Page 27 of A Return For Ren

“Or maybe you don’t want your heart broken again so you never let anyone in,” Rose said. “It might not be Ren but what he represents. If you don’t cut that last thread from your life then you need to sew it up. Either way you can’t move on until you do one or the other.”

Which was the conclusion she’d come to. “And that is why I’m here. Poppy is good at sewing, you’re good at cutting, Rose.”

“Once you cut it,” Poppy said, “it’s harder to repair. Better start while a piece is still hanging on before you grab those scissors. Only if you want to.”

“I think I do. But what is my next step?”

“That is a better question for Poppy than me,” Rose said. “I’d have the scissors in my hand at this stage.”

She laughed again. “I’m sure. And if that time comes, you’ll be the one I’ll be asking more advice from.”

“I’ve got lots of ideas to make him see what you want,” Poppy said.

“First she needs to know where he stands,” Rose said. “Why bother getting the thread and needle out if he tells her right off he is returning home.”

“I agree,” Zara said.

“Ask him,” Rose said. “Right to his face. Ask him what he wants. He is the one that made the comment about proving your love to him. It seems to me he has a lot of insecurities in life. Stemming from his father most likely. Now the man it sounds as if he hated is gone and he never got to reconcile with him, if he wanted to.”

“That crossed my mind too,” she said.

She was trying to put herself in Ren’s shoes. His life had been flipped upside down and then spun multiple times just having Max. His father died suddenly and the marina, the bane of his existence that was the catalyst of his relationship with his father, was going to be sold too.

Deep inside, Ren was an emotional person that kept it all locked up. Kind of like Rose did. Which was another reason she wanted that particular sister here.

“You know him better than us,” Poppy said. “It sounds to me like you want to get to know him as a man and adult rather than a teenager. He’s not the same person. Neither are you.”

“We aren’t,” she said. “Yet I still see us when we were that age.”

“Aww, honey,” Poppy said, going to her for a hug. She didn’t mean to start sniffling but knew Poppy would understand.

“I want to go give him shit for you,” Rose said. “Good thing Zane isn’t here.”

“I know. I have to be careful. Zane only knows Ren as the guy who broke my heart. I spent too much time crying when I talked to Zane back then and shouldn’t have. That is another obstacle I’ll have to address if it comes to that. My father more so. He’ll flip out since hewashere to witness it.”

“It sounds to me like you’ve got your next move,” Rose said. “How was Ren yesterday? Did you see him?”

“No. He dropped Max off when I was doing something else and picked him up the same way. Not sure if it was on purpose or the universe giving us space.”

“The universe,” Poppy said. “Take it as a sign that you both need a few days to figure it out. You’ll see him Monday I’m sure.”

“I’ll try to do it. He wanted the awkwardness to stop, but right now I think it’s going to be worse.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Rose said. “He asked you to dinner. You ask him there next. Maybe after everyone is gone, bring him to your house. Cook for the two of them and lay it out. Nice and logical like Lily would do. You actually have to do that before you get to Poppy’s ideas to win him back.”

“Yeah,” Poppy said, rubbing her hands together after she’d stepped back from the hug. “I want to get to my ideas. I’m ready for that.”

“Thanks, you two. I needed this. Now I’m going to buy some candles and take a nice bubble bath tonight and figure out my next conversation with him. I do better with stuff in my head.”

“Let’s go get you the good stuff,” Poppy said. “On us and you know it.”

Zara had learned a long time ago to not argue with the Bloom sisters. They were a force to be reckoned with and she was glad they were part of her life.

9

Stupid Thought

“There’s my boy,” Ren’s mother said when he came in the front door with Max in his car seat.