“Hey, Ben…how ‘bout we go on a bike ride while Nick gets Ro into bed, huh?” Dinner had been nice, but tense, the evening had been nice, but tense and Lani was sick of nice…and tense. Time to clear some air, and for whatever reason, she felt that a friendly and professional hand might be more useful right now.

“Uh, I don’t have a bike here or anything.” Ben uncurled from underneath Rosalie’s droopy body and looked to Nick for some assistance with getting out of this mess. He offered none. Great.

“You only live 2 blocks away now, Mister. Double up with me to your house and we’ll get yours.” Seeing his eyes disappear into the back of his head, she made one more vain attempt. “Come on…it’s a nice night and my legs are already screaming from moving…might as well keep ‘em strong!”

He knew what she was up to, but whenever she flashed him that warm smile…the one that he’d only seen since Nick came into the picture of their lives, he was putty in her hands. Nervous putty, but putty none-the-less. Ben looked to Nick one more time, almost begging with his eyes for an escape plan, but only saw Rosalie’s curls settle onto Nick’s shoulders as he carried her out of the room and down the hall. He made a mental note to find new friends.

“WAIT!” Rosalie’s head popped off of Nick’s shoulders causing him to stop and Ben to temporarily remember how to breathe.

“What, muñe? No dilly-dallying tonight.”

She smiled at his new name for her…one she’d only heard other daddies call their little girls. Kissing his cheek in gratitude, she finally explained her delay. “No, I just have to kiss Ben and Mamí is all…take me back.”

Solana groaned and pulled Ben into the hall by his shirt sleeve. “You are too dilly-dallying.” She gave her daughter’s round cheek a peck and Nick’s scratchy cheek a lingering smooch. “We’ll be back in a bit, you two. Lights out, you hear me, young lady?”

“Yes, Mamí. Lights out.” Rosalie giggled at Nick’s mocking voice and blew a string of kisses to Ben as they disappeared into her room.

“Spoiled rotten…she wasn’t spoiled ‘til you all showed up.”

Ben slung his arm around Lani, trying to act more brave than he was feeling at the moment. “Aw, Miss Romero…you love us.” He knew he had nothing to be afraid of, but he also knew that whenever trouble was brewing, somehow, even without him being aware, it seemed like his fingers were always in the pot. Even if he’d never put them there.

About half way to Ben’s house, Lani realized that the last time she’d ridden on someone’s handle bars, her butt was only half the size it was now. After a lot of giggling, falling, running and stumbling, they were finally at Ben’s house.

“You want me to wait out here or come in?”

Ben blushed, never wanting to be ashamed of his home again. Unfortunately, this time he was afraid of his mom’s attitude. “Uh, it’s just in the garage…wait here, okay?”

She did as asked, taking in their new house, smiling as she saw fresh curtains and blinds hanging in windows. They were finally going to have the home they deserved.

She jumped when the garage door opened, obviously deeper into her thoughts than even she realized. “Look at that…when did you get the opener installed?”

“I think Mom got it done last week before we got here. You ready?” He slung his leg over his seat and coasted down the driveway, back peddling into the street. “Which way?”

“You lead. Show me where you like to go.”

And so they went, through and around streets, circling in a few courts as Ben showed her small inlets he and his friends liked to investigate. “I’m glad we’re on this side of the road now…more of my friends live here.”

“And you know the place already too…best of both worlds.”

“Yep.” He stopped his bike and hopped off of it, tossing it to the sandy dirt instead of using the kickstand. “Come on. There’s a little creek bed over here. I used to come here to…” He stopped, amazed at what he’d inadvertently done. This is where he and Steve would go when Steve had scored some weed. Wonderful. “…give me your hand. This rock is wobbly.” Maybe she’d miss his slip. Hopefully?

She gave him her hand and stepped gingerly, happily hopping onto more sure footing close to the edge of the creek. “Who do you come down here with?”

“I haven’t been here in awhile. Wanted to bring Erin, you know…” He smiled shyly and picked up a piece of sandstone, checking it for weight and effortlessly skipped it across the small creek. “…she won’t come.”

“No?”

“No. Says she’s afraid we’ll get carried away.”

“Erin’s a smart girl. I could see myself getting into trouble down here when I was your age.” She looked around at the thick foliage and virtual solitude this little hideaway created. Yep. Trouble with a capital “T”.

“Probably…” He squatted down and fervently searched for another rock to skip, another story to toss, another minute to kill, but found nothing. Heaving a sigh, he stood and faced the truth. “I know why you brought me out here.”

“You brought me here, Ben…”

“Miss Romero, the joint. It’s not mine. I promise you.”

“I didn’t think it was, Ben. Thing is, it’s not mine either.” The water bubbled near them and their attention was quickly averted to the noise, looking intently into the darkened creek to see what made the noise. “Fish?”

Ben shrugged and sighed, quickly disinterested in their visitor. “But you think I know where it came from.”

“I think you have an idea…and so do I. The only other person who’s been in my backyard besides your family and Nick is…”

“…yeah, I know.” He walked away from her, his head hanging, his feet dragging, his shoulders drooping. He knew full well that they were both thinking of one person and one person only. “My mom.”

“Has she ever smoked marijuana that you know of, Ben?”

“I know she’d come home smelling like it a lot. I mean, not in a long time. Not since Nick helped her…” He finally turned back to her, angrily wiping a tear away from his cheek. “How could she do this again? He has given us so much…it’s like she’s just laughing in his face!”

“Well, first…we don’t know it’s her yet, hon. Don’t start flinging accusations around already.”

“Okay, sorry. Silly me. It must have been Rosalie. I forgot that she’s always got the munchies.” Ben rolled his eyes and plopped down on a large rock, grimacing when a point of it landed precariously on a tender spot of his behind.

“Ben…this neighborhood is nicer than where you came from, but it’s hardly perfect. It’s very possible that someone just flung it in the yard as they were walking by.”

“Miss Romero…did Nick tell you where I found it?”

“No…just the backyard.”

“Yeah, at the edge of the patio…there’s no way someone could have tossed it there from outside of your yard.”

The little glimmer of hope that Solana had hung on to from the moment she saw the joint deflated. “Ah. No, I suppose not.” She sat down with him on the rock, bumping back to back and finally leaning into him as he leaned into her. “So, the only place we can trace it is to your mom. Did she have company last night?”

“I have no idea. She has a boyfriend now and we’ve never seen him…maybe he’s the one, but still. That’s just…that was wrong.”

“Yes, it was. I guess I’ll have to talk to her tomorrow morning then, huh?” They sat in silence for a few moments, the sounds of the slowly moving water matching the cadence of their racing hearts. “What do you think I should say?”

“You’re asking me!?”

“Yeah, you’ve done stuff you thought you’d gotten away with, but really didn’t. If you were her, how would you like to be approached?”

Ben thought about it for a minute, still shocked she wanted his take on it. What he had hated the most about the times he was in trouble was that no matter what trouble had happened, he was always blamed before anyone else. Even if he was innocent. Pissed him off. “I guess we should assume she’s innocent until we find out otherwise…”

“I’m thinkin’ the same thing.” She turned sideways hoping he’d do the same. And he did. “Your mom has come a long way, Ben. I don’t really know how deep into the drug scene she landed, but we both know it wasn’t an addiction thing as much as an experience thing. It was still wrong, especially when she left you kids at home, but…”

“…but it could have been worse.”

“Much. And now, she’s lost her weight, she is great at her job at the center, she’s around for you guys…”

Ben sighed and lowered his head, running a hand through his hair, rubbing the back of his neck, hoping a feeling of peace would come to him about this. “…I guess we should give her the benefit of the doubt, huh?”

“At least at first, yes.”

“And if she’s guilty?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

After more silence, more rock skipping and one more tour of a favorite spot with his buddies, Lani and Ben made their way back to her home, shoving Ben’s bike into the back of Nick’s truck, even as Ben protested.

“I ride in the dark all the time.”

“Not from my house you don’t. Now hush up and close the hatch.”

“You’re stubborn.”

“Yes, I am…let’s go see what the big boy’s up to.”

As they walked in, Nick’s bottom was just hitting the couch, feet slamming onto her coffee table as he haphazardly grabbed at a magazine to read.

“You always read Cosmo?”

“Huh?” Nick flipped the magazine closed and rolled his eyes tossing it back onto the table. “No…”

“…have you been in there with her this whole time?”

Nick’s cheesy grin said it all and Lani could do nothing but shake her head and give him a kiss. “You spoil her.”

“She manipulates me.”

“She’s four, Mister Carter…you’re supposed to be the adult.”

“I am until she looks at me. She has magic powers or something.”

Ignoring his lame pleas, Lani changed the subject. “Ben’s bike is in your truck. And we have to get Ro’s seat out of there too.”

Figuring he had some kissing up to do and seeing the anxiety on Ben’s face, Nick took his cue and stood and tossed his keys to Ben. “Go get Ro’s seat outta the car, huh?”

“Why don’t you just tell me to get out of the way? Jeez.” Ben slammed the screen door behind him leaving the two adults to stare at each other.

Lani stared amazed as Nick ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck, just as Ben had not long before. If he and Aaron were more alike than he and Ben, which is what Nick claimed, she couldn’t believe it. These two were practically identical twins. “I’m sorry, Lani. We got to reading and giggling and talking and…”

“She’s a pain in the ass when she doesn’t get enough sleep, Nick. I get to pay for this tomorrow.”

“I know…I’m sorry.” He walked to her and ran a hand up her arm to test the waters of reception. They were open. He folded her into his arms and kissed the top of her head, sighing as she settled into him. “How ‘bout I pick her up from school tomorrow and take her back to my place. Just come over after work and we’ll have dinner. That way if she’s a creep, I can put her down for a nap or something. It’ll be my problem.”

“You’d do that?” She pulled back and looked up to him, still amazed that he had become the man of her dreams. Of her heart. Of her life.

“Yeah, sure…pack up a few of her videos in her backpack and we’ll be set. Too chilly to swim.”

“I love you, you know that?” Settling back into his chest, she squeezed her arms around him, wanting to feel him as close as possible. Wanting to take the warmth of his arms with her as she went off to her bed and he left for his own.

“I think I’m finally realizing that, yeah…” He cupped her face into his hands and kissed her tenderly, stopping only to rest his eyes in hers and return the words of love.

Hearing his truck horn honk, he knew his precious moments were over. For now. “Go on…I heard him close my car door, so he’s set.”

With another quick kiss, he was gone.

“Do NOT honk my horn, dude. Ro’s not the only person in the neighborhood who’s sleeping.”

“Oops. My bad. Just didn’t want you two to get carried away and forget about me out here.”

Nick glared at Ben and turned on the ignition, taking one last look up to Solana’s living room window. He hated leaving at night…his bed seemed five sizes too big after they’d spent a day together. Ten degrees too cold, too.

With a deep sigh, he turned the corner away from their street and headed toward Ben’s new home.

“Nice bike ride?”

“Yeah, showed Miss Romero where I used to hang out with the guys.”

“You don’t anymore?”

“Yeah, some of ‘em. I fish down at the one place with Ron now and then…”

Nick nodded, not feeling much like dragging conversation out of the kid. If he wanted to talk about the joint, the bike ride, the repercussions of it all, he would. Nick would rather go home and wallow in his loneliness.

And Ben was grateful. He didn’t want to think about confronting his mom about the joint. About what it might mean she was into again. Or who she was hanging around again. He didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to deal with it. Didn’t want to face it.

Unfortunately, life has a way of making us face that which we don’t want to face.

As Nick turned onto Ben’s new street, Ben sat up in his seat, quickly unbuckling his seat belt so he could slide closer to the dash and get a better look, his eyes bugging out, his heart racing, his breath quickening.

“Oh, shit…oh holy shit, shit, shit!”

“What? Ben? What is it?” Nick inadvertently slowed down, not sure what the new dramatic discovery was…he was beginning to wonder if it was truly drama, or just melodrama. The weekend was officially wearing thin.

“Stop. Don’t go any…oh shit. See that red pick-up in front of our house?”

“Yeah…it’s probably a neighbor’s or something.”

“No, I know that truck…she couldn’t.” Ben sat back and covered his face with his hands. “She just couldn’t.”

“Ben, she couldn’t what? Who are you talking about?”

“That truck…it’s…oh Jesus. Nick…” Ben turned to Nick, his blue eyes open full, seeping fear, and worry and concern. And then, before he opened his mouth to say another word, he blinked once, opening his eyes, now darkened in anger. “I can’t believe she’d be so stupid…”

“Your mom?”

“Yeah, my mom. Nick…that’s Darren’s truck.”