the screw up.

The cooks that her parents had, was a phrase that Mateo still wasn't used to. They came from different worlds, entirely. Yet, they had met in the middle. When she started working at Wingman's Pub, he hadn't expected much out of her and despite people thinking he was an asshole most of the time, he had a soft spot for people looking for a second chance. Mateo's gaze lingered on Mari, watching as her face fell in the faintest of ways. Only for a beat. "Hey," he set his place down, "what's wrong? Is it somethin' I said?" @marixdominguez

"I was thinking Kismet Park. I booked a reservation for the pavilion but I can cancel it if you don't think that's a good place to have it." He knew that she was giving him more involvement and that it came with trust. He didn't want to fuck it all up. That was what he was often worried about being a father. "Don't worry about any of that." Mateo said, sitting down in front of his drink that Nel had placed out for him. "Thanks for this," he said before continuing, "yeah, a cowboy would be fun. I'm no fan of clowns honestly." @nelxruiz

"Business owners always amaze me." she sighed, focusing on the bar and then back to him a moment later. "I don't know how you guys put up with the people like me that show up and then leave very drunk after causing a scene." Not that she was one that caused a scene; she was known to be a partier where she could be but she wasn't exactly one that would consider herself a problem. Though this was Gia she were talking about; she'd been told she were a menace before. "I already know you have some of the best food and drinks in this place than." she stated, even if she hadn't made it out here yet. "But no, not exactly." she shook her head. "I've been in town for about six months, give or take." @mateoxtorres

Mateo studied the blonde woman as she spoke. He didn't know her, but there was a part of Mateo that could see her causing a scene and then leaving. Intentionally, or not, that was still to be decided. "I'd like to think so but I know that makes me biased." He shrugged his shoulders, "Well," he looked at the woman's vehicle before he turned back to the bar. "How about we test your theory on havin' the best food and drink and then we can take a look at your car. Then it's not biased for when I hopefully fix it up and then you eat and say that just because I helped you out." @giacalloway

"Yeah?" His brow raised curiously in her direction when she mentioned cooking for him. "I ain't the best cook but I've learned a few things over the years from the cooks at the pub." He handed off a plate to her, "Lots of things you do surprise me but never in a bad way." His admittance fell easily from his lips. "You are full of them, the surprises that is." Mateo's lips twitched with a smile. "But I promise I'm not complainin' about that or you. Not ever." @marixdominguez

"I think that's the one thing about being a parent we all as a collective group of people can agree on." Dakota nodded. Sure, no parent wanted their kids to be sick or get some sort of terrible heath problem, but, Dakota knew that aside from that, the one thing all parents could agree on was that they dreaded the day that their kids began questioning if what their parents had done had been genuine. "It's my biggest fear, right next to losing them." he nodded. "So I try really damn hard not to think about it; and it helps that I have a support system that reminds me every day just how great of a dad I am. It's why I try to do the same with my friends." he admitted, nodding towards Mateo to indicate he was talking about him specifically. "I'm just happy that yeah, we seem to have some time before those days roll around." he nodded. "I'm fortunate that I don't have to co-parent but I know Wyatt and Nel are both great people. I've worked with Wyatt on a few cases and that was enough for me to know what kind of people he surrounds himself with." Dakota nodded. "I'm glad you were one of the fortunate people that got a great hand in the co-parenting department." @mateoxtorres

Mateo nodded his head along to the words Dakota was saying. The thought of losing his son kept him up at night, in ways that he never imagined possible. "Yeah, it's good not to think about it. The what ifs in life are never good to think about in the first place." Mateo knew that from experience, time and time again. "That's always nice to have." He had one, a small one, but that's how he preferred to keep his personal life. Dakota was one of the few newer people he'd been letting into his thoughts. "Me too." He nodded his head, "They are great parents. I've got no worries with them." How could he? Nel had found a man that was better than he could have ever imagined being and that was what made him happy for her. What made him happy that Wyatt chose to stay even when the baby wasn't his. "I appreciate you, man, really." @dakotawhawkins

Gia nodded, taking a step to the driver's seat and pressing the button that did in fact pop the hood of her car. "It was smoking a little bit down the street. I pulled over and gave it a look but I didn't see anything that looked wrong." she stated. "So I continued and drove here and now it's making this weird sputtering sound." she exhaled. "I'm not sure if it's fixable but -" she shrugged. "Thanks for looking at it regardless." Truthfully, Gia knew she should probably just invest money in another vehicle instead of fixing this one, but, the convenience of having a car that was already paid off often blurred her vision. "This your place?" she questioned. Not for any reason aside from the fact that felt like a common occurrence in Kismet Harbor; people had a tendency to own places here. "I've always adored dive bars like this one." @mateoxtorres

A smoking vehicle was never a good sign to Mateo, but he kept that thought to himself. She had at least pulled over to check it out, even if she hadn't known what she was looking for. Mateo figured that was better than some might have done. "Yeah, not a problem." He told her with a slight nod of his head. Keeping busy with his hands was something that he did because he enjoyed it. His gaze shifted to the bar behind him, "Yeah, I've owned it for a few years now." He answered as he looked back to her. "Take it you're new to town?" @giacalloway

If anyone understood what he'd wanted when becoming a father and how important it was to make sure you're doing right by your children, it was Dakota. His own parents hadn't been terrible; if you took out the part where his dad tried to manipulate the entire family to believe things that weren't true and the fact that they divorced, though that would never be something he considered a 'keep away' from children as sometimes it was the only option for everyone to be happy. But even with parents as good as what Dakota would consider his, there were things he didn't want to do with his own children, though even then he wasn't perfect. "I just hope they know that everything we've ever taught them is for their own benefit." Dakota sighed. "I think it's the only thing as a parent we can really control." he spoke, nodding slowly. "Just know that if you ever need that confidence boost, man, I'll tell you you're doing great every time. Just like moms, us dads have to stick together too." @mateoxtorres

"I'm afraid for the day that it starts to get questioned, y'know?" Mateo's lips thinned in thought. "We were all teenagers once and listening to our parents was not high on the list of things I liked doin' before I had more free will and freedom, let alone when I did." He shook his head, "I just know there will be somethin' that we don't get along about and hell, it might just break my heart." The admittance fell from his lips well before he had thought it through. Clearing his throat, he gave the other a smaller smile. "Though, I guess I got chunk of time before I start really worryin' about that." "Yeah," he nodded his head, "I've met a few more days, so it's nice to have that kind of support. Especially co-parenting. Adds a whole different layer of complicated and Nel and Wyatt are great people." @dakotawhawkins

"Yeah, we can look at both." He nodded his head in agreement. The work he put into the house brought a sense of fulfillment for Mateo. No one could take that from him. He had done this on his own, for himself and no one else. It meant that he had completely separated himself from his father, not that the man seemed to care. Nor did he care now, still. Mateo didn't even know where he was. "Good," he gave her a faint smile, loading up the plates with food. "I'm really glad you came over tonight." Mateo looked to her, features softening as they often did when he was around her. @marixdominguez

Gia didn't exactly know how long she'd been standing there when the other's voice sounded in her ears. "Oh thank god." she exhaled, placing her phone in the back pocket of her jeans while simultaneously turning to look at the other. She didn't know why but something about the other brought her a sense of comfort; maybe it was because he was the first person to offer help; so much for Kismet being the town to help people. "Do you know much about cars?" she questioned, eyes shifting from him to the vehicle and back to him. "If not -" a pause as she caught a glimpse of the sign on the building he'd emerged some, or so she assumed. "A drink will while I figure out how to call a tow company and my sister to pick me up." @mateoxtorres

"I know some about cars, yeah." Mateo wouldn't deem himself a mechanic, but he was the type of guy that had like to figure out how things worked and why they worked. He didn't grow up handed funds left and right, having earned everything he worked from. Mateo hadn't known a lick about renovating a home when he bought his first, but he learned. "I can take a look. You're welcome to have a drink either way." He offered to her, "Can you pop the hood for me?" Mateo asked, looking to the hood. @giacalloway

The other's story resonated with Dakota, not because of his own story but because it wasn't too far fetched to have those types of stories in the court room. Kids that had a rougher upbringing and while there wasn't much Dakota could do, he definitely tried his best to fight for them. "For what it's worth, though, I can tell just from what little bit I know of you that you're doing a great job with your son; none of your own trauma is becoming his trauma and honestly you have all the more reason to make it his trauma from what it sounds like." he started. "Not that I condone that, but, you know, it would make sense if you did." he added, hoping it made his statement a little more clear. "I can tell you're the kind of guy that just wants better for him than you had for yourself." he smiled. As the other mentioned is half sister, Dakota nodded. "I can see that." he stated. "I'm glad you guys are able to keep on touch; hopefully you guys can get closer the longer that you know each other." @mateoxtorres

Mateo listened intently as the other spoke. It wasn't what he expected to hear, not at first anyway. Yet, it made all the sense to him. He let out a quiet breath, looking away for only a beat. "Yeah, that's the goal." Mateo said aloud, "It's easy, I think, to pass things down without evenin' meaning to so I have been tryin' to be more aware of it all." For Mateo, it also helped that his son had two other incredible role models in his life. His mother and the man that was practically already his step-father, just not on paper. "But, I appreciate you sayin' it, really. You know it doesn't always feel like I'm gettin' it right so it's nice to that it's noticed, even though we don't know each other that well." But, well enough. "Yeah," he nodded his head again, "I'm hopin' so to." @dakotawhawkins

"I swear -" Gia exhaled, kicking the tire of her car at the same time that she slammed the door of the driver's side. She barely knew her way around this town; but she was certain being stranded on the side of the street in Downtown Kismet Harbor was the last place she needed to be. Sure, there was the upside that it was within walking distance of most everything she'd need to get to, however, she was beginning to think the money she'd invested in this car at this point could've bought her a few bicycles that were more reliable than the car. Or hell, at this point she could've probably put two down payments on another car that would at least not break down once a week. "Why do you hate me?" Gia asked, dramatically as she whined, arms outstretched and face towards the sky as if to be asking the universe why she was hated. "I don't have time for this shit today."

From inside Wingman's Pub, Mateo heard the slam of a car door. While wiping down a glass in his hand, his gaze shifted out the window where he spotted a young woman standing outside her car. He couldn't make out what she was saying from inside, but he knew her look well. From what he could put together, it had to do something with her car. Mateo carefully set the glass on the bar top to be used for the next patron when he told the working bartender that he was stepping out for a minute. Pushing the front door of his establishment open, he was met with the midday sun and fresh ocean breeze. "Excuse me," he took a few more steps closer to the woman and her car, "anythin' I might be able to help you with?" @giacalloway

Mateo merely nodded his head to the other's words. Words of appreciation were not something that he handled well. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he looked at Dax. "No problem." It was the best he could do to accept Dax's appreciative statement. "Yeah." He paused for a beat. "I'll keep an eye out when tourism season picks up." He figured by now that the regulars were aware of Dax's condition. @daxtonxhays

At the mention of pictures, Mateo's lips thinned while he thought. "If I've got any photos, they're in a box in one of the closest. Takin' photos on a cell phone wasn't really a thing back then. Or we might be able to look up the listin' from back in the day." He had lived there from the get-go, so if the original listing could be found, it would show its previous state. "We can look after we eat. Honestly, I've been here so long, even I've forgotten what it used to look like." The admittance found space in the room, making him feel a little lighter after saying it. @marixdominguez

"She'd either be really embarrassed that I was complimenting her or tease me for being such a softy I can guarantee it but she's definitely one of those people that is hard to miss because she has such a bright presence. I know my kids certainly think so." Dakota smiled a little wider, nodding as he looked at the other. He listened as the other spoke of his own childhood and while he had all the more reason to be upset about it still in Dakota's opinion he seemed to handle it with a lot of integrity. Likely from a life that he knew he'd never have been able to change. "I unfortunately see a lot of those cases in my day to day life." he stated. While Dakota was just a child advocacy lawyer, a lot of those cases were divorce cases, mixed with custody battles. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that." he admitted. "I don't understand, honestly. Not being in love with the person you chose to marry or be with but also putting your kids in that type of situation either." he shrugged. "I guess it's better than being miserable but, it's one of those things that it's just hard to see on the other side of it all." he shrugged. "A half sister is something. I take it you guys aren't close either?" @mateoxtorres

Mateo took in the words as Dakota spoke, warmth spreading through him. He'd never admit to being the sentimental type, nor would people ever accuse him of such a thing. Yet, listening to the other man, he felt something. Hope, perhaps. "She sounds like she does." His head gave way to the slightest of nods, acknowledging the man's apology for what he had gone through. What had happened was in the past and it was a part of him that he had tried not to continue to carry it with him. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin his own son's life with his past trauma. "I don't get it either." Mateo agreed, though he shook his head. "I honestly didn't know about her for a long time, up until like a year or two ago." Mateo admitted to the other, "So we're keepin' in touch since she left town but I wouldn't say we are close like siblings that grow up together." @dakotawhawkins

Mateo opened up his beer, the hiss of the cap being popped off a familiar sound. His gaze remained on her, taking her in as she looked around his place. Mateo smiled easily around her, much more easily than he often did. At her question, he didn't answer right away. "I've lived here since I was eighteen. I moved out after I was old enough and had been able to save up enough for a shit hole of a house." Though it was not that anymore. "And spent the last few decades working to make it what it is now." A project that he held an immense proudness for. @marixdominguez