N/A: I am not super satisfied with this but as Adrianna would say….whateves: P
"Why are you still here?" Nora Tate asked walking over to her ex who had seated himself at the bar and was actively flirting with Grace. Max had gone upstairs to find her phone and to try and get ahold of Loren. She had been planning to sit and chat with Grace for a few minutes but instead it looked like she was going to take another look at her past.
Trent McCall swung around and smiled flirtiousously at Nora. It had been far too long since he'd seen her. She was as beautiful and sassy as ever. He had missed her though he hadn't realized just how much until he had seen her again. Nora had always been beautiful and the years had been more than kind to her. "Hello, Nora. "
"I thought you were leaving?" The icy tone of her voice and the venom in her brown eyes made him flinch. A small part of him thought that maybe she would have been happy to see him. She hadn't been. Not even a little. When he had shown up in Loren's dressing room earlier tonight, the anger Nora felt towards him flew off her body in waves that practically knocked him off his feet. The anger was still there.
He took a drink of the scotch in his hand as the woman who captured his heart in high school glared at him with her hands on her narrow hips. The liquid courage flowed down his thought easily. It wasn't the first drink he had tonight and no doubt it wouldn't be the last. "I stayed to hear our daughter sing. She was fantastic. "
Nora snorted, "Our daughter? Really, Trent?" He couldn't blame her for being mad. Hell, he deserved her anger.
"Yes. She is my daughter too, Nora. Whether you like it or not. "
A man Trent recognized as Max Duran, one of his favorite musicians, walked up and handed Nora a phone. Nora pulled her angry eyes from Trent and smiled at Max. "Everything ok?"
Max nodded, "Yes. They are at the penthouse. It's true…she recanted. It's over. "
Nora let out a relieved sigh and hugged Max, "Thank God. Is he ok? What did Loren say?"
"He's fine. A little banged up but fine. Loren said that she's going to stay with him and she would see us on the plane in the morning." Max's eyes landed on Trent and the man knew instantly who he was. "Didn't Loren ask you to leave?"
"Trent's never been one to do what was right for Loren, " Nora supplied once again turning icy brown eyes towards her ex. " So naturally he ignored her request and stayed for the concert. "
Trent set his glass on the bar and held his hand out to Max, "I'm Trent McCall. Nora's ex-husband and Loren's father. I've been a fan of yours for years Max. "
Max looked down at the other man's hand but instead of connecting his for a handshake, he put an arm around Nora's shoulders. "Please call me, Mr. Duran. " Max's voice had an angry edge to it and Trent figured that Nora had probably told Max her side of the story. They were friends obviously because of Eddie and Loren working together. Though the protective way that Max stood next to Nora made him guess they were more than just friends. "The concert has been over for hours why are you still sitting in my club?"
Trent dropped his hand to his side and glanced around the club. Aside from the staff, the three of them were alone. "I was hoping to talk to Loren. " No use in lying. He had come back to town for a relationship with his daughter. He wasn't leaving until that happened.
"Obviously she isn't here. " Nora told him with the shake of a head. "You already saw her Trent. She doesn't want anything to do with you. She has told you that twice now. Why can't you just leave her alone?"
"Twice?" Max asked raising his eyebrows and narrowing his eyes.
"Tonight isn't the first time Trent has reached out to MY daughter. He was been texting her for months anonymously. Loren finally told me about it a couple of weeks ago and I told her it was her father. "Nora explained to Max as Trent finished off his drink and motioned for Grace to bring him another of the same. He felt like he was on trial here. He left, he'd been a coward and bailed on his family, but damn it's not like he murdered someone. Between the nasty looks and hate-filled tones, you'd think he was the Boston Strangler or something.
"I want a chance to know my daughter, Nora. You can't keep her from me. "He hadn't meant the words to come out as angrily as they had but damn it, she was making this more difficult than it had to be.
"First of all, "Max started taking his arm off Nora's shoulder and moving two steps towards Trent, "watch your tone. You don't ever speak to her like that again. Second, Nora hasn't done anything to keep you away from Loren. You did that all on your own. And third, and most importantly, Loren is an adult. She makes her own choices. "
Trent shook his head, "She's 18. That's hardly an adult. "
"Age has nothing to do with it, Trent. Loren is mature beyond her years. Hell, she is more of an adult than I am. "Max informed the other man.
"So what, you think just because your son is mentoring my daughter, you know her so well?"
Max shook his head. "My son isn't mentoring Loren. He is in love with her. She is in love with him. If you were around, you'd know that. "He took another step towards Trent, "You would also know that Loren doesn't say stuff she doesn't mean so if she said she doesn't want you in her life, she means it. "
Grace sat Trent's drink down on the bar with a small smile, "everything alright here, Max?" At Max's nod, she went back to work wiping down the bar. Max settled his eyes back on Trent. "If Loren told you to leave her alone, you need to do it. " He heard the threatening tone of his voice but really he didn't care. He cared about Loren and Nora more than he ever thought possible and this man was not going to hurt either one of them. Not ever again.
"Who are you to warn me away from my own daughter?"
Nora stepped forward and pointed her slender index finger in Trent's face. "Stop calling her your daughter! She's not! She's MY daughter, Trent! Mine! I am the one that stayed. I am the one who has been there. Not you!" The fact that she was on the verge of breaking down only added to her anger at the man standing in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself. Trent McCall had gotten enough of her tears. He wasn't getting a single one anymore. She felt Max take a hold of the hand at her side and she laced her fingers with his. He gave her strength. "As for Max? Max is the man that has been kind and loving, not to mention completely supportive of MY daughter since the second that he met her. He has given her advice, he has cried with her, laughed with her, cheered for her. He's been in her life, OUR life for only a couple of months and in that time, Max Duran has been more of a father to Loren than you ever were or could ever hope to be. She doesn't need you and she doesn't want you. "
"I am still her father Nora. There is nothing you can do to change that. "His voice was firm as he stood up and pulled out his wallet. He tossed a twenty dollar bill on the bar beside his untouched refill and turned back to the mother of his only child. "Max isn't her father, no matter how much you wish he was. I remember you had quite the crush on him when we were younger Nora, but this is reality not fantasy. I am Loren's father, not Max Duran."
Max chuckled, "You are her father on paper, Jackass. That's the only reality that you care about though isn't it?" He didn't give him a chance to respond before he continued, "But the real reality of this situation is that while I didn't have anything to do with Loren's conception, I love that girl as though she were in fact my own. What I feel for Loren goes beyond her relationship with my son. I love her because of who she is and let me tell you something, Trent! You had absolutely nothing to do with who Loren is." He cocked his head towards Nora, "That woman is solely responsible for the way Loren turned out."
Trent looked at Nora who was smiling admirably at Max. There really wasn't any reason for him to stay here and argue with his ex-wife and her rock star boyfriend. He stepped away from the bar stool and slowly started towards the door. He had made it maybe two feet before Nora called out his name. He turned around to see Nora holding up her left hand. On the finger where a simple gold band that he had given her many years ago used to rest, sat a white band of diamonds. "We were waiting to tell Loren and Eddie because they deserve a little time alone, but Max and I got married an hour ago." Max held up his own left hand that sported a thick band of white gold. "You were wrong, Max is Loren's father. That's my reality, his reality, and now it needs to be yours. We, "she motioned between herself and Max with a smile, "will do whatever it takes to keep you from hurting OUR daughter. "
A/N: Yeah, yeah. I know. Totally cheesy but the idea popped into my head and wouldn't go away. It's a one-shot which I have never really done before so I hope it's okay Read and Review as always please