I see Jack running over the finish line, he starts to cheer out loud with his arms in the air. I chuckle a little, everyone is looking at him now. Jack sees us looking and came to us. Jamie gives him a beer. "Thanks, brother." Jack sips some and he looks at me. "You haven't finished the race." "Things has happened, cousin, I don't mind losing." Jack starts to grin and pats my chest. I rub my chest a little. My shirt is dirty. I want to take it off, but Penny stops me. "Not here." The rest chuckles about it. "I'll wash it when we get home, son." I look at mom. I see her smiling and went to her for a hug. "I love you, son, but I do hope you make a decision very soon." She whispers.

I let her go and look at her face. She lays her hand on my cheek and I give her a little smile. "Your father is disappointed in you. He had been looking forward to these events." I look down. "I'm really sorry, ma." "I know you are. Your father loves you, and he's happy to have you back. I know he's not really showing it, but I know him. He's proud of you, son. He just has his own opinion about your situation." I look at dad, who's sitting down with Carlos, Jamaal, Billy and a few others. They're drinking and talking, and most of all, I see him laughing. It's good to see him laughing.

"I should go and say sorry." I look back at mom. She smiles and gives me a kiss on my cheek. She turns and walks away with Franny. They take Kaylie and the boys with them. Leaving me with Frances, Penny, Jamie and Jack. "One more game, Dancer. I'll beat you there too." Jack grins. I turn to him and cross my arms. "Haven't you got enough of this, cousin?" He looks at my face. "Why? I know you love to compete." I snort and shake my head. "I don't care about the stupid bet no more. You've won, okay? Happy now?" I turn and walk to dad. "What's wrong with him?" Jamie pats Jack's upper back once and takes him to the others for a drink.

"Thanks, Pen." Penny looks at Frances. "What for?" "For stepping in." Penny looks at me again and smiles. "He's going through some hard times now. I know him, he doesn't want to disappoint anyone, but I told him that no matter what he choose, he'll be disappointing people anyway." Frances inhales deeply and nods. "I wish I could've done something." Penny chuckles. "You're been doing a lot already, Baby." "What do you mean?" "He wants you, but I think you know that already." Frances only nods. "I can clearly see two people who want to be together, but there's someone standing in between. I told him if he choses to go back to LA with Britney and Bryan, he'll be losing everyone, including you."

Frances looks her face, then she looks at me again and sighs. "How awful it sounds, it's the truth." "We need to give him some time, he said he's finding the right moment to end his relationship." "It must be truly hard for him." Frances starts to feel really guilty about the whole situation. "He told me he'll be talking to her tomorrow, let's see if he's going to do that." Frances nods. They hook arms and walk to the ladies. Dad is standing at the start line. He went there as soon as I came close to the table. It means he's still really angry with me. "It's good you haven't stepped in, by the way." Penny says. Frances looks at her. "If you had, war has broken loose for sure."

Frances starts to chuckle, Penny chuckles with her. "You're right, Pen." They stand still at the start line. Kaylie runs to her mother. "You're ready for this, sweetie?" Penny asks. "Yes!" I see that Britney sits down next to Mary. She's telling me what to do but doesn't do it herself. I inhale deeply and look at the ladies. I see Frances with Penny, they're chuckling, and I start to smile. Jamie sits on dad's seat and sips his beer. "Who do you think will win?" Jack asks. "Baby." Jamie, Jamaal and Carlos say at the same time. I chuckle about the reaction. Billy starts to laugh. "Don't underestimate Pen." "She'll be busy with her daughter, cousin." Jamaal says.

"What do you think, Dancer?" I look at Jack and see him grinning. I roll my eyes and look back at Frances and Penny. "They're both really good." Is my answer. I look at Billy, who smiles and holds up his beer. I touch his bottle with mine and we drink some. "So, ladies, are we ready?" Dad asks. He smiles as he looks at them. They nod at him. "And… start!" They start to run. Penny stays with Kaylie. Frances has decided to do the same. "Come on, Baby!" Franny shouts. We watch them going over the lodge. Kaylie is laughing, I can see she's having a lot of fun. Penny lifts Kaylie up and let her grab a robe. Frances goes to the other side to catch her.

"It's good to see they're having fun." Franny says in a teasing tone as she came to us. We look at her and I see her looking at me. I roll my eyes and look back at the girls. Kevin is whistling at some. We look at him. He waves and chuckles. "He hasn't changed one bit." Franny says with a sigh. I look at her. "You want to tell me something, sis?" She looks at me and smiles. "Kevin and I used to date." My eyebrows went up. "Your worse mistake ever." Jamie says. "Don't you say anything, mister, you ain't that much better than him." She points at him. He starts to grin. "But I do admit that he's my worse mistake I ever made. He has no decency at all."

"I feel sorry for Rob." I say. They look at me and then at Rob. "Yeah, he went through a real awful time." Jamaal says and takes a swirl. "It must be really hard for him to know his daughter is thousands of miles away." Carlos says. "You want another beer?" Jack stands up, we nod, and he walks away. "Jack has been spending a lot of time with them after you left for New York." Jamaal says as he looks at me. I look at him and then at Jack who greets Kevin and Grant. "Mom had tried to tell him not be around them, they're a bad influence." I listen to Jamaal as I think. "They already were in high school." I reply. "It's actually quite pathetic how they act for their age." Carlos says. Franny takes his hand and he smiles at her. I watch them and I can see true love there.

"I'm glad my sister has someone who's good for her." Carlos looks at me. Franny chuckles as she sees his face. "Thanks, brother, that means a lot." I hold up my beer and he did the same. "Let's hope for a happy ending soon." Jamie says, we look at him and he starts to grin. Franny makes little eyes. "What are you not telling us, brother?" He looks at her and takes a sip. "I asked Bianca out on a date after the weekend." He looks at me and I start to laugh. The rest cheers. "It's good to see you wanting to date now, brother." I say. "You made me see the light, Dancer, I think I'm ready for a relationship again." "Bianca is a tough one." Franny says. We chuckle as we see Jamie's face. "But maybe that's exactly what you need." She adds with a grin.

Jack came back with beers and gives me one. I open the bottle and take a long swirl. Britney is watching me, and she sighs annoyed. Mary looks at her. She lays her hand on Britney's arm, making Britney to look at her. "I can see you're being really frustrated." Britney sighs. "I am, I'm supposed to get married soon, but I don't recognize my fiancé anymore." Mary looks at me for a second and back at her. "You and my son asked me earlier why I dated a savage man like John." She starts, Britney looks at her face. "What do you mean?" Britney asks. "When I look at Johnny, I see John when he was young. It's like I look at a copy." Britney starts to frown.

"I don't understand." Britney says. "My sister told me about her children's childhood years. She's very proud of Johnny, for he reminds her of his father when he was young and reckless." Mary looks at me again with a smile. "Johnny has the characteristic determination from his father." Britney looks at me. I'm looking at Frances and Penny with a smile. "I'm going to get something to drink." Philip says and stands up, he walks away. Britney looks after him for a second and then back at Mary, who is smiling as she watches Britney. "What do you mean with that?" Mary squeezes her arm a little. "It means that when Johnny really wants something, no one can change his mind." Britney didn't reply, she looks at me again while she thinks.

Bianca sees Frances and Penny. Kaylie is giggling as she runs over the rope bridge. "You're having fun?" Bianca asks. Frances smiles. "Yeah, we're doing this for Kaylie." Penny answers. "You girls mind if I finish the race? Then I'll be back again." They look at Frances and smile. "Go ahead, Baby." Frances starts to run. I see her running and my smile gets wider. People start to cheer. "Go, mom, go!" Sean shouts, Bryan cheers with him. I watch her running to the wall, the last obstacle. The one most women seem to have difficulty with.

Frances jumps on the wall and start to climb. I stand up, the rest looks at Frances as well. "Yeah, she's going to try to win this." Jamaal says. I put my thumb and index finger in my mouth and whistle at her. She jumps off the wall and looks up. She sees me as I whistle again, she starts to grin and runs to the finish. Dad sees he reaction and then looks at me. He shakes his head and mom chuckles. "What should I do with our youngest, Cath?" Mom looks at him, she takes his hand. "Nothing, sweetheart, you need to give him time." "Well, he has until our anniversary day to do something or I will tell him to go back to LA." "I don't want to lose our youngest again, John." She watches him standing up.

"I'm sorry, Cath, but I just can't watch it any longer. There's too much drama." "But he's your son." "And it's our anniversary." John walks away, not in the mood to discuss this. Mom sighs and sniffs once. She looks at Frances who just ran over the finish line as first one. People cheer for her and she smiles. Mom smiles as she watch Sean going to his mother for a hug. She sees Bryan going as well. Bryan hugs Frances shortly. Mom sighs deeply, she turns her head and looks at me. She sees me smiling and whistling on my fingers again.

Mary stands up and went to mom, she sits down, and mom looks at her. "You're having a good time, sis?" Mom asks. She tries to smile. Mary looks at her face. "I have, but you don't look so happy right now." Mary says. "I try to be, because I need to be, for everyone." Mary takes her hand and mom looks at their hands. "Sister, I know I've been really bad towards you, ignoring your calls and letters." Mom looks up at Mary's face. "I've forgiven you a long time ago." Mom answers. "I know, but you shouldn't have. I don't deserve to be forgiven." "What is it that you want to tell me, Mary?"

"I've felt anger for a very long time after John told me he wanted you." Mom didn't react to it. She looks away instead. "I know you love him since the very first moment you laid your eyes on him." Mom looks back, Mary smiles. "I just never knew about the feelings he got for you from that very same moment. He told me weeks after." "You thought I stole him from you?" Mary nods. "I never would do such a thing, sis." "I know that, but I couldn't think straight at that time. Then I met Albert and he showed me a whole other world. It took me years to realize that you and John belong together, that I'm better off being with Albert. I never told you this, but I loved every moment of your wedding. It was more beautiful than my own."

Mom keeps looking at Mary as tears are streaming down. Mary takes a tissue and gives it to mom. "Thanks." Mom whispers and dries her eyes. "I never should have stayed away from you. Albert told me often to call or write you back. He wanted me to visit you. He would have loved to get to know you and John better, but I didn't listen." Mom moves and grabs Mary into a tight hug. Mary hugs her back. "I hope that after the weekend, you'll be coming to visit me often. I want to catch up on almost thirty-nine years." Mary chuckles about it and let mom go. "Of course, I've decided to move to Dallas." Mom smiles about it. "I'm happy to hear that."

"Now, there's a situation with your youngest, isn't there?" Mom looks at me and sighs deeply. "His fiancée is making a lot of drama." "I know, I've seen it. Not only today, but also yesterday." "I don't get why he wants to marry her, she's not his type at all." Mary smiles, they both look at Frances. "It's the doctor, isn't it?" Mom looks back at her sister. "Yes, it's Baby, the whole town knows that they're in love with each other since the first day my son has laid his eyes on her. They were ten, she moved here because of her father taking over doctor Shore's company." Mary starts to smile. "I guess she took over from her father." "Yeah, she's the best doctor the town ever has had. Everyone cherishes her."

"I can see how Johnny is looking at her." "We all see it, I know they've been kissing, maybe even more. The boys weren't that clear about it." "Bryan's mother isn't in the picture anymore?" Mom looks at Bryan, she sees him smiling as he sits next to Sean. Other kids have joined them. "She lives in New York. She sometimes calls her son but nothing more." Mary smiles. "What about Sean's father?" "He lives in LA, Ben has been very disappointed when his son moved and Sean only goes to him a couple of times a year, but he seems to prefer to stay in Pampa." "Ben? As in Ben Tyler?" "Yes, his son Will is Sean's father."

"I wanted to say that Johnny looks the exact same way at Baby as John does at you." "What do you mean?" "I mean that I think they belong together, and I'm sure that Johnny has made up his mind already, he just doesn't know how to deal with the situation." "My youngest has a hard time disappointing people, he can't deal with that." "It must be really hard for him." "It is, but John has given him an ultimatum." "Tell me." "If Johnny can't make up his mind before our anniversary, he will tell Johnny to go back to LA and never come back." Mom starts to cry again. Mary grabs her in a hug. "It will be fine, I'm sure." "I hope so, I don't want to lose my baby again."

I smile as I watch Frances going to Penny and Bianca. Kaylie is shrieking as she runs to the next obstacle. "I told you that Baby would win." Jamie says. I smile as I empty my bottle. I look around and see mom and Mary talking. I look for dad and see him with Ben and a few others. I inhale deeply and walk to dad. "Pa…" He turns around and sees me. His smile drops. "Can I talk to you?" "Can't you wait until we get back home, son?" "I prefer not to." Ben listens to us and frowns a little. "Talk to your son, John." Dad looks at Ben and sees him smiling. Then he looks back at me. "Let's talk, but keep it short, okay?" "Okay."

We walk away and I watch him sipping his beer. "I want to apologize for what happened." He looks at me and sighs. "I know you're sorry, son." I inhale deeply and we stop walking. "I want you to know…" I see him holding his hand up. He shakes his head a little. "Son, you don't have to explain things, I can see that's going on. I can see that you want Baby. Everyone can see that." I look down. "But you need to take action, because if you don't…" I look back up. "Then I do want you to go back to LA and never come here again." I'm getting scared, I can see how serious he is about this. I swallow once. "If you can't figure things out before my anniversary day, then I want you to leave before the party."

"I understand." I'm really happy to be back here in Pampa. I don't want to leave again. Dad is watching my face. "It's good to see you're changing back. I can see my son being himself again. It's about your next decision. But let me warn you, if miss Martins is going to make drama again, I will send you back to LA as well." "I really understand, pa." "I don't know what it is about you. Even when you were young, there was always something going on, mostly it was something between you and Jack, and I know it mostly was about Baby. But I'd hoped you would be all grown up." "I told Jack that I'm done with the stupid bet." "But he doesn't want to hear it, right?" I only nod.

"Well, at least one of you is the mature one to say that it's all over. These things should be in the past. You're almost forty, and you've got a son who's twelve, think about him." I turn my head to look at where my son is. I see him with Sean and a few other kids. Dad looks at him as well. "He loves it here. He wants to stay." I say as I look back at dad. "That's good to hear. Now, let's go back, have a drink, the barbeque will be ready soon for dinner." I nod with a little smile. Dad grabs my neck as we walk back. "Let's talk about this after the weekend, if you have made the right decision." "Okay, pa." I've already made up my mind, I just need to gather my own strength to tell Britney it's over.