I nod slowly. “I can’t imagine how hard it must’ve been to try and move on at the time.”
“Oh, I found comfort in work. My sons, not so much. But there is one thing I’ve always appreciated about them: The way they stuck together. As brothers, as friends, as men. I never quite truly understood their ability to share a lady, but I’ve accepted it. We all lead different lives, and I’m no saint either.” He chuckles dryly.
Underneath the pale green hospital blanket, he looks smaller and feebler than usual, but he still exudes a certain confidence. I’m in awe of this man.
“So when my sons decided that you are the woman they want to be with, I figured, let’s wait and see how it works out.”
I can feel my face reddening. “It wasn’t easy for me, sir, I assure you.”
“Oh, I’ll bet, especially after the way Terrence treated you. I’m sorry you got hurt in that whole affair. Terrence and his mother, they’re complicated creatures. I’ve learned to love them despite their issues. You, on the other hand, deserved better. I’ll be honest; I was glad when my boys stepped in.”
“You were?” I wasn’t expecting that.
He smiles broadly. “For all of their bickering with Terrence, I’ll give Cole, Asher, and Toby credit where credit is due. They’re right when they say they’re the real Morgans because a real Morgan would never do a woman wrong the way Terrence did. I had this talk with him, as well, after that charity gala debacle. I was so mad.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Bill.”
“No, but I saw the red flags and did nothing about it. It’s my cross to bear,” he says. “My point is, I know about the Christmas luncheon, the argument, the revelation about Sheila and Cole.”
“Oh…” I lower my gaze.
Bill shakes his head. “I knew about it. I chose to ignore it because it didn’t mean anything. The past needs to stay in the past. I’ll say this, though, I didn’t like it. And it tore me apart to see Cole struggling the way he did when Sheila became a part of our lives, a part of our family. I kept hoping he’d understand and that, eventually, he’d be happy for me, for us.”
“He couldn’t, could he?”
“Not because he didn’t try,” he says with a laugh. “He did, but Sheila—damn that woman—can be impossible to deal with sometimes. And she made every interaction twice as hard as it should’ve been.”
It’s my turn to shake my head. “If Sheila is so difficult, why are you still married to her, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“Because I take my vows seriously. I promised I would take care of her and Terrence, and I intend to do just that, no matter what my sons might have to say on the matter. However, it doesn’t mean I will allow her or Terrence to hurt you any further. Give my sons another chance.”
I blink a few times. The way he slid that request right in there, I barely registered it. “Excuse me?”
“I know you’re upset about Cole and Sheila’s tryst. Just remember, it’s in the past. It belongsthere.”
“Bill, I’m upset because he didn’t tell me, neither did Asher or Cole. Given my contentious relationship with Sheila, don’t you think they should’ve disclosed it?”
He cocks his head to the side, carefully weighing his answer. “Maybe. I can’t say I blame them for keeping it a secret, given their dynamic with my wife. They were terrified of losing you, which is why they held onto it for as long as they did.”
They were terrified of losing me. I know this isn’t something the Morgan brothers would’ve easily discussed with their father, so for Bill to be able to offer such an insight changes the way I’ve been looking at the entire situation.
“I’m not asking you to get back together, mind you. It’s not my place nor my decision to make,” he adds. “I just think they deserve a second chance. They’re good men, all three of them. They make their old man proud every single day.”
“I know they’re good men,” I reply, my voice wavering. “What hurt me was hearing the truth from Sheila, not from them.”
He waves the concern away. “Sheila’s got a fight to pick with anyone who crosses her. There was a time when I loved that spunk in her. Now, not so much. She can be a bull in a China shop, I know. But my sons, Willow, you’re it for them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them as happy as when they were with you.”
“I was happy, too.”
“Then why let Sheila ruin it? I’m just saying, if you love them, if you want to try and build something with them, maybe think about it?”
I give him a curious look. “How can I build something with three men? How would that even work?”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Everybody wondered how I’d manage with a new wife and a kid on top of the ones I already had. Everybody wondered how I’d pull Morgan Enterprises out of two recessions. Everybody wondered, but nobody stood in my shoes to do it. I did. And so should you. If no one’s ever done it before, it doesn’t mean it can’t be done.”
I sit beside Bill’s bed, his sons patiently waiting outside, while I think of a way to follow his advice. A second chance. In the midst of all this chaos and uncertainty, the Morgan brothers were the one thing I was always sure of. And despite the heartache, they still are.
“As for Sheila, just don’t mind her anymore, for your sake, not anyone else’s,” William continues. “She had it rough before she married into the Madison family, really rough. It left her with some scars on her soul, some unhealed wounds.”
