Hopefully everyone like this update. You might think this sounds like the end, but there are a few more issues Max and Liz need to work out. Bear with me.
And thank you so much for reading and asking be to come back ASAP. It kept me motivated to finish this story
~Sarah
Try
Nelly Furtado
All I know is everything is not as it’s sold
But the more I grow the less I know
And I have lived so many lives though I’m not old
And the more I see, the less I grow
The fewer the seeds the more I sow
Then I see you standing there
Wanting more from me
And all I can do is try
Then I see you standing there
Wanting more from me
And all I can do is try
Try
I wish I hadn’t seen all of the realness
And all the real people are really not real at all
The more I learn, the more I learn
The more I cry, the more I cry
As I say goodbye to the way of life
I thought I had designed for me
Then I see you standing there
Wanting more from me
And all I can do is try
Then I see you standing there
I’m all I’ll ever be
But all I can do is try
Try, try, try
All of the moments that already passed
We’ll try to go back and make them last
All of the things we want each other to be
We never will be
We never will be
That’s wonderful
That’s life
And that’s you, baby
This is me, baby
And we are
We are, we are
We are, we are
We are free
In our love
We are free in our love
Try
Part 20
“Max?” Diane whispered. “Daughter? How…I mean…when…?”
“What do you means she’s your daughter Max?” Philip interjected.
“Well…” Max hesitated. How exactly should he explain? He supposed there wasn’t a right way, considering that his parents were sure to misunderstand or misinterpret some piece of information. The lesser of the two evils was the straightforward approach, he decided. Max had found over the years that, with his parents, the truth was always the best out come. However, it was hardly ever the easiest. Especially when they were eyeing him speculatively as they were at that moment.
“I met Liz and Rachel in St. Louis several months ago during my trip. I spent time with them, got to know them. I fell in love with Rachel and when Liz asked me to be her father, I accepted. It wasn’t a hard decision Mom, Dad,” he explained. “She’s wonderful.” He chuckled softly. “I took a broken nose in stride, just for her.”
“You said it wasn’t broken!” Liz whispered quickly, shock and surprise on her face.
“Uh…” He scratched his ear nervously, and shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Oops.
“Max,” Diane said, “she lives in St. Louis. How can you be a father to Rachel?”
Liz and Max held a look before she offered quietly, “I decided very early that I didn’t want a part-time or nonexistent father for Rachel. I knew Max would be an exceptional father, so I decided to move here so that he could be a fulltime parent…hoping that he would say yes when I asked.”
Philip looked surprised. “He didn’t know you were going to ask him this when you got here?”
Liz shook her head. “He probably thought he’d never see me again. He didn’t know I was coming.”
Max’s parents were silent for a minute, their faces a mixture of shock, surprise, disbelief. One minute they were worried about their son possibly doing drugs and the next he had a daughter they had never met before.
“You have family here?” Diane asked, breaking the silence.
Liz shook her head. Except for Rachel and Max, she had no one.
“You just decided to uproot your daughter and yourself to move across the country to ask my son to be a father to your daughter?” Philip asked incredulously.
“Hey, this isn’t supposed to be an interrogation,” Max said sternly. His arm came around Rachel and Liz in a protective gesture. “This is my family. I’ve made my decision, I have a daughter now. I know you don’t understand how I can commit myself so suddenly, but I know you can understand the love I have for Rachel. She’s my daughter. I’m not changing that.”
When Max saw them change from lawyer-mode to parent-mode, he continued. “I’m happy. I want this, a family, very much. Please except Liz and Rachel as family.” He gave them a stern look. “If you need some time, we’ll come back later. I don’t want a scene in front of Rachel.”
Diane, always the wellspring of emotion, had tears in her eyes when it finally hit her. “I have a granddaughter?” She emitted a giddy little laugh when Max nodded. “I have a granddaughter. I’m a grandma!”
“Welcome to the family Liz,” Philip said. She looked into his eyes and could tell he was sincere, but could also somewhat reticent. He wanted to believe she had good intentions, but hadn’t committed his full trust in her yet.
She was use to that though. Liz would win him over eventually. She shook his hand and offered him a big smile. “Thank you sir.”
“Please, its Philip.”
Liz nodded kindly and withdrew her hand to rub Rachel’s back. Her daughter was quiet, which wasn’t too surprising. Liz’s daughter was very perceptive, and, considering the new surroundings combined with the tension that had filled the room, Rachel would probably stay quiet for a while.
“Oh, please come in. Can I get you anything? Some water, iced tea?” Diane asked Liz, slipping into hostess mode.
“Um…iced tea would be wonderful. Thank you.”
Diane scurried away with her mission and returned quickly with four iced teas with lemon wedges perched on the rim of each glass, and a glass of juice for Rachel. A plate of assorted cookies was also offered.
“Grape juice was all I had. I hope that’s okay,” Diane said nervously.
“She loves grape juice. Thank you.”
Diane sat next to Philip on the loveseat while Max and Liz sat on the couch with a shy and sleep Rachel between them. She leaned her head on Max’s side while holding her mother’s hand. Whenever she caught Diane or Philip’s eye, she’d hide her face in Max’s shirt.
“So, um…how did you two meet?” Diane asked.
“I had just gotten into St. Louis, settled into my hotel room, and was starving. So I walked around a bit and found the Gateway Café. Liz was my waitress.”
“You’re a waitress?” Diane asked. It was obvious she was trying to be kind but it was also impossible to hide the fact that she wanted more for her son than a waitress for a companion.
“My parents own the café. I’ve worked there since I was in high school, and while I went to college. I have a degree in nursing, but I was waitressing because it gave me more time with Rachel. I didn’t want to have to put her in day care.”
“How old is Rachel?”
“Twenty one months,” Max asked.
He received a startled look from the three grownups in the room but he didn’t notice. He was busy playing peek-a-boo with his daughter. She kept hiding behind his shirt and then giggling when he pulled it away.
“Her…her birthday is May 17th. She’ll be two,” Liz explained, still shaken that Max knew how old Rachel was. He had obviously kept Rachel in mind long after their meeting in St. Louis. He had never forgotten. She suddenly felt like crying.
“Oh, we’ll have to plan a birthday party!” Diane exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “We could have a pool party in the backyard. Music and, Philip, you could barbeque some hamburgers and hotdogs. And, we could get her a Barbie cake, or whatever kind of cake. Streamers and balloons and games.” She stopped suddenly. “Unless, you were wanting to have the party in St. Louis.”
“I…I haven’t really thought that far ahead, but…that sounds wonderful. Thank you.”
Diane looked extremely relieved at Liz’s response.
She’d liked Max’s mother immediately. Diane seemed sincere and honest about how she felt. Liz could tell that she wanted her family to be happy, and if Rachel and Liz’s presence made Max happy, than Diane was willing to make it work. The fact that she had accepted Rachel as a granddaughter so quickly lessened Liz’s worry. They really were good people.
“I hope that I’m not out of line asking this but…where is Rachel’s biological father?” Philip asked.
Liz looked away, not wanting to relive the past. Max encircled her with his arm. “He hasn’t been in the picture since Liz found out she was pregnant. He’s relinquished custody.”
“I see,” Philip said, mollified and saddened at once.
Diane offered, “That must have been very difficult for you Liz. I’m so sorry.” Her voice was filled with compassion.
“Thank you,” Liz replied. She sniffled slightly while brushing a tear from her eye.
“Mamma, I thuwrsty,” Rachel whispered behind her hand.
“Oh, here you go.” Liz reached for the glass of white grape juice. “Be very careful. Small sips.” She tilted the glass for Rachel and Max grabbed a cotton diaper from the diaper bag at his feet to catch any juice that didn’t make it into Rachel’s mouth.
“Are you hungry sweetie? Do you want a cookie?” Diane asked.
Rachel brushed her bangs out of her face and nodded.
Liz picked her up and set her on the floor. “Go ahead and pick one out.”
The toddler made her way over to Diane and the plate of cookies cautiously. Usually shy, the draw of sweets was irresistible. She picked a sugar cookie out and took a big bite.
“Is it good?” Diane asked with a smile?
Rachel nodded vigorously.
“What do you say?” Liz reminded gently.
“Bank you Gamma.”
Diane smiled sweetly at her granddaughter and tucked Rachel’s hair behind her ear. “You’re welcome sweetheart.” She handed Rachel one more cookie and eagerly sat Rachel on the couch between her and Philip when Rachel tried to climb up herself.
“Max,” Liz whispered when Rachel had captured Philip and Diane’s full attention. Her hand clasped his tightly with emotion.
“Everything’s going to be okay Liz.”
“Are you sure?” she could help but ask. She wanted so desperately for everything to work out but, knowing her luck, she would have expected a complete catastrophe.
“Positive. We’re a family now.” Max hugged Liz tighter to his side.
“We are?” she asked hopefully.
“Yes, we are.”
TBC...