Renting to Own

by Linda Rettstatt

  Tyler turned the color of the burgundy drapes hanging at the window. “Both of you misunderstood.”

  Mrs. Dixon stared at her son and then looked at Lily with tears in her eyes. “I think we both understand perfectly. Lily, I apologize for my son. There’s no excuse for his behavior. When the rumors started about you being pregnant, Tyler told me he’d broken up with you and the child wasn’t his. I didn’t know what to think.”

  Lily didn’t realize she was crying until Rick put an arm around her and offered her a tissue. She wiped her eyes and looked at Tyler. “I can’t believe you would stoop so low. I can’t believe I loved you.”

  Mrs. Dixon looked questioningly at her silent husband. “Ray? You’re being awfully quiet. My God, Ray. You knew about this.”

  His color matched that of his son. “I wanted Tyler to go to college, have a career. Not get saddled with a baby and no future.”

  The woman’s lips tightened. “You and your son can leave now. I’d like to talk with Lily alone.”

  “But, Judith. She’s my granddaughter, too.”

  “Then you’d better start acting like it. Now, would you take our son outside and let me talk with Lily?”

  The man stood, his eyes flitting briefly across Lily’s face. “Come on, Tyler.”

  Rick squeezed Lily’s hand under the table as he whispered, “You want me to leave, too?”

  Lily nodded. “I’m okay.”

  Rick followed Tyler and his father from the room.

  Mrs. Dixon waited until the door closed. “Lily, I can’t imagine what you’ve thought of me all these years. I am so very sorry. And to think you’ve had to manage alone all this time.”

  “I wasn’t alone. Helen Shaw took me in. She’s like a mother to me.”

  “She’s a good woman.”

  Lily nodded.

  “Do you have a picture of Chelsea?”

  Lily’s hands shook as she removed her wallet from her purse and produced a photo of her daughter, posed in the backyard with Pepper. She slid the picture across the table.

  Mrs. Dixon put her hand to her mouth. Her underpinnings appeared to loosen. “Oh. Oh, she’s beautiful.”

  “You can keep that, if you want. I have another copy.”

  “Thank you. She looks so much like Tyler when he was this age, but she has your nose and chin.”

  “Mrs. Dixon….”

  “Please. Call me Judith.”

  “Judith, Chelsea knows nothing about her father. I couldn’t bear for her to think she wasn’t wanted.”

  “I understand. I want so much to be a part of her life in some way. But I know you’ll need time to prepare her. I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll pay for a therapist, if you think that would help.”

  Lily shook her head. “I just need to talk to her, find a way to explain all of this.”

  “Are you saying you’ll let us—let me see her?”

  Lily nodded. She couldn’t deprive her daughter of a loving grandparent because of Tyler’s selfishness and her own fear. “There is one thing I’ll need your help with, however.”

  “Anything.”

  Lily met the woman’s gaze. “You may not say that when I tell you what I want.” She lifted her chin. “I may be getting married at some point. I need your help to convince Tyler to give up his rights so…so the man I marry could adopt Chelsea. Tyler clearly doesn’t want a daughter, at least not mine. Help me with this, and I’ll make sure you meet Chelsea. The rest is up to her, whether she wants to get to know you better. I won’t force her into a relationship she doesn’t want. And I won’t stand in the way of one, if she does want it.”

  Judith turned toward Suzanne. “Maybe I need my attorney here for this. If Tyler gives up his right, we could lose Chelsea, too.”

  Lily responded. “I wouldn’t do that. As I said, Chelsea deserves to have grandparents in her life who love her. As long as I can trust you, I won’t stand in your way.”

  Judith Dixon nodded. “I’ll talk to Tyler. I am truly sorry for all of this, Lily. And to think we could have had all these years, watching Chelsea grow up, could’ve helped you manage.”

  “I’ve managed just fine. I’ll talk to Chelsea but not before Tyler signs over his parental rights. As soon as Suzanne notifies me that the papers are filed, we’ll talk.” She stood. “Suzanne, I’ll wait to hear further from you. Thank you.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of the attorney’s mouth. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Lily walked into the reception area where Rick paced nervously. Tyler and his father sat, looking like they’d just been caught stealing hubcaps. Tyler moved to stand, but Rick glared at him. “I wouldn’t, if I were you.”

  Lily gripped Rick’s hand. “He’s not worth it. Let’s go.”

  “Can’t I hit him, just once? Just a little?”

  She suppressed a smile. “No. Not unless he comes around the house again.” She locked her eyes on Tyler’s. “Then he’s all yours.”

  “Good.” Rick smiled at Tyler. “Be sure to drop by. Soon.”

  “I’d be careful making threats Mr. Gardner.” Ray Dixon looked at Lily. “And you need to tell your father to stop harassing my son and to stay away from our house.”

  “My father? I haven’t spoken with my father.” She looked to Tyler. “He talked to you?”

  Ray Dixon responded. “Talked? As soon as Tyler returned home, your father showed up and threatened him with a baseball bat. I was about to call the police when he got back into his truck and left. If he makes another threat, he’ll find himself behind bars.”

  Emotion clogged her throat. Her dad had defended her honor? Better late than never, she supposed.

  Judith Dixon spoke from the doorway. “Ray! Leave the girl alone. At least she has a father who gives a damn.” She glared at her son. “Not one who teaches his child to take the coward’s way out.”

  The words cut through Lily like a hot knife. She clutched Rick’s hand. “I have to get out of here.”

  Outside, in the cold air, realization hit, and she began to shake. Rick put an arm around her. “You did good in there. I’m proud of you. What happened after we men left the room?”

  “I’ll fill you in on that later. Thank you for being here.”

  “I want to be there for you every day. Sounds like your dad stepped up to the plate.”

  “I can’t believe he went after Tyler. He must have seen the notice in the paper.”

  “Have you spoken with him?”

  “Not recently. He left a message on my phone a while back, but I didn’t return the call. Oh, God. He said it was important. I just thought he wanted to make more excuses, beg me to let him see Chelsea.”

  “You may want to return his call.”

  “I will. Over the weekend. I just want to get back to the office. Maybe I’ll stop shaking.”

  *

  When they reached the office, Rick left the Closed sign on the door and ushered Lily into his office. “How are you going to handle this with Chelsea? You’ll have to tell her about Tyler eventually.”

  “I wouldn’t have had to, if I’d moved to Canada.”

  “No, you’d have other problems, like explaining to Chelsea why she can never come back to the USA until she’s eighteen.” He tossed both of their coats onto a chair and sat beside her on the sofa.

  “I don’t know what to tell her. I gave her that line about her being sent by God, just for me. How’s she going to take it when I tell her I lied to her all this time, that she has a father—he just didn’t want to claim her?”

  “You don’t have to tell her that part. I’d bet there are other kids in her class with two fathers—the one who donated sperm, and the one they call Daddy, who’s there to tuck them in at night. Sadly, it’s a fact of life for a lot of kids. Divorce is a growing reality.”

  “You’re probably right about that. I hope she doesn’t ask where Tyler’s been all this time.”

  “It’s simple. He’s been away at school, working. You don’t have to pu
t him down to her, and you don’t have to explain for him. Just give her the bare, but true, facts.”

  She met his gaze. “I can deal with Chelsea. You and I need to talk.”

  “Can we just start over, perhaps?” He lowered his head and, when he lifted his eyes to hers again, he smiled. “Hi, I’m Rick Gardner. I’m single, thirty-two, own my own house and business, my parents are retired and live in Florida, I have one sister who lives in Cleveland, and my favorite color is blue.”

  Lily smiled and took the hand he offered. “Lily Champion. I’m twenty-four, a single mom with a five-year-old daughter, renting to own my house—well, I was—and I work for a great guy in real estate. Oh, and my favorite color is powder blue.”

  “Well, see, we have something in common already. That happens to be my favorite shade of blue, too. Can we be friends, with the possibility of a lifelong arrangement?”

  “We can be friends.”

  “So…as a friend, tell me what’s happening and how I can help.”

  She sighed. “What am I going to do about my dad?”

  “Call him. Lily, life’s too short to let old mistakes clutter the path ahead of you.”

  Moisture filled her eyes. “But he threw me out when I most needed him.”

  “I know. Want a guy’s perspective on that?”

  She nodded.

  “He was scared to death that he’d failed you and your mother. And he didn’t know how to be there for you. He probably looked at you and saw his little girl, all grown up, and wondered how that happened. And when he wasn’t paying attention, some boy took advantage of her and got her pregnant. He felt responsible and didn’t know what to do.”

  “You think so?”

  “Not sure, but that’s how I’d be thinking. I’d be mad as hell at myself for doing a lousy job as a parent. You need to call him, Lily. Give him another chance. Give yourself one, too.”

  “I’ll call him tomorrow.”

  Lily’s cell phone rang. She looked at the number. “It’s Suzanne.” She lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello.”

  “Lily, Tyler signed the papers, and I’m taking them to the courthouse to file right now.”

  “What a relief. Thank you for calling. And for everything else.”

  “I’ll let you know when the court finalizes the petition, but I don’t anticipate any problem.”

  “Thanks, Suzanne.”

  Lily hung up and smiled at Rick. “Tyler signed the papers. Now I have to explain all of this to Chelsea.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Lily picked Chelsea up at school and returned to the office. “I have to get a deposit ready, then we’ll run to the bank.” She spread the checks on the desk and filled in the deposit slip.

  “Mommy, guess what happened today?”

  “Just a minute, Chels. I need to add up these figures.”

  “But…Mrs. Higgins yelled at Oliver.”

  “Uh-huh. Give me five minutes and I want to hear all about it.”

  Rick emerged from his office. “Hey, Shortstop. Want to come in and tell me about school today?” He winked and grinned at Lily.

  “Yeah. Let me get Grilla.” She skipped across the room, picked up the ragged sock monkey and then ran into Rick’s office.

  Lily listened to the soft murmurings of Rick’s voice and the lilting laughter of her daughter. She picked up the deposits and went to Rick’s door to tell them she was leaving. What she heard and saw brought tears to her eyes.

  Rick sat on the sofa, Chelsea snuggled beside him. “Well, the handsome prince had to make a terrible decision—stay and await the birth of his little princess, or ride off to do battle and save the kingdom. He knew his beautiful princess would have help taking care of the newborn little princess, so he left, not to be seen again for a long, long time.

  “The princess gave birth to the little princess, who had golden hair and sparkling blue eyes.” He looked at Chelsea. “Very much like yours, come to think of it. The beautiful princess loved her daughter and gave her everything—her very own cat, a sandbox, even her very own glittering tiara.”

  “A swimmin’ pool?”

  “Oh, most definitely a swimming pool. One day, after moving to a new part of the kingdom, the beautiful princess met a dashing, handsome, brave knight. This knight fell in love with both the beautiful princess and her daughter.”

  Chelsea looked up at him, her brows furrowed. “But what happened to the prince, the little princess’s father? Why didn’t he ever come back?”

  “Oh, well. He knew his beautiful princess would take care of the little girl and love her enough for both of them. He did come back once, just to see his golden-haired little girl. But he couldn’t stay, so he gave his blessing for the princess and her daughter to be protected by the dashing, handsome, brave knight.”

  Lily’s purse shifted on her shoulder and it smacked against the doorframe. They both looked up at her. Rick stared into her eyes as he continued. “And the dashing, handsome, brave knight loved the beautiful princess and her little girl very much, and they became a family and lived happily ever after. The beginning.”

  Chelsea giggled. “No, Rick. It’s the end.”

  He tickled her and hugged her close. “No, it isn’t. Trust me, it’s just the beginning.”

  Lily’s throat ached and tears spilled down her cheeks. She needed to slow things down, but hoped her dashing knight would hang in there with her for a while.

  “But what about the king and queen who lived in the first prince’s castle?” Chelsea asked.

  “Ah, well, they heard about the little princess, and they traveled far to see the child and bring her gifts. She was, after all, their grandchild. And they loved her very much.”

  Chelsea frowned. “Am I a grandchild?”

  He smiled. “You are the grandest child, my dear.”

  Lily slipped quietly from the doorway and left.

  *

  That evening after Chelsea’s bath, Lily tucked her into bed.

  “Mommy, will you read a story?”

  Lily ran her fingers through her daughter’s soft curls. “I heard the story Rick told you today. What did you think about it?”

  “It was good. The little princess looked like me. Rick said so. And she ended up with two daddies, just like Hunter and Tanisha.”

  “Who are Hunter and Tanisha?”

  “They’re in my class, and they both have two daddies. Tanisha says she has one daddy who sends money and another one who lives with her and her mommy.”

  Lily blinked.

  “I think she’s lucky to have two, ’cause I don’t have even one.” Her eyes downcast, Chelsea played with the ears on her stuffed monkey.

  Lily caressed her daughter’s cheek. “There’s something I have to tell you. Do you remember the man who came to the door last month? Mr. Dixon?”

  “The man who has hair like me.”

  “That’s right. Well, Mr. Dixon is like the first prince in Rick’s story.” Referring to Tyler as a prince almost made her choke, but this was for Chelsea’s sake. “He’s your father.”

  “He is? But where was he? Why did he leave us?”

  “He had to go away before you were born.”

  A smiled creased the child’s face. “And he knew you’d take good care of me, just like the prince in the story.”

  “Exactly. And Rick’s like the handsome, dashing knight.”

  “And brave.”

  Lily laughed. “Oh, yes. We mustn’t forget his bravery.”

  Chelsea sat up and threw her arms around her mother. “And Rick’ll take care of you, too. And we’ll live happily ever after.”

  “We will, some day.”

  Chelsea pulled back and smiled up at Lily. “The beginning.”

  “Yes, it is. It’s just the beginning.” She hugged her daughter close, breathing in her sweet scent. “Do you know how much I love you?”

  “More than the moon and the stars?”

  “And then some. There’s other good n
ews. You have grandparents who want to meet you.”

  Chelsea’s forehead wrinkled. “Are they nice?”

  “I think so. Here’s the deal. You can meet them and, if you don’t want to see them again, you don’t have to. How about that?”

  “Will you be there?”

  “You betcha. Maybe we can invite them to come here.”

  “Yeah, they can meet Pepper, too. But, what about my father?”

  Lily cleared her throat and swallowed hard. “I don’t know, honey. He’s moving again, far away. But I’ll ask him to come and say goodbye, if you want.”

  Chelsea nodded. “Will he send us money?”

  “We have enough money already. What do you think about all of this?”

  “I can’t wait to go to school tomorrow and tell Amy and everyone I have a daddy.”

  Expecting Tyler to be a daddy would be a stretch. He didn’t even want to admit to being a father in the biological sense.

  “Tyler’s your father. But…” How could she explain this any better? “But a daddy is someone who’s right here for you, all the time. Tyler can’t do that.”

  “Rick can.”

  “Yes, well, we’ll see about that. Now, do you need another story, or can you go to sleep?”

  “I’m too e’cited to sleep.”

  Lily kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Well, try. Okay? I’ll see you in the morning, baby.”

  “G’night, Mommy.”

  Lily turned off the light and walked to the door. She stopped and glanced back at her daughter’s smiling face, lit by moonlight streaming through the window. “Love you,” she whispered before closing the door.

  *

  The slip of paper bearing her father’s phone number lay next to the computer keyboard. Lily picked it up with trembling fingers and called.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi. Daddy? It’s Lily.”

  “Lily. Oh, honey. Thank God you called.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call back sooner.”

  “I’m surprised you called at all. You have every right to never want to speak with me again.”

  She chose to let that one pass. “I suppose you saw the notice in the newspaper.”

  “I had my suspicions about that Dixon boy, but you wouldn’t say for sure who it was. I wish you’d told me, Lily.”