'I'm Nathaniel,' he said, and offered his hand to the boy.

Hawthorne was obviously surprised, but he took his hand and they shook. 'Do you work out with them?'

'No.'

'Why not?'

'Same reason Micah gave.'

The boy looked him up and down as if trying to figure out what, or who, he was to everyone else. 'They don't all look like marshals,' he said.

'Hawthorne, why don't you take Frost and Fen back to clean up your backpack?' Ty said.

He gave a sullen look to his father. 'Fen is four. How is he going to help with anything?'

Fen rose up from Beth's shoulder and said, 'I can help.'

Hawthorne gave an exaggerated sigh, rolled his eyes again, and said, 'Fine, I'll take the little kids with me, but I know you just want me to stop asking questions and talk grown-up stuff.' He looked worried then, and it was real. 'Did something else happen to Rush?' He suddenly looked younger, the kid peeking through the almost-teenager.

'No, Hawthorne, nothing else has happened,' Ty said.

'Promise,' he said.

'I promise,' his father said.

Hawthorne nodded, flashed us another worried and speculating look, then held his hands out for the kids. 'Come on, brats, I'll supervise while you clean up the Kool-Aid.'

Bea set the little girl on the ground. Frost turned around to face us, hands on hips, elbows out defiantly, and gave us a clear view of her delicate triangular face. Her eyes were small, almost almond shaped, and a deep, solid brown. Except for the hair color she looked like Beth had cloned herself. I was looking at what Micah's daughter might have looked like.

'I am not a brat,' Frost said, stamping her foot.

'Are too,' Hawthorne said.

'Are not!'

'Go with your brother and clean up the mess you made,' Ty said.

I looked at his bright blue eyes, and then at Bea's blue-gray ones. Micah had actually gone pale. How did two blue-eyed parents end up with brown-eyed children? Somehow Fen's golden-brown eyes hadn't seemed so obvious, but these were Micah's and Beth's eyes staring out of a face that didn't look like their mother or her new husband. What the hell was going on?

Beth said, 'I'll go with them and make sure they don't kill each other.' She gave a look to Micah that I think was sympathetic. 'I'm glad you're home,' she said, and carried Fen off after Hawthorne and Frost.

Fen called back over her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her neck, and asked his question a second time. 'Are you my big brother, too?'

Micah turned to look at his mother as he answered the little boy, 'Yes, I think I am.'

Bea Morgan reached for her husband's hand and looked guilty.

CHAPTER 19

'Mom, Ty, what is going on?'

Ty stood there straight and tall with an almost defiant look on his face. Bea clung to his hand and looked beseechingly at her son. 'It just sort of happened,' she said.

'Frost isn't Ty's, is she?' he asked.

'She is my daughter,' Ty said, 'but biologically probably not.'

'What do you mean, biologically?' he asked.

'Mike, please, don't be mad. I thought you'd be better than Jerry about it, because you have two people, too.' Her voice sounded apologetic and not sure of itself at all.

The doorbell sounded. Bea went for the door, as if happy to have an excuse to be away from Micah. Bram shadowed her to the door without anyone telling him to; you never left a door totally unguarded, especially if it was about to open. Micah was still trying to deal with the last few minutes. His father hadn't been the heartbroken abandoned spouse but had been at least sleeping with his ex-wife part time. There was an implication of much more.

Nathaniel and I had moved up beside Micah, but I honestly wasn't sure what to say. The look on his face said that part of his family history had just imploded. Nathaniel touched his arm. Micah didn't seem to notice.

It was Jerry at the door. 'You guys never lock the door until bedtime. What's up?'

'I didn't lock it,' Bea said.

'We did,' Bram said.

Jerry looked up at the taller man. 'Why?'

'A locked door gives us a few more seconds to react,' Bram said.

'React to what?' Jerry asked.

'Anything.'

Jerry shook his head and looked past everyone to Micah, who was looking at his brother now. 'The look on your face; you met Frost?'

'Yes,' Micah said in a voice that was almost strangled with tension.

'Surprise!' Jerry said, arms wide in a ta-da motion.

'You could have warned me.'

Jerry shook his head. 'Oh, no, wouldn't dream of it. This isn't my explanation to give, I wouldn't even try.'

'Be nice, Jerry,' Bea said.

'Why? I didn't know until Frost was three. I can't believe I was so stupid.'

'Jerry ...' Bea began.