Chapter 20
JULIA
J ulia’s heart stopped as Sierra’s voice entered the conversation. She twisted to face her stepdaughter, her heart breaking for the woman. Lydia had delivered one final blow to the family before her death.
“Sierra…” Grant’s voice, still raw with emotion sounded as shocked as he had been moments ago.
“Yeah? What did you need to tell me?”
“Uh…” He shot Julia a panicked glance.
She slid her arm around his waist.
“Come on, tell Sierra what? What can’t you tell me without Julia being here? That’s what you said. Tell me what?” Sierra demanded.
Julia tugged her lips back in a wince. “Sierra, now isn’t the best time–”
“No,” Grant said with a shake of his head. “No, now is…as good a time as any. Close the door.”
Sierra pushed it shut behind her and spun to face them. “Okay, it’s closed. Tell me what you wanted to tell me.”
“I think you should sit down,” Grant said, his voice soft, but shaky.
Sierra rolled her eyes. “Oh, here we go. Sit down, Sierra. Just a minute, Sierra. Let me drag this out as long as I can, Sierra. Just say it.”
“Baby, please, sit down,” Grant tried again.
Sierra squeezed her fingers into fists at her sides and stamped on the floor. “No. Just say it.”
Grant flicked his gaze to Julia, panic clouding his eyes.
“Sierra…” Julia began.
“Julia, I’m not a baby. Just say it.”
Grant’s features crumpled as he studied the floor.
“You can’t be serious,” Sierra said with a huff as she crossed her arms.
Grant shot Julia a distressed glance, upset etched into every line of his face. “I…can’t.”
Julia’s heart broke as his voice wavered. She squeezed his arm, offering him a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered.
He sucked in a shaky breath. “Can you start? I’m not sure…”
She offered him a tight-lipped smile as she caressed his cheek and nodded.
“What is going on?” Sierra demanded. “Oh, wait, I know. Mom didn’t have me in her will? I couldn’t care less.”
“No, but it does have to do with your mother, Sierra,” Julia said as she twisted to face her.
Grant slid an arm around her, seeking support.
Sierra clicked her tongue as she slid her gaze to the window. “Well, then I probably don’t care what it is.”
“It’s important,” Julia said. “Are you sure you don’t want to sit down?”
“I don’t. I just want to hear this,” Sierra reassured her.
Julia sucked in a breath, searching for the strength to say the words. “Before the fire, I…had a conversation with your mother. She revealed something to me. Something about you.”
“More pictures of me? At least she can’t use them now.”
Julia shook her head. “No. And before I said anything about this, I checked on it. And it pans out as true.”
“What? Oh, okay, once I kind of cheated on my taxes,” Sierra said.
“You did what?” Grant asked. “Sierra!”
“What? I…only sort of cheated. And I learned from the best.” She lifted her chin as she stared at him triumphantly.
“That’s not what it was,” Julia said with a wince. “I’m sorry, Sierra.”
“Okay, so lay it on me. What is it that the old bag wanted to share about me?”
“Sierra…you…” Grant swallowed hard, his grip on Julia’s shoulder tightening. “You’re not…”
“Not what?” Her forehead creased.
“Mine,” he choked out.
The color drained from her face at the single word. Her eyes went wide. The blank expression on her face conveyed the competing emotions fighting for her attention. Her eyes turned glassy as she stared at them before she began to sway on her feet. Her lips opened, but no words emerged.
Her knees started to buckle, and both Grant and Julia rushed to her side, supporting her as they walked her to the chair.
Her breathing turned ragged as she collapsed into the seat. Julia pulled a chair closer, wrapping her arm tightly around her stepdaughter. “It’s okay, Sierra.”
“How is it okay?” she shouted, a tear falling to her cheek as a sob escaped her. She pressed a shaking hand over her lips.
Grant squatted in front of her, taking her hand in his. “Baby, this doesn’t change anything.”
She yanked her hand away. “It changes everything…I’m…I’m not a Harrington. I’m not…I’m nothing. I have nothing.”
“No,” Grant said, his voice firmer than it had been as his fatherly instincts kicked in. “It changes nothing. You are my daughter. My baby. The girl I raised. Nothing is ever going to change that. Nothing.”
Sierra’s features pinched as she continued to suck in shaky breaths.
“Your father is–”
“But he’s not my father. Some other random guy is. Who knows who it is.” Her shrill voice betrayed her panicked emotions.
“It doesn’t matter who it is,” Grant said.
“No, it doesn’t,” Julia added. “Because Grant is your father. Family isn’t DNA, Sierra. Family is love.”
Grant tightened his grip on her hand. “And I love you, baby. Always. Nothing is ever going to change that.”
“Really? Because…I’m…” Tears flowed freely as she sought to find the words. “I’m just…a horrible living reminder of how awful Lydia was.”
“I’m going to be sick.” She clamped a hand over her mouth.
Julia shifted closer in the chair, rubbing Sierra’s shoulder. “I’ll get you some water. Take some deep breaths.”
She shifted Sierra’s weight toward Grant as she rose.
He pulled his daughter into his arms as she sobbed. “Sierra, you are not a reminder of Lydia.”
Julia returned with a glass of water as Grant pulled back from Sierra and slid a lock of hair behind her ear. Sierra struggled to steady the glass to take a sip.
Julia helped her before she took the glass and set it aside. “Any better?”
“No,” Sierra said with a sniffle.
“Baby, when I look at you, all I see is the girl I raised. That little girl who used to sit on my lap and look at spreadsheets with me. The one who used to play in my office and accidentally sent an email to the entire company.”
The anecdote brought a fleeting smile to Sierra’s features.
“The brave girl who fell off her horse when she was twelve and got right back on just like a true Harrington. The one who took me to task for getting her the wrong color car for her sixteenth birthday.”
Sierra frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I’m not sorry that my name is on your birth certificate.
I’m not sorry that we spent these years together.
And I am not sorry that you are my daughter.
I’m grateful. I’m honored. And I’m very proud of you.
Julia’s right. DNA doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are a family, and we always will be.
Unless…you don’t want me as a father anymore. ”
Sierra's features melted, her lower lip trembling. “I don’t want anyone else to be my dad, Daddy.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “I love you so much, Sierra.”
“I love you too, Daddy,” she said with another sob.
Julia smiled at the touching scene. Grant reached for her hand, squeezing it as he mouthed, “Thank you.”
She nodded at him as Sierra pulled back, wiping tears from her cheeks. She grabbed Julia’s hand. “You’re right. DNA doesn’t matter. Julia is my mom, and she didn’t give birth to me. So, it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s right,” Julia answered. “It doesn’t matter. We will always be a family.”
Sierra nodded as she sniffled, her feature going blank again. “OMG.”
“What, baby?” Grant asked as he wiped a tear from her cheek.
“I’m not your daughter–”
“You are.”
Sierra focused her gaze on him. “Biologically. I’m not your daughter…” Her lips twisted into a grimace. “But Kyle is actually your son. How messed up is that?”
“Very,” Grant answered with a sigh. “Believe me, I’d rather this be reversed.”
“Me too…but…it doesn’t matter. You’re my dad.” She said the words as though reassuring herself.
Julia slid a lock of hair over Sierra’s shoulder. “Do you want to spend some time alone?”
“No,” Sierra said as she grabbed Julia’s hand. “No, we’re family. All of us.”
“Yes, we are,” Grant said. “Although, I’d love to schedule some father-daughter time if you can fit it into your busy scheduled with Julia.”
Sierra grinned at him. “I think I can. I’m really good at managing my time because my daddy taught me how to do that.”
He smiled at her before he kissed her forehead. “Yes, he did.”
Julia rubbed her back as Sierra leaned closer to her, settling her head onto Julia’s shoulder.
“Julia, I really feel like it’s important for you to adopt me now. I’m vulnerable after this blow.”
Julia chuckled. “I would like nothing more than to do that, Sierra. Although, this isn’t a blow because it’s really meaningless. We are your family, no matter what.”
“Let’s just make it official, okay?”
“Okay,” Julia said, stroking Sierra’s hair. “Now, how about a little father-daughter movie night? It might be a nice way to relax after everything.”
Sierra lifted her red-rimmed eyes to Julia and nodded. “Can I pick the movie?”
“Under the circumstances, I’ll let you,” Grant said, “but this is the only time.”
She offered her father a fragile smile. “But, Julia, you’ll join us, right?”
“Of course,” she answered as she rose and pulled Sierra with her. “I just need to check on Kyle first.”
“Oh,” Sierra said with a frown, “do we have to invite him?”
“No,” Grant said. “We don’t. This is our time.”
“But–”
“He’ll understand,” Julia said with a nod. “And besides, I’m pretty certain he hates your taste in movies, so he’ll see it as a win.”
Sierra hesitated for a second before she threw her arms around Julia’s neck. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Sierra. Now, let’s go up and get you settled.”
Sierra slid her arm around Julia’s waist as Julia pulled her closer. Grant wrapped his arm around his daughter as they made their way up to Sierra’s bedroom. She disappeared into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face.
“Julia…” Grant said, his voice still tentative and raw with emotion.
“I’ll be back. Enjoy the alone time with your daughter,” she said with a smile.
“Wait,” he said as he grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I couldn’t have gotten through this without you. Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. We’re a family. This is what we do.”