"Max said they got a new nanny," Kenny said. "And that Ann pulled them out of everything."

"And she hasn't seen the kids in a month?" Jimmy said. "She didn't think that was odd? That they stopped going to all their activities, schools, and whatever else they all do together?"

"Ann told her they had a new nanny that was taking care of them. I don't think she thought anything of it."

"Her instincts are better then that," Jimmy said, as they pulled into the Davidson's driveway. "You know them at all?"

Kenny shook his head. "Not really. She has all of these new friends, I can't keep track of them."

"The cool mom group?"

"Yeah, them," Kenny said, knocking on the Davidson's door. Glancing in the darkened house. "No one home?"

Jimmy glanced around the overgrown yard, pile of newspapers on the porch, and mail in the box. "Max saw her yesterday?"

Kenny nodded. "Yeah. With someone named Natalie. No one has been here in awhile."

"Then where are they?"

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"Mommy!" Emily squealed, running into the living room and leaping on her. "Mommy, I want Daddy!"

Max smiled, as she gave her a hug. My fearless and reckless monkey. When did she stop being a baby and become a person? "He's on his way home, Sweetie."

"Really?" Nate asked. "I needed another guy around here."

And I'm going to force him to spend some time with all of them. Em adores him…he used to do so much with her. Lindsay is getting older, she barely knows him…Nate and him were bonding. He was Samantha's hero. "I'm sure you do."

"You should have another baby. A boy. We need to increase males around here."

She placed her hand on her flat stomach. I would, she thought, I'd do it one more time. "A boy, huh? We'll see about that."

He groaned. "Uncle Kenny is never here."

"Oh, he wants to be here," Max said, not sure if she was lying or not. "It's tough being a cop."

"Daddy!" Emily cried, running to him, as he walked into the living room. "Daddy!"

"Hey there, Princess," he said, as she hugged him tightly.

"I'm not a princess," she stated stubbornly. "I'm a monkey!"

"Of course you are," he sighed, trying to untangle himself from her. "Max? A little help?

She cocked her head to the side and grinned, as Emily hugged him more. "I think you have a friend there."

Kenny finally lifted her in his arms. "A monkey, huh?"

"Mommy is sending me to the circus."

God, she looks just like Max, he thought, a monkey? "What are you going to do at the circus?"

Emily wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Daddy."

Kenny felt himself getting choked up, as he looked down at her face. When did she get so grown up? How did I miss that? "I love you too, Em."

"Play with me."

"Tell you what," Kenny said, shooting his wife a look. "Let me go change, I have to talk to your Mom for a few minutes."

"Stay."

I'm a terrible Dad, he thought, Max practically shouted that at me yesterday. How did I miss her growing up? I can fix this. I can't lose them. "I'm not going anywhere, Princess."

"Monkey."

"Em, let him go change," Max cut in, watching as she finally loosened her grip. "Hey, why don't you get your drawings from school while he does?"

"I'd love to see them…Monkey," Kenny said, placing her on her own feet, as she ran off toward her room. Crossing the room to Max, he kissed her quickly. "Hi, Honey. Our daughter is a monkey?"

Max gulped back her tears at the sweet scene that just played out in front of her. I don't want to know yet. "Hi yourself."

"You okay?"

"Perfect," she said, as he wrapped his strong arms around her for a long moment. "What do you need to tell me?"

Not yet, he thought, I can't do it yet. "What do you say we fire up the grill, tire them out, what?"

He's trying, she thought, he's doing it for me. "Sounds great."

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"A mom from the cool mom group?" Skeeter asked. "Max's new buddy? You know Linda hates them and doesn't get why Max hangs out with them?"

Jimmy looked down at the photo of the three toddlers. Lindsay Lacos, he thought, looking at the red headed, laughing, little girl. A good mix of her parents, he thought, as Emily could be Max's brunette twin. "What do they do?"

"Playgroups, brunch, fundraising, tennis, I don't know…they're just cliquey. Max doesn't exactly fit their group profile, except for having young kids, she's gorgeous…and a bit infamous."

"Go home," Jimmy said finally. "We'll pick this up in the morning."

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"I think I'm more tired then they are," Kenny yawned, as he sat with Max on the back porch swing. "How do you do that everyday?"

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Coffee and comfortable shoes."

"Emily is going to be the death of me…did you see her trying to climb that tree? When did Nate become such a soccer superstar? When did you start potty training Lindsay? How long has Samantha been serious with Zach?"

"Emily thinks she can do anything, she inherited my reckless and impulsiveness. I suppose that is karma. Nate is a natural athlete, but he loves soccer. Lindsay wanted to use the same toilet as Emily, so it is easy, she adores her big sister. Samantha and Zach…it's more serious then I would like, but do you remember puppy love when you were a teenager?"

"Yeah, but he's 17 and she's only 15. Do we have to worry?"

"Zach Brock," Max sighed, thinking of the conversation she had earlier. "We couldn't of picked a better boyfriend for her. They're smart kids, don't worry so much. What happened today? Was it him?"

Kenny pressed his lips to her hair. That would have been her first question to me a few years ago. "Max, Honey…Did you call her after we talked? Or anyone else?"

She shook her head. "You told me to keep it to myself. Why?"

"Jimmy and I went by her house, it doesn't look like anyone has been there in awhile. You saw her yesterday?"

She turned so she was looking at him. "Yeah, she came with Natalie to soccer practice. Was it Nigel? It can't be, she wouldn't of been planning spa and shopping trips if he was missing…the kid in the park has been dead for weeks? Just tell me."

Shield her, he thought, protect her…all I want to do is protect her. She'll find out anyway. "Yeah, it's him. That's why we went to her house."

She shook her head, and gulped back her tears. "No…you don't act like she did if your kid is…dead. Or missing. She wanted to go to the spa, and he…You're wrong."

"We're not wrong, Max. I could id him off the picture you sent me. We need to find the Davidson's…Where would they go?"

She shook her head. "You think they did this?"

"You said it. You don't plan spa trips when your kid is missing."

She stared at him for a long moment. "Bella is, was, in Em's class. If Nigel…what about her? How could I not have noticed?"

"She's your friend, of course you believed her."

She shook her head. "What are we going to do?"

"You are going to do nothing," he stated firmly, seeing that familiar look in her eyes. "Max, stay out of it."

"You already brought me into it. She's my friend," she replied. "Let me help."

Because she's a cop, Kenny thought, feeling the guilt hit him again. A cop I made give up her career…I know she did it for me, and she has never made me feel badly for it. She's with the kids all day, and every night she greets me every night with a smile and dinner? And I treat her like crap. "You already did. We wouldn't know who he was without you."

"You would of run his picture, someone would of identified him," she replied, as her other nagging thought hit her. "Are you okay?"

My wife who thinks I'm losing my mind, he thought, who can always tell if I'm lying to her. Talk to her, be honest with her. "Of course it's hard. He wasn't that much older then…Josh. I'm okay, Honey. You make it okay for me."

That's a lot of pressure, Max thought, but sweet of him. He's talking to me, he just spent hours with the kids, this is the man I love. Not the distant, overprotective, shielding me from anything unpleasant ass he was being. "I miss him too. That'll never go away. Every time I look at Emily…they were complete opposites from the time they were born."

"Oh, Emily is you," Kenny said. Tell her, talk to her about this. "She's your brunette clone. The day after we buried Josh…You and Emily were in the back yard, she was chasing after that big beach ball and kicking back to you. I remember just watching the two of you and thinking it would be okay, the three of us. That I still had you, her, and…I don't know what I would do without you. Any of you."

And that's why I'm here, she thought, snuggling in closer to him. The stay at home mom, who hosts playgroups, does bake sales, knows all the words to those swim lesson songs, I'm a soccer mom…how did this happen? It was never what I wanted, but I'm good at it. My kids are happy, it's important to Kenny, and I'm okay. I'm good at it, and I wouldn't trade in this time with the four of them for anything…I just feel like my brain is rotting away sometimes. "You'll always have me."

Until you figure out that you don't need me…that you're too good for me. You've always been too good for me. "Can I get that in writing?"

She laughed despite herself. "I'll even get it notarized. I'm glad you're here tonight."

He dropped another kiss on top of her head. "Me too. It's getting late, you want to go up?"

Stay out of it, she thought, don't say anything to anyone, she thought, her thoughts drifting back to Nigel. How do I do that? No, I have to…Or I can dig at my friends my a bit. No…last time I did that…focus. "Yeah, lets go to bed."