Well he couldn't leer at her if she was going to look at him that way. Peggy used to do the same damned thing - except with her it was less the gentle hand holding and more the smacking across the jaw. He grumbled when she took the glass from him, but let her drag him to a chair.
He said nothing for a moment, just staring at his hands. "I ... just had some things I couldn't work out on my own. I thought drinking might help." He couldn't tell Maria their son hated him. Best keep it from her that she ended up marrying the wrong guy, after all.