Chapter 10
"Rise and shine." Noah held out a glass of some odd looking concoction to his son and smiled. "We need to finish our conversation from last night."
"Could you not talk so loudly?" Patrick groaned as he slowly opened up his eyes. "And what the hell is that?"
"This is my hangover cure." Noah hated that he actually had one from his years of drinking but at least it could benefit his son this morning. Patrick had barely made it onto the couch before he passed out, the effects of six bourbons finally hitting him. Noah had set a bucket and a bottle of water next to the young doctor and was happy to see the bucket empty and the water gone when he checked on Patrick that morning. "Drink up – breakfast will be here in just a minute."
Patrick grimaced as he drank down the odd colored drink. "What was in that?"
"Trust me – you don't want to know." Noah shook his head. "But you should be ready to eat in a few minutes."
"I can't imagine anything sounding good right now." He rolled over on the couch and buried his head in the pillow. "All I want to do is sleep the day away and try to forget what an ass I was last night."
"Here's the problem – you can't forget and I guarantee you Robin won't. You need to work on getting Robin to forgive you." Noah heard a knocking at the front door. "And we are going to help you do it."
Patrick stayed turned over. "We?"
"Yes, we – morning big brother!" Matt made a point of making as much noise as possible as he walked in the door. "I come bearing muffins."
Patrick sat up on the couch. "Do you have to be so loud?" He was starting to feel a little better but his head was still pounding.
"Do I have to be – no. Consider this payback for the ranting I had to listen to from my girlfriend last night. Maxie is super pissed at you right now." Matt sat down next to his brother. "But I promised her I would help make it right and I intend to keep that promise."
Matt handed Patrick a muffin while Noah left the room. Less than a minute later he reappeared with three steaming cups of coffee. He handed one to each of his sons before taking a seat in the recliner. "Okay boys – we know why we are here. Last night Patrick said some very stupid things and hurt the woman he loves. We need to come up with a plan to help him fix things with Robin."
"I suggest groveling, lots and lots of groveling, and you need to do it in public." Matt smirked at his brother.
"Matt…" Noah shot his youngest son a warning look. "This is the first time Patrick has ever felt this way and we need to help him through it. Now the first thing I need to know is what you said that upset Robin so much."
Patrick's shame filled his face. "I said that she was a widowed grandma who needed someone to look out for her and maybe something about the kind of guy who would be interested in her because of that."
"Let me guess – she took it the wrong way?" Noah shook his head.
"No, she understood exactly what I was saying but I didn't mean it." Patrick flopped his head back against the couch. "I was just trying to get Matt to back off – any man should consider himself lucky if Robin even so much as looked his way. As for being a grandma, I find it one of her best qualities. She loves Rylee so much and that little girl adores her. You should see them together like the other day, we were at the nurse's station and Rylee came up with Michelle and told Robin that she loved her with all her heart. It was the sweetest thing."
Noah listened to his son closely as the young man continued speaking. "As for being widowed, Roger loved Robin so much and she loved him." A smiled crossed Patrick's face. "I remember her on their wedding day. She came walking down that aisle and I have never seen a more beautiful sight."
Noah looked at Matt who nodded his head. "Patrick, why didn't you say anything before she married Roger?"
"They were a family Dad and she loved him." Patrick couldn't believe his father would even ask him that. "I may be many things but I am not a homewrecker."
"I know you aren't son." Noah hadn't realized just how long this had been going on. He had always thought that Patrick's womanizing ways were because of his mother's death and Noah's actions after it but the truth was that no woman would ever measure up to Robin. "But he is gone and I'm sure he would want her to be with someone who loves her."
Patrick shook his head so Noah tried to expand on his thoughts. "I mean, Robin has suffered a lot of loss in her life especially when it comes to men. Her father died, her first love died and then her husband died. It's hard to move past that kind of loss once, let alone multiple times. There is a reason why Robin hasn't dated since Roger's death."
"And why do think that is?" Patrick knew that Noah had only recently rejoined the dating pool and his mother had been gone for far longer than Roger.
"Fear of loss. Robin is scared to death of going through that kind of loss again but I saw her start to let her walls down with you." Noah leaned over and smiled at his son. "I have spent the last month watching you and Robin flirt and fight all over town. She challenges you and doesn't fall for a single one of your lines. She is your equal in every single way. She's your Mattie."
"Or your Maxie." Matt said, thinking of his girlfriend.
"And you will regret it for the rest of your life if you do not do everything in your power to prove to her that you not only love her, you deserve her." Noah leaned back in his chair. "So boys, let's get started. Let's figure out exactly how Patrick is going to win the heart of the woman he loves."
