“Don’t you ever apologize for calling me, baby. You know I’m here for you anytime you need me. Anytime.”
Hard part of it was that she did know that. Her father was a great dad. Had always been a great dad. Even when he’d been sleeping with his assistant while Marie and her mother thought him hard at work on whatever architectural plans his firm had been implementing. Or getting a little afternoon delight from a less reputable source before arriving right on time to coach Marie’s softball team to victory.
“I need to understand, Daddy. I need to know why. And how.”
“Sure. Of course. What are we talking about?”
“The women. All the women.”
Silence fell on the line. In all the years since her parents’ divorce, she’d never asked that particular question.
Because she’d been too afraid of the answer? Because she didn’t want to see her mother in a new and less favorable light?
“I don’t know that I can answer that.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Now that she’d asked, she couldn’t let it go. “It’s making me crazy, Daddy. I... Did you love her?”
“No!”
Okay, then. Though she was actually shocked by his vehemence. Frowning, she slid down to a seat in a shadowed corner of the deserted shop. The one thing she’d thought a given through her rocky years growing up had been her father’s love for her and her mother. Both of them.
She’d bet her life that her mother believed he’d loved her. Still did. Though he knew better than to ask for a third chance. For Barbara’s sake.
“Does Mom know that now? Maybe if she knew you’ve never really loved her you’d set her free.”
Because one thing was for sure. Barbara Bustamante was still helplessly in love with her cheating ex-husband.
“Wait. What? You were asking if I love your mom?” It sounded as though there was a bit of her shock running over into his voice.
“Yes. Of course.” If she’d been referring to anyone else, she’d have had to use the plural. And then some.
“Then, yes! Unequivocally. I thought you knew that. All my life I have only ever loved one woman. Your mother.”
Her heart sank. Liam loved Gabrielle that way, too.
“So why?”
Gabi said Liam and his editor had just had dinner once, to go over strategy for the series of articles he was writing on his father’s life and the ongoing investigation. They’d needed to speak out of the office, and Liam was careful not to bring any aspect of his father’s life to the historic Arapahoe—their apartment building—not only for Marie’s shop and their home, but also to preserve the homes of the elderly residents who’d been there most of their lives and who had been soon to be put out on the street.
But Marie’s father’s first affair had started out with just one working dinner with his assistant. And then another had been necessary. After which he’d taken her home because her car was in the shop.
Or at least that was the story she’d been told.
“Why, Daddy? If you loved Mom, why were you unfaithful to her?”
“I wish I could tell you that.”
She could feel her father’s sigh all the way from Arizona.
“I wish I had the answer for myself.”
“Try. This is important.”
“You in love, baby?” Was that a note of hope in his voice.
“No, Daddy, absolutely not. I’m just...” She was not going to tell her father about her fears where Gabi was concerned. Still couldn’t believe she’d actually told Elliott.
She knew they were unfounded. Knew that she had severe trust issues. Unfortunately that knowledge didn’t erase a lifetime of example. Or the worry that stemmed from having been hurt by that example.
And not just from her father.
He was just the only unfaithful male she had access to at the moment.
The thought did occur to her that she was obsessing over Liam’s ability to be faithful as way of avoiding an even harder truth.
Gabrielle was married, and Marie was alone. All alone. And didn’t see any hope for a remedy to the situation.
She was going to end up like Grace—able to change the insides of a toilet when she was eighty because she’d been alone for so long.
Worse than Grace. At least the older woman had known true love. He’d just died too young.
“Hurting your mother was the last thing I ever wanted to do...” Her father sounded old. Tired. And sadder than she was.
“Then why did you?” She’d been there. Still felt the pain. She knew who’d wronged them.
“I...guess I thought I could get away with it. I never thought she’d find out.”
The answer made her angry. And frightened her at the same time.
“What were you thinking when you were with them, Daddy? Did you ever even think about Mom and me waiting for you at home?”
“What I thought was that I was desperate to save my marriage.”
She scoffed. And then choked. Such a ludicrous remark didn’t deserve comment.
“Your mom and I had reached a state of comfortable, secure, forever love. I wanted that kind of love. Had always wanted it. But something inside me was missing. I was getting irritable with you. With your mom. Starting to feel trapped. While at the same time craving every minute I spent with you both and missing you every minute I was away.”
She listened. Needing something from him. Just not sure what he could give her that could help.
“I guess I thought that I could fill the hole inside with the excitement of meaningless afternoon liaisons, and then come home to the perfect life.”
“How’d that work out for you?”
“You want the truth?”
“Yes.” She’d asked. And she braced herself.
“For the first several years, it worked out just fine. Better than I’d imagined.”
She’d asked. Struggled to breathe. “Y... Y...” Her throat was dry. “Years?” Marie glanced at her newly cleaned pots, wishing for a sip of water. Standing, she steadied herself with a hand on the small brown wood pedestal table and then pushed off toward the counter.
“You asked.”
All those years, when he was swearing his fidelity, begging to be let back into the family, he’d been...
“What made it not work anymore?” She was an observer of a tragic accident now. Watching with horror, but needing to see.
“I got caught.”
Thank goodness she was close enough to the counter. It caught her as she swayed backward. She leaned there. Letting it take her weight. “You mean you were unfaithful for years before Mom knew?”
“From before you were born.”
She wanted to die. To cry. To pull the covers over her head and stay unaware forever.
But she couldn’t.
If Liam Connelly turned out to be anything like what she feared he was... He’d once told her and Gabi that he’d never been in a relationship for more than a few months before he started to feel attraction to other women...
Other women like his editor? Was it too late already? Her parents had