Outside the Madden house, the rain pattered softly, creating white lines on the windows. Inside, Jason was sitting cross-legged on his bed with the Rubik's cube unopened next to him, his room lit by the glow of his nightlight.
His voice was barely audible above the rain as he said, "Mom."
Lorna stopped in the doorway, preparing her heart. "Yes, sweetheart?"
Jason's wide eyes were filled with a question as he looked up. "What brought you and Dad together in that office to meet Mr. Michael?"
After blinking, Lorna entered slowly and took a seat next to him.
She said carefully, "Because... Mr. Michael is someone important." "Someone who is interested in learning more about you."
Jason cocked his head in contemplation. He resembled me. similar to what's in the mirror.
Lorna took a deep breath. Her fingers lightly ran through his hair. "People occasionally enter our lives in unexpected ways."
"Is he really my father?"
Like a blade, the words pierced the silence.
Lorna paused, but she wasn't prepared to reveal that information. Not just yet. Not in this manner.
With a steady voice, she said, "You have Daddy Lucas." "And he really does love you."
Jason nodded, scowling. "One day, I simply want to know the truth. I don't like secrets."
Lorna gave him a forehead kiss. "I promise to let you know the truth. One day.
With each breath, her own heart grew heavier as she turned off the light.
Lucas was standing at the counter downstairs, adding more bourbon to his glass.
With a firmer-than-normal voice, Lorna entered the kitchen and said, "You need to stop drinking like this."
He avoided eye contact. "Why? since I need to remain alert and Michael has come back?
"No," she answered. "Because I won't allow Jason to grow up in a home where there is a lot of stress and anxiety, and you're spiraling."
Lucas gave a sour laugh. "Lorna, I've done everything correctly. He broke you, and I picked up the pieces. I treated your son as though he were my own. And I'm getting treated like the bad guy now.
"You're not the bad guy," she muttered. "But you're also not the man I married anymore."
He was completely stopped by that.
She went on, "I would like to sleep in the guest room." "I need room."
His glass struck the counter with too much force. "Well, is this it? You're going to pick him—again?
Lorna muttered, "No." "I'm making my own decision. as well as my tranquility. For once."
On the other side of town, Michael was seated at his kitchen table with the first drawing Jason had given him—a stick figure with a crooked smile that was marked "M"—spread across the wood.
In spite of himself, he smiled.
Henry folded his arms and leaned against the doorway. "Are you okay?"
Michael gave a nod. "I feel better than I have in a long time. That boy gave me the impression that I was important."
"Because you are," said Henry. "You always were. You simply forgot."
With determination gleaming behind his weary eyes, Michael raised his head.
"I will stand up for him in the proper manner. Slowly. With caution. I want to prove myself as someone who shows up, not just as his father."
Henry smiled. "It's about damn time."