Chapter Eighteen
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Emily was my high school sweetheart,” Robert said, holding his coffee cup in both hands and looking down into the brown liquid. “She was my first love, I guess. I thought I was in love with her when we were in high school, but we were so young then, so it was more like puppy love. I think the real love came later when we became parents.” He sighed. “She got pregnant in our senior year, so as soon as we graduated, we got married. She was eighteen, I was nineteen. That year, Mike was born.”
I nodded to show that I was listening.
“Emily stayed home to take care of him. She loved him, but things weren’t easy for her. She had to give up her dream of going to college. She wanted to be a lawyer. As for me, I had to work so I could provide for all of us. I quit my part-time job at the country club and started working full-time for a construction company. The hours were brutal, and the work was tough, but I made enough money for us to survive. We were getting by, but I could tell Emily wasn’t happy. She had to stay home all day, and while we bought the best stuff we could afford for Mike, we barely spent money on ourselves. We didn’t go out for dinner, and we bought our clothes from thrift shops. It wasn’t the kind of life Emily dreamed of.” He paused. “She was pampered growing up. Her parents weren’t rich, but they spoiled her. They helped a bit after Mike was born, but they were so angry at her for getting pregnant. Their relationship was never the same.”
“What about your family?” I asked.
“My old man kicked me out of the house when I told them I’d gotten a girl pregnant. I don’t blame my parents. They’re old-fashioned folks. We grew closer later when Mike was in middle school. They loved him—they still do. But I don’t keep in touch with my parents anymore. We stopped talking after my divorce.” He picked up his cup and took a sip.
“As I was saying, I was working at a construction company. When Mike was about six, I decided to start my own company with my friend Noel.”
I nodded, remembering him mentioning his friend.
“If I thought I was working long hours before, it was nothing compared to starting my own business. But it was rewarding. Quickly, it kicked off, and soon we had more money than we’d ever seen before. Emily was so happy. She bought all the things she’d always wanted but could never afford. She bought toys and games for Mike, and we even bought a home. But soon, she got sick of shopping. We started arguing because I wasn’t at home enough. I’ll admit that I worked a lot, but that’s because I was busy running the business. If I didn’t work like hell, the money would dry up, but Emily didn’t see it that way.
“I could tell our relationship was falling apart, so once Mike started high school, I decided to spend more time with my family. I reduced my hours and let Noel take over more responsibilities. I hoped that would fix things, but it made things worse.” He sighed. “The more time I spent at home, the more Emily and I fought. We fought over everything. She wanted to spend money; I wanted to save it. She wanted a new car; I thought our current one was fine. She wanted to spoil Mike; I thought he should learn to work for an allowance. We fought over chores, so then we hired a cleaner. We argued about cooking, so then we started ordering take out. Our fights were silly, but that wasn’t the issue. We weren’t close anymore, and we hadn’t been for years. We probably would’ve figured that out sooner if I had been home more from the start.”
I could hear the defeat in his voice.
“Things got worse. We stopped being intimate. We slept in separate beds, in separate rooms. We started being secretive with each other. One night, she yelled at me that she hated me. That by getting her pregnant, I ruined her life and destroyed her dreams. I told her that she could still go to college and law school if she wanted, but she wouldn’t hear it.” Robert took a deep breath. “Mike was staying over at a friend’s house that night. I’m glad. I didn’t want him to hear that his mother thought her life was ruined.
“That night, I went out and got drunk. And I did cheat on her.” He met my eyes. “I had a one-night stand with a stranger, and it’s one of my biggest regrets in life.”
My stomach churned, but I didn’t say anything. I needed to hear the rest of the story.
“I…I thought that she was cheating on me too,” he said. “I’m not trying to make excuses. But I felt so alone. She didn’t kiss me, she didn’t even like to touch me. I tried to take her out on dates, but she’d sit across the table from me and give me one word responses. She was always on her phone or having phone calls in a different room…I thought she was having an affair, but she always denied it. Anyway, I felt so guilty that I confessed to her. She demanded a divorce.”
“Mike had just finished college when we divorced. I was glad that at least we stayed together while he was growing up. He was still so angry and upset, though, and I understand why. He blamed me for everything. Emily must’ve told him about the cheating.
“At that point, I was just tired. I felt like a piece of garbage for cheating, so I gave Emily everything she wanted in the divorce. I gave her the house and half of my share of the company.” Robert’s lips twisted into a sad, humorless smile. “Three months later, Noel moved into her house.”
My eyes widened. “Your best friend, Noel? Your business partner?”
He nodded. “Later, I realized that they must’ve been having an affair the whole time. Together, they owned the majority of the company. Work became unbearable. Not only did I have to see them together—laughing, kissing, driving back home to the house I bought—but they made decisions I didn’t agree with. They took the company in a direction I didn’t like, but I couldn’t do anything. They had the majority. Eventually, they offered to buy me out of my share.”
“You took it?” I asked.
He nodded. “I couldn’t deal with it any longer. So, when the offer came, I took it and left. All I wanted was to get away from them: my ex-wife and my best friend.” He gave a hopeless shrug. “I became severely depressed. I got a basic construction job that pays barely anything compared to the money I used to earn, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to try and make a better life for myself. What was the point? I lost my best friend and my wife, and my son hated me.”
It hurt me to see him like this. “You made mistakes, but it’s not all your fault, Robert. Your wife and best friend betrayed you. You weren’t the only one who cheated. Surely Mike sees that.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Maybe I wasn’t around enough when he was younger, but he still blames me. He sees his mother as a poor, innocent victim. Noel’s like the white knight who saved her.”
“Just because Mike doesn’t see the good in you doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person,” I said. “I see the good in you.”
“Brooke,” he said, his eyes sad. “When I was living with you, I felt like I didn’t deserve you. You’re so beautiful and smart and successful. And I’m…nothing. I’m not ambitious or hardworking. I’ve been living paycheck to paycheck for years now, and that’s how I ended up almost homeless in the first place. I did this to myself.”
I couldn’t let him beat himself down any longer. I reached out and grabbed his hands. “You’re wrong. Do you not understand all that you’ve accomplished? You started providing for your family when you were just a teenager! Sure, you’ve made mistakes, but everyone makes mistakes. It doesn’t matter if your family doesn’t treat you right.”
“I hurt the people in my life,” Robert argued. “I don’t want to hurt anyone else. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“The only time you’ve hurt me was when you left. You’ve helped me, Robert. You’ve made me realize that I deserve love.”
“Of course you do, Brooke. You deserve the world.”
“Then give it to me,” I said. “Come back with me. Be with me.”
He looked unsure.
“We’re alike in so many ways, Robert,” I continued. “We both know what it’s like to be alienated by family. We know what it’s like to be kicked while we’re down by the people who should be helping us up. But…maybe we can be each other’s family.”
Something like hope filled his eyes.
“Come home,” I said in a soft voice.
He didn’t say anything at first. As the silence droned on, nervousness swirled in my stomach. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if he refused.
“Okay,” he said quietly.
Relief washed over me, and I felt my shoulders relax. “Yeah.”
“I’ll come home with you,” Robert said as a small smile crossed his face. “If that’s what you want.”
He didn’t even have to ask.
“More than anything.”