll call back when I feel like it.”

“Someone needs to do somethin’ about that message,” he muttered, shaking his head.

“I’ll try Maria’s again,” Liz said, already putting her phone to her ear.

“She’s not gonna answer either,” Tess said when she heard a faint buzzing coming from the bedroom at the end of the hall. “Her phone’s here.”

Liz groaned. “Great, what’re we gonna do now?”

Kyle shrugged. “They know the way home an’ I’m not hangin’ around here and missin’ our flight just because they’re out getting their freak on in some hotel around here.”

“Michael didn’t take his cabin keys with him,” Max said as he held up the keys he had picked up from the sideboard in the living room earlier. “What’re we gonna do with ‘em? We can’t lock the damn cabin up and leave them here without a key to get their stuff.”

Tess rolled her eyes. “I’m with Kyle... they’re both adults. And I’m ready to go home.”

Liz glanced at Max. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to leave them there like Kyle and Tess wanted to do. Of course, they would survive, but she could only imagine how much it would suck if she was Maria and they did that to her.

Max knew without a word from Liz that she didn’t want to leave their friends locked out of the cabin so he shrugged his right shoulder as he turned his attention back to the zipper. “You guys go on without us; we’ll wait around for Michael and Maria.”

“Chances are good you’ll have to drive back if you wait around,” Brendan said as he walked into the room, loaded with stuff up to his chin.

“Uh, ya need a hand, Bren?” Kyle asked.

“Ungh,” Tess made a face. “Maria will just love all those hours of driving. But it’s their fault.”

Max snorted. “She’ll probably sleep for most of it.”

Kyle took some of the stuff out of Brendan’s hands. “So, you guys are really gonna stay?”

Brendan hadn’t really been following the conversation, mentally going over the extensive list of things that had to be packed and trying to make sure he didn’t forget anything. “Me?”

“No, not you, goofy,” Karen said from behind and shoved him aside gently to get into the living room.

Max nodded. “Yeah, we’re gonna stay.”

“Michael isn’t back yet?” Brendan asked.

“Not yet, and he’s cuttin’ it close if they’re gonna fly back home,” Kyle answered.

“Did ya call him?”

“Just got his obnoxious voicemail.”

Brendan made a face. “It sucks.”

“Well, your brother tends to overlook things like bein’ polite with most people.”

“He’s doin much better than he was a few years ago,” Karen said as she walked to the front door.

“True enough,” Kyle agreed as he and Brendan followed her out onto the porch.

Liz walked over to Max and leaned against his shoulder. “What’re we gonna do? Just wait here?”

“Well, we’re certainly not gonna go look for ‘em.” He gave the zipper a final yank and grinned when it actually did what it was supposed to do. He motioned at the small pile of clothes he had stacked on the floor beside him. “All of that’s gonna have to go in my bag... and if for any reason it happens to come open between here and home... you will explain why I have bras, panties, and other feminine items in my luggage.”

“We’re ready to leave,” Kyle said as he came back inside.

Max looked up at his roommate. “Guess they’re still not here.”

Kyle looked around in the room. “Do ya see them?”

“You should take that comedy routine on the road, Valenti.”

“Kick her ass when she gets here,” Tess said as she hugged Liz quickly. “I hope they didn’t get into a big fight and he dropped her somewhere on the streets last night,” she joked.

Liz rolled her eyes, certain that Michael wouldn’t do that. “Maybe the other way around,” she said with a grin.

“They’re probably off fuckin’ their brains out somewhere,” Kyle muttered.

“Thanks, babe.” Tess smacked his ass as she passed him. “There’s imagery I really needed.”

“Think we’ve got everything in the car?” Brendan asked when Karen showed up next to him again.

“Everything but one little girl who’s wondering where her Ki-Ki is.”

Brendan snorted. “Uncle Ki-Ki’s probably practicing his own baby-making skills.”

“Behave, Bren,” Karen warned him with a grin. “You were doin’ more than your fair share of practicin’ last night.”

He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. “Alright, let’s get her and then we should take off.”

Kyle looked around for Tess as he glanced at his watch. Where had she disappeared to now? “Tess, get your ass in gear, babe, we’ve gotta hit the road!” As usual they were ahead of schedule but if she thought they even had one second to spare she’d make them late and he had no intention of spending the rest of the day driving back to Long Beach.