From his bedroom window, Casey watched as snowflakes drifted all around the yard. His phone buzzed with another unread message from August as he sighed. The phone laid on his nightstand, still charging from last night. Casey hadn't figured out what to do about him or if he needed to listen to his father.

After getting stoned last night, Casey realized how being around August tempted him to slip into old habits. It was nothing like when he smoked a little pot with Xavier. They always made sure Casey got home on time to see his son and didn't stay out all night.

When he'd been with Veronica, he used to hang out with the gang members all the time. Even after the incident, they never blamed him for parting with her. They considered him like family, and Casey knew he shouldn't take pride in that, but he only had a handful of close friends in his life. Including the guys and gals in their gang.

Casey wished he could stay in touch with them, but he knew better than to stick around them. It wouldn't be long before they'd try to officially recruit him if he stayed. While Casey overlooked some of their drug use, he couldn't get swept up in their nefarious lifestyle like Veronica did.

Wyatt slept soundly in his bed, soft snores drifting throughout their shared room. Casey hadn't slept well last night. Every time he closed his eyes and tried to think of peaceful things, his mom's bleeding corpse came to mind. If she could see him now, Casey knew his mom would be disappointed in him for messing around with the Black Vipers again.

Another thought crossed his mind. What if the Black Vipers were behind his mom's murder? Nausea clawed at his throat at the idea of getting high and goofing off with his mom's killer. While they'd accepted him like one of their own, Casey knew that didn't mean they'd protect his family. They'd kill them all in a heartbeat if they had to.

Why the hell had he gone back there?

A soft knock on his door ripped him out of his thoughts, grateful to not be consumed in what if's anymore. Before he could respond, Lani's red hair came into view as she peeked her head inside.

"Hey, just checking up on you," Lani told him.

"I'm alright, I guess." Casey shrugged, sparing a glance at Wyatt. "But there's something I wanna talk to you about.

"What's up?" Lani asked.

"Not here. I don't wanna wake Wyatt."

Lani nodded as Casey quietly followed her out in the hallway. He rubbed at his tired eyes, fighting back another yawn. As they made their way into the living room, Casey considered telling his sister about his time with the Black Vipers but then thought better of it. She'd only chew his ass out for being irresponsible.

"I believe Dad," Casey said.

"But what about Frieda and those chats between them?" Lani asked. "You can't tell me it's not his profile."

"I don't think he created it," Casey replied. "Think about it. Dad's not tech savvy. I can't see him deleting his previous browser history from visiting the site."

"Well, he obviously didn't do a good job since he didn't delete them all," Lani pointed out. "Casey, I know it's hard to stomach, but Dad's been cheating. I just wish he'd be honest with us."

"It makes no sense. When would Dad have time to message that woman?" Casey asked. "Just look at some of the times he messaged her. He was at work or with us. Someone's trying to frame him for mom's murder."

Lani pursed her lips. "I hadn't checked the times... But maybe he used his phone? We just never noticed."

"I think we'd notice if he was always on his phone," Casey replied. "Dad told me that those gang members he dealt with took his laptop, then gave it back. My theory is that they created the account and logged him in, hoping the police would see it."

"That's quite a stretch, isn't it?" Lani asked.

"It makes more sense than Dad cheating. He didn't even recognize Frieda at the bakery, remember?" Casey pointed out.

"I don't know." Lani sighed. "Like, I hate the thought of Dad doing that, and you've made great points, but it's just ridiculous. Why go to such a length to do that? They wouldn't know if the police would confiscate his laptop."

Casey shrugged. "Maybe they wanted to cover all bases. Dad needs to be careful. I think someone's got a plan to frame him so nobody catches them."

"What should we do?" Lani questioned.

"I'm not sure. Honestly, I thought about handing the account over to the police. We can explain how it's not actually Dad and how those chats took place when he was with us."

"You think that would drop their suspicions on him or make it worse?"

"I'm not sure, but I think we need to be upfront about that profile. Just in case they find it or someone brings it to their attention," Casey explained. "It would look a lot worse on Dad if someone else turned it over."

Lani bit her lower lip. "And you're sure Dad didn't make the profile?"

"Yeah, I am."

"I've been ignoring him since we confronted him at the bakery," Lani said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Didn't want to argue with him while Wyatt's here."

"I appreciate that. The last thing he needs is to find us arguing with each other." Casey sighed. "You know, about now I'd be asking Mom what to do."

Lani nodded. "Same. I think I ought to talk with Dad. Hear him out this time. We need to be on the same side here, not turning against each other."

"Tell me how it goes, okay? Maybe we can all drive down to the station and hand over that dating profile. Surely the police would believe both of us," Casey replied.

"Sounds like a plan."

While waiting for his Dad and Wyatt to wake, Casey and Lani cooked breakfast for them. Casey prepared some sausage links and hashbrowns while Lani fixed some scrambled eggs. Warmth furnished the kitchen from the stove as delicious scents drifted throughout the house, enough to rouse little Wyatt from his slumber.

Bare feet padded into the kitchen and Wyatt emerged from around the fridge, decorated in alphabet magnets and his doodles. His brown hair resembled a bird's nest and he still wore his blue Paw Patrol pajamas.

"Morning, buddy." Casey greeted him. "Breakfast's just about done. Want me to put some cartoons on while you wait?"

Wyatt nodded, rubbing at his tired-looking eyes.

"Don't worry, I got this," Lani told him.

"You sure?" Casey asked.

"Yeah, I'll finish up." Lani waved her spatula at him. "Go on, you guys go watch your cartoons."

Casey snuggled up on the couch with Wyatt while Lani finished cooking their breakfast. Times like these were the greatest for Casey. Even if they barely did anything. While he couldn't deny how fun it had been to get high with the Black Vipers gang, nothing compared to the moments he spent with Wyatt.

It wasn't long before their dad came out of his bedroom, and by then, Lani had started setting plates at the dining room table. Casey flipped the television off for now and brought Wyatt over as Lani got everything together.

"Don't worry, I'll get Wyatt's milk. You just sit," Lani told him.

"Thanks," Casey replied as she got Wyatt's plate and milk placed in front of him.

"Thank you, Aunt Lani."

Wyatt gobbled his food down right after the plate touched the table. He devoured that crispy bacon with ravenous hunger, making Casey chuckle a bit. It was one of his favorite foods.

"Here's yours." Lani placed a plateful in front of their dad. "Added extra bacon too."

"Thanks, honey."

"No problem." Lani tucked some loose strands of her red hair behind her ear. "I wanted to say sorry, about everything that happened at the bakery. Casey and I have been looking into things." She spared a glance at her brother. "And we believe you."

Mr. Lockhart let out a breath. "That's a relief to hear. I'm glad. I know things have been hectic lately, but you all know how much I love your mother. I'd never..." He trailed off, clearing his voice. "Anyway, this is great. Really love how crispy you made the bacon."

Lani smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Casey was glad to see his dad and sister speaking to each other again. After learning about the peculiar dating profile, it caused them to cast doubts on their dad's intentions and even made Casey consider the ludacris idea that he'd cheated on their mom. But it brought up more unanswered questions, like who actually created it?

When they finished up breakfast, Wyatt went to watch more cartoons with his grandpa while Casey and Lani cleaned up the kitchen. It reminded Casey of all the times their mom helped them with the dishes in the morning before heading off to work.

"I almost set a place for mom," Lani said. "Just out of habit."

"Yeah, I've done that before too. It's hard, knowing she'll never be here with us again." Casey dried off one of their glass plates before storing it in the cabinet.

"So, are you guys gonna turn that profile over to the police today?" Lani asked.

"I hope so. Dad's kinda on the fence about showing them, but I think it's for the best. Like, it'll be worse if they find it or someone else turns it over to them. We don't know what Frieda might do either," Casey pointed out.

Lani nodded. "Just keep me updated, okay?"

"I will." Casey glanced over into the living room, where Wyatt sat with his grandpa. It made him smile, seeing them together.

If only they didn't need to open the bakery that morning. Maybe things would've been better if they'd just stayed home.