“You haven’tseen me enough.” She told him dismissively. It didn‘tfeel like such a chore to sit with him, maybe because of his terminalcondition.
“She was somuch like you. She had all that class and beauty and I felt beneathher. I always did.”
“Next you’regoing to tell me that was why you left.”
“That had a lotto do with it. She’d never put me down. I did that enough forboth of us. I couldn’t understand what a beautiful woman likeher saw in me. She was from a good family and could have been withanyone.”
“And she choseyou.”
“I found myselfwondering why and when she was going to come to her senses and leaveme.”
“So you leftfirst.” Her voice was rife with disgust. “It neveroccurred to you that Mom was completely in love with you.”
“I didn’tdeserve her love.” He insisted softly.
“Your onlyalternative was to run? How stupid is that?”
He nodded, a tearslipping down his weathered cheek. He’d lost a lot of weightbecause of the illness and the doctors told her that his appetite wasvery poor. She’d grudgingly come up with the money to help withthe bills.
She could afford itafter all. Reporters had found out about the connection and had beenplaguing the nursing home staff and badgering her father to get aninterview. One of them had managed to slip inside and spoken to him.
“You’rewith Dion Horton.”
“I am. Iunderstand a reporter sneaked in to get a word from you.”
“I told himto get the hell out of my room.” He took an unsteady breath andtried to ease up against the pillows. Leaving her position on thechair, she plumped the pillows under his head to make him morecomfortable.
“Thank you.”
“Why didn’tyou say anything to him?”
“You’remy daughter and deserve the privacy. You’re having a baby?”
“Yes.”
“And gettingmarried?”
She shrugged,ignoring the slice of pain that was lodged in her heart. She and Dionhad spent several unforgettable days in New York, with delightfuldays and magical nights and not once had he told her he was in lovewith her, much less proposed to her.
“That’snot important right now.”
“I hope hedeserves you.”
Her expression turnedcynical. “How would you know what I deserve?”
“Odette- “
“I’msorry.” She let out a sigh. “I just want to have a simpleconversation without animosity.”
“I’d likethat too.” There was a hesitant pause. “I’d like tomeet him.”
“I don’tthink- “
“Please. I knowyou told him things about me, shameful things, but I’d like tomeet the man my daughter will be spending the rest of her life with.”
She stared at him insilence, before shrugging. “I’ll see what I can do.”
He nodded grateful.“I’d appreciate it.”