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“Damn.” Rachel gulped down a mouthful of wine.
“Yeah.” Liesel grabbed her glass of wine and did the same thing.
“Look, El, do you want him back?”
“I don’t know, Rache. Sometimes, I miss him so much, it’s hard to breathe, other times I hate him so much, I don’t want to be in the same room with him.”
“You guys had a good relationship?”
Liesel gave her a small smile. “it was the best. We made each other happy, we teased each other, we fought like crazy, but it didn’t matter cause we could never stay mad at each other for long.”
“Sounds like it was a great relationship, the kind most people want.” Rachel said finally.
“It was to me.”
“But then why did he cheat on you?”
“Why does anyone ever cheat?” Liesel shrugged as she put her wine glass on the table and grabbed a handful of popcorn. She popped one into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully before answering. “But it’s different now, before I only had myself to worry about, now I have Elsa to consider.”
Comprehension dawned on Rachel’s face. “He doesn’t know, does he?”
Liesel shook her head. “He doesn’t know, by the time I found out, we were already divorced, and it was too late, I didn’t want the person he had become in Elsa’s life. He’s her father for heaven’s sake!”
“But maybe you should’ve told him.” Rachel said, not unkindly.
“Perhaps back then he had the right to know, but what about right now? When Elsa is older and has a stable life. Having a dad in the NBA would change that especially given how much he’s changed.”
“When you say changed, what exactly do you mean by that?”
“He propositioned me.”
One eyebrow went up as Rachel stared at her, her brown eyes reflecting the incredulity that no doubt shined forth from Liesel’s own blue orbs. “As in one of those hook up deals?”
A laugh that sounded somewhere between a snort and a giggle escaped Liesel’s lips. “One and the same. He said that we don’t work as a couple, and that we already tried but clearly our failure to make it work was indicative of the fact that we just weren’t meant to be a couple, but that it doesn’t mean that we can’t have fun.”
Rachel’s mouth dropped open. “He actually said that?”
“Yeah, he even promised he wouldn’t sleep with any women the same day he’s sleeping with me.”
Rachel snorted in disbelief. “Bastard probably thought he was being generous.”
“I think that was his intention, yeah. Of course I let him know what I thought of that and all, and hauled him out of my office.”
“I sense a but coming on.”
Liesel shot her an amused look. “But he’s Elsa’s father. He and I might not be on the best of terms, and maybe we will or maybe we won’t, but either way that shouldn’t affect her relationship with her father.”
“You’re kidding me right? Please tell me you’re joking right now.” Rachel frowned as she set her glass on the table and turned around to face Liesel. “You want that arrogant prick of a pig in your daughters life? Your daughter who is this amazing little girl with so much goodness in her heart. Why in the hell would you want her around a guy who can’t even keep it in his pants? What kind of example would you be setting?!”
Liesel stood up and faced Rachel. She loved her for fighting for Elsa like her own daughter, she really did, but this was a decision she had been struggling with for years, pretty much since the moment she found out she was pregnant, and she didn’t know if Elsa would be as understanding when she was older. At least now she had the chance to shield Elsa from the hurt her father might inflict, but if Elsa is older then she might not have the same opportunity, and she wanted her little girl to understand.
If she was being completely honest, she also wanted Keith to have a chance at being a father. Just cause he was a lousy man doesn’t mean he couldn’t be a good father, and she really wanted him to be, for both their sakes.
“Rache, I love you for fighting as fiercely for Elsa as I would, but you know what, no matter how you or I feel about him, it doesn’t matter, we need to set it aside for Elsa’s sake. Just because he’s a womanizer doesn’t mean he won’t be a good father.”
“You can’t guarantee that he will be.” Rachel said sadly as all the anger left her body.
“You’re right, I can’t, but if there’s even a small chance that she can have both a mother and father who love her unconditionally then I have to try.”
