New Year's Eve Day, and here I am, hanging off a wall. According to Dad, Phin and I were already bouncing off the walls today anyhow, so he figured that rock climbing was the perfect activity for us.

Phin is already most of the way to the top of the tallest wall, but I'm stuck about half-way up, trying to figure out the best way to go. Did I mention that he's totally better at this than me?

"You got this, Gracie," Dad calls from below me on the mats. "Just focus on finding your next grip."

My arms feel like they're burning, and so do my legs, and when the doorbell rings, I gasp in surprise and grip the wall harder.

"The belay rope has you!" Dad yells, and I can see him out of the corner of my eye scrambling for the door.

I see a red grip with a good lip to my left and decide to work that way a bit instead. I stretch and grab it, looking down at a foothold and hanging on with all my finger strength, I move my foot to that rock.

"Oh, my God!" I hear Mom gasp and quickly shift my other leg to a closer rock, so I don't feel so much like a starfish slapped against a wall.

"Veronica, they're fine. Look. See. Helmets. Harnesses. Ropes. Mats. Safe."

"Yes, I know that, Logan, but it's still startling to see our son and daughter actually climbing the walls above my head."

I twist a bit to see Mom and Stosh, standing next to Dad as he grins up at me, obviously amused by Mom flipping out. She's early. What's up with that? I really hope it's because she wanted to be with Dad and us sooner.

"Hey, Mom!" Phin calls. "Watch this!"

I look over to see Phin scramble like freaking Spider-man to the top of the tallest wall and slap the glass window of the skylight.

"Great job, Phin! You did that climb in record time today!" Dad calls. "Now come on down! You too, Gracie."

I grab the rope and lean back a bit to start my rappel down, and I hear Mom gasp again as I literally bounce back down the wall backwards, but I can't turn around to see her face. I'm kinda actually glad to be coming down because my arms are feeling like jello. Even though we've been practicing a little every day, I don't have the arm strength that Phin has. Yet.

As soon as I hit the mats with my feet, Dad is beside me, unscrewing the carabiner lock from my harness and locking it to the loop on the wall. He kisses my forehead and smiles down at me. "You did great today."

"Thanks, Dad." I smile.

I start to walk towards Mom, and my knees wobble a bit. Damn it! This happened yesterday too.

Mom quickly steps over to me, and I grab her arm as she looks at me with concern.

"I'm fine. Sometimes it just takes a second to get used to flat ground."

"I bet."

She forces her best smile, but I can still see her concern. We move to the big black bin of gear sitting the middle of the room, and I grab my water bottle off the ground before taking a long sip, as I look between Stosh and Mom staring at me.

"Well, I should go pick up the recording equipment," Stosh says and steps over to Mom. He gives her a quick kiss on the cheek before retreating. "I'll be back before midnight for a better kiss."

I legit feel some barf in my throat, and I quickly take another sip of water to wash it away. I make eye contact with Stosh and realize that he's wearing make-up to cover whatever bruises are left, and I try not to laugh because I'll spit out my water.

"I'll be here. Waiting..." Mom replies, and I realize her voice is cold. "Have a good time tonight."

Stosh seems to ignore Mom's shortness and instead, forces a smile at me.

"Good climbing there, Gracie," he says. "Maybe we can hit a rock wall when we're back home."

Nooooo! He's trying to be all Dad-like. I don't want this at all! But I swallow quickly and nod. "Yeah. Maybe."

"Veronica showed you the code to the front gate?" Dad asks Stosh as he and Phin join us.

"Yeah. She did. Thanks." Stosh nods at Dad before walking towards the front door. "Guess I'll see everyone later."

Mom gives him a short wave back but doesn't say a word. I can feel how tense she is next to me. I mean, of course, she is. Who wouldn't be? Stosh chose Uncle D and his terrible music over his own fiancee on New Year's Eve, the most romantic night of the entire year! Well, except Valentine's Day,of course, but I mean, seriously….what's wrong with him?

"Have fun! We'll see you later..." Dad calls in a voice that sounds a little too happy to see him go. He gives a quick wave and Stosh nods at Dad as he pulls open the door.

For a second, he pauses and looks us all over with a weird expression that I can't place. It's not really upset, but it isn't happy either.

"Thanks. See you, Veronica," Stosh mutters and slips out the door, closing it behind him before Mom can say a word.

We all stand in the awkward silence left behind as if no one has the guts to speak up after witnessing Mom's fiance walk out the door on us.

"Hope his hearing survives," Dad whispers, and I snort when I giggle.

Mom folds her arms across her chest and rolls her eyes. "He's doing this for work."

"Sure, he is." Dad snickers and bends down to grab his water bottle from the ground. "You keep telling yourself that, Vee. Don't think about when those Citizen Dick CDs get moved into your home, permanently."

Mom scowls at Dad as he takes a long sip of water, fighting the obvious grin that's trying to overtake his face.

"You're early," Phin mumbles in a way that doesn't show that he's happy at all to see her.

"I am. Sorry. I didn't think I would be interrupting anything." Mom looks confused, glancing between Phin and me and Dad like she's out of place with her own family. "Piz wanted to drop me off so he could get the audio recording equipment from the store before it closed."

"No problem. We were just burning off some extra energy before you, and the pizza, arrived." Dad grabs the harness around his waist and gives it a little tug. "Want to try? We still have plenty of time."

Mom's mouth opens slightly as she looks Dad up and down. He's in his tight, bright orange climbing pants and a black athletic t-shirt and the straps of the harness are wrapped around his waist and legs.

"Depends…" A crooked smile crosses Mom's lips. "Are the ugly pants part of the equipment?"

Dad looks down at himself, and Phin and I can't help but snicker.

"Hey, these are expensive climbing pants."

"Of course they are." Mom drops her big purse on the ground and puts her hands on her hips. "Okay. If I don't need to wear any orange clown pants, I'm game."

"Gee. Thanks." Dad takes his turn, looking Mom up and down, then shakes his head. "At least you wore your sneakers. The kids and I use climbing shoes, but those will have to do since I don't think you'll fit into mine or the kids'. I may have to give you one of my t-shirts though, since you may get too hot in that sweater."

Mom drops her jacket on top of her purse and frowns down at her grey, cozy sweater over her black tights, then looks up and gives Dad a knowing smirk. "Oh, I can take care of that."

She grabs her sweater and pulls it over her head in a flash, revealing a tight black tank top underneath.

For a second, Dad blinks in shock at Mom, once again, taking her clothes off in front of him. I mean, seriously...what is with her and that?

"Okay then…" Dad gulps and walks over to the gear bin. "Kids, why don't you get yourselves out of your harnesses while I help your mom into one."

I start to focus on loosening the straps to mine, but out of the corner of my eye, I see him pull out the purple one Uncle D usually uses from the container. Walking back to Mom, he unbuckles the waistband, kneels on one knee and holds the harness out in front of himself for her.

"So, slip one leg into the leg-band and then the other. This is usually Dick's, so the harness is sized pretty big right now, but I'll adjust everything once you're in."

Mom hesitates before giving a little cough and steps closer to him. For a second, she bites her lip, trying to figure out how to do it, but then finally settles on grabbing Dad's shoulder and stepping high into the leg bands, one leg at a time. Dad buckles the waistband around her and frowns.

"I'm going to have to tighten this a lot. Hang on."

With that, Dad starts yanking on the side straps around Mom's waist as she pitches back and forth against the force. She grabs his other shoulder and lets out a squeak as he pulls everything tighter.

"Too tight?" he asks, looking up at her.

"No. Not too tight. Just right."

Dad slips his fingers between Mom and the waistband and gives her a little shake to test if it's tight enough to her body, but not so tight that she can't breathe or move.

"Good. Wouldn't want you wiggling out of your restraints ."

And that's when Dad winks at her, and Mom blushes over her whole body so it looks like she's been out in the sun for hours, and I'm so confused why that would make her blush. But it has, and it's so weird.

Phin walks near them, dropping his harness into the bin, and Mom clears her throat as Dad refocuses on tightening the straps around her thigh, this weird smile on his face.

"I bet you say that to all the girls you have over here," Mom snips and puts her hands on her waist, trying not to move against Dad's pushing and pulling of the harness.

"Bold of you to think any of my dates make it back here," Dad mutters and moves on to the other leg.

"Oh, come on, don't act like you live like some sort of hermit in this giant man-cave." Flicking her hand towards the sky, Mom scoffs. "I'm sure you've had at least one or two girlfriends in this same position."

My heart clenches. They're fighting. I can tell by Mom's tone. This was not what I imagined at all. But now it makes sense why they barely talk with us around, if this is what happens when they're around each other, without anyone else to see, like Stosh and Grandpa at the zoo. Now, they're being themselves. And it kinda sucks.

Dad groans as he stands, but as he rises, he keeps his head in line with Mom's so his eyes are level with hers.

"Funny thing…when you're a rich, eligible man with kids, women either want no part of whatever drama comes with having kids or want to become your next baby-mama. Or at least that describes the ones I seem to meet, so I tend to make sure none of them get too close to the kids, or me for that matter…" He purses his lips, and I see his jaw twitch as Mom's eyes get wider. "...and I most definitely would not bring any of them to Christmas."

Mom swallows so loud that I can hear it, and she opens her mouth to say something, but then looks over at me and then Phin and closes her mouth, nodding to Dad.

"Fine. Now I know."

Dad straightens and nods back at her. "Now you know." With a wave of his hand, he starts towards the wall. "Come on. Let's get you climbing."

Mom follows him across the room and I quickly slip out of my harness and drop it in with the rest of the gear. Phin frowns at me, and I glare back. Clearly, he is not happy about the little chat about Dad's love life either. I take off my helmet and toss it onto the bin, and Phin does the same before we head over to Dad and Mom at the wall. Dad has bouldered up a little way on the wall with one hand and one foot up on the rocks, and he's looking down at Mom as he hangs there, like some overgrown chimp showing off.

"Just go slow. Think of it as a huge puzzle you have to figure out. Focus on finding your next move before you grab a rock—climb with your eyes. Straight arms are good arms. Try and hug the wall. If you get stuck, I'll come up on the other line and help you out."

Mom nods. "Okay. I've got this."

"You've totally got this, Mom!" I say from the edge of the mat.

"Thanks, sweetheart," Mom says as she puts her foot up onto a rock, testing its secureness before pushing off and grabbing a rock with a good lip just a bit higher.

Dad jumps down onto the mat and steps back from the wall to give her some space. "Just imagine we're back in high school, and this is someone's house you're breaking into." He laughs and Mom glares at him.

"Whaaattt?" Phin and I exclaim.

"Logan!"

"Don't worry, Vee. I told them all about your exploits as an investigator...it's all good. They get it."

"What?" Mom screeches at him and finds another place to secure her loose leg and she narrows her gaze at Dad, now securely on the wall. "For the record, I never broke into anyone's homes...this way…"

"Oh, it's fine." He waves his hand at her and scoffs. "Now show them what you've got. We'll tell them more stories about your cases when you get down."

"I'm going to kill you when I get down," Mom mutters and starts looking for her next rock as Dad just laughs.

"You can't try and kill me until you make it to the top and back. That's a house rule."

With that, Mom scampers to her next position, and I have to admit, she has a natural talent for climbing. Up and up, she climbs, and Dad stands on the mats at the bottom near the wall, smiling up at her with what looks like pride in his eyes.

"Do you believe she'll actually kill him?" Phin whispers in my ear, and I wrinkle my nose at him.

"No. I don't. Not one bit."

I keep my eyes on Mom as she climbs higher and higher, and I can see her muscles flexing and pushing against her skin, and it's not really until this moment that I realize how physically strong she is. I mean, I know that she's super smart and she just keeps going every day, no matter what's happening in her life, but this is a whole new level of strength that I've never seen. Soon enough, she's at the ceiling to the second floor, and she slaps it, looking down with a satisfied grin on her face, and we all break into applause.

"Way to go, Mom!" I yell.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Phin calls and hoots and hollers some more.

"Knew you had it in you still, Vee!" Dad says from below her. "Now brace yourself with your feet and hold on to the rope, just like you saw Gracie do it a few minutes ago, then bend your legs and push yourself gently back and forth from the wall. The belay rope will start to lower you."

"Okay." Mom nods down to Dad and begins to move into position.

Slowly, she begins her choppy descent, and Dad comes to stand directly under her, his arms up, just in case. When she reaches his hands, he holds her waist and steps back, guiding her back to stand on the ground.

She spins around, and her face is flushed with sweat and her eyes wide from the adrenaline rush.

"I can't believe I did that," she gasps and turns around in Dad's grasp.

"Always good to learn a new skill," he laughs. "Although I think they frown on District Attorneys scaling buildings and breaking into places for evidence."

Mom just rolls her eyes at Dad and presses her hand to her cheek, grinning wildly. "Oh my God, I haven't felt this exhilarated in a long time."

Dad gives her a playful wink and grins back. "I won't tell Piz you said that."

Mom puts her hand over her mouth to suppress the sharp gasp that escapes her, and Dad averts his eyes, his smile turning somewhat wicked.

As she takes a step away from him, Mom's knees buckle a bit, and Dad lurches, grabbing her to keep her upright. We step onto the mats, but stop when we realize Dad has her. Mom grips his t-shirt, breathing hard as he holds her steady.

"That happens sometimes," he says with a chuckle. "Muscles you haven't used in a while often get angry when you use them again. Probably should have had you warm up a bit first."

Mom closes her eyes for a second, and Dad shifts his hands to press against her back. And that's when time stands still. I blink, and my brain captures the image of my Mom in my Dad's arms, and it looks so natural and...personal...that I kind of makes me think I shouldn't be watching. But then it all starts back up again, and Mom wriggles a bit, and Dad lets her go.

"I could use some water," she whispers, and Phin jumps beside me.

"I'll get it!" he says and hurries back to grab his water bottle from our pile.

She steps back to the wall and holds on to the rocks; her eyes fixed on Dad in this way that I can't quite place. They're softer, kinder than they've been. And Dad's looking back at her...like...gosh, like some guy in a movie who is about to kiss the woman he loves.

"Here!" Phin shoves the water bottle at Mom, and Dad steps back a bit, and the spell is broken.

"Thank you, Phin." Mom takes the bottle and lifts it to her lips, taking a long, long sip.

"Phin, why don't you and your sister start putting away the mats while I help your Mom out of the harness." He looks back at me and jerks his chin towards the ground. "Then you guys can take a quick shower and get into your pajamas for pizza and movies. Pizza should be here by the time you get back."

"Okay, Dad," I say, and he nods at me before refocusing on Mom.

I step back off the mat and start to walk to the one beside it, but I can't pull my eyes away from Dad as he drops back down to one knee and gently begins to unlock Mom's carabiner from the rope.

And that's when I see it. I catch her. When he's not looking up, her hand moves like it's about to touch Dad's hair, but she stops herself and grabs the rope between them instead, gripping it for dear life.

She wants to touch him.

She wants to touch him in a way I've never seen her touch anyone before.

Again, I blush, like I just saw something...something... intimate ...at least that's what I think is the word from Stella's romance novels.

Mom looks over at me, and I jump inside and turn away, hurrying back to my duties, putting away the mats. I thought tonight would be about our family and us. Clearly, I was wrong. Something is happening with Mom and Dad—something I couldn't even imagine.

In fact, it's better than I could have ever dreamed.