Page 18 of A Return For Ren

“Because times change.”

“They do,” she said. “We’ve both moved on. You more than me.”

“So you’re single?” he asked. He hadn’t known but was taking a guess. No ring on her finger. No other cars in the driveway to the house. His mother had said she hadn’t heard one way or another and she normally did know things.

Her head went to the side again. “I am. I’m going to assume you are since you’re here with your son and there is no mother listed on Max’s paperwork.” Max was still reaching for her, but she found a toy and put it in his hand instead. No reason to get the child worked up right now when he’d be leaving soon.

“Yes, I am,” he said. “You want to know about Max’s mother.”

“I want to know about a lot of things,” she said. “It’s whether you are willing to share or not. The last time we talked before you returned to town it was that you were never coming back here. That you couldn’t live here. You couldn’t breathe. You could barely be in the same town as your father let alone the same house. You said we were wasting each other’s time.”

He was going to forever regret those words.

“I never came back after that summer for more than a day to visit when he wasn’t around if I could help it.”

After that summer he’d gotten jobs himself over the summer in and around college and he stayed in the apartment that he’d shared rather than living on campus.

His mother paid his tuition and what it would cost for housing in a check to him.

Anything over that he had to pay himself. He was thankful that the apartment for twelve months splitting it with four other guys was cheaper than dorms and the meal plan.

He was able to cover his share no problem and had a part-time job for spending money.

It worked out better than he could have planned.

“I know,” she said quietly.

He didn’t address that. It wasn’t the time or the place again.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“For something specific or just an open statement?”

“Everything for now,” he said. “If you want to know more, let me know. We can find a time to talk. I can’t promise to tell you it all, but I will tell you what I can.”

“More like what you feel comfortable with,” she said. “Some things don’t change.”

“No,” he said.

He had Max’s bag on his shoulder and was turning to leave. “Ren?”

His name on her lips always made his palms sweat and his heart race. Since the first time she’d said it in elementary school.

He had no idea what it meant back then, but the older he got the more he realized the connection the two of them had.

Which he’d thrown away so carelessly.

“Yes?”

“I want to know more. I need to.”

“Then how about dinner tomorrow night? If not then, another night or the weekend? As long as you don’t mind Max there.”

“Dinner tomorrow sounds good. And I don’t mind having Max around. As you can tell, he seems to like me.”

“Because he’s got good taste,” he said. “I’ll talk to you more tomorrow morning.”

He buckled Max in the car and drove back to his rental and knew he’d spend the rest of the night trying to figure out what he was going to say.