No doubt...Dave had arrived.

You could hear his voice down the hall, as he was joking with the maid. They gave each other one look of shared anxiety, before opening the door to greet him.

"My two little mexican pinatas!" He yelled out, making a passing couple give him an angry look. He just bowed his head, and flipped his cap at them, which made the lady grunt at him.

Ryder was still stuck on his words: "My two little mexican pinatas". He included Ryder in that sentence, why? He trusted him? Ryder couldn't help but feel like he had betrayed his trust somehow. Take care of my daugther. He trusted him with Skylar, and what did he do? He slept with her!

"Who is ready for some sightseeing?" Dave said, as he hugged Skylar.

"You look a little pale pumpkin" he said, as he squatted down, just enough to look her straight in the eye, which made her clear her throat, and give Ryder a nervous look.

He smiled reluctantly to calm her down, knowing exactly what he had to do at some point, although he dreaded it.

"Let's gooooo!!!" Dave said, and dragged them both by the hand after unloading his bag in their room.

"I can't believe I'm back" Dave said sighing, and looking all quiet for once. They had been out most of the day, and ended up in a small restaurant.

"You were here before?" Skylar wanted to know.

He nodded.

"With your mom...when we first started dating" he said.

"I didn't know that, you never told me" she wondered.

Ryder was quiet, he was listening, but he felt like they needed to be alone, like he was invading a private conversation.

"Do you guys want some alone-time? I can leave?" His expression made Skylar laugh.

"No...it's fine Ryder" she smiled at him, that made him relax. It occured
to him he knew nothing about her mother?

There were lots of things he did not know about Skylar.

"She was a wild one...your mother" Dave smiled, and looked like he was taking a walk down memory lane - all by himself.

"She was? I thought my interest in literature came from her?" Skylar looked perplexed.

"It did...you can be wild and crazy like your mother, and still love those dusty old books of yours" Dave said winking at her.

"So that's why she left...she just couldn't settle down?" Skylar asked him. Ryder wondered why they never seemed to have talked about this before?

"You could say that...she needed to go sit on that mountain pumpkin. I can't blame her. It wasn't easy...not for her...not for you...or me, for that matter" he stopped talking.

"I thought your mother died?" Ryder was confused...did he just assume her mother died, leaving them wasn't an option, right? Mothers don't leave...only fathers.

"No...she left me and my dad, after I received my life sentence" Skylar said sarcastically.

"A drunk and a dead girl was too much for her, I guess" Skylar said.

Ryder looked at Dave, suddenly his eyes were searching for the sea, it looked like the poor guy wanted to jump in!

"Your mother is not a bad person...she just couldn't deal with it" Dave said.

"She is not a good person either...to me she will always be a coward...no matter where she is. I don't care...she can go to hell for all I care" Skylar got up, and walked down to the beach.

"I thought she was dead...I think Skylar told me - but now - I'm not sure, maybe I just figured that had to be it, seeing as she wasn't around...that must have been hard on her..." Ryder got up, he wanted to follow Skylar, leaving Dave behind.

He didn't care if Dave would see them, he wanted to be close to Skylar, she needed him.

She had her back to him. He stood next to her, he took her hand, she didn't try to stop him. None of them cared that her dad was watching.

"I am sorry Skylar...your mom is an asshole!" He looked at her...she didn't move.

But she heard him.

"I know" she said, and they just started laughing!

Sometimes that's the only thing left to do. When the tears are all gone, all you can do, is just laugh, at least that way you know you haven't been defeated! Holding Ryder's hand made her stronger, it made it easier to laugh about the sadness of it all.

"I want to tell your dad about us" he looked at her.

"What about us?" She asked him, looking way too serious.

It took him by surprise.

"About us being together" he said, she smiled at him.

"I think, he guessed by now" she looked down at their hands, which were still intertwined...and then back over her shoulder, and as he follwed her lead, he could see Dave watching them from the restaurant.

"All the more reason to tell him in my own words" he started walking back, she just sat down, this had to be a guy-thing, she got that...she dug her bare feet deep into the sand, it still felt warm..."together"...he used that word. In his eyes they were a couple now?

Ryder sat down - well aware he had to speak first.

"I guess you saw us holding hands, me and Skylar" he started, hoping Dave would cut in, but he didn't.

"Maybe you are wondering what that means...I mean...if I were you...I would" Ryder was begging him silently to say something.

So he did.

"I saw" Dave said...no more than that.

"We like each other...I like her... Skylar means a lot to me" he was stumbling over every word for some reason.

"I can see that. I've known for a while, I saw it happening...don't worry. I don't mind. I think it's a good thing. Skylar seems happier than ever, and I can see a positive change in you...my mini-me...I am not angry, I am not going to tell you about the gun I have, and how I could use it on you if you hurt my daugther. You guys are adults, and to me this is just a way to make her life a little more normal" Dave stopped.

"I was just wondering about one thing Ryder".

"What?" Ryder asked...at least Dave wasn't angry, that caught him by surprise.

"I am just wondering what your intentions are?"

"My intentions?" He repeated automatically, to buy some more time, although he knew already.

Dave nodded.

"I want to be there till the end..." he said, and those words made Dave look away.

It looked like he was crying?