Page 44 of The Deadbeat DILF
I followed him out of the restaurant, my stomach churning.
We were having such a nice evening. Now everything was ruined.
As we headed back home, I kept waiting for Robert to defend himself or make a joke out of the whole thing, but he remained dead silent. I reached out to squeeze his hand, but he pulled it away before I could touch it.
Once we arrived at home, the front door firmly shut behind us, I broke the silence.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He nodded. “We should go to bed.”
I followed him into my bedroom, but I wasn’t about to let him go to sleep without talking about this. We got changed into our pajamas and brushed our teeth. I took my time goingthrough my nighttime routine and applying my skincare. I figured giving Robert time to process the evening would be a good thing.
Finally, we climbed into bed together, but I kept my bedside table lamp on so I could see his face.
“I’m sorry about tonight,” I said, taking his hand and squeezing it. “But I still had a really lovely dinner with you.”
“I’m sorry our celebration was cut short.”
He didn’t pull his hand away, which was a good sign.
“Mike’s an asshole,” I said, then winced. “Sorry. I know he’s your son.”
He shook his head. “No, I…I don’t want you to think badly of him. Yeah, he lost his temper, but…he’s right to be angry at me.” He sighed, not meeting my eyes. “I wasn’t a good dad. I failed him, and I failed his mother.”
My heart sank. I was hoping he’d deny everything. “How did you fail them?”
“There’s a reason Emily divorced me. I didn’t make enough time for them. I barely saw Mike grow up. I was so occupied with my business, telling myself that once I was successful enough, I could spend more time with my family and provide for them.” He let out a humorless laugh. “All those thousands of hours I put in were pointless, though. The company isn’t even mine anymore.”
“Maybe you made some mistakes in the past,” I said. “Everyone does. It doesn’t mean you’re a terrible person.”
“My own son hates me.”
“So what? My own family can barely stand me. You saw that firsthand.” I cupped his jaw, forcing him to look me in the eyes. “Robert, since I’ve met you, you’ve been nothing but sweet and kind and caring. The day I fought with my parents could’ve been one of the worst days of my life, but you made it okay.”
Now that I thought about it, the more I understood why Robert didn’t defend himself when Mike attacked him. How many times had my family insulted me, and I just took it?
It was hard to stand up to your family. It was hard to fight back. Sometimes, you just felt resigned.
Robert sighed. He sounded so…tired.
“You’re amazing, Brooke,” he said. “Your family just doesn’t see that. Mike sees me for what I am.” He smiled sadly. “I’m two decades older than you, and I was practically homeless when we met. You have this incredible apartment. You’re a successful lawyer, and I’m working a basic construction job. You’re young, with a bright future. I’ve already been divorced once. My life is a wreck.” He sighed. “Mike must think I’m so pathetic, leeching off a woman twenty years younger than me.”
“Robert,” I said, my tone firm and authoritative. “You’re not leeching off me. Listen to me. I really like spending time with you, and if it’s okay, I want to return to the conversation we were having before Mike interrupted us.”
I watched Robert cast his mind back before giving me an embarrassed look. “I was going to ask if you wanted to be with me. But—”
“Yes,” I said.
His eyes widened, and he glanced away. “I don’t deserve you, Brooke. Have you been listening to anything I’ve been saying? There are so many reasons why this isn’t a good idea. I was living in a fantasy world until Mike appeared and showed me reality.”
“Robert, you think I’m smart, right?”
His eyes met mine. “Very,” he said.
“I’m smart enough to make my own decisions. I want to be in a relationship with you. Seeing you at the restaurant…when you’re hurt, I’m hurt.” I hesitated. “I’m sorry I argued with Mike. Normally, I would hold my tongue, but…you stood up for me in front of my family. I wanted to stand up for you.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he murmured. “I’m thankful you were on my side.”
