Page 98 of A Return For Ren

“Hopefully he won’t think it’s naptime or throw a fit,” he said.

“I doubt it. I’ll be talking to him and he’ll understand it’s so he doesn’t get into mischief. I did babyproof the room so I could put him on the floor with the door shut. We’ll figure it all out together like we’ve been doing.”

And they did, he thought hours later when Zara was cooking dinner and he was watching TV with Max.

It didn’t feel like there was any pressure to go out and do anything. Nothing more than unpack and relax.

It almost felt like he was coming home here more than when he returned to his home two weeks ago.

“Shit,” he said. “I left the mail in my car. I’m going to run and get it.”

Zara came out and picked Max up while he went outside and grabbed the pile of junk on his seat.

“You don’t need anything while you’re gone?” she asked.

“No. All my bills are electronic. I never get any in the mail. It’s mostly junk and fliers.” He was sifting through everything and came across a letter addressed to him. “Except this. Not sure what it is.”

He opened it up and read it once, then a second time. “What’s wrong?” Zara asked. “Your face is white.”

“I don’t have any words. This can’t be happening.”

“What is happening?” she asked.

“This letter is from Rachelle’s mother. She found out about Max and wants custody of him.”

“First, you are Max’s father. She has no right to him.”

“I know,” he said. “I think. I’ll fight her.”

He was starting to sweat. The thought of losing his son was making him ill. Putting him through a custody battle even worse.

There was no way he was letting anyone take his son. Not even for a night without him. No way. This couldn’t be happening.

“Relax,” she said. “I know it’s hard to feel that way. My other thought is, how could she not know her daughter had a child? And how did she find out now? Rachelle couldn’t have had that great of a relationship with her mother if she’d never told her.”

He needed the voice of reason. “I didn’t know about Max either,” he argued.

“But Rachelle came to you with Max. Not her mother. Remember that.”

It was hard to forget it. “She never talked much about her parents. She wasn’t from the area. This letter is from Kentucky.”

“I’m assuming she left her number,” she said. “You should contact your lawyer and figure it out that way first.”

“Yeah,” he said. “The problem is, I’m not sure if I should use mine who dragged his feet to get Max’s name changed or one in Connecticut. Zara, I’m not sure where I’m going to end up. I know you don’t want to hear this now, but I see myself back here. It might be best to get a lawyer in this state rather than Massachusetts.”

“I’ve never not wanted to hear it, Ren. I’ve tried to bring things up to talk about and you shut me down. It seems we do this to each other. It’s time we had some of these conversations while you’re here.”

He let out a breath. There were things he hadn’t wanted to talk about. His father, for one. But his mother had been right and it was time to put some of those things to bed too.

“You’re right. I’ve got to figure this out.”

“Nothing needs to be figured out now,” she said. “Does it?”

“Here,” he said. “You can read it.”

He handed the letter over and took his son out of Zara’s hands. He had to hold him right now. He needed that comfort.

“She isn’t saying much,” she said. “She wants you to contact her or she’ll have her lawyer do it. She might be bluffing. Why not have her lawyer send the letter if that was the case?”