Chapter 21
GRANT
G rant’s emotions over the latest blow Lydia dealt them still twisted his insides and made his hands shake. Julia had left them behind to check on Kyle, and he felt the loss, even though it had only been a few minutes, in the depths of his soul.
He needed her there to steady him. With her, he was certain they could get through this, but without her, he wasn’t certain he’d manage even the next few minutes.
Behind him, Sierra emerged from the bathroom with a sniffle. “Julia’s not back yet?”
“Not yet. But that’s okay. That’ll give us some time together, okay?” He patted her bed as he eased onto the edge of it.
“No, it’s not okay,” Sierra said with a frown.
He raised his eyebrows at the words. He’d hoped things were not going to fall apart this quickly.
He knew Sierra was still reeling, but he’d hoped they could have gotten through the few moments they’d have before she returned.
“I’m sure she’ll be back, soon. And we can spend a little time together. I…want to make sure you’re okay.”
Sierra sucked in a breath. “I’m not.”
He winced, wondering if he should give her a hug or space. “I know you’re probably reeling, but I just want to reiterate–”
“Where is Julia?”
“Oh, uh…is that what you’re upset about?”
Sierra collapsed onto the bed next to him and took his hand. “Yes and no.”
“Okay, well, whatever you’re upset about, we can talk about it.”
“I’m…still upset about not being your daughter. I just…don’t want it to change anything.”
“I don’t either. I want to forget that we ever found this out. I just want to go back to the way things were before your–Lydia took her last cheap shot at us.” His jaw tightened as he thought of his selfish ex-wife dumping the information she’d held onto for years onto his wife.
“I guess at least she told Julia who made sure she broke it to us gently. I’m surprised Lydia didn’t announce it on the news just to make our lives miserable.”
He slid an arm around his daughter’s shoulders and pulled her closer. “Thank goodness for small favors, huh?”
“Yes, but I think we need Julia here. She makes things so much better.”
He smiled at his daughter’s love for Julia. “I agree. But you and me…we can do pretty good on our own, right? We did for years.”
Sierra laid her head on his shoulder. “Yeah, we did.” She lifted her head with a wrinkled nose. “Oh, no.”
“What?” His heart skipped a beat, wondering what bothered her now.
“I’m not really your daughter. But Kyle is really your son. What kind of cruel joke has the world played on us?”
Grant clicked his tongue. “I don’t know. If I could change this, baby, I would.”
She settled her head on him again. “I know how you can make it better.”
“Yeah?” he asked, craning his neck to glance down at her.
“Popcorn, chocolate, wine, Julia. Oh, and…Kyle,” she grumbled.
“I can do the first four. But, baby, if you don’t want Kyle here, I’m not inviting him.”
She lifted her head, rolling her eyes with a sigh. “He’s my brother…sort of. I guess the silver lining here is that I’m not actually related to him at all.”
“Thanks,” he murmured sarcastically. “I am.”
“Sorry, Daddy. I can’t do anything about that. But…we’re a family. And we should all be together.”
Grant kissed the top of her head. “Okay. I’ll go get all of this. Pick a good movie.”
“I’ll pick the one that’ll annoy Kyle the most,” she said with a grin as she flopped onto her stomach and grabbed her remote.
A chuckle escaped him as he rose and strode from the room, amazed at his daughter’s resilience. He credited it all to Julia. Sierra would have crumbled if she hadn’t been here. She also never would have invited her brother to their family time without his wife’s influence.
He wound through the halls to Kyle’s room, finding it empty. His forehead creased, wondering if something was wrong. Did Julia not tell him because of everything that happened?
He couldn’t stop the panic rising inside him after the day’s events, but he forced himself to remain calm. He’d check her office. Or call James to see if her car was here.
With a hard swallow, he forced himself to move toward her office. As he turned the corner, he nearly ran into Alicia.
“Oh, hey,” she said with a half-smile.
“Hi. Hey, have you seen Julia?” His features pinched as the words escaped him before he could stop them. She’d probably lecture him on how controlling he was.
“Yeah, she’s in her office with Kyle. I’m sorry, I held her up. Girl talk.” Alicia shifted her weight as she flicked her gaze away from him.
“Oh, no, that’s…fine. That’s okay. I’m glad you’re here. She really enjoys having you close.”
“Yeah, I’m enjoying that, too.” She snapped her eyes up to his. “Oh, uh, but I won’t overstay my welcome.”
He shook his head and waved a hand at her. “Not going to happen. Anyway, sorry to rush off, but I need to find Julia.”
“Yeah, of course. Have a good night.”
“Thanks,” he said as he left her behind.
Alicia wasn’t too bad when she wasn’t trying to break them up or convince Julia that she should leave him.
And at least Julia was still here. She must have just gotten sidetracked with Alicia.
After the two tumultuous years, every separation from her twisted his stomach into knots.
He arrived at her door and knocked, his gaze shifting between Julia and Kyle.
“I was just heading back,” Julia said as she rose.
Kyle stood next to her. “Yeah, we’re all finished.”
“Look, Kyle, uh–” he said as he glanced at her work table. Heat washed over him as he furrowed his brows at what lay on the polished wood. “What is that?”
Julia tugged her lips back in a wince. “Uh–”
He curled his fingers into fists as he stared at the key and note from his ex-wife. “Julia, I told Worthington to throw that away. What is it doing back here?”
“I just–”
“No,” he said with a shake of his head, cutting off her words. “I want that gone. Do you understand? Gone.”
Julia’s shoulders slumped as she skirted past Kyle and slid her hands onto his chest. “I know what you said, but I can’t shake the feeling that she didn’t send that for fun and games.”
“No, she sent it to torture us. Like she hasn’t done a good enough job of that over the past two years. And her latest admission…”
“I know,” she answered, her voice soft. “Kyle, can you–”
“No, he doesn’t have to leave. Actually, I was here to invite you to our movie thing with Sierra before I get the popcorn, chocolate, and wine.”
“Oh,” Julia said with a nod. “Okay. I’ll help you.”
“You don’t have to invite me. It’s fine. I…know what happened, and uh, well, I’m sorry, Dad.”
Grant pressed his lips together. The awkward moment didn’t help, but Kyle seemed oddly genuine. “Thanks. There’s no reason to be sorry. I would have preferred it not happen, but it did. We need to move past it…as a family. And…you’re part of that.”
“I appreciate that,” Kyle said.
Julia wrapped a hand around his arm and eased him toward the door. “Great, let’s grab that popcorn and–”
“No, wait,” Grant said with a shake of his head, “we need to discuss that.”
“I’m sorry you saw it, but I can’t toss it until I’ve given it a deeper look.”
“Julia–”
“At the risk of being uninvited to the movie night family event, I’m with Julia on this one. Lydia’s games are rarely pointless. I think she’s right to take it seriously.”
Grant’s jaw tightened. He and his son usually didn’t see eye to eye, but he really hated when he made some semblance of sense.
“You don’t have to have anything to do with it,” Julia said with a shake of her head. “I’ll handle it, okay? I think you have enough on your plate.”
He heaved a sigh, sliding his eyes closed. “No, I don’t want you doing this on your own.”
“I’ll help,” Kyle offered.
He bristled at the words, ready to shoot back a barb, but he held his tongue. “I will help, too. As much as I want to forget Lydia ever existed, you may have a point.”
She smiled at him. “I think somewhere along the line you told me I was always right.”
“Did I?” he asked as he interlaced his fingers with hers.
“Uh-huh. But I think it can keep for one night. You’ve been through enough today.”
“Actually, would you mind if I took a look at it?” Kyle asked.
Julia twisted to face him. “I thought you were coming with us for the movie?”
“I am, but Sierra has the worst taste in movies. I’ll need something to distract me from the awful movie she picks.”
“She doesn’t have the worst taste in movies,” Julia said with a chuckle.
“She does. The last one we watched is ninety minutes of my life I’ll never get back,” Kyle said as he swiped the key and note from the table.
Grant pressed his lips together, struggling not to lash out at his son.
“I’m sure you’ll survive,” Julia said with a chuckle, the comment not seeming to bother her.
They passed their request for snacks along to Worthington before returning to Sierra’s room.
“Oh good, I was beginning to think everyone ditched me now that I’m not really family,” she said.
The comment struck at his heart despite the levity in her voice when she said it. He opened his mouth to respond when Kyle crossed to the bed and tossed himself on it. “Even without the DNA, you’re still more family than me, Sierra. Although, you should let me pick the movie.”
He swiped the remote.
Sierra puckered her lips as she glanced at her brother. “You’re probably right. Even with the DNA test, you’re still only half-family. And no, you can’t pick the movie. It’s my night.”
“You have been forcing me to watch awful movies since I got home from the hospital.”
“And I’m going to force you to watch one more. I had terrible news today. I have it coming to me.”
“Mmm, sorry, sis, not going to let you use that as an excuse. Just because you found out you’re family by choice, not by blood, doesn’t mean you have free rein.”