Chapter 5: The Grandfather Nobody Mentioned
Marcus didn't sleep that night.
He sat at the kitchen table long after the house had gone dark, Jordan's messages glowing on his phone beside the stack of trust documents.
At 11:17 p.m., he had called Vanessa.
She hadn't answered.
At 11:24, he had called again.
Still nothing.
At midnight, he sent a message asking her to call him as soon as she could.
Her reply came twelve minutes later.
Please don't question Jordan about this tonight. I'll explain tomorrow.
Marcus read it, then typed three different responses before deleting all of them.
Finally, he wrote:
I'm not questioning him. I'm trying to understand why another adult is telling our child secrets about his family.
Vanessa didn't respond.
At 6:15 the next morning, Marcus heard the front door unlock.
He had made coffee, packed Jordan's lunch, and placed a bowl of cereal on the kitchen counter. He hadn't changed out of the navy shirt he'd worn the previous day.
Vanessa stepped inside carrying a small paper bag from a bakery.
Her hair was pulled back, and her eyes were swollen from crying.
“Is Jordan awake?”” she asked.
“Still asleep.””
She set the bag down.
“I brought him those cinnamon rolls he likes.””
Marcus glanced at the bag.
“That's thoughtful.””
She looked at him, waiting for something more.
He poured coffee into a second mug and placed it across the table from him.
“Sit down.””
Vanessa hesitated, then took the chair.
For several seconds, she wrapped both hands around the mug without drinking.
Finally, Marcus asked, “Who is Jordan's other grandfather?””
She closed her eyes.
“I was hoping Toulouse wouldn't bring that up.””
“Why?””
“Because it's complicated.””
Marcus let out a slow breath.
“Everything seems to be complicated whenever I ask you a question that matters.””
She looked down.
“My biological father is alive.””
Marcus stared at her.
“You mean Walter wasn't your biological father?””
“He raised me.””
“Vanessa.””
“I know how it sounds.””
“No, I don't think you do. You're telling me the man I knew as your father wasn't your biological father, and there's another man somewhere who may have money connected to Jordan.””
She nodded.
Marcus pushed his mug aside.
“Start at the beginning.””
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“My mother had an affair when she was young. She became pregnant with me, and Walter knew the truth before they got married. He chose to raise me anyway.””
Marcus said nothing.
“Walter was the only father I ever knew,” she continued.
“He adopted me when I was little. My biological father, Raymond Cole, was a businessman. He had another family, and my mother agreed that he wouldn't be involved in my life.””
“Did he know about you?””
“Yes.””
“And he stayed away?””
“Yes.””
Marcus rubbed his jaw.
“So two generations of men who knew they had children and weren't there to raise them.””
Vanessa flinched.
“Raymond wasn't a good man.””
“Maybe not. But how did Toulouse find out about him?””
“I don't know.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Vanessa, I'm asking you to stop saying you don't know when you clearly know something.””
She gripped the mug tighter.
“I found out Raymond was still alive about two years ago. Someone contacted me through a lawyer. He wanted to reconnect.””
“Did you meet him?””
“Once.””
“Did you tell Walter?””
“No. He was already gone.””
“Did you tell me?””
She shook her head.
Marcus leaned back.
He could understand a person carrying a painful secret. He could understand not knowing how to explain a complicated family history.
What he couldn't understand was the pattern: Vanessa discovering something important, deciding she alone could manage it, and waiting until the truth became impossible to hide.
“Does Raymond have money?”” Marcus asked.
Vanessa gave a bitter little laugh.
“Yes.””
“How much?””
“I don't know the exact amount.””
“Enough to establish a trust?””
“He has a family foundation. It's been around for decades.””
Marcus looked toward the hallway.
“And Toulouse thinks he can get access to it through Jordan?””
“I think he believes Raymond might support Jordan if he becomes involved in his life.””
“Has Raymond ever met Jordan?””
“No.””
“Does he know Jordan exists?””
Vanessa looked away.
“He knows.””
Marcus stared at her.
“How long?””
“Since Jordan was born.””
The silence that followed felt enormous.
Marcus stood and walked to the sink. He turned on the tap, rinsed a spoon that didn't need rinsing, and set it on the drying rack.
When he turned around, Vanessa was crying.
“Why didn't you tell me?”” he asked.
“Because I didn't want Jordan growing up thinking money mattered more than family.””
“Then why did you let Toulouse bring money into his life?””
“I didn't know he was going to do that.””
“But you knew Raymond existed.””
“Yes.””
“You knew he had money.””
“Yes.””
“And you never thought the man raising your child deserved to know that your son might have a living grandfather somewhere?””
Vanessa covered her face.
“I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
“That everything would change.””
Marcus looked around the kitchen.
The refrigerator covered in Jordan's drawings. The lunchbox waiting beside the counter. The calendar on which he had written every baseball game for the season.
“Everything has changed anyway.””
She lowered her hands.
“I thought if I kept Raymond away, Jordan would have a normal life.””
“Normal compared with what?””
“With mine.””
Marcus pulled out his chair and sat again.
“Tell me about Raymond.””
Vanessa stared into her coffee.
“He was wealthy before I was born. My mother met him when she worked at a hotel. He promised her he would leave his wife. Then she got pregnant, and he decided his marriage and business were more important.””
“Did he help financially?””
“Some. Not enough to matter. Walter never asked him for anything.””
“And when you had Jordan?””
“Raymond sent a letter through his attorney. He offered to establish a fund for Jordan's education. I refused.””
“Why?””
“Because I didn't want his money.””
Marcus's expression softened slightly.
“That part I understand.””
“But I didn't destroy the letter. I kept it.””
“Where is it?””
“In a box at my sister's house.””
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
“And Toulouse found out about Raymond through that letter?””
“I think so. He asked me questions about my family a few months ago. I told him my father had left a trust for Jordan. I didn't mention Raymond.””
“Yet he found him.””
Vanessa nodded.
“He has contacts. People who know about the family foundation. I think he started looking after he learned about Walter's trust.””
Marcus felt anger rise again.
“So Toulouse discovered your biological father had money and suddenly decided to become an involved parent.””
“Don't say it like that.””
“Tell me how else to say it.””
Vanessa stood abruptly.
“He does care about Jordan!””
“Then why is he telling an eleven-year-old boy that moving in with him might get him access to a grandfather he has never met?””
Her face crumpled.
“I didn't know he said that.””
Marcus picked up his phone and showed her Jordan's message.
She read it silently.
Then she sat down.
“Oh, God.””
“What?””
She pressed her fingers to her lips.
“Raymond's attorney contacted me last month. He said Raymond wanted to arrange a meeting with Jordan.””
Marcus felt his pulse quicken.
“And what did you say?””
“I said no.””
“Why?””
“Because Raymond has never been there. Because I don't know what he wants. Because I don't trust people who suddenly become interested in children when those children might inherit something.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Do you hear yourself?””
She looked up.
“I know how that sounds.””
“No. You don't. You're describing exactly what you're afraid Toulouse is doing, and you're still letting him make plans with Jordan.””
“I didn't know he was connected to Raymond's foundation!””
“Then why didn't you tell me about the possibility?””
Vanessa had no answer.
From the hallway came the sound of footsteps.
Jordan appeared in the kitchen wearing a gray T-shirt and pajama pants, his hair sticking up on one side. He stopped when he saw Vanessa.
“Mom?””
She quickly wiped her cheeks.
“Hey, sweetheart.””
Jordan looked between his parents.
“Are you still fighting?””
Marcus pulled out the chair beside him.
“Come sit with me, buddy.””
Jordan approached slowly and climbed into the chair.
Vanessa reached for his hand, but he kept both hands in his lap.
Marcus noticed the gesture. So did she.
“Jordan,” Marcus said gently, “your mom and I are working through some grown-up problems. None of them are your fault.””
Jordan studied his face.
“Are you getting divorced?””
Vanessa inhaled sharply.
Marcus chose his words carefully.
“We haven't made that decision.””
Jordan looked at his mother.
“Are you leaving again?””
Vanessa's eyes filled.
“I might stay with Aunt Denise for a little while.””
Jordan looked down at the table.
“Because Toulouse came back?””
Vanessa leaned forward.
“Sweetheart, your biological father wants to know you. That doesn't mean you have to stop loving anybody else.””
Jordan's chin trembled.
“Then why does everybody keep saying he's my real dad?””
Neither adult answered immediately.
Jordan looked at Marcus.
“You're my dad.””
Marcus reached for his hand.
“I love you, buddy.””
“Then why does Toulouse keep saying I might have to live with him?””
Vanessa went still.
Marcus squeezed Jordan's fingers gently.
“Has he said that more than once?””
Jordan nodded.
“He said he could get me into a better baseball program. He said if I stayed with him, I'd have more opportunities.””
“Did he say anything else?””
Jordan looked toward his mother.
“He said I shouldn't tell you because you'd get upset.””
Marcus's stomach tightened.
“Did he tell you about Raymond?””
Jordan nodded again.
“He said my grandfather is rich, and he wants to meet me. Toulouse said he might help pay for my training if I lived with him.””
Vanessa covered her mouth.
Jordan's voice grew smaller.
“Is that why he wants me?””
Marcus felt something inside him break.
He moved his chair closer.
“Listen to me. You are not a prize. You are not a bank account. And you don't have to earn anybody's love by moving into their house or playing baseball well.””
Jordan's eyes filled with tears.
“But what if I want to meet my grandfather?””
Marcus paused.
There was no fair way to tell the boy he wasn't allowed to be curious about a family member who had been kept from him. There was also no way to pretend that the circumstances surrounding the invitation were harmless.
“Wanting to meet him is okay,” Marcus said.
“You can be curious. You can have questions. You can decide you want to know more.””
Jordan sniffed.
“Even if you don't like him?””
“Even then.””
Vanessa looked at Marcus, startled.
He continued, “My job isn't to tell you who you're allowed to love. My job is to make sure the people who come into your life treat you with respect.””
Jordan wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
“Will you come with me?””
Marcus looked at Vanessa.
She seemed to understand the question beneath the question.
“Of course,” Marcus said.
“If a meeting happens, we'll make sure you have the support you need.””
Jordan leaned against him.
For several seconds, Marcus held the boy while Vanessa watched from across the table.
Then Jordan pulled away and reached into the pocket of his pajama pants.
“I have something else.””
He placed a folded piece of paper on the table.
“What is it?”” Marcus asked.
“Toulouse gave it to me.””
Marcus unfolded it.
It was a printed invitation to a private family event scheduled for Saturday. The location was a country club outside Atlanta. Raymond Cole's name appeared prominently at the top.
Beneath it was a handwritten note.
I'd like to meet my grandson. Please come with Toulouse.
At the bottom, someone had written a phone number.
Jordan watched Marcus carefully.
“He said Grandpa Raymond would be there. He said if I came, everything could be different.””
Marcus stared at the invitation.
“Did he tell you your mom had already agreed?””
Jordan shook his head.
“He said you were the only person who might try to stop it.””
Vanessa rose so quickly that her chair scraped across the tile.
“I never agreed to send him there!””
Jordan flinched.
Marcus placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
“It's okay.””
Vanessa immediately lowered her voice.
“I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm not angry with you.””
Jordan looked down.
“Can I go to school now?””
Marcus nodded.
“Of course.””
The boy gathered his backpack and left the kitchen.
When his bedroom door closed, Vanessa turned toward Marcus.
“I swear I didn't arrange that event.””
Marcus looked at the invitation again.
“Then someone else did.””
His phone vibrated.
An unfamiliar number had sent a message.
*Mr. Marcus Reed? My name is Evelyn Price.
I'm the attorney representing Raymond Cole. I need to speak with you privately before Saturday.*
A second message appeared.
There is a serious misunderstanding about Jordan's inheritance, and Toulouse has not told Vanessa the whole truth.
Marcus looked at his wife.
She read the screen over his shoulder.
For the first time since Toulouse had appeared at their door, Vanessa looked genuinely afraid.
“Who is Evelyn Price?”” Marcus asked.
Vanessa shook her head.
“I don't know.””
The phone vibrated again.
Please don't let Jordan attend Saturday's event until we speak. Toulouse is not the person Raymond authorized to bring him.
Marcus slowly lifted his eyes.
Across the table, Vanessa whispered, “What have I done?””
And for the first time, Marcus had no answer that could comfort her.
May you like
Because someone had been planning Jordan's future for months.
And now the only person who might explain the truth was warning them not to trust the man who claimed to be his father.