She woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. The aroma assaulted her nose so much that she crinkled it in response. Pulling the comforter down exposing her head, she looked over to the door and the small table that sat next to it. He was sitting there quietly talking to his daughter. She glanced at the clock radio that sat on the nightstand. 8:13 am. Realizing the time she suddenly threw back the comforter and ran from the bed not caring if he noticed her scantily clad body or not. Stopping at the foot of the bed only to heave her backpack up she went into the bathroom to get a shower.

Since Alexis had been born he'd always been up about an hour before his alarm went off. Today was no different. He was awake around 5:45 this morning, but never got out of bed. He just watched as her chest rose and fell seeing her breathing. Deciding that coffee and maybe something to eat was the order of the day he got out of bed, soothed Alexis into waking up by rubbing her back to get a response. It worked. She started to flutter her eyes in response to his attention. Picking her up he made his way to the bathroom went through his morning ritual of brushing his teeth, shaving and grabbing a quick shower to be sure there was enough hot water left for Kate. When he was finished he wet a washcloth and with a small amount of soap he gave Alexis a quick wash. Replacing her old diaper with a fresh one he pulled out a white shirt that had a Winnie the Pooh on the top left-hand part of the shirt. Then he pulled out a pair of Oshkosh bib overalls and put them on her. Fresh socks, her new Stride Rite light up sneakers and they were ready to go.

He quietly the tip toed through the room hoping not to wake up Kate. It was when they were almost at the door that he thought he would make it out without a sound. Alexis, however, had different ideas.

"Da.. Kat?" She cried loudly.

Rick was quick to put a finger to his lips and release a shhh sound that stopped her from saying anything further. She smiled back at him, mimicking him by placing her finger to her lips. He looked over to the bed and all she did was simply roll over onto her stomach stretching as she did. His hand quietly unlocked the door dead bolt and slid the safety chain off from its holder. The door creaked a little as he opened it, but he only opened it with enough space to slip through the least amount of an opening to get outside. Once outside he pulled the door shut and relocked it. He walked across the inn's parking lot and crossed Fir street. There, was a Pilot truck stop. He was grateful that this particular truck stop had a Denny's inside. Walking in he was greeted by the hostess who asked

"Two for breakfast?"

He replied, "No, I need this order to go."

"Follow me." She led him to the takeout counter.

He placed an order for a western omelet for himself, a plain cheese omelet for Kate and a container of oatmeal for Alexis. Coffee rounded out the order. The waitress told him the total and that it would be about 10 to 15 minutes for it to be ready. While he waited he still tried to figure out Kate. She was smart this much he had learned yesterday. Anyone who had the brains to attend Stanford was no slouch. On the other hand, he was still trying to figure out why she was heading back to New York. As he was about to list the reasons for her going there, the waitress had set his order in front of him. Picking it up, he went to the hostess and paid for the food. He was given plastic ware, salt, and pepper, extra jelly, creamers and sugar for the coffee. Walking back to the inn he hoped that she was still asleep. He once again quietly opened the door and he was right she was still sound asleep.

He set up the oatmeal for Alexis complete with a bib, and to his surprise she had a good handle on managing the spoon for her oatmeal. He started eating his food and watched Alexis as she ate hers. With their breakfast finished his peripheral vision he noticed the comforter lower from her head. Then she twisted to look at the clock. When she threw off the comforter he had never seen anybody move as fast as she did, stopping only to collect her bag at the end of the bed. She was a blur. The only thing he saw was her legs. Man, they were long and toned with muscles he knew she worked out every day. A runner maybe? His vision of her suddenly ended when the bathroom door shut and the water started to flow from the shower.

He placed all the condiments along with her breakfast on the table. He went over to his pack, packed what he and Alexis slept in last night and then collapsed up her pack and play. He cleaned up Miss oatmeal face and threw away the trash from their breakfast. He picked her up and went out to the truck and stowed their overnight stuff inside. He and Alexis walked around the trailer and made sure that the car was still secure in its berth. He gave the truck a once over and when he was satisfied he went back into the room.

She felt better now that she had her shower. Just like last night, she announced that she was coming out of the bathroom. When no one said anything she came out and the room was empty. As she walked towards the door she noticed the take out from Denny's on the table complete with a hot cup of coffee. Famished she sat down and dug in. As she ate she slid the curtain to the side a little so she could look out the window. There he was checking the trailer and then the rest of the truck with Alexis trying to keep up with him. It was cute, the amount of love she had seen him give her. She wondered how badly he'd been burned usually men don't want anything to do with their kids. He was the exception to the rule.

She finished eating, threw away her trash and packed her overnight items. She startled a little when he returned not realizing he was watching her pack up.

"Good morning!"

Kate looked up and returned the greeting.

"Hey, good morning back at you."

"I see that you found the breakfast I left you."

"I did, and thank you for getting it for me. It was delicious!"

"Think nothing of it. My mother always said that breakfast was the most important meal. It gives you a good start to get through the day."

"It does at that. Are you all packed and ready to go?"

"We are. Just giving you some alone time to eat in peace. Alexis can be a handful sometimes."

"That's okay I don't mind. She's a cutie!" But I would have enjoyed some company for breakfast, Rick." She thought to herself.

"Well let's hit the road then, times a wastin."

Kate picked up Alexis and started for the truck. Rick closed and locked the door and headed back to the front desk to check out. Soon he returned and looked into the truck where he found Kate had already strapped her into the car seat and was making faces at his daughter to get her to laugh.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Kate became serious and her distorted face turned normal.

"No not at all, why would you ask?"

"Well, it could be that you looked like a circus clown just a second ago."

"I did no such thing! Really, you can't even tell a circus clown from a smurf?"

"Oh, that was a smurf? Could have fooled me, but whatever it was it made her happy see she's still smiling."

Kate looked back at Alexis and he was right she was still wearing a bright smile on her face.

"We're all set. Are you ready to go?

"I am. Where do you think we'll be stopping tonight?" She asked him.

"I had some thoughts about that. I know that Rawlins Wyoming is about 550 miles from where we are now. With bathroom breaks and a gas stop we should be there by 5-5:30 this evening. If we want to we could push it and keep going on to Cheyenne. That would add another two hours to the drive."

"Well, let's see how we feel when we hit Rawlins then we can decide." Kate said.

"That should work. But I don't want to keep you cooped up in this truck longer than necessary."

Rick put the truck in drive and they were off. Entering the interstate, he was up to highway speeds in no time. He set the cruise control and relaxed for the drive. Alexis was looking a Kate and he wondered what she was thinking. He needed a means to start a conversation with her. So he looked around at the scenery passing him by and that's when he saw it. There was a billboard for a local community college. So by the next mile marked he started with his reconnaissance of Kate.

"So Kate, what were you studying at Stanford?"

She had an idea that he would want to know about her. She noticed that he was itching to ask about her since he started the drive earlier. So she decided, to be honest with him.

"Rick I'll make a deal with you. I'll tell you what you want to know for as long as you tell me what I want to know about you. The second you renig, the deal is off okay?"

Rick thought about this for a minute. It could get personal and she'd see that he was a failure on more than one front. But he needed to satisfy his curiosity just the same.

"Okay, deal."

"Great."

"I was first studying to be a lawyer. Then after the first semester was over, I started doubting my forward progression. I just could not see myself going in the direction I had set for myself."

"WOW, a lawyer huh?"

"Well not anymore. For the last nine semesters, I've been enrolled in medical school. I needed to add one more to make up for the one I spent on attending law classes to complete my sophomore year."

"What do you do for a living?"

"Right now I'm between jobs. But when I did work I was a proof reader for the Los Angeles Times. This job gave me time to pursue other projects."

"Why are you going back to New York?" he asked.

He sure is inquisitive.

"I'm going to finish my junior and senior years at Columbia. My mother is on the board of directors and got me an interview."

"Ahh, a hook. Good for you!"

"No! No. Not by a long shot. She only talked to the dean of admissions and set up the meeting. It's my job to actually prove to them that I belong there. So, no I don't have a hook."

"What are these other projects you are pursuing?"

Yeah, well at least she eased into it. He thought.

"In my spare time, I am a writer."

"Oh, anything that I would have read?"

"No as of yet I'm not published. I have been turned down by a couple of publishers in L.A. so I thought I'd try a couple in New York."

"That makes sense. There are more of them to show your work to in the city."

"Exactly my thinking."

"What's your last name?"

"It's Beckett. I come from a long line of Beckett's. The first Beckett to arrive in the US was Mary Beckett who settled in Massachusetts in 1623."

"Again WOW! That's amazing."

Kate decided to start the harder request for information now. She knew he was hurt emotionally so she thought about how to phrase her question without being insensitive towards his feelings.

"So Rick, tell me what happened to you in Cali? To me, you seemed to be a little withdrawn when you decided to separate us last night in the hotel. Like you've been hurt, and badly. If you want that is, but keep in mind that we have a deal here."

"Damn, will you look at that! We need to stop for gas!"

"Rick, don't think that you can get away without answering my question with a diversion like that!"

"No seriously, we need to get gas. I would never lie to you Kate…. ever!"

As they pulled off the next exit he found a large gas station to pull into. Shutting the truck down he took Alexis out of the car seat and checked her diaper. Since it was close to lunch he asked Kate if she wanted to run over to the Burger King next to the station. She would, so he gave her a $20 and she left. Alexis followed her dad around the truck and trailer as he rechecked the car on the trailer and the tires on the trailer and the truck. Hearing the gas nozzle click off he walked back to the right side of the truck. He finished topping off the tank and replaced the nozzle. He set Alexis back in the car seat and just as he was finished, Kate returned with lunch. He gave Alexis some french fries and two chicken tenders then he ate his burger and sipped on his chocolate shake. He thought about Kate's question as he ate, and he wondered what she would think about him when he told her about his failure as a husband. They were soon back on the road achieving highway speeds in no time.

"So Rick?" Kate asked since he still did not answer her.

"Kate, I promise to give you an answer, I do. It's just that you're right. I was hurt, and very, very badly. Just let me find a way to answer you that makes sense in my head okay?"

"Okay, Rick. No pressure here."

Yeah, if she only knew the truth!

I was married. However, I no longer hold that status for obvious reasons. I was finishing up my edits for my book. Then I sent the finished manuscript to the publisher. Since I was free, I decided to go home and celebrate my victory with my wife and daughter. What I found was nothing I'd be expecting. When I got home my daughter was being neglected and my wife decided that she wanted more."

"More what?" Kate asked curiously.

"S-E-X!" Rick spelled it out only because Alexis was following along.

"No, she didn't!"

"Yes, yes she did. With multiple men in fact. And it killed me. I mean I thought what we had was going to last. You know when you buy a house have a child, you expect things to be fine. But then you come to find out that it's all a lie! Nothing is the same anymore. It's going to be a long while before I will be able to trust a woman again."

Kate sincerely felt his pain. Infidelity was a deal breaker in her book too. What she said next shocked Rick.

"Rick, I promise you that I'm not like that. I can't really defend the actions of your ex-wife, but I was raised to believe in the vows of marriage."

Rick just sat there shocked that she'd tell him something so personal. He hoped that she was being honest with him. He could see that she looked a little out of sorts when he told her about Meredith.

"Can I ask how you came to get full custody of Alexis? You do have full custody right?"

"I do. Meredith wanted nothing to do with her as a parent. She signed over her parental rights when the divorce was finalized, essentially abandoning her."

"WOW! I'm so sorry Rick."

"Kate, it's not your fault. If anyone was to blame, it's me for not seeing the signs and trying to do something about it. I am officially a failure at choosing a life partner."

Kate thought about his last statement. He blamed himself for what she thought was a situation way out of his control. What could he have done? He would need to be glued to her hip to stop her from cheating on him. She can't believe that would think that. He was right it would take time for him to restore his trust and faith in women again. Her heart broke a little each time she thought about what was done to him.

The sun was setting behind them. They had made great time today. About an hour ago after the questions stopped for the time being they rolled right through Rawlins and were now entering the outskirts of Laramie with less than an hour to reach Cheyenne. They both decided to go for it. Alexis was content playing with her monkey bunky and somehow someone bought her a purple elephant which she was using to talk to monkey bunky with. In no time they were pulling off at exit 359 to get to I-25 north. At the first exit, they pulled into the La Quinta hotel. Rick went to the front desk and got one room with two queen sized beds. They needed a comfortable bed to sleep in after being stuck in the truck for the last 12 hours.

There was an Outback not that far from the hotel and they were starving. Settling into the room they left and had a good meal together. It was when Alexis' eyes started to close that they decided to head back. Reaching the hotel, they practiced the routine as they had the night before. The second Alexis was bathed and changed she was asleep minus her bottle. Not long after, Rick and Kate were asleep as well.