Dear Alexis,

I hope by now that you have enough information to make an informed decision as to where you belong. And believe me, knowing Sonny as long as I have, I am very much aware of how phenomenal a statement like that is coming from me. Do you remember how often you tried to tell me what kind of man Sonny was and I just couldn't see it. I fought so hard to force you to see him as I saw him. You win, Alexis. I can see very clearly the man you saw before Carly returned from the dead. He has turned his life around.

It will surprise you to know that Sonny and I are now partners in L&B. I ran into financial trouble again not too long ago and without asking me, he had a contract drawn up that supported a very generous emergency fund. I told him the only way that I would accept the offer is if he became a full partner. He agreed with one stipulation and that was that he be allowed to remain silent and anonymous. And that is what he has been. Silent. He has never questioned how I choose to run the business; in fact, he has never set foot inside the offices. Every few months I take him a quarterly report. He accepts the envelope, but never opens it. I guess in his own way, he is trying to prove to me that he trusts me.

With all that you have heard from Bobbie, Jax and Taggert, there is one other piece to the puzzle of Sonny Corinthos that you still need to have. It happened about six months ago. That was the day that I knew for sure that Sonny was a new man. I was on my way home from L&B and decided to walk through the park. It was a great day for it. I ran into Jax and we decided to sit and jaw for awhile. I saw Sonny arrive with Michael and they headed for the swing set. It looked like they were just out for a day in the park. Then AJ entered the park and headed toward them. Figuring to head off a potential altercation I started over to join them.

Now, you better sit down, this one you are not going to believe. When AJ reached Sonny, they shook hands. Come to find out, Sonny called AJ to meet them in the park. Well you could have knocked me over right then, but that was only the beginning. I got close enough to hear their conversation. Sonny knelt beside Michael, pointed to AJ and very clearly said. "Michael, this is AJ, this is your real father." Hey, I needed a witness so I turned around and motioned Jax to join me.

You know, Michael wasn't scared at all. It looked like the boy had already been told and this was just a formality. AJ asked Sonny if he could take Michael for ice cream and the man actually said ok. Now, true, AJ has been sober since before you left and yes, he has maintained employment as a forklift operator for 3 years, but still. AJ and Sonny, agreeing over Michael! You've got to admit that pigs are probably flying somewhere in the world right now.

I watched AJ take Michael out of the park and turned back to Sonny who was walking toward me. Without my even asking he answered the obvious question. He said, "How can I keep his son from him, when I have been in the same hole he crawled out of. Besides, one day, maybe I will be given the chance to meet my own daughter."

Sonny and I have spent a lot of time together. I go over to the cottage two or three times a week and we have dinner, a cup of coffee and talk. You know, he is really quite an intelligent man for never having gone to college. He surprises me. But, as much as I try to stay out of his way and leave him to whatever peace he can find, I still have to keep an eye on him. He has this tendency if left alone too long to drop off into some dark place.

It's kind of tough walking into his cottage. I mean the place is like a shrine. Everywhere you look, on every shelf, every table there is a picture of the woman he loves. And beside every picture there is a gardenia. Can one of you tell me just what it is that you two find so special about that flower? Oh wait, it's like the iris was to you and I, right? Ok, I get it. But, that only makes that shrine of his harder to bear. Alexis, he is in trouble. He needs you. There is only so much I can do as his friend. What he needs is the woman he loves to return his love, to love him enough to give him a second chance. Alexis, he deserves it, he has earned it. You both have. Come home, Alexis. Come home and be happy with a man who has fought long and hard to become a man worthy of you.

Forever your friend,

Ned