Reynaud's Redemption, стр. 33

“I’m sorry, Phillip. I’m sure you have gone over that scenario several times since then. I don’t mean to bring up what can’t be changed.”

“No, I’m the one who is sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” He picked her hand up and kissed it.

“You know, Phil, you could have told us what was going on with you. In fact you should have told us in the beginning before everything got crazy,” his sister reprimanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

He turned to Rachel’s scowl. “I know and I meant to. I just… I mean, everything seemed to happen so fast. Monica and I were his parents, equal in everything that we did for Tyrell and now…”

His mother squeezed his hand and completed his sentence. “And now you’re a single father with your family here to help you. Your sister is right, Phillip. We are your family. We had a right to know. You may not have felt so overwhelmed if we were there to help you from the beginning.”

Phil nodded knowing she was right.

“What about Monica’s family? Did you talk to them at the funeral? Will they help you with Tyrell?” Rachel asked.

He scoffed. “Oh, yeah. We spoke all right. They made it very clear that Tyrell was my son. Her mother told me that he is my responsibility and that I would be taking care of him, alone. They’ve washed their hands of me and Tyrell.”

“Well, that was nice of them,” Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

“It’s all right, Phillip. You have us to help. You will just have to come back home. You’ll stay here until you find a house in town and get your affairs straight in Kentucky.”

“Thanks, Mom. I… I know I should have called when all of this started. I just—”

“Yes, you should have,” she said in that same scolding, motherly tone. “I missed out on a lot because you were trying to be an adult about the situation. His birth, first words, crawling, first steps—” She stopped her rant and sighed, giving his hand a squeeze. “Well, what’s done is done. You’re here now and so is he. That’s all that matters.”

“Phil, when is Tyrell’s birthday? He looks about two years old,” Rachel asked.

“Yes, he will be two September tenth.”

“That’s great. His birthday is only a few days away from mine.”

“Wonderful! We will have one big birthday party for the both of you. We’ll invite everyone and introduce Tyrell to the family,” Phillip’s mother added.

“Come on, Phil. Let’s get the rest of your stuff from the car. You might as well get settled into your old room,” his sister said, pulling him from the chair.

He looked over his shoulder at his mother.

“Relax, Phillip,” she said and stood. “I will check in on our little prince.”

He nodded and followed his sister out of the door. They were quiet as they walked, but when he pulled the folded playpen from the trunk, his sister broke the silence.

“You know, Phil, James asks about you all the time.”

At the sound of his name, Phillip froze instantly, but he quickly regained his composure.

“He still cares for you too,” she continued, grabbing a bag from the backseat.

“I can’t think about that right now, Rachel. I have Tyrell to worry about.”

“You can’t make Tyrell happy if you’re not happy. Kids have a knack of picking up on those things. If you could just talk to James and tell him what happened, maybe—”

“Maybe what, Rachel?” he asked, slamming the trunk. “Maybe he’ll take me back…after I dropped off the planet without saying a word for almost three years? After I basically left him for a woman? Yeah, I just don’t see him forgiving me for all that. James and I are done. I gave up that life—the life I desperately wanted and miss like hell—for my son,” he screamed in borderline hysteria.

He shoved Tyrell’s things under his arm, dropped them then picked them up again before she grabbed his hand.

“Phil, you don’t have to be unhappy in order for your son to be happy. You could have someone in your life and have your son.” Her tone was calm and soothing. “It’s possible for you and James—”

“No, Rachel.”

She jumped at the sharpness of his voice and dropped his hand.

He sighed, taking her hand in his again, and spoke softly. “Sacrifices had to be made, Rachel, for me to be with my son. Only Tyrell matters.”

She nodded. “Okay, Phil. Let’s just get you guys settled in.”

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