Because he couldn’t.
The truth was standing directly in front of him.
Three small children.
Three living reminders of the family he had thrown away.
Noah looked up at me.
“Mommy, why is everyone staring?”
I smiled and squeezed his shoulder.
“Because sometimes people realize they made mistakes.”
The boy nodded seriously.
Then he looked back at Ryan.
“Did you make a mistake?”
Several guests gasped.
Ryan looked like he had been punched.
His eyes filled with tears.
“Yes,” he whispered.
“A very big one.”
Vanessa stared at him.
“What?”
Ryan ignored her.
He could not take his eyes off the children.
His children.
The family he claimed he deserved.
The family he abandoned before they were born.
Then something unexpected happened.
Elena pulled a small stuffed rabbit from her purse.
She walked directly toward Ryan.
The entire ballroom watched.
Ryan dropped to one knee.
His hands trembled.
“Hello,” Elena said softly.
“Hello,” Ryan answered.
She studied him carefully.
Children always seemed able to see things adults missed.
“Are you sad?”