I mean daddy!” She yelled. A look of fear spread across her face. “What are you doing here?”“You know damn right what I’m doing here!” he ...elled back. “What the Hell is going on here?!? I thought this was an actual office! But it’s… It’s… What? A porn studio?”“Well…” Amy started, “yeah…”Amy’s brutal honesty took Connor off guard and he didn’t quite know what to say. He had expected her to lie. So he stood silent for a moment as his stepdaughter squirmed in her seat. She kept looking into the. “Katie, Kevin, your parents are here,” Nicki called into the back rooms.All four came bounding out and Kevin, bless his little soul, trying to make Mom and Dad feel better, I guess, said, “Do we have to go?” He crossed his arms together and sternly announced, with a deep frown on his face, “I don’t want to!”Addie rolled her eyes, “We’re going Christmas Tree hunting. Maybe to Dairy Queen first.” She looked over at Nicki and Samuel, “Mind if we take your kids to DQ for a treat?”I dropped our two. Tom watched them go and then left in his own car. Tom and Laura were no longer together. Often even the strongest marriages are unable to withstand the loss of a child.A dirt track not far from home led into the woods and then to meadows on both sides, textured by late summer asters and goldenrod. Milkweed pods were releasing their feathery seeds, and Becky reached for them as they floated on the afternoon breeze."See those red berries over there, mixed in with the yellow?" asked Tom. "Mom. Besides, it might be a nice break. After she hung up, she giggled a little. 'Laura will really freak out when I tell her!'* * * * *Laura was only a little tired after his shift. And that mostly from worry about giving his real self away. A few guys came up and reminded him it was softball night. He grinned. Let Mike sit at home alone with the kids, while he played. It was too perfect. God, could he hit the ball! It went crashing off his bat! It was fun to relax and play sports -- something she.