"Been trying to
Look the other way
Like we never knew love
Giving you this space
All I've got to say stuck
Spinning in my head
I'm done, I'm not gonna pretend no

I should have known it'd be this hard
To let you go, free my heart
The little things drive me insane
I'm not gonna run away no

I'm not gonna run away from our love
I'm not gonna run away from our love
I'm not gonna run away from our love
I'm not gonna run away from our love"

Moonchild—"Runaway"

Sabine took a deep breath and walked into San Felipe's Taqueria.

"Baby!"

Belinda ran from behind the counter and grabbed a hold of Sabine and nearly knocked her off of her feet. Her face was smothered with kisses until her father came out of the kitchen wiping his hands on a paper towel.

"Aye, Mija. Good to have you home."

Cedro gave her a long hug and patted her back when he let her go. She saw her brother in the back helping out with the food prep line. He gave her a head nod. Erik's entire family walked in behind her and Papi stared at Killmonger.

"We had the same flight so Erik gave me a ride over here," she said.

"Mr. Moreno," Erik said holding out his hand.

Papi shook it but then his eyes went back to her.

"Hungry?" Papi asked.

"Tuh!" Belinda said hustling them all to the biggest table they had in the place right in the center of the restaurant.

"I told them about the mango bacon tacos," Deuce said.

Papi tapped Deuce's shoulder.

"They have been selling like crazy today. I had to run out and get more bacon and double the order of shrimp for next week."

"I told you bacon was the bomb," Deuce said, proud of his contribution.

"Mango bacon shrimp tacos for everybody then," Erik said.

Papi returned to the kitchen.

"I'll be right back, I need to use the restroom," Sabine said.

Voiding her bladder after a long flight, Sabine washed her hands and fluffed out her hair. When she opened the restroom door, her mother was waiting for her. Belinda stepped into the restroom with her and locked the door.

"Mommy."

"Are you okay? We read about Alex."

"I'm fine."

"What happened? Is it true about Erik?"

"I broke it off with Alex because he was a jerk."

"Are you and Erik together?"

"No. I took him back as my coach."

"Sugar, is that wise?"

"He's the best. Why wouldn't I use him? He knows how to get me to do well. None of my other coaches can get in my head the way he does."

"That's what I'm worried about."

"I'm doing my best. There's a lot going on and I just want to spend the holiday in peace."

"The kids…their Mom left."

"Yeah. She'll be gone for two and a half months or so."

"I couldn't imagine leaving you and Robert for that long."

"She's getting the help she needs."

"Is Erik's shoulder bad?"

"He strained it then had a little tearing."

"Deuce was so bummed when he heard about it. I think they were supposed to go to Disney World or something for the holidays."

"Not anymore. He has to heal in time for the World Tour next year."

"How are you?"

Belinda wrapped her arms around Sabine's shoulders.

"Tired. Mentally drained. I just want to go to Baja and forget everything and everybody."

"I hear you, baby. Your Dad needs a long vacation. I do too. We're packed up and ready to go."

"I need to do some laundry and service my van, but I'll have my stuff together tomorrow."

"I missed you so much."

Belinda squeezed her tight and they walked back to join the feast of tacos that arrived piping hot to the boisterous table. Sabine sat next to Deuce and picked up a taco. He studied her face.

"Can I try it in peace?" she asked.

He stared at her harder as she bit into it.

The creamy salmon-colored sauce and the yellow of the chopped mango hid the bacon bits smothering grilled shrimp without the batter. The white corn tortilla made her close her eyes. She missed so many home foods while she was in Paris. Licking her fingers, she glanced over at Deuce. His brown hair flopped over his eyes as he held his chin in his hand watching her face.

"Okay, maybe bacon and mangos can co-exist."

Deuce and her father whooped it up and everyone else chowed down.

Sabine was surprised that her father spent the entire time talking to Erik about Pipe Masters and Pe'ahi. Her mother chatted enthusiastically with Yvette and the kids just stuffed their faces. Robert joined them and an hour went by. The next thing she knew her mother was talking to Erik about his arm and her Dad was telling Yvette about San Felipe and Puertocitas and how he can make the best fish tacos straight out of the ocean. Another thirty minutes rolled by and Erik looked at her realizing that his family and her family had ignored them both and were now having several conversations at once.

Robert brought them churros and flan while her parents went back to the kitchen. Erik moved to sit next to her.

"So much has been going on since I've been gone," she said.

"Yeah. How does it feel to be back?"

"Good. I missed everyone. I miss this food."

His eyes were gentle-looking and he watched his children joke with Robert until Marina walked over and crawled onto his lap flinging her arms around his neck.

"I miss my Muffin hugs," he said kissing Marina's forehead.

Erik hugged his daughter tight and Sabine felt comfort seeing him be a Dad. All the different sides of him she had seen in eight months made him fully human to her. Her hand ran up his arm and she pulled back suddenly when she realized what she was doing. It just came second nature to her. Touching him. Marina rested her head against his shoulder and he stared at Sabine like he wanted to just give her a gentle kiss. Like a couple would after a long day.

"I better get them home," he said.

"I need to get my stuff out of your car and off your roof."

He started to stand up.

"Relax, give me your keys, I'll have Robert help me," she said.

He handed her the keys and she grabbed her brother for assistance. Deuce tagged along to help out. Belinda told her that the boy grew close to her brother while his Dad was gone. He even went surfing with him.

Stacking her things inside her van and locking up Erik's car, Sabine sent Robert inside with the keys. She wanted a moment alone with Deuce.

"You doing okay, Deuce?"

"Yeah. Sucks we can't go to Florida though."

"Is Marina okay?"

"So far."

"Your Aunt is really cool."

"Yeah. We never got to see her that much. I like having her around. She's funny. She cusses a lot!"

"I noticed."

His eyes darted away for a second and then he took on a serious expression.

"I saw you kiss my Dad. When he won."

Sabine touched the back of her neck.

"Yeah…um…I was excited that he won. Got a little carried away."

"You like him?"

"I do. He's going to coach me again—"

"No, I mean…like him-like him. More than a friend."

"I've been a fan of your Dad for a long time—"

"Sugar! Hey, you two come in here real quick," Belinda said opening the back door of the restaurant.

She threw away a bag of trash and held the door open for them.

Sabine took that distraction to get away from Deuce fast. Inside the dining area, Erik was standing up and holding Marina's hand. Yvette carried a bag of food to go. Papi stood next to Yvette. Belinda went over to Cedro and he put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close so that they were hip to hip.

"Erik, I was talking with my wife in the kitchen and we know you had big plans for Deuce and Marina, but since you're injured…we were wondering…if you would like to…we'd like to invite your family to come spend the Christmas and New Year's holiday with our family in Baja. We have plenty of room at our beach home, and plenty of fun stuff that we do. It's not Disneyworld, but we have plenty of children there for your kids to play with, and we party hard, swim, fish, visit the hot springs, sleep under the stars, make music, shoot our own fireworks…it's a big ten-day celebration. You can heal and the children can have fun. I think it's better than Disney World."

Sabine was stunned.

Their clan went to Baja four times a year, and it was a family and close friends only destination. Erik's eyes stared at her parents, and then he looked at her. Deuce was about to leap out of his skin with excitement. Marina bounced next to him.

"Say yes, Daddy, please!" she begged.

"Think about it. We're leaving in two days. If you would like to go, just pack up some things, including jackets and warm clothes. Santa Klaus knows how to get there," Belinda said.

Deuce rolled his eyes, but Marina was over the moon at the thought of St Nick flying to find them.

"If he doesn't go, I would like to come myself," Yvette said.

They all laughed, but Erik was still hesitant.

"I'll think about it and let you know sometime tomorrow," he said.

"Dad, come on! This will totally make up for Florida," Deuce pleaded.

Erik had full custody. He could take the children out of the country for a vacation. His eyes sought hers out again. Sabine was torn. She wanted him to say yes, but it would mean constant scrutiny from her family. But it would also mean they could spend ten days together talking about surfing.

"Pretty please?"

Marina was really pulling all the stops.

Erik looked at her father and Papi was so open. Sabine was still in shock.

"Okay, we'll come to Baja with you."

The explosion of shouts from, Deuce, Marina, and Yvette startled Sabine. They said their goodbyes and Sabine wanted to walk them out, but she decided to stay prudent. She also wanted to speak to her parents.

"Mommy…Papi…hold up," she said stopping them from going back to work. An influx of customers made Sabine pull them to the side for privacy.

"Why?" she asked.

Papi glanced at Belinda.

"You both admonished me to stay away from him. Why would you invite him to spend ten days with us…with his family even…I don't get it."

"You don't want him to come?" Papi asked.

"I do…I…"

She couldn't explain how she felt.

Belinda stroked her arm.

"We talked about how the children must feel. Not having their mother around and being with their Dad full-time now. Change is hard, especially during the holiday. We thought it would help them to be around fun people and to maybe ease them into a new life. We still have some reservations about your call to work with him again…but he's divorced now and we want to see who he really is," she said.

"Papi, did Mom talk you into this?"

"No. It was my idea," he said.

"I don't know what to say. It was an incredibly generous offer to him."

"Well, your Dad kinda bought a bunch of presents for Deuce and Marina—"
"I want to see them open them!" he said.

"You two are crazy. I'm going to the house," Sabine said.

She turned away but stopped.

"Thank you for doing this for them."

"Get out of here. We'll see you in the morning," Cedro said.

Sabine hugged them both, then left quickly.

Sitting in her van, she allowed the wave of emotions coming down on her wash through. After twenty minutes, she picked up her cell phone and called Erik.

He answered after the first ring.

"Hey," she said.

She could hear the children in the background.

"I should've waited until later to call you. I forgot you haven't seen Deuce and Marina for a long time."

"You're good, they're just playing with the gifts I brought them. We can talk."

"I didn't know my parents were going to invite you. I'm glad you agreed to go. It is a lot of fun."

"They actually saved me from a lot of grief. I was trying to figure out what we could do with my arm messed up. They could always do Belmont, but they see that every other weekend."

"If you change your mind, it's okay—"

"Nah. I want us to be there…with you."

"I can text you some stuff that you should bring. We take my van and my Dad's SUV. We load up a lot of stuff at the border to take down to my relatives. It's a long drive, but it's fun. You and your family can ride with me."

"Okay."

The children's voices grew louder and Marina's squeals made Sabine smile.

"I'll let you go. Sounds like they love what you brought them."

"See you in two days," he said.

Sabine hung up and sat a little longer in her car. The very visceral feeling of a shift came over her. Most people lived life and missed the imperceptible and very real change that just happened, but Sabine could feel it, physically feel the shift. She knew at that moment that the trip would change her life. She had no clue if the outcome would be good or bad, but she knew without a doubt that she and Erik were stepping into something life-altering.

She was scared.

But open.

###

"That's too much ice!"

Sugar's mother fussed with Cedro as he poured a bag of ice over the various meats inside a large cooler they bought at the Albertson's at the Calexico border. Erik watched Sugar pour another bag of ice over perishables in another big cooler as his children snacked on ice cream cones and stood next to Sugar's van.

Two days before Christmas Eve, and the weather was warm with a slight breeze blowing warm air around them. The Moreno family knew how to pack and organize goods like professionals. Both vehicles were stacked and packed with food, gifts, firewood, bottled water, luggage, liquor, blankets, and a mixed breed German Shepard named Butchie who sat quietly on the floor of Sugar's van wagging its tail and waiting for his kids to drop any ice cream that melted quickly in their hands.

"You won't be able to close that thing," Belinda said.

Cedro spread ice cubes around in the cooler, tossing out a few pieces until the cooler lid finally closed all the way.

"There!" he said.

"All that ice wasted," Belinda huffed kicking the loose cubes away from their SUV.

Gassed up and tires checked one last time for full inflation, they all divided up into the vehicles and drove toward the border crossing. Two hours earlier they had visited family on Belinda's side of the family who lived in El Cajon. The drive took two hours to get to Calexico and it would take about four hours to drive to San Felipe, and then another hour or so to drive to their beach home in an area known as Carisso that was in between the small towns of San Felipe and Puertecitos. It was a desert and beach culture and Eric felt comfortable allowing Sugar's family to guide them on the adventure.

Erik felt ease and calm in allowing Cedro to be the unofficial leader of their group with Belinda being the overall General over him. It was fun watching Sugar turn into a dutiful daughter who teased her younger brother but also became Aunt-like making sure his children were comfortable with the time and distance it was taking to get there. Yvette was a little nervous about the bathroom situation across the border. Sugar had warned them all that whenever they used the bathroom across the border, they would have to get used to not throwing toilet paper into the toilet bowls. The septic systems in San Felipe were not made to handle too much toilet paper so people threw them in the garbage cans next to the toilets. Marina and Deuce's noses turned up for a moment until Sugar explained why it was done that way to smooth over the cultural differences and etiquette. Yvette almost came undone when she learned that Sugar's family had an actual outhouse behind their beach home.

"We have two toilets inside our house that you can use to pee and stuff, and they flush, but we have a small septic tank, so you'll have to poop in the outhouse," she told Yvette.

"Does it smell?" Yvette asked.

"Sometimes in the summer or when it's really hot, but you get used to it. Most times you don't smell anything."

Yvette's face became pinched and Erik bought her a bunch of biodegradable toilet paper and wet wipes. He glanced back at his sister in the back of the van. Yvette's eyes watched the scenery as they drove on a two-lane highway. To the left side of the van was the Sea of Cortez and a wide swathe of dried cracked earth where the sea had receded from the land years before. On the right side of the road was the desert with cactus and other desert shrubs.

Sugar was a careful driver following behind her father. She played Deuce's music, which made him happy as he watched the world pass by. Marina held her new Hawaiian dolls in her lap and was fast asleep with her head leaned up against her Aunt's shoulder. Both his children had an opportunity to talk to their mother before they left before Calista went on lockdown.

His ex-wife was not pleased to know he would be with Sugar's family. He didn't want to lie to her and he let Cedro speak to her so she would know they would be with a responsible family. It was awkward for Erik to watch the man speak to a woman he left, especially when he was in love with the man's only daughter. Erik was curious to know what was in the man's head to want to bring the Stevens clan around his own. He did his best to keep his interactions with Sugar platonic, but it was difficult not to look at her and turn soft in the heart and eyes. So many times he wanted to reach over and hold her hand as she drove, but his left arm stayed bound to his side. She rapped bars from the MCs playing with Deuce and he had to scratch his head at who the different groups were. He listened to a lot of music, but the mixtape they were spitting with was foreign to him. He eventually plugged in his music player and switched up the vibe to Moonchild, and Sugar head-bobbed to it.

"Whatchu know 'bought this?" he asked.

She seemed impressed, but Deuce stuck his earbuds in to listen to his own stuff once more. Sugar snapped her fingers and he head-bobbed with her.

"Won't be long now," Sugar said.

The sun was lowering in the sky.

"Sugar, I have to pee," Marina said.

There was no immediate available turn-off.

"Okay sweetie, can you hold it for about five minutes?"

Marina nodded and Sugar flashed her high beams on her Dad.

Her brother rode in the back of the SUV and caught the flashing lights. Within six minutes they all pulled over to a narrow strip of dirt road.

"We gotta make it fast, Marina," Erik said.

Yvette hopped out with Marina and grabbed a towel and toilet paper. Holding the towel around Marina, his daughter urinated and buried the biodegradable toilet paper. Sugar took Butchie out of the car and the dog took his time pissing everywhere and then pooping.

"Good boy," Sugar told him before putting him back in the van.

Yvette gave Marina hand sanitizer and once more they were on their way. Two more hours in and they stopped at a Calimax grocery store in San Felipe where Belinda ran in to buy some fruits and vegetables Sugar's Abuela wanted for their Christmas meal. Belinda didn't waste time. She was in and out and within fifteen minutes and soon they were all sitting inside a small food square eating fish tacos leaving Butchie to sleep in the car protecting their things with two cracked open windows. The owner of the small taco stand greeted Sugar's family with hugs and they ate well. The town was busy with locals and vacationing tourists.

Deuce and Marina were excited at all the colors and the wide Cortez Sea that they stared at. After their meal, he took pictures of them in front of the San Felipe landmark sign and they watched people ride giant banana water rides.

"I want to do that!" Marina shouted.

"We'll come back into town later in the week, and we'll take you out there," Cedro said.

"Yay! Papi!" Marina squealed.

Cedro had a big grin on his face. Deuce looked like he was just as excited, and Erik was happy that his son wasn't his usual grumpy-looking self.

"Smells different down here," Deuce said.

The odors were pungent with the fresh food, the seawater crowded with fishing boats, and beached tour boats on the land, and of course the scent of a desert setting. The geography was beautiful. Cedro bought Erik a beer as they all stretched their legs while walking through the town and passing souvenir shops and bars. San Felipe allowed people to walk and drink like New Orleans and Erik took the beer like a peace-offering. Sugar and Yvette walked together chatting and eyeing cute dresses on display on the sidewalks. Deuce walked with Robert checking out the ATVs that roamed up and down the street. Marina held hands with Belinda in the very front of their entourage.

"I'm glad you could come with us," Cedro said.

"Me too."

Everyone else walked inside an open Bazaar area to shop and Erik stayed outside with Cedro to drink. Both men were the same height, and Cedro's eyes regarded Erik's face.

"You love my daughter?"

Erik almost choked on his drink.

"Um…"

"I know she loves you. I don't really approve—"

"Mr. Moreno—"

"I know you're divorced now. I know you two had some type of relationship in the past while you were still married…"

Erik could feel his face melting with embarrassment. Sugar's Dad was not trying to start their time together tip-toeing around the obvious.

"My daughter is everything to me. You are so much older than her. Why do this?"

"Do what?"

"This whole coaching thing. You don't want to just coach her—"

"Sir—"

Cedro held up his hand and his face grew tight.

"Don't try to shit me. You have all kinds of women. Why do you want my child?"

"With all due respect, she's not a child."

"You have a daughter. You would be just as protective."

"True. But Sugar is a woman."

"Her life is just getting started."

Cedro's eyes darted to the bazaar checking for his family and Erik's.

"I will fucking kill you if you break her heart."

"I don't have any intention of hurting her. A part of me wants to stay away from her because of all the things you said. She's young. Her life is beginning. I've got kids…"

Cedro's eyes were still hard.

"The first time I met her she caught me at my worst. But I can't help what I feel. She just gets under my skin and won't leave. Trust me. I have given myself a list of reasons to leave her alone, and I can't do it. I'm sorry. I'm the last dude she should want, but as long as she'll have me, I'm going to be around her. I love her. I won't apologize for that. I'm terrified of where my life is with my children right now going forward. But your daughter…Sugar…she makes it easier just by being in my life. I worry that she'll break my heart if I can keep it one hundred with you."

Cedro glared at him, but Erik stood his ground. The older man took a long drag on his beer bottle.

"Deuce talks to me. About you."

Erik let his eyes drop away from the man's face.

"What does he say about me?"

"I can tell that he worships the ground you walk on. He brags about you. He worries about you being alone and unhappy. He worries about his Mom being alone and unhappy too. He doesn't want to live in La Jolla anymore. He wants to stay with you full time, but he's afraid of hurting your wife's…your ex-wife's feelings."

"He told you all that?"

"He never said anything to you?"

"No. I know he wants to go to Sugar's old high school. He has friends that go there."

"Maybe these next ten days will be good for both of you. You can talk freely. Sometimes being in a new place opens people up. You can have an honest conversation with him."

Cedro tossed his beer in a trash receptacle. Erik followed suit.

"Thanks for being there for him," Erik said.

"You raised a good boy."

"Look at this!"

Belinda stepped in front of Cedro with a long red skirt.

"Hey, they brought those back!"

"Yeah! When Robert ruined my last one like this, I thought I'd never find another one. They just came in stock. I bought two to be safe."

Belinda's eyes caught Erik's and what she saw on his face made her glance back at Cedro quickly. Something unspoken passed between them. Sugar and the others came back out with bags of souvenirs.

"Look, jumping beans!" Marina said holding out her hand for Erik to inspect.

He held them in his right palm and watched the small brown beans move in his hands with subtle rolling motions.

"There are worms inside them. They're not really beans. Sugar said they're seeds," Marina said with her nose close to his hand.

"Cool," Erik.

"The man said the baby worms are trying to get out. Baby moths," she said.

He handed them back to her.

"What's that?" Erik asked.

Deuce held a small yellow envelope with a brown snake symbol on it.

"Rattlesnake eggs," Deuce said.

"Be careful," Sugar warned, "we have to release them back in the wild when we get close to our house."

"They sale snakes like that?" Erik asked.

Deuce nodded.

"You want to see them, Dad? They're really cool," Deuce said.

Erik took the envelope from his son's hand and pulled back the loose tab. The packet rattled and snapped in his hand.

"Shit!"

Erik dropped the packet and jumped pulling Marina back with him.

Sugar's family and his family burst out in loud guffaws. Deuce had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard, He clutched his stomach and pointed at Erik.

"Dad! Your face! Rattlesnake eggs don't rattle!"

Erik stepped on the packet then picked it up. Inside were paperclips twisted in rubber bands.

"Y'all wrong for that!" Erik yelled tossing the packet back to Deuce.

Sugar wiped her eyes as she cackled in his face. Her father was still falling out.

Erik curled his lip and just watched everyone finish howling at his expense.

Belinda looked at her watch.

"We better head in. We still have an hour to drive."

The ride out of town and back onto the two-lane highway was slow and steady. The roads were paved, but there were potholes and flood washouts in some areas. Once it grew completely dark without the moon, the starlight was a lonesome guide. Yvette and the children snoozed in the back.

"You are a real baller for driving all the way down," Erik said.

"I'm used to it."

"Yvette could've driven."

"I know the roads better."

It grew cool in the darkness and Sugar turned on the heater in the van.

"Rabbit," she whispered as a lean brown body streaked across the road.

"What was that?" Erik asked as another small rodent ran by.

"Kangaroo rat."

"That's a long-ass tail," Erik said.

Sugar stopped driving and let Erik roll down the window and use her flashlight to look at it closely.

"I'm glad Marina didn't see it. She'd want it as a pet," he said.

"Almost there," she whispered.

Ten more miles away from the rat and rabbit, Sugar made a left onto soft sand. It took another slow drive to reach a darkened house and park behind her parent's car. Stepping out, Erik saw another house to the far right of Sugar's family's residence with soft lights on, but to the immediate left at about forty feet was a long dark unfinished home. He could hear the water lapping along the sand from the sea. They stood in the back of the house.

"We have two doors to get in," Sugar said.

In the distance, Erik saw two figures emerging from the house on the right. It took some time for the two people to meet them. Butchie ran around in a circle and then ran toward the people.

"Hola," a man the same age as Cedro said. Next to him was a small woman. She held a lantern and the glow of the light revealed a sweet face with gray hair pulled back in a long loose braid.

"Abuela," Sugar said.

She gave the woman a hug along with Robert. The grandmother then held Cedro and Belinda.

"Abuela, this is my coach, Erik Stevens. Erik, this is my grandmother, Lila."

"Hola," Erik said.

"Le damos la bienvenida a nuestro hogar," the man next to her said.

"Welcome," Lila greeted.

Sugar's parents quickly opened up the house, and Erik woke Deuce up. He carried Marina with his good arm as he followed Sugar and Yvette inside.

Kerosine lamps were turned on and Erik saw the reddish-brown mottled beach house was a quaint two-bedroom home with a living room, kitchen, and dining area with large half-moon windows all along the front of the living room and dining area. Belinda pushed open the windows to let air in. It was decorated with a south of the border feel. Multi-colored Mexican blankets and a large red clay Aztec calendar decorated the living room walls and above the couch hung a big yellow kayak with oars. A wood-burned plaque rested above the front door entrance that said "Moreno Family". The furniture was wood with lots of red, orange, and bronze throw pillows, with one giant body-sized copper-colored pillow on the floor. There was no coffee table, just an open space with two small couches facing each other and a few plastic white chairs like the ones they sat on in San Felipe to eat.

The master bedroom had a queen-sized bed and bathroom, and the second bedroom was filled with three sets of bunk beds. Erik's eyes looked warily at the bunk beds. Sugar patted his good arm

"Don't worry, you can sleep on the living room fold out."

She showed him how the couch near the half-moon window pulled out into a bed.

"The second bathroom is right there. The outhouse is right out there. There's a battery-powered lantern inside of it right inside the door. You can do number two out there. You can pee in here, but don't flush until a few more people have too. We have a giant water tank on top of the house, so we try to limit the flushings unless really necessary. You can poop in there if you want to, but we try to limit that to outside bathroom time."

He still held Marina in his good arm.

"I'll take her," Sugar said.

He allowed her to take his child back into the bedroom they walked through to get into the house.

"Should we get our things?" Yvette asked looking around.

Her face looked happy that it was a normal house. For some reason, she kept worrying that they would be staying in a shack out in the wild. Sugar had told her they were low tech there, and Yvette just envisioned caveman living.

Belinda shook out some kitchen towels and stared at Yvette.

"If you want to get your personal belongings you can. We'll leave everything else in the cars until morning."

Everyone was beat.

"Choose a bed, Deuce," Sugar said.

Yvette checked out the bathroom.

"Can I take a shower in the shower?" she asked.

"We have sun shower bags that we hang up in the sunlight to warm up the water. Right now, the bags are full of cool water. You can use them if you don't mind a slight chill."

"I can wait," Yvette said.

His sister stared at him for a second.

"This is so nice," she mouthed to him.

"What are you doing?" Erik asked.

Sugar was beating the beds with a broom, and then she swept under each bunk bed.

"Checking for mice and snakes—"

"Mice and snakes?" Yvette yelped.

Sugar nodded and continued beating for a few more minutes.

"Yeah, sometimes things crawl in here. Our relatives check out the house for us while we're gone, but we always double-check when we get here."

Sugar finished a put the broom in the corner and adjusted the kerosine lamp in the room that sat on a small table near the door.

"Yvette, that other couch can be used as a daybed if you want to sleep out there with Erik," she said.

For a moment, Erik wished she would sleep on it herself. His mind did wander to her crawling in next to him on the pullout couch.

Sugar's parents and relatives spoke in Spanish and Lila's grandmother called her over pulled a small gold necklace out of her skirt pocket.

"Abuela!" Sugar said.

She allowed the woman to hook the gold cross around her neck and she kissed her grandmother's cheek. Cedro spoke to his male cousin and they walked outside to look at something with one of the kitchen lamps and a flashlight. Belinda walked into her bedroom and Sugar returned to his side fiddling with the necklace.

"A late graduation gift. For protection," Sugar said fingering the small gold crucifix.

Deuce walked into the small living room.

"I picked a bed," he said.

Erik tousled his son's hair.

"Haircut," Erik said.

"Nah, I'ma let it grow long," Deuce said.

Yvette stretched her arms and yawned.

"I'm turning in," Yvette said.

"My grandmother is going to cook a big breakfast tomorrow. It's a tradition. A bunch of my cousins are coming through. We'll go over to her house. It'll be around nine in the morning."

"Okay. Can I help with anything tomorrow?"

"Nope. Just show up," Sugar said.

They heard movement on top of the roof of the house. Sugar smiled.

"Robert sleeps on the roof," she said.

"Is that safe?" Yvette asked.

"My Dad built the house like that. We always sleep up there."

"We?" Erik asked.

"That's where I sleep," Sugar said.

"Can I sleep up there?" Deuce asked.

"If you want. There's plenty of room. It's safe Erik. Me and Robert have done that since we were little."

"Sweet!" Deuce said.

"How about you do that tomorrow night. Inside for the first night," Erik said.

Deuce grumbled, but Sugar winked at him.

"Night," Deuce said. He headed back to the second bedroom.

"I swear it's safe up there."

"Ok. He can go up tomorrow."

Yvette watched them and slowly backed away.

"I'm going to bed too. Get ready for breakfast and all that."

Yvette turned in and Erik looked around the house once more.

"This is hella cool."

"It's home away from home."

"Your Dad built it?"

"With my Uncles and my grandfather. When he was alive. He died five years ago. They built the house next door too. They're going to turn it into a vacation rental to earn some income down here. Everyone tends to stay in San Felipe for tourism, but we think it's nicer to be away from the crowds."

Sugar's eyes were red and her shoulders were slumped. She looked fatigued.

"I'll catch you in the morning then. I'll set my alarm."

"You won't have to do that," she said as she walked to the front door.

"No?"

She shook her head.

"Down here, you'll wake up naturally."

"I don't want to be late," he said.

"You won't. I promise. Night."

Erik wanted to kiss her on the forehead, but her father was still in the dining area speaking to his family. He waved at her instead then spread his body across the pull-out bed. The soft sounds of Spanish, the gentle barks of Butchie, and the lull of the rushing seawater washing in and out sent him into a cozy slumber.

###

"Whoa…"

Erik heard Deuce's voice and his eyes popped open. There was a weight on his chest. Looking down at his body he saw the big brown eyes of Butchie staring back at him. The dog licked his chin and Erik pushed the dog's face away from his.

"Breath, homie," Erik whispered.

Erik turned his head toward the open front door and saw Deuce and Marina standing there. Rolling off of the couch bed, he padded over to the children and stood behind them.

"Whoa," he said taking in the sight.

He and his children lived on a beach, but there was distance between their home and the actual water itself. Standing in the doorway, it felt like they gazed at a whole new world. The sun lifted up from the horizon and the sky was a layer of violet-blue, orange, yellow, and reds, the rays spreading out before them like warm fingers embracing their faces. Marina looked up at him.

"It's so pretty Daddy," she whispered with awe in her voice.

One of the sun rays struck the water and seemed to make a path that stretched out toward them like a yellow-brick road. To the left of the magnificent view, Sugar stood with Robert and their grandmother facing the sea. Lila held something bundled in her hand that burned white smoke that rose up to the sky. Marina took a step forward, her bare right foot touching the sand at the entrance of the door. Erik held onto her shoulder to stop her.

"Wait right here for a minute," Erik said.

"What are they doing?" Deuce asked.

"I don't know, but we shouldn't disturb them," he said.

Whatever Lila held in her hand burned away and she rubbed her hands together. Sugar glanced back at them, her hair as big and round as the morning sun, and when she smiled at him and his children, Erik could feel the warmth from it touch them like gentle fingers stroking their faces.

She whistled and Butchie ran past their legs with his children scrambling after the dog, their feet kicking up sand.

"Beautiful, huh?"

Belinda stepped next to him and watched her daughter walk his children to the water with Lila and Robert.

"Yeah, amazing morning."

"I made some coffee. Would you like some?" she asked.

"Yes."

When Erik turned to follow her to the dining area, Cedro and Yvette were already there sipping from delicate green coffee mugs. Sugar's father still regarded him with caution, but the excited laughter and yelps from his children drew Cedro's eyes to the big open windows. A smile creased the man's lips.

"It's like watching Sugar and Robert when they were little," Belinda said peeking out of the window as she poured Erik a cup of coffee from the small white stove. She handed him the steaming brew and he thanked her.

"Welcome to our home," she said.

At that moment, Erik knew he had to do whatever it took to make himself worthy of their daughter.

He was done running away from what he desired the most.

He couldn't fail.