“I wanted to take you all somewhere,” he said. “If that is all right.”
They drove to a park with tall ash trees and wide lawns. The boys ran ahead, chasing the wind as though it were a long lost friend. Tess sat with Owen on a bench while sunlight filtered through shifting leaves.
“I don’t understand you,” Tess said quietly. “You stepped back into our lives after a decade without hesitation.”
Owen kept his gaze on the boys playing in the grass. “I spent ten years chasing deals and flying between cities,” he said. “But nothing in my life felt as real as what I saw the night I found you. I cannot change the past, but I can build something better now.”
Tess looked down at her hands. “I am afraid,” she admitted. “I don’t want to rely on you just because circumstances push me to.”
“You don’t have to rely on me,” he said. “But I want to be here. Not out of guilt. Not out of obligation. Because I want to know our sons. And I want to know you again, in whatever way you allow.”
She closed her eyes as a tear slipped free. “Then stay,” she whispered.