“Best of all, he plays football and happens to be pretty good friends with Dominic.”
“What’s his name?”
“Tim. Do you know him?”
I smiled. I’d met Tim a few times, and Dominic always had the best things to say about him. I thought of this tall, broad man with blond hair with the tiny dark-haired Lily and I smiled. What a beautiful couple they would make.
“I know him. And I really like him. This is so exciting. I envision double dates in our future.”
We spent the rest of the day holed up in my dorm, eating junk food and talking. We kept telling ourselves that we should do something with our day, but we were too lazy, and it was nice just being together doing not much at all. Later, she left to study for a test, and I made my way over to my mom’s new apartment. She had invited both myself and Dominic’s father over for dinner, which was a surprise. As it turned out, the two of them had become friends in all of this. I was glad. I wanted my mother to have new friends, and Dominic’s father was such a great guy.
My mom’s new apartment was small, and nothing like the house I had grown up in. Yet, despite the size, it was perfect. She’d done a lot with it in such a short space of time, and the place felt more like home than home ever had. She had lined the one wall with a massive bookshelf and had spent her days filling them up. There was a second-hand bookstore down the road, and she had already spent so much money there. She said the owner said he would forever be in her debt because she had given him more business in a few days then he'd had all year. She hadn’t treated herself in a long time, and I was glad to see that she was doing something to make herself happy.
I liked the new apartment. I loved the soft cream sofas that sat by the bookshelf wall. I liked the small fireplace in the corner. I liked the framed photograph that she had put up of herself and me. I liked how happy it made her, and how happy it made me. The apartment was within walking distance of the college too, which meant I could just pop in as often as I wanted for a cup of tea. I felt closer to her than I had in a long time and I was so happy to see that she had found her spark again.
“Mom, you look beautiful,” I said as I enveloped her in a big hug. She was wearing a long flowing green skirt with a white shirt tucked into it. She looked like a glamorous hippy, carefree and happy, and nothing at all like the woman I had come to know over the years. Every time I saw her now, I felt so emotional. I resisted the urge to cry because I knew it would only make her cry too. Although we both felt stronger these days, it was just as easy to reduce us into blubbering tears.
“Thank you, my darling. Come in. Thanks for coming early. Dominic and Paul will be coming shortly,” she said. “But I wanted to talk to you before they arrived.”
“Is everything okay?” I said.
“Everything is fine. Now, what can I get you to drink? Let’s have some champagne!”
I laughed. “Champagne is always a good idea. Is this your new life now? The sort of woman who has champagne at the ready? Because if that’s the case, I like it.”
She chuckled. “Yes, that’s exactly right. I went shopping today for groceries, and when I walked past the champagne aisle, I put four in my basket.”
“How many are left?”
“Three.”
“Did you drink one alone?”
She laughed. “Yes! I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d polish off a bottle of champagne by myself, but I did. You should try it some time. It’s really liberating. I was in such a good mood I cleaned the apartment spotless.”
“You drank and cleaned?” I said and laughed at the image. “I love that.”
“Yeah, it was almost too good. I’m afraid I’m going to want a glass every time I clean now.” She was chuckling to herself, so I figured that whatever she wanted to talk to me about couldn’t be bad news. She was in too much of a good mood for that.
She popped open a bottle and poured us each a glass. Then we went to sit in the living room. I loved her sofas. They were the sort of sofas that you could easily imagine lying on and reading a book and promptly falling asleep because they were so comfortable. Growing up we’d had the most uncomfortable sofas in the world, and I now pictured my father sitting upright and waiting for me to enter the room. When was the last time he had just sat back with his feet up and enjoyed himself? When had everything become so formal and so stiff?
“I thought it would be good for us to talk about your dad and me,” she said as if mirroring my thoughts.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Mom. I really don’t mind if you don’t want to talk about him. I know things have been tough for you.”
“I know. But I think the most important thing for this family right now is honesty. That’s the only way we are going through all of this. I want to be honest with you even though it might be hard for you to hear some of these things.”
“Honesty is all I’ve ever wanted. So yeah, I appreciate that, actually. How’s Dad doing?” I asked. Despite everything that had been going on, I still hadn’t spoken to my father. I’d tried to, but he didn’t want to talk to me, and so I hadn’t pushed it any further. It was sad that he didn’t want to at least try and make amends, but there was only so much I could do about it. I knew he was just angry and that his pride had been hurt. Perhaps one day he would finally see that what he had done was wrong.
“Well, naturally he’s very upset. Not necessarily because I left him but because I stood up to him and I finally confronted him about some of the things I have always suspected.”
“What do you mean? What did you suspect?” I asked.
She sighed. “I had a feeling that he had cheated on me. It’s a feeling I’ve had for a very long time, but I didn’t want to admit it to him or even to myself. I was too scared of the truth. But, the truth finally came out.”
“And he did? He cheated on you?” I asked. I wasn’t sure why I was surprised. But even though my father had done a lot of bad things, I never thought of him as a cheater. If anyone I thought that the only thing he would’ve cheated on her with was work. Work seemed to always come first for him in our family.
She nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I always thought it might be true. There were certainly clues pointing me in that direction, but I wasn’t sure. But, as it turns out, I was right all along. And it’s been going on for a lot longer than I suspected. Years, actually.”
“That’s disgusting,” I said and shook my head. “And you were so good to him throughout your marriage. How could he do this to you? You stood by him through everything.”
“I’ve wondered the same thing. Your father let power get to his head. I guess he thought he could get away with it forever. I truly believe that he thought that money and power could get him out of any situation.”
“Does he love the other woman?” I asked. I didn’t want to know who she was. I didn’t even want to know what she looked like. The thought that he had done this to my mother hurt me deeply.
She laughed, but the sound came out strangled and sad. “No. He doesn’t even love her; can you believe it? I asked him the same thing. In a way, maybe if he did, I would feel a little better about it. But he says he’s still in love with me. He has begged me to come back to him. He said I was the only woman he has ever loved. Of course, I’m no fool. He strung me along for long enough. There is no way I’m going back to him. I deserve better than that. I might have loved him once upon a time, but that love is long gone. I love the person he used to be and not the person he is today. It’s good to finally know the truth, no matter how much it hurts. That’s why I decided to tell you all of this. I could keep it a secret and try to protect you, but what’s the point in that? You deserve the truth, just like I did.”
“Thanks for telling me, Mom. And I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that. God, you really didn’t deserve it. I feel so angry.”
“It wasn’t just the cheating. It was the way he talked to me and the way he tried to control me. He hates the fact that he has no more con
trol over me.”
“And he has no more control over me either. We’re stronger than that,” I said.
“We sure are. I’m proud of you my darling. But listen, if you want him in your life, I don’t mind.”
“I don’t,” I said with conviction.
“I know. But if you change your mind, or if he changes his ways, you must know that I don’t mind. As long as you are happy I’m happy. Also, I want you to know that you don’t have to work to pay for your tuition. It’s all paid for already.”
“What do you mean? Who paid it?” I asked. I had already been looking for jobs in order to help with the payment. I’d been worried about finding the time for everything, but I had been determined to make it work. But knowing that I didn’t have to worry was a huge relief.
“Oh, your father did.”
“He did? Why?”
She laughed. “I told him that if he stopped paying for your tuition that I would go public with his affair. Not only would have lost me, but he would’ve also lost his political position. Let me tell you, that sure shut him up. He called the school and organized to pay the next few years upfront.”
I laughed. “You blackmailed him?”
“I sure did.”
I giggled and took a sip of my champagne. “Ah, this champagne somehow tastes even better now. Time to celebrate!”
Just then there was a knock on the door, and Dominic walked in with his father. We poured them each a glass of champagne, and it didn’t take long for the four of us to open a second and then third bottle. My mother had made the most delicious food, and dinner was a loud and happy affair, and nothing like the stilted political dinners they used to be. Dominic’s father was very entertaining, and very talkative. Much more lively and jovial than I had ever seen him. He’d taken quite a liking to my mother and now regarded me as a daughter.
“So, Paul,” my mother said as she dished us all up a slice of her delicious chocolate cake. “Tell us about this motorcycle club that you were a part of. Is it true that you all got nicknames?”
He laughed. “How did you know about that? Well, it’s true, and my son over here was called Maddog.”
“Maddog?” my mother exclaimed and looked at me. She laughed. “Better than Nicky?”
I shook my head. “No way! He’ll always be Nicky to me.”
“Yeah, that’s what I call him too. I still remember how you used to tease him and tell him that Nicky was a much cooler name,” she said. Then she turned towards Dominic’s father and grinned. I noticed she had a twinkle in her eye, a mixture of champagne and happiness. “Any chance you can take me for a ride? I’ve never been on a motorcycle before!”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Dominic
“I can’t believe you went to jail,” Candice said to me as the two of us took a walk down the road. I’d just finished a long practice, and I’d called her up to see if she felt like going for a walk. We were talking about everything that had happened since we’d gotten together, and how crazy life had become. It was sometimes hard to imagine that we were the same people that had been through all of that. I often felt like it was someone else that had been to jail, someone else that had stood up to her father.
I laughed. “Tell me about it. I never in a million years would’ve thought I’d find myself there. And, as strong and tough as I thought I was, I do NOT want to go back to that place. I was petrified.” I thought about the two men that had sat beside me. I often wondered what had happened to them and whether they were out or if they had been locked up for good. Although, no matter how much I wondered about it I wasn’t interested enough to go and find out. It was better not to know.
“Oh no, don’t tell me. I don’t even like thinking about it,” she said. “I’m glad things are back to normal. Now we’re just two people in love walking to the ice cream parlor.”
I chuckled. “Oh, is that where we’re going?”
She laughed. “Yeah. It feels like an ice cream sort of day, don’t you think?”
“Isn’t that every day with you?” I asked. I loved how childlike she was sometimes.
“Absolutely.”
“Well, at least I know what makes you happy. If we ever fight, I’ll just go out and buy you ice cream.”
“I like that plan. But, I don’t plan on fighting with you very often, so do you mind if you get me ice cream even when we’re happy?”
“I think that’s a fair plan.”
We made our way to the ice cream parlor, taking a detour through the park, and spent some time on the swings. It was like we had reverted back to our childhood, making up for lost time. Candice had never been carefree. She’d always had her father watching over her, making sure that she did everything according to his book. But she was very different now to the girl that I had first seen that day in Professor Jackson’s class. I watched her now on the swings and laughed. The higher she went, the more she screamed. Then, when she finally stopped, she turned to look at me.
“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream?”
I laughed. “Come on, let’s go get some. Now you’ve got me craving it too.”
We walked over to the parlor, a popular place that had seen a resurgence in popularity over the past year. It seemed all the college kids went there after classes, and we had to force our way through the crowd to place our order. The place had been in the area since we were kids, and we had even been here a few times together back when we were eleven. It had gone down in business for a while, and everyone thought it was going to close its doors once and for all. Then, out of the blue, the place had been revamped, and it had become popular all over again. I was glad that a part of our history had now made its way to our present day. I loved how everything had come full circle for Candice and me. We made a promise to ourselves to visit the parlor as often as possible and to spread the word to everyone we knew. It was suddenly important for us to make sure the place stayed alive, so the more business we gave it, the better.
We came out with two tubs each, one with peanut butter and one with pistachio, because we couldn’t decide. We’d already tried all the different flavors, and these two were our favorites. We took a seat on the grass outside, mostly because all the tables and chairs were taken, and made our way through our ice cream. By the time we got to our second tub, it had mostly melted, so we drank it like a milkshake. Candice was talking to me, and I was trying not to laugh at the blobs of ice cream that now sat on her nose and cheek. She frowned when she saw me smiling at her.
“What are you grinning at me like that for?” she said.
I laughed and leaned over to lick the ice cream off her face. I felt my body immediately stir with pleasure afterward and I moaned. “I really shouldn’t do that in public.”
“How quick can we get home?” she said.
I chuckled. “Quick enough if we run.”
We stood up to leave, throwing our empty tubs into the bin. We were high on sugar and high on life, and I couldn’t wait to take home and continue licking her. But, before we had a chance to go anywhere, we bumped into Derek.
At first, he seemed not to notice us even though he was staring right at us. He blinked a few times and then sighed in recognition. He wasn’t looking good at all. He was gaunt, and there were dark rings around his eyes that hadn’t been there before. I wasn’t surprised, though. I’d heard a lot of rumors about him that confirmed my suspicions that he was not a nice guy at all. A girl on campus had accused Derek of sexually assaulting her, and the news had spread like wildfire. It happened to also coincide with a new campaign that the school had started for sexual abuse awareness, and Derek had been in the spotlight now for days. I felt sorry for him at first, mostly because both Candice and I didn’t think it was true. Although, she admitted that he’d been rough with her at times. However, when a second and then a third woman came forward, we knew it had not been a lie. Derek really had done all the things that he had been accused of doing.
“Hi,” he said and looked from
Candice to me. “I see you’re both happy and in love now. Well, congratulations,” he said in a way that was clear he meant the complete opposite.
“Thank you,” I said and took Candice’s hand. I noticed a few people turn to look our way. They were probably gearing themselves up for a fight, but I wasn’t going to let that happen. I’d had enough fights in the past few months. All I wanted now was peace and happiness. I nodded at Derek, and slowly backed away.
I was grateful when he didn’t follow us, and I turned to look at Candice to see if she was okay.
She nodded. “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m just glad that didn’t turn ugly. I still can’t believe how lucky I was that I didn’t end up with him. I think the only reason that I didn’t see what those other women saw was because he was scared of my father. He was always trying to impress him. Everything he did for me was really for my father’s benefit. But, if this is what he’s really like, I’m sure I would’ve seen it eventually. Nobody can hide their personality for too long.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I think we all knew there was something off about that guy. You’re right; you dodged a bullet there. And thankfully, you ended up with quite the stud,” I teased.
“I did?” she said. “Where is he?”
I laughed. “Ha! So rude. And after I bought you ice cream and everything,” I said. “What’s a man got to do around here to get a compliment?”
“Hmm, there is something you can do,” she said.
“Anything. Name it.”
“I can’t tell you here, though.”
“Why not? Where can you tell me then?”
“In bed.”
I laughed. “I like the way you think. Come on then, we’ve got a sugar rush to burn off,” I said, and the two of us ran all the way back to my dorm room laughing the entire way.
Epilogue
Candice
Five months later
“Where are we going?” I asked Dominic. He’d arrived unannounced while I was staying at my mother’s place for the week.
Dirty Player - A Football Romance (A Maxwell Family Romance) Page 22