After stopping at Breanna's shop to load up on coffee and tons of snacks for the road, they were finally heading out of Sun City. 

"Where are we going?" Dani asked as she sipped her mocha.

"Zoo!" Gavin chirped from his car seat in the back.

"Not the zoo today, Buddy," Rocco said with a slight chuckle. 

"I want to see the tiger," Gavin whined.

"We will see him again," Rocco promised. "Just not today."

"On Fun-day?" Gavin asked.

Dani laughed out loud and looked at Rocco to answer.

"We're going to have a fun week instead. We're going to stay in a cabin in the mountains. Lexi and Dante will come in a couple of days too." Rocco told him, and the little boy's face lit up.

"Yay! Gavi likes mon-tins," he said excitably.

"You do?" Dani asked with an amused expression.

"Yeah!"

"You get up to the mountains often, then?" Rocco asked Gavin, looking over at Dani with a wink.

"Yeah, I do, Daddy." Gavin nodded, his little expression so serious.

"You got some business up there we don't know about or...?" Rocco asked, and Dani started laughing again.

It was contagious, and he found himself joining in. After a few seconds, Gavin, not entirely understanding that he was the reason, started laughing, too.

Once they'd all settled down, Rocco handed Dani his phone.

"I started looking for a cabin near Pinewood Park. Can you scroll around and find us a nice one? Don't worry about the cost." He handed her his card as well. "You'll like it there; there's a tall pine tree forest, lakes, mountain views everywhere."

"That sounds fun," Dani chirped as he opened his phone.

"These are the kinds of things. I've always wanted to do with him." Rocco said. "I want him to experience nature."

"Then you should," Dani advised as she continued to scroll through his phone. "He can't be stuck in that city all the time."

"I don't think I'll keep the house," Rocco said thoughtfully. "It'll make more sense to sell anyway."

She looked up in surprise. "Sell the house?"

"I mean after the..." he glanced back at Gavin. "Well, you know."

"I didn't realize your mind was made up. I mean, I know you said things were going get... bad." She whispered the word bad. Gavin was too busy playing with Kiki to notice.

"It was made up the second I saw him on the floor." 

"I get that," she said softly.

"Any luck yet?" He said, anxious to change the subject for now. He'd be swimming in divorce talk soon enough, so it was best to enjoy this week and put that off.

"I found one I like," she said, "I just don't know if you all will. It's smaller than any of you are used to."

"We're camping." Rocco assured her. "it doesn't have to be big."

"Are you sure?" She asked, looking concerned.

"I'm not as high maintenance as you think, Valentine. I can handle a small cabin." He laughed a little.

"I didn't mean to imply your high maintenance," she said sheepishly. "I can tell you're not at all."

"My nana always made sure to keep Dante and me humble. I'm looking forward to a cozy cabin and some nice scenery. Book it."

"Okay, good. I just have a really good feeling about this one." She said, looking almost as excited as Gavin. He couldn't help but find it adorable. "It's only a three-bedroom, but Lexi and I can share."

"Are you saying I have to share with Gavin or Dante? Oh man, they both snore!" Rocco whined loudly, getting Gavin's attention.

"I not snore!"

"Do too!" Rocco teased.

"Nuh-uh!" Gavin exclaimed. "Kiki snore!"

"Kiki doesn't snore!" Dani giggled.

"Yes, him do, Auntie Dani." Gavin started laughing along with her,  his little cheeks getting all pink. 

"Hmm. I don't know... I heard tigers are big-time snorers," Dani told him.

"They is!" Gavin agreed to that one and started making his tiger noises.

"How did a tiger get in the car?" Rocco asked. "Oh no! We're in trouble!"

"It's okay, Daddy! It's a Gavi-Tiger."

"Oh good." He let out a long-exaggerated sigh of relief. "That spooked me."

"Me too!" Dani said.

"Gavi, not spooky!"

"You're right, Gavi is silly," Dani teased, 

"So is Auntie Dani!"

Gavin said. "And Daddy too!"

"A car full of sillies." Rocco agreed with a goofy grin, feeling lighter and happier than he had in years.

**

Dani woke up a few hours into the drive. She yawned out loud and stretched her stiff back as best as she could. "I didn't mean to pass out."

"I don't blame you. None of us got any sleep last night." He glanced back at Gavin, who was sleeping soundly. "We should probably stop for lunch soon."

"Good idea." She agreed.

She stared out at the beautiful scenery that surrounded them. It was nice to be out of the city. In the far distance, she could see the outline of some mountains. All around them were miles and miles of land and trees.

"Where are we going to stop?" 

"You'll see," he said. 

He took a turn off the road into a rockier dirt road. She could hear and smell the salt water of the ocean nearby.

"Dante and I had been to these mountains often as kids. When he got his driver's license, we rode the entire coast. I found this cool spot during our trip."

"Wow!" Dani said. "When I got my license, all I got was the responsibility to drive Kev everywhere."

"How is he doing? Have you talked to him?" Rocco asked.

"Once. He's... I don't know." She sighed. "He doesn't seem invested. If he just dials it in and does his time. He'll fall back into bad habits the second he's out."

"And that's what you think he's doing?"

"Yeah." She frowned. "I've been through enough relapses to know."

"If you need to transfer him to a place out here, I can help," he offered.

"Thank you, but I don't want to uproot him."

"I get it." He pulled further off-road to a rocky beach and parked.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"This is a little cove off the coast. See those rocks there?" He pointed towards some huge rocks ahead of them a bit. "We can climb up, sit on them, and look at the ocean."

"Is it safe?" she asked nervously.

"Done it tons of time," he promised. "I figured we could eat up those sandwiches Breanna made for us."

"Okay." She exited the car, and it felt good to stretch her legs. She went to the trunk to get the food while Rocco went and got Gavin up.

The hike up to the rocks looked steeper than it was. Rocco had Gavin hoisted on his back as he climbed, and Dani followed behind them. She had the bag of food and water in one hand and Kiki in the other. The climb wasn't too bad and probably a good warm-up for all the hiking they'd do during this trip.

Once they reached the top of the large rock, Rocco set Gavin down and laid out a blanket for them to sit on.

Dani stared out at the ocean in wonder. The waves hit various rocks surrounding them, and there wasn't a person in sight. It was a vision she wouldn't forget anytime soon.

"Incredible," she breathed.

"Isn't it?" Rocco sighed. She glanced over to see him also taking in the views. His handsome face had a rare relaxed expression as his eyes gazed out beyond them. He looked peaceful. She liked that look on him and hoped he would wear it more often once this whole mess with her sister was over.

"Gavi hungry." Gavin's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and she turned to smile at the precious boy.

"Well, Let's sit down and eat then." She said, settling down on the blanket next to Gavin. Rocco sat on his other side as Dani passed out the sandwiches and the water.

"This spot is breathtaking," Dani said as she looked at the waves crashing against the rocks.

"It's one of my favorite places on earth," Rocco remarked. "It's been too long."

"When's the last time you were here?"

"A day after I found out I was going to be a dad." He smiled down at Gavin and ruffled his hair. Gavin looked up and smiled back, his face full of peanut butter from his sandwich.

"Irony at its finest," he added in a quiet voice. She glanced at him with a puzzled expression.

"That was the day I decided to marry Alyssa."

"I see..." Dani said.

She wasn't sure what the best words were at the moment. She was glad he was going to leave Alyssa. She truly believed that's what would be best for him and Gavin. She also knew it was going to be a rocky road ahead. A road that she'd probably find herself in the middle of sometimes. She was under their employ and was related to Alyssa. Obviously, in this case, relations made no difference to her. She was firmly on Rocco's side.

But to say it wasn't complicated would be a pretty big lie. She was working hard to push these feelings she'd developed for Rocco as deep inside as she could, but it wasn't easy. They kept wanting to bubble back up.

She stared at the ocean view ahead of them, pushing those thoughts away. This was the calm before the coming storm, and she was determined to ensure they all enjoyed it.