Page 112 of A Return For Ren

“Did you tell Michele that Rachelle had dropped Max off and left? Did you say anything at all about that situation?”

“No. She hasn’t asked. I don’t know if she wants to know.”

If Michele didn’t ask, he wasn’t volunteering at this point. None of that would change anything in his mind. He could use it to fight for Max if it came down to it, but it didn’t seem it would. If Rachelle had a good enough relationship with her mother, she would have bought Max there and he might not have ever known he had a child.

“Tell me about the call.”

“Michele started to cry the minute she saw Max. She said he looks like Rachelle did a little at that age.”

His mother laughed. “You know as well as I do, Max looks like you.”

“I’ve seen the pictures,” he said, nodding. “But Michele said she could see Rachelle in Max too. Who am I to argue?”

“You did the right thing.”

“Max wasn’t that interested in staying on my lap for the call, so I let him down and then had Michele watch him moving around and playing. I figured there wasn’t much to say, but she could see him in action.”

It was a split moment decision and he was glad he’d done it. It took the awkwardness of the call away from trying to find things to talk about and let it be focused on Michele meeting her grandson via video.

“I’m sure she appreciated that.”

“She did. I told her she could call or ask for a video chat any time. I told her I’d send her pictures and videos of Max too. That was Zara’s idea. I’m taking enough of them and it’s not a big deal to share them via a text like I do with you.”

“It’s not. I love getting them. As a grandmother, I’m not sure how I’d feel if I knew you had a grandchild and I wasn’t allowed to see him or have any communication. Maybe there will be a time they can meet in person.”

“Maybe. She is pretty far away and she hasn’t asked and I’m not offering. I talked to Thomas and for now he feels this is the best way to continue and it should work. I’m going to try to make it work. For Max. He has a right to know his mother’s side of the family. I’m not going to hold it against Michele, what beef Rachelle might have had with her.”

“That’s the right decision, Ren. I’d like to think if the roles were reversed that the mother of your child wouldn’t withhold our grandchild from your father.”

He’d thought of that too. It was part of him having to put the past behind him.

“I know. I wanted Zara’s thoughts when she met Michele. She’s a good judge of people and she thought Michele was being honest. I might still reserve judgment, but for now, we can proceed this way and see how it goes.”

Max was finally sitting still on the floor and playing with a few toys spread out around him.

“I told you I can help you move past things and I’m going to,” his mother said, standing up. She walked out of the room and then came back with an envelope in her hands.

“What’s that?”

“I found it cleaning out your father’s desk here last month. I have no idea what it says. It’s sealed and addressed to you. There is no stamp on it. I wonder if he got cold feet trying to decide whether to send it out or not.”

Ren took the envelope and ran his fingers over it. It seemed to him so much of his life in the past several months was coming to him in paper letters. Odd for a man who made his living with technology.

First, the one he’d found that Rachelle had left that wasn’t sent to him. Then from Michele and now this.

“You have no idea what it says?” he asked, looking at his father’s handwriting on the outside.

“No clue. It wasn’t addressed to me. I’m taking a guess it will help with your guilt, but I could be adding to it. I hope not. I don’t think Ryan would have done that. He wasn’t one to write letters. He wasn’t one to reach out. He only did those things when he was wrong and wanted to apologize.”

“Yet he never sent it,” he said, looking at her.

“It’s not always easy to admit when you made a mistake, Ren. You know that.”

“I do,” he said, opening it. He hoped it wasn’t something that would upset his mother, but he had to know what it said. “It’s dated two days before he died.”

His mother’s eyes started to fill. “I’m not surprised.”

Ren. If you’re reading this, either I worked up enough courage to mail it and swallow the crow flying over my head for years or I’m not with you anymore. I’m not sure which one would make you feel better, but the information is the same. We had our differences and a lot of that fell on my shoulders. I never got to tell you in person that it was wrong of me. Take care of your mother like I know you will. Like you always wanted to. And know I loved you even if you don’t want to believe it.