Welcome back! I hope everyone is doing well with all the craziness that is happening in the world.

This chapter is Trent-centric and has a mild warning for some minor citrus. Don't judge a guy for what he does when he's alone. *smirk*

I couldn't decide if I wanted to make this chapter a stand alone or just include it in the story. So I just inserted it here and hit save.

This chapter includes a few dream sequences and I'm using (:) to indicate where it begins and ends.

Read on and see me at the bottom!

Holiday Inn

San Diego CA

"Welcome to the Holiday Inn, how may I help you?" Asked the pretty brunette who sat behind the desk. She was well put together and with the front of her shirt was unbuttoned just enough to hint that she was well endowed too.

His eyes lingered on her for a moment before he forced himself to focus. Hi, I'm Trent Fernandez and I'd like to check into my room."

It only took a moment for her to glance at him appreciatively and he groaned inwardly sensing what she was thinking. He took a deep steadying breath as her well manicured nails tapped over her keyboard.

Mr. Fernandez, I have your reservation right here. I just need the credit card you used for your reservation."

Trent nodded and pulled out his wallet. He didn't missed how she leaned slightly forward as he fished out his Visa Gold card and handed it over.

Damn, she was hot! He was having some difficulty focusing as she ran his card and then handed it back to him along with his keycard.

"You are all set Mr. Fernandez, Would you like any help getting your suitcase up to your room?"

Damn, could she be any more obvious?

Trent snorted softly, "Thank you for offering but I only have one suitcase. I can manage."

The attendant smiled at him. "Well okay, if you do need anything, feel free to call down here and I'll personally bring it to your room."

He knew what she was offering and he was really tempted. Maybe a one night stand could help him get is mind off Gabriella…

Gabriella.

Suddenly he was flooded with images of that beautiful counselor. He sighed knowing that as sexy as this brunette was, she could never compete with the woman he really wanted.

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind, but I really don't want to be disturbed tonight. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow."

Thankfully, this woman took his dismissal with some grace.

"Well then, sweet dreams, Mr. Fernandez."

Trent sighed as he closed the door to his room.

He felt like such a basket case. He could have had awesome sex tonight; that brunette was willing and she was stacked.

But she's not Gabriella. His conscience reminded him.

Trent sighed again, locked the door and crossed over to his bed. Taking out the smartphone from his holster, he typed in his password and called up Dr. O.

"Hey Trent. You get to the hotel?"

"Yeah, I made it safe and sound, though I think I'll be looking for another hotel tomorrow. This one was just short notice."

"I hope you took some time to mull things over."

"I'm not even close to sorting things out right now. All I want is some alone time in the jacuzzi and a long night's sleep. If I'm lucky, I'll have a clear head tomorrow and will get an early start on that party we're throwing."

Tommy was quiet for a moment and then sighed. "Ok, get as much downtime as you can, check back in with me tomorrow. I'm here if you need me."

"Got it, thanks Dr. O."

And that's what he did. Once he stripped down to nothing and fired up the Jacuzzi, he let his mind wander as he relaxed in the soothing water. Inevitably, his thoughts went back to that lovely woman he left back in Portland.

Even in her casual clothing, he could imagine every delicious curve she had underneath the skinny jeans and the pretty hoodie.

He smiled to himself wondering if her tempting body was as supple as it was in his dreams. When his brain began conjuring images of her legs laid open before him and her voice begging him to take her, he was instantly aroused.

He was almost unaware of when his hand wandered south. Before he knew it, he was pleasuring himself and when he exploded, his mind snapped awake.

Trent sighed, thankful he was completely alone. It was then he realized that even if he had indulged in meaningless sex tonight, he'd still be empty. No, the only way he would be satisfied is if he bedded Gabrielle. He didn't know if he'd ever get the chance, but he knew that if he didn't have her, he'd die of heartbreak.

Trent stopped mid thought and mentally chided himself for having such cheesy thoughts. He was not some lovesick teenager that read those trashy romance novels.

But you are a lonely horny man. His conscience reminded him.

"Shut up!" He said out loud.

Trent snorted incredulously at himself and decided it was time to get some sleep; his skin was getting wrinkled and the water had gotten cooler. Besides the slight buzz he'd gotten from his…euphoria was making himself feel pretty relaxed anyway. He'd have no problem falling asleep now.

After drying off, he slipped into his PJ's and crawled into the soft bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

: His peaceful morning was interrupted by what sounded like a herd of elephants coming down the hallway of the house. Trent panicked for a moment and looked under the sheets to make sure he was decent. he'd hate for his children to catch him without his jammies on.

Thankfully, he wasn't bare down there and he chuckled seeing his daughter come bursting through the door.

"Happy Father's Day daddy!"

A second later, Katsume walked through the door with another child by his side. "Sorry Dad, these little gremlins refused to listen to me when I told them to let me make sure you and Mom were awake.

Just then the door to the bathroom opened and out came his wife…Gabriella. She looked so beautiful in her silken robe and her hair plaited behind her head. Though he kind of wanted it down, all the better to run his hands through it.

Trent shook his head at her and focused back on his family… :

The dreamscape changed from that heartwarming scene to another…and from the look of things, a couple years had passed….

:The door opened to the kitchen and Katsume walked through the door with a disheveled looking Quin walking in behind him. Trent turned away from his laptop and looked at his kids.

He narrowed his eyes. "What happened this time?"

Katsume had black eye and Quin had a split lip with some dried blood on his upper lip.

"I was right about that bully. I suspected he was beating up on Quin. When I pulled into the parking lot to pick him up, I saw that he was surrounded by those bigger kids, they're all a bunch of chicken shits when a real fighter shows up. Most of them cleared out when I showed up, but a few of them stuck around. Especially that moron Kenny. We had a showdown and I told him he had one shot, but if I get back up, it's all over for him."

Katsume smirked when he pointed to his shiner. "He got a hit in, but even Paisley hits harder than that asshat. I took care of business and he'll have a headache tomorrow."

Trent sighed rubbed his forehead. "I guess as long as you don't need bail money, I'll let it slide."

Katsume shrugged. "We protect family, that's all I care about."

Trent nodded in agreement. "Ok, you know where the ice packs are."

When he looked at Quin he signed. "That goes for you too, get some ice on that lip." :

The dream changed again to one that made Trent smile even bigger.

: Trent walked down the hall looking for his daughters. A wedding was going to take place in a couple hours, and they needed to be at the venue soon…

When he looked into his daughters room, he saw her sketching something on the wall.

"Bailey, what are you doing? Do you really want to miss your brother's wedding?"

His little girl looked up sheepishly. "Sorry dad, I figured out where to put that big tree, I wanted to at least block it in."

Trent sighed and walked into check out his little girl's sketch. "It looks good, but make sure you pay attention to your forms."

Bailey looked at her dad as he took one of her extra sketching pencils and drew a couple guide lines on the wall that were light enough to be erased later. She gave him a grin and a hug before he put the pencil back down on her desk.

"Now that we have that settled, you need to get into your dress and go see your mom so she can do your hair. Paisley's hair is almost done, and she can take forever."

Bailey giggled and put her pencil down and Trent walked back out shutting the door behind him. He felt so proud that his little girl had taken after him. She was a very gifted artist in the making. :

Trent woke up with tears in his eyes. Sitting up, he put his head in his hands and wept quietly.

The dream had been so real and amazing and he ached to have his non existent children back, especially that little girl that was so much like him.

But he had no daughters and no wife; Katsume would officially become his son in mere weeks. His court date to make everything official would take place just after Halloween.

But dammit, he wanted that life he'd dreamt about! He wanted it all with her, but would she still be interested in him with the abrupt way he'd left her behind in Portland? What if her feelings had been hurt with how he'd run from her?

Looking over at the digital clock on his nightstand read 6:45 AM.

Trent dried his eyes and took some time to mediate. When he felt more like himself, he reached for his laptop and brought up the webpage for Prism Railway. It was the more prominent luxury line of trains that catered more towards the business class and the occasional wealthier families.

And the rooms were a little more comfortable. Elisa would probably not be able to use her chair in the hallways, but he'd seen her get around pretty well on her crutches and the other Miscreants would be there to help her if needed.

But the real reason he was on the website was to check out the extra addons that were available.

He clicked on the link and found exactly what he was looking for. A bouquet of flowers would be impractical as she would have a hard time getting them from her state room to the hotel room.

But a luxurious pampering package would work. It contained everything a woman could ask for. After confirming that he had the right room, he added one last thing. There was space for a short note and he thought hard about what the note should say. After typing it in, he paid for the purchase, and then closed out the tab on his browser and then logged off the internet.

He really hoped it would be a good first step in wooing the proud warrior.

With that done, he got up and took a real shower this time…he had a long day ahead of him and decided it was time to get started.

The first thing he had to do, was get out of this hotel and find somewhere else he could stay without being tempted by all too eager concierge girls.

Serenity Cove

A couple hours later

Trent sat back in his chair feeling full and satisfied. He'd have to go back and give an extra generous tip to the barista at Starbucks. Her name had been Mandy and she'd been right on the money when he'd asked for recommendations on handicap accessible hotels.

Serenity Cove was a hotel like none other, and it was perfect for what he needed and the single dad that owned this place had treated him like a favorite guest; that included this wonderful complimentary brunch that he'd just finished.

The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was most pleasant.

"Did you like your food?" Joe asked. That was the father's name and it was he who had come to check on him. He looked like he might be around Dr. O's age. with tousled dark brown hair and very green eyes. He had a pleasant demeanor though he also seemed to be weighed down just a little bit with all the responsibilities life had laid on him.

"I loved it and I would definitely like to book those rooms we talked about."

The father sat down across from him with his tablet. "That's wonderful. I can help you book your rooms right here so you can digest your food."

Trent wiped his mouth on the linen napkin. "For now, its just me, but the rest of my group is coming on Monday. We're going to need 8 more rooms and one of them is for a newly wed couple and I'll need one of your handicap accessible rooms. One of the teenagers uses a wheelchair to get around."

"That's our specialty. If you noticed the pool area, we're also equipped for handicapped guests and that includes a lift into the pool. When the rest of your party gets here, we can have it all set up for their use."

Trent nodded, "That's wonderful; this whole place exceeds what I expected."

Joe nodded and was about to reply the door opened and two young boys just a little older than Kayla walked in. They were almost identical except for the birthmark on one of the twins faces.

They walked up to their dad and waited to be acknowledged. Joe smiled seeing his boys and introduced them. "Mr. Fernandez, these are my sons, Cadmus and Phoenix." He paused and looked at his watch. "They must have just finished with their lessons for today." He hugged his sons. "I'm guessing Miss Hile already left for today."

The boy with the birthmark, Cadmus nodded. "Yeah, we finished. Can we have some mozzarella sticks for a snack?"

Joe nodded and ruffled his son's hair. "Go ahead and let Bronson know that I okayed a snack for both you boys."

Both boys hugged their dad and took off for the kitchen. Joe shook his head with a loving smile and then turned back to his guest.

"I built this place with their needs in mind; they have varying levels of autism spectrum disorder along with having some sensory processing disorders. We live up on the top floor in the penthouse and they've never been happier here. They won't bother you while they stay here, they usually keep to themselves anyway.

Trent waved him off. "That's okay. A special friend of mine also has a son with Autism, he's nonverbal and very smart and wants to badly to start his Karate Lessons. I was going to start working on creating a space to help him with his sensory issues so he can focus on his lessons.

Joe leaned into the conversation. "What do you have in mind for that room? Maybe I can offer some insight."

"I was thinking a room with water features. I need to make it as zen as possible."

"You should have a koi pond." Said one of the boys…Phoenix. He and his brother sat next to their father. "We have a koi pond in the pool area. It's in a different pool from the swimming area. The Koi are pretty big now!"

Trent grinned at the boy. "I never thought of that. I bet my student would love that. Do you have any other ideas?"

Phoenix, as it turned out was very knowledgeable about Koi and when the boys led them to the koi pond, he began to name off all the different types of koi and learned that they even had names for them all. The room was had a slightly different vibe to it and was fashioned like a tea garden. The pond was the centerpiece and there was planters full of colorful flowers and on the walls several words written in stunning Japanese Calligraphy. Trent already felt calmer being here.

"This room is nothing like I've ever seen."

Joe beamed. "This room was designed by a very good friend of mine. He was a transfer student from Japan when we were in college and there's no one else I would have trusted to make this room authentic."

"Well, I can see what you mean; these koi are very cool. I think I should definitely add a koi pond to the Zen room at the dojo."

"Dad let us pick out the koi when it was time." Cadmus added. "There were so many to choose from!"

Joe ruffled his boys head. "They would have tried to buy all of them if we'd had more money."

The boys stayed by the Koi pond as Joe led Trent back to the lobby. "Whenever you're ready, I can check you in and let you get on with your day."

Trent's Room

Trent lay in his bed and inhaled deeply. Tomorrow was a new day and finally his mind was at peace.

He would sleep soundly that night and he really hoped that there would be more happy futures possible for him. He prayed to whatever deity that was listening to him, that he'd have daughters just like the ones in his dreams…

So, what did you think of this chapter? Next up, we rejoin the teens as they embark on the long awaited train ride.

Serenity Cove and Prism Railways are both my creations as I needed both a hotel and train systems that don't exist in America.

Anyway, I'll see you all next chapter!