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“I didn’t believe her. Not that you weren’t mine.”
I stared at him. “Why didn’t you have a test?”
“Because it didn’t matter what it said.” He swallowed hard. “If you want one now. Or later. Whenever. I’ll do whatever you need.”
Selfless. Dad was the most selfless person I’d ever known. I prayed one day I could be half the man he was.
“I can’t even think about it.”
He nodded. “When the dust settles.” He pushed his drink away. “You can talk to me about him or them. If you need to. And if you want to pursue a relationship with them, I’m behind you.”
“Right now? I don’t want anything to do with them.”
“You might change your mind.”
“Are they still together?” I asked.
“I think so. When she visited me, she said she’d leave him. Had missed me. Regretted our time apart.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It was everything I’d wanted to hear, even after all she’d done. Stupid, right?”
“No.” I folded the drink napkin into a triangle, unfolded it, and did it again. “Celia asked me to take her back.”
“And?”
“I don’t want to. But there’s a part of me that remembers what it was like before. How happy we were.” I flicked the napkin across the table. “But she’d been cheating on me with Cameron. He’d planned to ask her to marry him, even though he knew she was cheating on me with him. So, no, I wouldn’t take her back, especially since I found out Roman’s been keeping her bed warm.” That wasn't love. That wasn't the sacrificial love I’d had given to me all my life by the man before me.
Had she ever loved me? Even after everything she’d put me through, I wouldn’t have considered being with one of her friends, let alone two. Was there something about me that the women I cared for wouldn’t stick around?
“I wish you’d never had to experience that. And I know it won’t help, but if it hadn’t, you wouldn’t have Baker.”
Mrs. Quinn touched Dad’s shoulder. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I don’t have a key to the room.”
“Oh.” Dad fumbled in his pocket and produced the plastic key card. “I took off without saying anything.”
She squeezed. “You didn’t need to.”
“Would you like to join us?” I indicated to the chair across from me.
“I don’t want to intrude—”
“We’d like you to,” I said, motioning for the server. “Whiskey okay for you?”
There was a determined set to her jaw when she lifted her chin. “Sure.”
With a fresh round of drinks,the mood wasn’t quite so heavy.
“We’re still scheduled to head out on Sunday, but if you want, we can move it up to tomorrow.” Dad looked at me over the rim of his glass.
I shifted in my seat. “I’m not going back.”
He clutched his tumbler and cleared his throat. “This time, I’m not leaving you out here on your own. Expect more than one visit a year.”
“I look forward to it. Hope you’ll come too, Mrs. Quinn.” I tipped my glass to her.
“It’s not my place to say anything, but I’m going to anyway.” Her lips thinned. “Take it from someone who’s made the mistake of letting the past dictate her future. Don’t do it.”
I didn’t respond. She had no idea what I’d been through.
“And just so I’m clear, in your case, I’m talking about you walking away from Baker. It’s no secret I adore her, but I adore you too. And if you let her go, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
