Chapter 3
GRANT
G rant glanced at Julia’s features, now a mix of upset and guilt. His stomach clenched as his plans for their relaxing vacation slipped through his fingers. Hopefully, they could solve the problem with her sister and move forward.
Though a pang of doubt stuck in his mind.
She hadn’t told her sister about this relationship.
She hadn’t wanted to admit to her family anything about it.
What did that say about her feelings toward them as a couple?
Nothing good, he decided, as his hopes for their life together deflated a little more.
He shoved the doubt aside as he studied her again. Maybe she hadn’t told her sister because of this exact reaction or because she’d been unsure about their future.
Right now, though, he needed to push all of that aside and be there for her. She looked like someone had just stolen her puppy.
“Julia?” Grant asked as he slid an arm around her shoulders. “You okay?”
She nodded as she grabbed her purse. “Let’s just get to the house.”
“Right,” he said as he led her from the plane to the waiting limo. He slid inside after her, taking her hand in his, memories of their past struggles mingling with the warmth of her touch. They’d made it through far worse together. “It’ll be okay.”
Sierra and Kyle climbed in after them before the limo began to roll forward.
Sierra arched an eyebrow, a frown forming on her lips. “Wow, Julia, your sister is kind of a bitch.”
“Sierra!” Grant hissed, though his first impressions of the woman had not been fantastic.
Sierra’s eyes flashed with a mix of indignation and protective fury.
“Well, she is. I mean, she was kind of dramatic. Big deal, you didn’t tell her you were married.
That didn’t give her the right to berate you like that.
It’s not a crime. If Kyle got married and didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t even care, except I’d feel bad for his wife. ”
Kyle heaved a sigh at her. “Seriously, Sierra?”
“Yeah, seriously.”
Julia pressed her lips together as she flicked her gaze at the passing scenery.
Despite his initial reaction to Alicia, he tried to smooth the situation over for Julia. “I think she’s just surprised, Sierra.”
“Everyone else in town will be, too.” Julia slid her eyes closed as she shook her head.
Sierra crinkled her brow. “What’s she going to do, take an ad out in the paper?”
“It’s a small town. Everyone will know by the end of the day.”
Sierra wrinkled her nose. “Seriously?”
“Yes, definitely.”
Grant's heart sank as he heard her words, delivered with a defeated tone. Swallowing hard, he couldn't help but wonder about the unreadable emotion clouding her eyes. Was it doubt? Regret? Was it only over her sister finding out or was it over marrying him in the first place?
Whichever it was, her mood had gone from relatively relaxed to uptight, nervous, and the one he hated the most: distant.
They’d navigated a number of difficult issues, including Lydia living under their roof while actively trying to destroy him and his company, but only by being open with each other.
It was when she shut down like this that moving forward became impossible. Maybe after the shock wore off, he told himself as the limo swung into the driveway of a seaside mansion.
A slight groan escaped Julia as they slid past an old Bronco with police lights across the top. A man in a flannel shirt leaned casually against it. Grant recognized her brother-in-law, Ethan.
Julia shook her head. “I see she’s called for backup. That’s wonderful.”
“It’ll be okay, Juls,” he said as he let his gaze fall on the waves crashing against the rocky shoreline, suddenly reminded of the moment when his feelings for Julia went beyond her contractual obligation.
The limo slid to a stop outside of the seaside mansion, lit starkly by the setting sun, and the driver hurried to pop the door open. Grant climbed out first, offering Ethan a smile and a nod before he reached for Julia’s hand.
She climbed from the car, giving her brother-in-law a nervous wave as her sister strode toward them.
“Hey, Juju,” Ethan said as they approached, pulling her into a hug. “This is a surprise.”
“Yeah,” she said, “for me, too.”
Grant offered him a tight-lipped smile as he stuck his hand out. “I’m Grant Harrington. Julia’s husband.”
Ethan narrowed his eyes at him as he slowly pumped his hand up and down but offered no further greeting.
Grant eyed him for a moment before he motioned toward the house. “Why don’t you both come inside? I’m sure you have a lot to talk about.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” Alicia said as Sierra and Kyle stepped out of the car.
Grant’s protective instincts surged, and he slid an arm around Julia as he guided her to the open doors leading to the foyer.
Worthington awaited them inside. “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Harrington. Is there anything I can get for you or would you like to settle in first?”
“Actually, Julia’s family is here, so we’ll just head into the living room so they can talk.”
Worthington smiled politely as he strode across the space to open a set of double doors leading into a well-appointed space.
“Wow, this place is super cute. Very quaint,” Sierra said with a smile.
“Quaint?” Alicia asked with a wrinkled nose.
“Yeah, quaint. It’s so…small and cozy.”
“ This is what you consider small?” Ethan questioned as they shuffled into the living room.
“Obviously,” she answered with a frown.
“May I bring anyone a drink?” Worthington asked.
“I’d like some answers,” Alicia said. “Do you have any of those?”
“I will leave you to talk,” the man said as he pulled the doors closed behind him.
Alicia offered her sister a pointed glance, her features painting a portrait of the extent of her unhappiness.
Grant pulled Julia a little closer to him. His impression of Alicia wasn’t changing much. He didn’t care for the woman. “I think maybe we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.”
The lighter-haired sister flicked her gaze from Julia to him. “Yeah, I’d say so. I’d really like to know why my sister got married over a year ago but said nothing to me about it. Ever. Despite there being many opportunities.”
“I can explain,” Julia answered, her upset obvious from the shakiness of her voice.
“Yeah, you keep saying that, Juju, but I haven’t heard an explanation yet.
I just can’t believe you would do this. We even talked about your relationship status.
And you just said nothing.” She crossed her arms, twisting to face her husband.
“And I can’t believe you didn’t notice this when you saw her last year. ”
The man shrugged as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shifted his boot-clad feet on the floor. “She didn’t say anything to me.”
“Some cop you are. You could see that ring across town.”
“She didn’t have that on when I saw her!” he defended.
Alicia snapped her gaze to her sister. “So…”
Julia winced. “I took the rings off when I met with Ethan.”
The annoyed glance Alicia gave her could stop a train. “So, you not only didn’t tell us, but you deliberately took steps to keep it from us.”
“I think you’re being a little harsh here,” Grant said.
Alicia sent an incredulous glare his way. “I’m not really interested in your opinion.”
“I just think we all need to take it down a notch,” he shot back, his dislike for her sister growing by the minute.
“And I think you need to back off. This is my sister. My family.”
“She’s actually my family now,” he answered, feeling Julia tense next to him.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Sierra said. “She’s my step-mommy. And you should be nicer to her.”
“I have to agree,” Kyle chimed in. “This conversation seems like it’s very upsetting to Julia.”
“And who are you again?” Alicia spat.
Sierra crossed her arms, cocking a hip. “That’s Kyle. Julia’s stepson.”
“Also, her physician. And I think she’s had enough stress for the day.”
“Oh, really?” Alicia asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Well, thank you for your expert opinion, doctor. I’d like a moment alone with my sister.”
Grant bristled at the idea. Julia had been through enough in the past year than to have to deal with a sister who wanted to berate her for the decision to withhold their fake marriage from her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Are you always this controlling?” Alicia asked.
“Ally…” Ethan said, sliding a hand around his wife’s shoulders.
She shook it off. “No, don’t Ally me. My sister has been married for over a year and said nothing to me. Not a peep. And now I can’t even have a conversation alone with her because her new family won’t allow it.”
Grant’s frustration peaked with the woman. “That’s not what I said.”
“It’s fine,” Julia added when two police radios crackled to life.
A smoky voice filled the air. “Ethan, hon, we’ve got reports of a small craft adrift in the northern cove. Requesting multiple units to respond.”
Sierra wrinkled her nose as Ethan responded. “Got it. Alicia and I are on our way.”
“Well, there’s that. I’ve got to go. Have fun with your new family.”
Julia clicked her tongue at the statement. “Ally…”
Her sister offered a dismissive wave as she stalked from the house.
“I’ll talk to her,” Ethan said as he backed from the room. “It’s good to see you, Juju.”
Julia’s tense muscles finally relaxed a little, but no comfort crossed her eyes even after their police cars sped from the driveway with lights and sirens.
“Did that dispatcher just call him hon?” Sierra asked.
“Rose always calls him that,” Julia answered.
Sierra’s features crinkled. “And what’s with the weird nickname?”
“When I was born, my sister couldn’t pronounce my name. She called me Juju. Then my parents started to call me that. And then everyone called me that.”
“Like the whole town?”
Julia nodded. “Like the whole town.” Her voice cared an extra tone of exhaustion.
Grant slipped an arm around her again and led her to the couch. “Why don’t we try to forget about it?”