“That’s what she said.” He settled across from his mom. “I can’t get my mind around it all.”
“All this time and she didn’t say a word?” Denise demanded, her strength obviously returning. “What a total bitch. How dare she keep your son, my grandson, from us. From the family. Who does she think she is?”
His mother was nothing if not loyal, he thought, amused by her easily engaged emotions. Then the humor faded as he remembered she was right. Liz had stolen the one thing that couldn’t be recovered: time.
Denise sprang to her feet and paced the length of the kitchen. “Did she even try to get in touch with you? Why now? What’s different?”
“She’s back because of her brother’s kids.” She’d said more, but he hadn’t been paying attention to much beyond how she’d looked in the moonlight. That was the hell of it—he’d been happy to see her. Had wanted to tell her that she’d grown even more beautiful. He’d apologized for how he’d acted. And she’d let him.
“She didn’t come here to tell you about the boy? About Tyler?”
He shook his head. “It’s complicated. She says she tried to tell me when she first found out, but when she came back, I was with someone else.” He wasn’t going to tell his mother he’d been in bed with Pia O’Brian. They’d dated all of two days and honestly, he couldn’t remember ever sleeping with her.
“That’s it?”
“No. She says she came to town five years ago and spoke with Rayanne. She says she told Rayanne about Tyler and that she wanted to talk to me.”
His mother stared at him intently. “And?”
“She claims she got a letter from me, telling her that I didn’t want anything to do with her or Tyler. That she was to stay out of town.”
Denise folded her arms across her chest. “That’s just so typical,” she grumbled. “Make up a stupid story and then expect everyone to accept it without a shred of proof.”
He would agree, except for one thing. “She says she still has the letter. She’s going to have it delivered by tomorrow morning.”
“Do you believe her?
“I don’t know.”
Tears filled his mother’s eyes. She sank back into the chair. “All this time a little boy has been out there, a member of our family, and we never knew. He’s been lost. Desperate. Alone.”
Ethan didn’t think Liz would appreciate Denise’s assessment of the situation, but his mother had always had a way with words.
“He needs us,” she said, touching his arm. “We have to be there for him. Finding out he has a father is going to be huge.”
“I know.” He squeezed her hand.
She drew in a breath. “We need a plan. We have to stay calm. You’re meeting them tonight?”
“At six.”
“Good. You should be friendly with Liz. Don’t push her right now. The last thing we want is her running away. I know you’re angry and God knows she deserves it. There’s no excuse for what she’s done. None. It wasn’t as if you would have turned her away. You married Rayanne when she got pregnant, and it’s not like she was a catch.”
“Mom,” he began warningly.
She held up her hands. “I know. I’m sorry. You were doing what you’d been taught—taking responsibility and upholding the family name.” Then she frowned. “Ethan, this is two girls you’ve gotten pregnant. I thought your father had the ‘safe sex’ conversation with you. Did he leave something out?”
Ethan stood and took a step back. “Mom, let’s remember the point of the conversation. Liz and Tyler.”
“Right. I know you’re mad. I’m beyond mad. I just want to squash her like a bug. But we can’t. There are things to be worked out. Besides, Tyler is only a boy. He probably loves his mother. You can’t get between them. So when you meet him tonight, be friendly to her, as well. Once you know what’s going on, then you can come up with a plan.”
Hearing her advice helped him to put things in perspective. His relationship with Tyler was his first priority. Punishing Liz could wait.
“Thanks, Mom.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek.
“You’re welcome.” She touched his cheek. “I want to meet him. My grandson.”
“You will.”
“She’s back home now?”
“Yeah.” The house had been old and run-down twelve years ago. Now it was worse.
“This will work out,” she told him. “You’ll see.”
“I know.”
He would make it work out, one way or another. Liz wasn’t going to steal any more time from him.