I tried to keep my face impassive, but my lips twitched into a smile. If he only knew how many situations his daughter and I got into over the weekend . . . “I did.”
“And?”
“I already told you. I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble with her if I didn’t know it was the real deal.”
“And how do you know it’s the real deal? How do you know that in five years you won’t be in this office talking about your own divorce? I know your track record.”
My brows rose. Good questions. Fair questions. How did I know . . . how could I explain that?
“I don’t,” I said. “I have no idea what will happen in five years. I came in here thinking there was probably more than a fifty percent chance I’d get fired, or demoted, and I still haven’t been able to stop fucking smiling, and that’s the only way I know that. Who knows?” I shrugged. “Maybe it won’t work out the way I want it to, but I sure as hell want to try, and when I think about my life five years from now, the only thing I see with sureness is Nicole.”
Will tilted his head, his eyes assessing me. “When do the finalized papers get here?”
“They should be here soon. Possibly next week. I rushed Judge Matthews.”
Will nodded. “You know how I feel about you as a person and as an employee. You’re like a son I never had, and that’s one of the reasons I’m being hard on you about this, because as much as I love you, I love my daughter more.”
He picked up his phone and pushed a couple buttons, turning on the speakerphone. Three rings later Nicole’s voice seeped through the room. My breath caught in my chest. I glanced up at him, and he shrugged as if to say let’s see what she says about this.
“Hey, Dad,” she said. My heart gripped at the sound of her voice.
“Hey, sweetheart. I have a question for you, and I need you to answer honestly.”
Nicole groaned. “What now?”
“Promise?”
She stayed silent for a second. “Promise.”
“Are you involved in any way with Gabriel?”
She stayed quiet again. My heart constricted. “No. Argentina was the last thing I was going to attend with him. Why?”
“I mean romantically, Nicole.”
“No.”
“That’s a definite no? What about in Argentina?”
My heart squeezed again. I didn’t want to hear this. I didn’t want to know. Out of mind, out of sight. That had been my motto.
“No, Dad. Why are you asking weird questions?”
“What about Victor Reuben?”
“What about him?” she whispered.
“Last time I asked you, you said nothing was going on with you guys. Were you lying?”
She breathed into the phone.
“Promise, Nicole.”
She breathed into the phone again. “Yes.”
“Yes you were lying?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought if I told you the truth, you’d fire him,” she said, and I could tell she was crying. I saw her cry the other day, but hearing her like this and knowing I wasn’t there to comfort her made my heart physically ache.
“Why would I fire him?”
“Because he’s my lawyer,” she said, crying openly. “Please, Dad. Please don’t fire him. It’s my fault. I pushed him and pushed him.”
I closed my eyes, burying my face in my hands. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t sit there listening to her plead for me like this.
“He’s not getting fired,” Will said. My head snapped up.
“Oh, thank God,” she said, sniffling. “Thank God.”
“He said he told you he’s in love with you.”
“He did.” She sniffled. “And I love him.”
Will stayed quiet for a moment, his eyes appraising me. I kept my face neutral because I wasn’t sure I wanted him reading into my relief. I didn’t want him to know I felt like celebrating. He smiled after a couple beats. “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll let you go now.”
“Okay. Talk to you later.”
He ended the call and drummed his fingers on the table. “So . . . that happened.”
“Like I was saying, when I met you, I saw myself twenty years prior. I didn’t have a mentor or anybody to walk me through things or help me when I fucked up, and I really wanted to be that person for you,” he said. “But then I hired you, and I never really had to do that. You were like a newborn child who was already potty-trained. I’ve never seen anything like it. I didn’t assign you to take care of my daughter’s divorce so you could make partner. You were going to make partner anyway. That promotion has been yours since you stepped foot in this office.” He paused.
To know I had his support for the role was incredible. While gaining Nicole in my life was a far greater reward, I couldn’t deny the way hearing those words made me feel.
“I wanted you to represent her because I knew you’d do right by her, and I know you’ll do right by her now as well.”
I let out a breath. “Thank you. That means a lot.” More than he could ever know.
“You wanna know how I know you’re right for her?”
I swallowed. “How?”
“Because I don’t even feel like I need to give you a warning, or tell you the things I’d do if you fuck things up, though maybe I should warn you that she can be a little difficult.”
I chuckled. “I got that part.”