"Andrews. Shane Andrews."

The man raises his eye brows, like the name means something to him, "Mr. Andrews."

"I'm calling Tommy," Shane says almost desperately as I walk into the room with the men.

Shane

Fuck! Why can't things be simple - just once?

Pick up, Tommy, come on.

I get Tommy's voice mail for the third time in a row. I send him a text to call me.

Beth's only been in the room for fifteen minutes, but not knowing what they're saying in there is torture. What the fuck is going on?

It's got to be something to do with Chad. He's out of the picture and still making Beth's life miserable. I already know he's got some shady deals going on. It's got to be his fault the fucking FBI is talking to Beth right now.

I continue to pace back and forth, like I have been since she walked in the room. I should have insisted on a lawyer. She should have. Coming from a family of cops and detectives - she should know better. Hopefully she at least knows not to say anything that might incriminate her.

Beth didn't know about any of Chad's business deals. There's really nothing she can say to get herself into trouble. She should be able to answer their questions, leave, and never look back.

Then why the fuck is she still in there?

Beth

"Thanks for your time," the taller man, who I now know as Agent Flannery, says.

"No problem," I reply.

"You may be hearing from us again soon," Agent Borgman, the sidekick, adds.

"Great," I answer, sarcastically.

Shane runs to my side as soon as I exit the room.

The two agents nod at Shane and make their way over to the elevator.

"What the hell was that all about?" Shane asks anxiously.

"Honestly? I'm still not one hundred percent sure."

"Well, what were they asking you about? What was it all about?"

"Chill out," I say exasperated. I'm still letting everything sink in.

Then calmer, "Sorry. I'm a little on edge. I'll tell you everything."

"Holy shit," Shane says.

"You sound like I did this morning."

He chuckles. "Yeah. It's been that kind of day."

"Seriously."

We sit in the hotel room silently going through the information - the parts we know anyway. It's hard to believe any of it is true.

"I think Tommy will be able to make more sense of everything," Shane says.

"Maybe. I don't know how involved he is with the FBI, though."

"He can get more information than we can, I'm sure."

"Maybe," I answer, "who knows? I've never been involved in anything like this."

"That's a good thing, babe. Nice to know you've been steering clear of criminal activities while I was gone."

I roll my eyes, "shut up," I joke, "you know what I mean. I just don't fully understand what's going on. It doesn't make sense."

"It does - or it will - anyway. Maybe Chad is innocent."

"You know as well as I do - he's probably not," I answer sadly.

How could I not know any of this? How could I be working with a guy, dating him - living with him - and not know about any of his business?

I'm not telling Shane, but I'm worried. Obviously, I didn't know anything, but even I wouldn't believe me if I were an outsider.

A girl dates a guy for years, gets a job with his family, moves into his house, and knows nothing about his life. I worked with the Westbrooks too long to be innocent. I should have known.

I think of Claire again. I wonder if she knows what's going on. She doesn't mind her husband having other lovers, who's to say what else she turns a blind eye to.

"Let's get going," Shane says, standing up.

He steps behind me and rests his hands on my shoulders. I squeeze Shane's hands and stand up to face him, "I love you."

"I love you too," he replies.

I reach up on my tippy toes and kiss him on the lips. Shane pulls me closer, wrapping me in his arms. He parts my lips with him tongue, immersing me in a deep kiss. I melt into him and match his fervor. Shane's warm mouth on mine, his tongue encircling mine, make me want to forget everything else.

Shane slows his kiss and gently bites my lip - what I've come to know as his signature move. I wish we didn't have to leave.

"I know everything is going to be fine, babe. We've come too far to let anything get in our way now." He kisses me on the head.

"Let's see if you still feel the same way in a little while," I say with a laugh.

We grab our things and leave the hotel room hand in hand.

Shane

The room is ripe with nostalgia. Sitting around the same dining table with the family that spent so many nights feeding me and treating me as one of their own is a comfort I almost forgot existed.

There's more than one conversation going on. Plates of food are being passed around. Everyone is talking loud over the others - and I love it. I feel like I'm home again.

"I wish I was here to see your face when Shane showed up," Abby says, addressing Dan.

She was always great at putting people on the spot. Big Dan glares at her while putting a forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"At least I'll be here for the rest of the drama."

"It's so nice to have all my babies back," Mo says, ignoring Abby and beaming around the table, "I don't even remember the last time we were all here together."

"I'm not sure, but I know it's been a long time," Tommy answers.

"So what did you do while you were hiding out upstate, Shane?" Abby asks.

"I wasn't 'hiding out'," I reply.

"Well, whatever it was you were doing, it seems to have worked out. You look fabulous."

Zach eyeballs her as she looks me up and down.

"'Fabulous?'" I mock her, "is that college speak for hot?"

Abby blushes, "shut up."

"I thought so," I wink.

"Are you back for good, Shane?" Mo asks, tentatively, "or are you planning to go back upstate?"

"I'm not going anywhere," I reply, taking Beth's hand and squeezing it.

"We should really figure out what to do about the situation Beth seems to have gotten herself mixed up in," Dan says in a serious tone.

"I didn't get myself mixed up in it, dad," Beth replies.

"Well, whatever the case," Dan answers, gazing at Beth, "you need to protect yourself. What were you thinking talking to those men without a lawyer?"

"Dan," Mo says soothingly, "let's just enjoy our meal first."

Dan grunts. Beth places her hand on my thigh under the table. Just like old times.

Beth

I smile reminiscing about the old days. Mom, Abby, and I are working in an old familiar rhythm together, clearing the table and washing dishes. The men are still sitting around the table talking about some sports game.

We've done this many times over the years - but not with Shane. It warms my heart to know he's sitting in the other room with my father and brother - and Abby's boyfriend. He belongs here. We belong here.

I bring the coffee pot to the table. Abby follows with the pie my mother baked. Mo's so happy to have a whole brood to care for. My mother brings a cup of tea for herself and joins us.

The men finish their discussion. It's time to address the issue at hand.

"So Beth, let's hear what they told you," Tommy says.

"Again?" I say. We've been over this already.

"Yes. Now that we're all here, we can make sure we're all on the same page."

I take a breath so I can once again relay the story - this time to everyone.

"Basically, that Chad has been making some dirty deals with the government - most importantly - one politician they have been investigating," I take a sip of my coffee. Everyone is looking at me, waiting quietly. "They were very interested in what we did when we visited the Bahamas. They asked if I ever accompanied him to the bank there, what else we did, who we saw. We were there fairly often - you know - for a tropical location that requires a plane ticket." I continue, "They wanted to know about my involvement with any of the Westbrook's development projects - which, as you know - is none."

"You didn't say anything stupid, did you?"

"Dan," my mother scolds.

"Just asking," he responds.