A/N: This update took a lot out of me and mostly because I'm still frustrated that I lost an entire chapter of this story a few months ago and had to completely restart it. I hope this is half as good as I thought my previous draft of this was... enjoy :)

Riley spend the rest of the afternoon preparing for Kyle's birthday party, even though he says he hates his birthday. She went about decorating the house, balloons and streamers hung about the ranch styled home and then went on to the backyard as well. She's standing on a chair, about to finish with the decorations and go to check on the food, when there is rapid knock at the door. She can hear a chattering voice through the window. There's only one person this could be.

"Come in!" She called out.

Her mother and Lacey rush inside, giant smiles on her face.

"I think that is the first time either of you have knocked," she laughed, pinning the last streamer and hopping down off the chair. "Mama, it's so good to see you. How was your trip?"

"It was brilliant," Linnette beamed. "I love a good hair styling convention."

"I know you do," she smiled and hugged her mother tightly. "I missed you and so did the kiddos."

"Where are those munchkins now that you mention'em." Linnette asked.

"Still at school," she replied and turned to Lacey. "Did you pick up the cake?"

"I did," Lacey nodded. "It's in the fridge."

"Okay," she breathed. "I have to go check on food."

She marched inside and went tot he crock pot, stirring the chili she'd made from scratch. Kyle loves her homemade chili.

"Is that your chili?" Lacey went to dip her finger in and Riley smacked it away.

"You're worse than the kids sometimes Lace," she giggled. "You can have some later, when everyone else is here and eatin'."

"Not even a little taste?" Lacey asked.

"Nope." She shook her head. "But you can go make yourself useful and start making the punch."

"Fine," she muttered.

"What's up?" Linnette asked her daughter. "i can sense you're stressed."

"I'm fine mama," she breathed, stirring the ladle around.

Linnette eyed her daughter who avoided eye contact at all costs right now. She just blindly continued to stir the chili.

"You know I can just ask Lacey and she'll tell me," Linnette muttered.

"What makes you think Lacey knows anything?" She replied, looking over her shoulder as her mother.

There was a moment of silence as Lacey poured soda into the punch bowl and Riley tried to avoid her mother's questions. Like hail on a glass pane, the drumming of Riley's fingers was as relentless as it was loud. Each click of the polished nails on the counter echoed the tumultuous thudding of her heart beat. Her face, rigid with tension, belied her youthfulness, she seemed to have aged a decade in the past few hours.

"Riley thinks Kyle's cheatin'." Lacey broke the silence.

"Lacey!" She sighed.

"You what? Hell, I'll kill that man if he ever so as thought about another woman..." Linnette said.

"Down mama," she muttered. "I don't think Kyle is cheatin'. I think he's absent. He's not around as much."

"Men do that," Linnette muttered. "Just give him a reason not to stray."

"What reason have I given him to stray in the first place?" She breathed.

Dale was the last to arrive before the party was scheduled to begin; the time that Riley had asked Kyle to be home by today.

She mentally went over everything and everything seemed to be done and finished. Lastly, she checked her appearance, moving a few stray hairs and fixing her lip stick, but before she can get too far, she was interrupted, this time by her daughter Katie, who has been peeking out of the front window the entire evening.

Vibrating with excitement, the little girl calls out, "Daddy's coming!"

The word spread through the house, and silence fell. Their few friends and family began hiding behind various pieces of furniture. She remained on the couch, glass of champagne in her hand.

The door opened slowly and Kyle came in.

"The Texans lost," he muttered wearily, looking at nothing but her, as though she was the one thing that could make the day better. "Then Dale ran off to only God knows where a hour and a half before he was supposed to."

She stood and met him with a kiss, smiling at him. "Happy birthday, Kyle," I say.

"It's not a very happy birthday so far," he muttered as he began to look around, beginning to notice the decorations.

The sudden shout of "SURPRISE!" from their friends and family shocked him even further and he laughed, hugging his wife and kissing her deeply.

The party had gone perfectly until it was time to open gifts. He'd run off after seeing a leather jacket she and the kids had given them and she followed him, like she always did.

"Can you please settle down?" She asked. "Kyle, it's your birthday."

He could barely look at her at this point, the anger was bubbling up and he'd finally settled down enough to have an actual conversation. "I can't," he muttered, looking over at her. "Okay? I just can't do this anymore." He looked away and she stared him down. "The bank called again about our mortgage." She breathed and walked toward him, touching him, rubbing his shoulders and sitting him down. "This isn't where I expected to be at 33. I screwed up everything so bad."

"Kyle stop that," she said, lifting his face to look at him. "This is all in your head, okay? Hey... you and me, we're gonna get through this, together, like we always do, right? Because we love each other. And that's all that matters."

When he looked at her, and really looked at her, he could get lost in her eyes, the dip of her cheek and the way her lips press together when she's trying to suppress tears. He could never stop loving this girl. Never.

"Yeah," he nodded and pressed his lips to her.

It was meant to be a kiss, a warm gesture that brought back his strength to carry on until the end of the party, but it was so much more. He melted into her, her arms going to cup his shoulders and pull him as close as possible, their tongues meeting and never letting go. He stood up, hunching down to rip her top open and moving her to the table, pressing her down, leaning against her and finding her eyes as he took a breath. There she laid, completely open to him, her eyes blinking back up at him as he lowered his lips back to hers, igniting the fire between them all over again.

He loved this woman with everything he had. He picked her up effortlessly, bringing her to the bedroom, completely forgetting about the people who waited for them outside. She curled herself around him, winding her legs around his waist, and moved her lips to his neck, lightly sucking along his skin. Kyle groaned and started to move toward their bedroom, closing the door behind them. He dropped her to her feet next to the bed. They stared at one another for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, fitting their lips together once more. He took his time exploring her mouth. She lost herself in the kiss, just as she did when they were in the dining room.

When breathing became a necessity, he broke away and began trailing kisses down her neck. He reached down and then tugged her jeans down her legs as well. She reached out, fisting the bottom of his shirt in her hands and pulling it over his head. She ran her fingers across his toned chest and down the sprinkling of hair leading into his jeans. She moved toward the button on his jeans, but his hand reached out to stop her.

"Not yet." He smiled at her, releasing her hand and pulling her back to him. He brought their lips back together while reaching around to remove her bra. She let it fall between them and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing their chests together. He dragged her underwear down her body and pushed her back to sit on the bed. "Lay back." He kneeled down in front of her and spread her legs.

She propped herself up on her elbows to look down at him. He glanced up at her, grinning before moving forward and kissing her inner thigh, slowly moving to the one place she desperately wanted his mouth. His eyes flicked up to hers as the tip of his tongue leisurely traced her from top to bottom. She gasped at the contact and fell back against the bed. Then his fingers were spreading her open, and his tongue plunged into her. Her hips elevated off the bed, and his free arm came around to hold them down as he continued his assault.

"Kyle," she moaned, clutching at the sheets beneath her. Riley's hand shot from the bed, tangling in his hair, trying hopelessly to pull him closer. "God. Don't stop. Please, don't stop." As she came down from her high, she felt him place a wet kiss against her thigh.

She lifted her head to see him grinning at her. "Don't know what that smug look is all about," she teased him, trying to regain control of her breathing.

His grin grew wider. "Yeah, no clue why I would be smug." He leaned up, pressing their lips together.

She could still taste herself on his tongue, and she found it strangely erotic. She reached out to unbutton his jeans and pulled them down his legs until he was standing there in nothing but his black boxer briefs, the outline of him clearly visible now. She grinned, moving back on the bed and laying down.

"Get over here." He stripped off his boxers, and she lost her breath as she looked at him.

Never in her life would she not love looking at her husband. She had never wanted to touch him so much before in her life. He pushed her back onto the bed, crawling over her until he was settled between her legs. He gave her a slow, deep kiss, lining himself up before pushing inside her. They both groaned when he was finally sheathed fully inside her. She moved her hips, needing him to move. He pulled out and then pushed himself back in, setting a steady rhythm that was slowly driving her to the brink. She cried out in approval and pulled him closer. He used his hips to pin her to the bed and raised both hands to the beauty that was her breasts. He loved them, their perkiness and the small erect nipple that he knew just what to do to give her everything she needed.

Her eyelashes fluttered. The world became light. She was floating. The only thing she could feel was him pumping in and out of her, hard and the feeling of drifting far, far away. It felt good, so so good. He adjusted so he could move just a little bit deeper inside of her. What a difference such a subtle effort can make. Suddenly, he was hitting the exact spot that will send her over the edge. Her legs began to tremble.

"Don't stop," she whimpered.

"Be patient," he whispered against her ear.

"Please," she begged.

"We'll get there," he responded, bringing himself to her harder and faster with every thrust. Nails dig into his shoulder blades, making him wince with pain. And just as she thinks she's gonna reach that precipice, he slowed enough again, allowing the sweet misery to drag along. "Not yet," he said.

"I hate you," she told him, but she didn't. She never would.

"I know you love me," he chuckled.

But when it all came to that one defining moment, he finally allowed her to climb over the edge. She grabbed a hold of his soft hair while softly chanting his name, clenching around him. When he closed his eyes tightly and gave one final thrust, everything stills. His body grew slack and heavy atop of her.

He rolled over so he didn't crush her underneath his weight and pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her. She placed her head on his chest, feeling his heart beating rapidly beneath her hand. She traced random patterns along his stomach as his hand moved along his shoulder while they basked in their post-orgasmic bliss.

"We should head back out there before someone comes to find us." she breathed.

"I guess," he shrugged as there was a knock on the door and Riley moved her thigh to cover him, pulling the top sheet over them. "Come in."

Lacey poked her head in and laughed, so hard, before shaking her head. "Dale, twenty dollars." She called out and closed the door.

"Told you," she giggled and kissed him. "Happy Birthday Kyle."

A few days later, after a more than exciting day at her new job, Riley was home. She walked in to a to a more than silent home. Odd. Kyle was supposed to be mowing the lawn today.

He must've ran somewhere, she hadn't seen his car outside.

"Mama? You and the kids back from the movies?" She called out, closing the door behind her. She walked on, looking around the home for anyone. "Kyle?" It was a worth a try. "Anyone?"

She set her keys and purse down, going to the kids room and peeking in. Empty. Her and Kyle's room was as well. She walked down the hallways and peeked out into the backyard, hoping someone was out there.

That's when she saw it. A crumpled up piece of paper on the counter.

What could that be? A letter from Kyle? From mama?

She walked over and picked it up, reading the few words scribbled onto it.

Riley,

I love you, but I can't do this anymore. Don't come after me. You deserve so much better.

Kyle

No. This couldn't be happening. This had to be a joke.

She dropped the letter and ran to their room, pulling open the closet and seeing only empty hangers and her clothes. All of his stuff was gone.

No. No. NO.

She fell onto the floor, panic spread through her and she lost control. She lost everything and felt nothing but emptiness. Her body shook and she sobbed, but no tears came. Not yet.

Her heartbreak was grief that came in waves. It was a shard in my guts that never left, though perhaps in time the edges dulled and she felt cut open and empty. What was once whole was shattered; where once was peace was emptiness, echoes of a love she'd put everything into was gone.

How could he leave?

The tear came soon after as she sat broken on her bedroom floor. It was more than crying, it was the kind of desolate sobbing that came from a person drained of all hope. Her gasping wails echoed around the empty home. The pain that flowed from her was as palpable was the frigid fall wind and soon the only person at her side was Lacey, who had called and Riley hadn't actually said anything to her on the phone.

"We'll figure this out." Lacey whispered into her friend's hair. "He wouldn't do this."

Riley laid in bed staring at the shadow of the small, indiscreet white curtains that are cast on the wall adjacent to her. Travis laid on one side of her and Katie on the other.

Her tossing and turning had been going on for an hour now. So much so, that the top sheet had come loose from the mattress and are now bunched up around her body and tangled between her legs.

She was tired of lying here only to have sleep never come.

Where had Kyle gone? How could he do this to her? To their kids?

When she felt the urge to turn again, she sat up instead and peeled herself away from her children who were wondering where their daddy was. What was she supposed to tell the?

She fixed the sheets before silently walking out to the living room. Lacey and her mother had fallen asleep on the couch ages ago and Evan had gone home before then.

She grabbed a blanket and went to sit on the back patio. The sliding glass door and woken her mother up and she watched her for a moment.

Riley sat there on the swing, heartbroken, her head on her knees that were pulled up against her chest just like she was eight years old again when her daddy died. Nothing came out, only soft breathing and emptiness.

One thing she knew was that she would never be whole again.