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“And you shouldn’t have to give up what you want, either.”
“I know.”
“That art program you just got into? You ought to be excited about it. Making plans for yourself.”
“I am, Dad.”
“I know you are.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I just don’t want you putting all that aside because you love somebody.”
Love. Nicole looked down at her plate. He’d skipped right over the falling part, and she could’ve corrected him and told him she wasn’t there yet. But then she’d have to mean it.
She missed Drew, and she wanted to call him after breakfast and tell him her father knew about them, that he wanted to meet him. She could already imagine Drew asking what she’d said and trying to get every damn word out of her.
“I’m not putting anything aside, Dad.”
“All right.”
For a little while, they ate without talking. She wished she could go back to telling her father about Drew making her laugh. She’d liked that part better. But she was still thinking about what he’d said about her mother. His being gone wasn’t why they were having Thanksgiving breakfast in a hotel. They’d gotten through years of that.
“Dad?”
“What is it?”
“You’re telling me the truth about Gina, right?”
He looked right at her. “Nicole, I never slept with that woman.”
She looked right back. She’d believed him before. She’d defended him to Tiffany, gotten angry when her sister acted like believing her own father made her stupid. But after seeing what people were saying about him, she’d needed to sit across from him and ask for herself.
“I just hate all this,” she said. “What they’re saying about you. What Mom’s going through.”
“I know, baby girl. I hate it too.”
“Do you think Mom will let you come home when the test comes back negative?”
“I hope so.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“She still wants everything to go through the lawyers.”
Nicole knew that, but she’d hoped something might have changed.
“I miss her, Cole. I want to come home.” He glanced around the suite. “I don’t want to keep living like this.”
She set her fork down and watched him.
“Your mother’s the only woman I’ve ever loved. I know I haven’t always been the husband she needed, but I have never cheated on her.”
“Not ever?”
“Not ever. Now, when I was younger, did I like the attention? Yeah. I was young and full of myself, and women were telling me everything I wanted to hear. I liked knowing they wanted me.”
She’d seen women hanging on him just last night, smiling up at him while he posed for their pictures. Nicole shifted in her chair.
“And I’m not saying that was all right,” he continued. “I had a wife at home. I shouldn’t have needed any of that. But I never slept with another woman. Never had somebody on the side I was calling, telling my business to, making plans with. None of that.”
If he was telling the truth, why was her mother so convinced he’d cheated? Nicole almost asked him, but he’d probably been asking himself the same thing every day since her mother put him out.
