Reynaud's Redemption, стр. 32

“Yes, right.” He wiped his face quickly. Gathering Tyrell and his things, he shifted the boy to his shoulder and slid out of the limo. “Thanks for everything, Dennis. I know you were only supposed to drop me at the church, but—”

Dennis held his hand up, shaking his head. “No thanks necessary, Mr Drake. I couldn’t leave you and your baby stranded at the church.”

“When we got dropped off this morning, I… Well, I guess it didn’t occur to me how we would get home,” he explained softly.

“Yes, well, you had other things on your mind.” Dennis closed the door and tipped his hat. “Again, Mr Drake, I’m sorry for your loss. I hope everything turns out great for you.”

Phillip nodded and watched the limo drive away before he took Tyrell inside. He stood in the doorway of the house that Monica had decorated and took a deep breath. The whole house screamed of her. They had only lived in the place for a year, but it was their home. They had not been a quintessential married couple. Monica had known Phillip was gay when they’d married, although she’d had no clue about it when they’d hooked up on that one fateful night when Tyrell had been conceived. In public, they’d been a young, happy couple, and when it came to Tyrell, they had done everything together, but in the privacy of their home, they were friends. He’d had his bedroom and she’d had hers.

Phillip carried Tyrell to his room and put him in his crib, then he went to his own room to change clothes. As he pulled his pants off, he sat on the bed and was suddenly overcome with emotion. He fell against his pillow and cried.

When he opened his eyes again, the shadows in the room had shifted position and he knew that hours had passed. Phillip sat up and reached for his cell phone.

“Yes, hello?”

“Hi, Mom, it’s me.”

“Phil, sweetheart, are you all right?” his mother asked, her voice full of relief. “We haven’t talked in so long.”

“I know, Mom. I’m sorry. I just got caught up in some stuff, then one thing led to another and—”

“Phil, what’s wrong? Have you been crying? Has something happened?”

His mother’s knowing nature made the tears fall again. He could barely speak without choking on the words.

“Mom, I have so much to tell you.”

“Come home, Phil. We will sort it all out when you get here.”

He nodded as though she could see him. “All right. I’ll be home tonight.” He hung up the phone with a sigh.

* * * *

Phillip packed his car quickly and was at his mother’s door in less than three hours. When he pulled into the driveway, she was at the door instantly. His mother ran down the walkway, meeting Phillip on the passenger side of the car to hug him.

“Phil, we’ve missed you so much. Why did you just disappear like that? It’s been almost three years since you’ve been home for a visit,” his mother inquired when she released him. “And don’t you dare say you’ve been texting because that doesn’t count,” she added, wagging her finger at him.

He nodded, holding her hands. “I know, Mom. I’m sorry. So much has happened. I don’t even know where to begin.”

She looked him over then caressed his face. Her voice was softer when she spoke again. “Yes, I can see that. Come inside, sweetheart. Your sister is here. We will do whatever we can to make it all right.”

Phillip stopped her from pulling him away. “Wait, Mom. I have something to show you. Well, someone.”

He turned from her confused look to reach into the car. Her features quickly shifted to shock when he lifted the sleeping baby from the car and presented him to her.

“This is Tyrell.”

His mother looked at the slumbering toddler as a gamut of emotions played across her face. She sent a questioning look at her son. Phillip nodded, confirming her unasked question. A smile lit her face as she took the baby from him.

“Hello, Tyrell. I’m your grandma,” she told the child as they walked back to the house.

Inside, when his sister was introduced to Tyrell, she had the same reaction as his mother.

After finding a place to lay Tyrell down, Phillip’s mother rustled up something for Phillip to eat, then as the three of them sat at the table he explained what had transpired during the time he had limited communication with his family. When his story was done, everyone still had questions for him.

“So let me get this straight,” his sister began. “You and Monica got married just so that Tyrell would have a chance at a normal family?” she asked, making quotation marks in the air.

Phillip nodded.

“You didn’t love her?”

Phillip tilted his head. “Rachel, I’m gay. I think it’s safe to say that I don’t like women in that way.”

“So you felt nothing for this woman at all?”

He let out a frustrated groan. “No, it wasn’t like that. I did have love for her. She was the mother of my son, and we were friends.”

His sister rubbed her temples. “Phil, did it ever occur to you that you could have been a good father and her friend without marrying her?”

“Yes, Rachel, it did, but I didn’t want to be a ‘baby daddy’,” he said, doing his own quotations in the air. “They don’t really have any rights to their kids. I wanted to have equal say and be a part of Tyrell’s life.”

“I can understand that, Phillip, but didn’t you think your actions were a little reckless from the start?” his mother asked in her chastising motherly tone.

“Yes, Mom, in retrospect I do realize that getting drunk and allowing some strange woman to ride me was probably not the best idea that I’ve ever had,”