Maria got off the elevator and stepped onto the polished floor of the law firm's lobby. She was hoping to catch Richie in the office, since her call had gone directly to voicemail. The least they could do was come up with a plan of action for when Joey got home from school today.

The receptionist looked up and smiled. "Miss Martinez, I'm sorry, Mr. Perez isn't in the office. Was he expecting you?"

Just then Jonathon walked past the large conference room behind the reception desk and saw her.

"Maria – come on back if you have a minute. I want to show you something."

She followed him down the hallway uncertainly. "I wanted to say thank you for placing that bid. It was way over the top." After all, it wasn't his fault Ritchie had pressured him to pay an outrageous sum for her painting. The least she could do was be gracious.

He glanced back over his shoulder. "Worth every penny. Here we are," he said, gesturing her into an office that was as spacious as Ritchie's, with an equally stunning view of the Miami skyline. But that's where the similarity ended. He came from old money, and she'd expected old-style elegance. Instead, everything was sleek and modern. The surface on his oval desk shown like polished ebony. She stepped in and turned and...there it was. It the midst of all the stylized furnishings and spectacular views, her painting was the focal point.

"I came in last night to hang it. I know the logical place would have been on the wall behind my desk. But I wanted to be about to look at it while I'm working."

"I'm..." Speechless, she thought.

"What, didn't you think I was going to put it up in here? Frankly, I spend more time at the office than at home, so this was the best place for it. And it reminds me what my reward is for working this hard."

"It reminds you?" She sounded like an idiot, parroting his words.

"That in ten minutes, I can be there," he said, gesturing to the painting. "On my boat."

"Oh." It was starting to become clearer to her now. "My painting reminds you of your boat. That's why you wanted it."

Jonathon looked at her and chuckled. "You seriously don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Maria, that painting doesn't remind me of my boat. It is my boat." He walked closer to the painting. "And that splash of color you captured in a red windbreaker at the helm is me."

What? It was actually Jonathon's boat? She made a conscious effort not to stare at him with her mouth hanging open.

"I had no idea. What are the odds that when I was sitting on the shoreline with my sketchpad, it would be your sailboat cutting across Biscayne Bay?"

He laughed again. "Pretty good odds, at least, if you listen to my partners. Sometimes they accuse me of spending more time on that boat than anything else."

"That's why you paid so much." And why Ritchie had looked like the cat that ate the canary when he suggested she contribute this particular piece – one of her favorites – to the charity auction.

"Well, I couldn't have anyone else walking out of there with it, now could I? Plus, it was a good cause, and I was planning on donating anyway. In return, I got something priceless."

"I think it looks perfect in here." Her phone buzzed, and she frowned then looked apologetically at Jonathon. "I'm sorry, I have to take this. It's Joey's school."

Within seconds, her day got a whole lot worse. She hung up the phone and turned to Jonathon.

"Sorry, I've gotta run."

"Is there a problem at Joey's school?"

"Joey's gone."

"He cut class?"

She nodded.

"Look, don't be too upset. Kids cut class all the time."

"No, you don't understand. He found out something...very upsetting last night, and he wouldn't even talk to me when I dropped him off. I've got to go find him." She started for the door, but Jonathon stepped in front of her, reached out and took hold of both her shoulders, and looked her in the eye. Her heart was pounding and she knew she looked like an idiot, getting this upset.

"I have to go now."

"Look, I don't know what's going on between you and Ritchie, but I don't think you should go running out of here by yourself." He picked up his phone, hit speed dial, shook his head, and then pressed end. "Still going straight to voicemail."

He turned back to Maria. "He said he had something to take care of this morning. Hard to imagine where he would go and shut off his phone.

"Where do you think Joey is?"

"I'm pretty sure he'll head back to the old neighborhood."

He nodded. "Well, then, let's go."

"Wait, you want to come with me?"

"From what I understand, that's a rough neighborhood."

"I grew up there."

"And you moved out because it changed, right?"

When she just nodded, he said. "I think the sooner we go find your brother and get him out of there, the better."

They checked Maria's apartment first, just in case, then headed over to the old neighborhood. As they drove up and down the streets, she realized she had no idea where Joey had hung out with his friends, where he'd ended up all those times he'd snuck out at night before she'd managed to sell the old house.

She pointed as they drove by, and Jonathon slowed down. "That's where I grew up."

It hurt to see her mother's flower garden already getting overgrown, the front porch paint starting to peel. The new owners didn't have the pride in the property that her mom had had. But no one else in the neighborhood did either, not anymore.

She saw someone she knew a few doors down. "Stop here.I went to high school with that guy. No, just wait," she said, as Jonathon pulled to a stop and started to open the door.

She slipped out of the sleek sports car and walked toward the stoop.

"Hey, Carlos."

"Nice ride, chica. You slummin' today?"

Carlos used to be a funny kid. She'd sat behind him in 10th grade algebra. Before he dropped out and started just hanging around the neighborhood, getting high, selling drugs. It looked like nothing much had changed in his life in the past ten years.

"I'm looking for Joey."

"Yeah, I saw him and that kid Angel around earlier with Angel's brother and some guys."

"Angel's brother? You mean Gino?" That wasn't good. Gino had been in and out of the system since he was just a kid. And he was part of the gang Tito had gotten involved with.

"Who else?"

"So you know where they went?"

Carlos shrugged and moved down the steps toward her. "I mind my own business. Nobody around here now, so how 'bout you come in and have a beer with me?"

"No, thanks."

"What, too good for the old neighborhood now? He reached out and grabbed her arm. "Come on in with me, and we'll wait and see if Joey shows up."

Maria jerked her arm free, just as she heard the car door open. Jonathon came up behind her. She glanced over and caught her breath. Jonathon didn't look like the laid back, rich lawyer he'd seemed before. There was steel in his look, and she saw something flicker in Carlos' eyes.

"You have a problem?" Jonathon asked, and Carlos took a step back.

"No problem, man." Carlos looked at Maria. "You come back some time without your fancy boyfriend, Maria. We'll talk about old times."

"Hey," he called after her as she got in the car. "Tell Tito to come around when he gets out."

Not likely, Maria thought.

As they drove away, Jonathon asked, "Did you find out anything?"

"Joey was here, but Carlos either didn't know where he went, or just wasn't saying. I don't know where to look next."

"You think he might have gone back to Ritchie's?"

"I don't know what to think. Joey doesn't answer his phone. Ritchie doesn't answer his phone. I don't know where to look."

"It'll all work out."

"No, it won't. I never should have gotten involved with Ritchie."

"Are you kidding me? You and that kid are the best thing that ever happened to him." Jonathon's phone rang.

He handed his phone to her. "It's Ritchie."

What he told her made her stomach clench.

"Oh my God. We're on the way." She hung up the phone. "Take me to Ritchie's house."

"You got it." The sports car accelerated, and they were there in minutes.

Jonathon touched her arm. "You want me to come with you?"

"No, I . . . thanks, but Ritchie said I should just come in, at least until the police leave."

He nodded. 'Okay."

The car had barely come to a stop before she flew out of the door and ran past the police cars to find Ritchie.

She stepped in the front door. Ritchie was standing in the kitchen talking to one of the policemen. The house was trashed. And Joey was nowhere in sight.

Maria started forward to ask about Joey, but Ritchie caught her eye and shook his head. She took a deep breath. Ritchie knew something and whatever it was, he didn't want the police to know.

She went into the living room and sat down on the couch and waited. It seemed like forever before the police left, promising to contact Ritchie if they got any leads.

Finally, Ritchie walked over to her.

"Seems like Joey and his 'friends' had a little party here that got out of hand. He called me. I told him to get out and stay out until the police were gone.

"But where is he?"

The door opened to the terrace and Joey walked into the room.

* * *

"I didn't mean to do it." Joey was crying. "I'm sorry, Maria. I'm sorry, Ritchie. It's all my fault."

The kid looked terrified. Good, Ritchie thought. Because what he'd done was enough to land him in a juvenile detention center. If Joey had been here when the police arrived, he'd have been back in front of the same judge who'd only reluctantly released him into Ritchie's custody in the first place.

The second Joey called, Ritchie hadn't thought twice; he'd just told him to get out of there and stay out until the police left. Then Ritchie had called 911 and gotten there as fast as he could.

Ritchie's house was trashed, and the breakage and theft ran into tens of thousands of dollars. But that wasn't the worst of it.

"I tried to stop them, I swear I did." Joey was staring at the floor.

"Look at me." Ritchie's voice didn't allow any room for disobedience, and Joey looked up.

"Do you realize what might have happened to your sister if she came home alone and those gangbangers had still been here?"

Joey swallowed, and looked back down at the floor. He still hadn't looked at Maria.

"Answer me!"

"Yes, sir. I know."

Ritchie nodded. "I guess you do."

Maria got up from the couch, started over, but Ritchie waved her back. "Let me handle this."

"He's my brother."

"And he'd be your brother if you were lying there on the floor, raped and maybe dead."

Her face paled, but she stood her ground.

"He's my brother," she repeated.

Ritchie turned to face her. "Maria, you have to trust me here. Now, sit down there on the couch and let me handle this. Please."

"I'm sorry, Ritchie," Joey said again.

"I know you're sorry, kid. But the thing is, I have to decide what to do about this." And he knew in that moment that he'd do whatever it took to protect him. Joey was a good kid. A good kid who had made a bad mistake. And he'd made that mistake despite all the sports and supervision and Ritchie's own influence. Because sometimes kids made the wrong choice. If they were lucky, they didn't end up paying for that choice for the rest of their lives.

"I'll tell," Joey said. "I'll make a list of names to give to the cops when they get here."

"The police already left, Joey," Ritchie said.

"I'll do the right thing. Like you told me before, I have to tell the truth."

Ritchie squatted down in front of him. "Here's the thing, Joey. You know and I know those guys are part of a gang from your old neighborhood."

Joey nodded. "Yes sir."

"And since they were already out of here when the police arrived, and apparently nobody in the neighborhood saw anything that would identify them, if you give their names to the police they're going know it was you."

"I know."

"What do you think happens to you then?"

"Somebody's gonna stick me with a knife when I'm in juvie." Joey's lower lip trembled, but he was making a visible effort to hold back the tears.

"You aren't going to juvie."

"But –"

"Stop talking and sit down, and I'll tell you what's going to happen."

Ritchie could hear Maria crying quietly over on the couch, but his focus was on Joey.

"First, as much as I hate to let these guys get away with this, we're not going to make you a target, so that's that. We'll change the security here at the house, and I'll ask some guys I know on the police force to keep an eye on our street for awhile until we're sure those guys aren't coming back."

Joey jumped up. "You're just gonna let them get away with it?"

"You don't want to push me right now, Joey. I told you to sit down and keep your mouth shut, and I'm not going to tell you again."

"Yes sir." Joey sank back down onto the chair. He look scared shitless. And he should be.

"They may trip up fencing some of that stuff, or maybe they'll just go down for some other crime. That's not what I care about."

He gave Joey a look that had him shriveling up in the chair.

"Which brings me to you."

The kid stared back at him with hound-dog eyes, looking like he thought he was about to be sentenced to death.

"First of all, you are grounded a month. In fact, I'll take your cell phone right now." Ritchie held out his hand. Joey stared at him, looking confused, and Ritchie realized the kid had assumed Ritchie was going to throw him out.

"Now," Ritchie ordered, and Joey scrambled to get the phone out of his pocket and handed it over.

"When you get it back, all your old contacts are going to be gone. And you're not going to have any more communications with anyone from your old neighborhood. Ever. Do I make myself clear?"

Joey nodded.

"I would take away your video game systems and your laptop, but your former friends seem to have already solved that problem by cleaning out every piece of electronics in the house."

"They weren't my friends," Joey muttered then apparently remembered he wasn't supposed to be talking, and he quickly clamped his hand over his mouth, looking up at Ritchie with big eyes.

"That's right," Ritchie said. "They weren't your friends. From now on, I approve your friends. And if I get a bad vibe about anyone you're even thinking about hanging out with, you cut it off right there. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

"That won't be a problem for the next month because you won't be having any friends over here, and you won't be going anywhere except to school, and to my office, where you will either be doing your homework or doing whatever job anybody in my office asks you to do. Got that?"

"Yes sir." The kid looked like he wanted the chair to open up and swallow him. Sure, he'd been terrified of going to juvenile detention and having to face the same judge who'd warned him to stay out of trouble. But he was probably almost as upset at the prospect of living under the authority of the man who'd sent his brother to prison. The kid would just have to get used to the idea. Because Ritchie wasn't going anywhere.

"You've made it clear by your words and your actions, Joey, what you think about me. Too bad. That's your problem."

Joey opened his mouth, but Ritchie held up his hand.

"I'm not done talking." Ritchie paused. "I don't think I have to tell you how disappointed I am with the way you behaved. But at least you called me when you realized how out of hand things had gotten. I don't plan to continue with this temporary quasi-official guardianship over you that the Judge appointed me to," Ritchie said, and he saw a panicked look cross Joey's eyes and realized Joey thought this meant Ritchie was done with him. Not by a long shot.

"Since I intend to marry your sister as soon as she'll have me, and since she's already your legal guardian, the simplest thing would be for me to just adopt you." He heard Maria make a strangled noise, but kept his eyes on the kid.

Joey stared at him, the shock plain on his face.

"You want to...be my dad?"

"I love Maria, and I love you, and no boneheaded idiotic stunt like you just pulled is going to change that. Having a hardass like me as a father may be your worst nightmare right now, but –"

"It's not! It's not!" Joey yelled, jumping up out of the chair. "I want you to be my dad. I love you, Ritchie! I got so mad 'cause I didn't want it to be true, but I didn't mean all that stuff I said. I didn't mean it, Ritchie." Joey took a few steps toward Ritchie, and then stood there like he didn't know what to do. Ritchie solved it by closing the gap between them and pulling the kid into a hug. Joey's arms tightened around him, and something in Ritchie's chest felt like it was going to explode. The adoption was just a formality. Joey was already his son in every way that mattered. They stood there, just hugging really hard and not saying anything until Maria's voice broke in coolly from across the room.

"Is that what you consider a marriage proposal, Ritchie? Because I think we have a few things to talk about."

* * *

Maria took a deep breath and tried to battle through the mixture of gratitude, shock, and frustration that had her senses reeling. Ritchie released a teary-eyed Joey, then walked a few steps to the side of the room and leaned against the kitchen island, watching her.

"Before you say anything, I want to thank you for what you just did for Joey. I can never repay you for everything you've done for both of us."

"Dammit, Maria!" Richie slammed the palm of his hand down on the counter. He looked over at Joey, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "You. Up to your room. Now."

"Yes, sir," Joey said, and headed up the stairs. But Maria was pretty sure he'd be listening to everything from the landing.

"I know you think you have to do everything for yourself. You're pissed off at me for contacting the Arts and Business Council. Well, that's just too bad."

"You didn't have any right – "

"Any right to what?" he asked, cutting her off. "Any right to walk into Vivienne's loft and be absolutely blown away by the talent I saw leaning against the wall, just waiting to be discovered? Maria, what difference did it make if it was me or some patron of Vivienne's who walked in there? Anyone would have had the same reaction. And I'd just been to one of the high-end condos I've invested in downtown and saw some prominent artists' work displayed there and the idea hit me – why not team up-and-coming artists with the developers of more moderately priced condominiums? So I made a phone call. The Arts and Business Council went for it."

"You should have asked me."

He sat down on the couch and rubbed his hands through his hair.

"I'm so used to just doing things." He took a deep breath. "You're right. I should have asked you. I'm sorry."

He looked over at her. "When I see a way to help someone I love, I tend to take action. And I know you think I was behind Jonathon buying that painting, but – "

"I already talked to him today. I know it's his boat."

"And I admit, I should have explained that to you. I can't help it. I want to fix things for you. For both of you."

"I don't want you to make things easy for me. I want you to respect me."

"My God, you actually think I don't respect you? You gave up everything you'd worked so hard for, every dream you had, to come home and take care of your mother, and then you built a life around caring for your little brother. You've done an amazing job with Joey."

"Yeah, right," she said, gesturing at the trashed living room. "Here's the evidence of what a great stand-in mom I've been."

"Stop it. Joey made a bad decision and let his anger take the place of good judgment. But when it came right down to it – when he realized how out-of-control things were getting – he made the right decision and called me. He's a good kid. And he got that from you."

She could feel tears burning behind her eyes.

"Listen, Maria, I get that you want to do everything yourself. I get that your background makes you feel like you've got something to prove. Hell, I'm the same way. Which is even more the reason why I want to do things for you. I'm not used to having to explain myself, Maria.

"And I'm not used to admitting when I'm wrong." He got up, paced across the room, and then stood a few feet away, facing her.

https://youtu.be/7wBgcalM4c4

Author's Note:

What did you think of the way Ritchie handled the situation with Joey?  What do you think Joey expected to happen?

So what do you think of Ritchie's marriage proposal? What is Maria feeling right now?

Do you think these two will ever stop arguing? 

Music: Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time

I think this song perfectly describes how Ritchie feels about both Maria and Joey.  What do you think?

ONLY ONE MORE UPDATE TO GO - THE FINAL UPDATE WILL BE ON MONDAY!