Chapter 64 Jean-Paul
Chapter 64
Jean-Paul
The extraordinary week has turned into an extraordinary challenge.
Jean-Paul and Renée aren’t typically the ones to have the drama, but it’s found them, and Jean-Paul’s having a difficult time juggling. Renée’s expression as they walk back to the house breaks his heart, but he knows his wife. She needs facts. They skip checking on the group and head for their office.
“Do you remember the password to your Ancestry account?”
He shrugs. “I haven’t been on there in a while. I sent a sample of some sort, if I recall. They ended up sending an inordinate number of emails ... I deleted the app.”
She thinks about this. “You didn’t cancel the account?”
“I deleted it. Isn’t that the same thing?”
“We need to log in to your account.” She hesitates. “Maybe it’s a different Jean-Paul De La Rue. Let’s see if you got the same email.”
He doesn’t argue.
He doesn’t question.
Things always go smoother when she is in charge.
He reaches for his phone and nervously taps the screen. “I registered with an old email address. I don’t remember the password.” They’re quiet, the sunlight casting a shadow against the wall. His fingers shake as he resets his password and logs in.
Her eyes drop to the phone when a symphony of notifications clutters the screen.
“There was no way for anyone to reach you,” she says.
“Who would want to reach me?”
“There. Click over there.”
He clicks on the link that says he’s matched with someone on the site.
It’s her name.
Rosalie Banks.
Renée’s face falls. “She would want to reach you.”
He doesn’t know what to say. She scrolls through the notifications, looking for more surprises.
“I’m so sorry, Renée.”
“I’m the one who’s sorry,” she says. “I couldn’t give you what you wanted.”
“Don’t say that. You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted.”
There’s a deep-seated sadness between them.
“Renée? Please talk to me.”
She rubs at her eyes. “You just gave birth to a fifteen-year-old. I need a minute to catch up.” And when she looks up at him, he sees something in her eyes he doesn’t yet understand.
“What is it?” he asks.
“I don’t know.” She pauses. “I’m confused. And mad. And I’m terrified.”
“I’ll deactivate the account. I should have done that a long time ago. I didn’t intend to be a dad. I just—”
“What?”
“I wanted some control back. I wanted ... I don’t know. I wanted to help someone.”
She reaches up and touches his face. He presses his cheek into her palm.
“I was stubborn,” she begins. “I refused a surrogate. And adoption. I left you with no other choice.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t do this. This is on me. I should’ve told you.”
“Jean-Paul.”
He braces himself for the fallout.
“It would be so easy to hate you right now. But I know you too well. I know that big heart of yours.”
The noises from the table reach their ears.
“We have to go out there. I’m not sure how to do it,” she says.
He places his hands on her shoulders; she looks ready to cry. “We’re going to go out there and do what we’ve always done, because you’re the strongest woman I know, and I’m going to be right there beside you.”