“Something I wish I didn’t know.”
He tugged me closer and kissed the top of my head. “Would this something be about the Coopers, your accident, or Reid?”
It was the first time I’d heard Fin refer to my dad by his first name. While I didn’t mind, it also made me sad that these two men would never have the chance to truly know one another. Blinking, I fought a new round of tears. “He was the best father.”
“You didn’t learn that today.”
I took another sip of the wine and spun in Fin’s embrace. Looking up, I swallowed my emotion. “If I tell you something, something I never imagined, I can trust you, right? You won’t say anything about it to anyone.”
“Vee, you can trust me with your gorgeous body, your deepest secrets, your greatest ambitions, your utmost fears. I want every part of you.”
Sighing, I tipped my forehead against his chest. It was easier to say the words if I wasn’t looking into Fin’s sapphire-blue orbs. In the car, I’d decided to keep Dad’s secret forever. Each mile, the burden grew. I didn’t want the world to know, but I wanted to share the heavy weight with someone I could trust. Just like the way I planned to tell Dad about Fin and me, I chose to blurt it out. “Dad was having an affair.”
“Shit. What?” Fin asked as he pulled my chin upward.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I went to his office after work. I don’t know what drew me there. He was the one who encouraged me to learn more about football operations. I wasn’t sure I’d return to the sideline.” I shook my head. “I’m so overwhelmed with the idea of CEO. But Drew came to find me after the morning practice and said I was still welcome.”
“As if he could stop you.”
“No, I don’t think he meant it like that. He said you’d talked to the coaches.”
Fin nodded and released my chin. “Come over to the couch. Let’s sit.”
I set my glass on the oval glass table and settled close to Fin. His arm again wrapped around me, and I inhaled his sandalwood scent. “I think Drew came to me to let me know that the players and coaches knew about the two of us and it didn’t matter.”
“Good.”
“I had a million things to do, but I spent the afternoon on the sidelines. The play calling is getting easier to understand.” That reminded me. “Oh, that practice defensive end is fast.”
“Pickett. He’s fast, smart, observant, and painful.”
My lower lip pushed forward. “The reason for the bath salts?”
“Yeah. Keep talking. You went to your dad’s office…”
“As I was leaving work,” I went on, “I was thinking about him. I guess I thought I’d feel closer to him in his office. Anyway, when I got there, the central office was dark. There was a light coming from underneath Dad’s office doors and when I tried to enter, they were locked. I started to walk away, and then I heard crying. It was a woman, so I assumed it was my aunt. You know, maybe she was feeling the same way I was. I knocked and called out to her.”
“It wasn’t your aunt,” Fin said.
“No. It was Dad’s assistant.” I hesitated to say her name. “The office was a wreck. Things pulled from drawers…She tried to stop me from seeing anything, but I saw a picture—a physical picture. Of the two of them, smiling. She was on Dad’s lap.”
Fin lifted his eyebrows. “Oh shit.”
“She proceeded to tell me that the affair had been going on for years. She showed me an engagement ring and told me as soon as Dad and Daphne divorced, he planned to elope with Bre to Europe—actually, she just said overseas.”
“Do you believe her?”
“She had the receipts. There were little notes and letters from Dad to her and vice versa. I read more than I should have.”
“I’m sorry, Vee. That shouldn’t take away from the fact he was a great father.”
“I know. It’s just...” We intertwined our fingers. “Oh, she also said that she’s the reason Dad hadn’t signed the new will. He didn’t plan to leave anything to Daphne but to Bre instead.”
“Bre Stanton?”
I craned my neck to see his face. “You know her?”
Fin shook his head. “Not really. She was part of the communication chain during my first interactions with the Coopers.”
