Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
GRIFFIN
I’d agonized over my behavior toward Ford and almost went over to his house last night to apologize.
What held me back was this: even though I’d been a douche, now he knew exactly where I stood.
Naively, I’d thought that would be enough and he wouldn’t overstep my boundaries again.
But apparently, he’d pulled the old ‘if Dad says no, ask Mom’ trick.
Only, I was the dad and Juliette was the mom.
I glared at my uncle. “I swear, Ford. You always gotta be up in everybody’s business, manipulating people, and throwing your money around! Nobody asked for your help.”
Juliette grabbed my hand and pulled me back. She looked at me like she was begging me not to turn this into a fight. “Griff, deep breaths. It’s a good thing they’re doing, all right?”
It wasn’t, but I did as she said and counted to ten.
You’d think Ford would’ve had the decency to look guilty after trying this twice in forty-eight hours. Nope. He just stared back at me, expression chill.
I had to hand it to Peyton. She liked to bicker with Ford, but she was the first person to defend him—to the death if necessary.
Apparently, she thought this was one of those moments because she stepped between us, ready to deflect my word bullets.
“We’re not up in your business. We’re giving Juliette an opportunity. ”
“The opportunity of a lifetime,” Ford added.
I shrugged. “Well, I hate to have to inform you, but your little ploy to get me back to Seddledowne isn’t going to work. Jules is perfectly happy modeling for DayGlow.” I said it with more confidence than I felt. “Did you actually think your start-up idea was going to lure her away?”
They were crazy. Jules made bank and was the face of one of the biggest beauty lines in the world. No way their startup would ever compare. Heck, it might flop spectacularly. Jules was supposed to give up DayGlow for a big fat maybe?
Aunt Peyton’s fists curled, probably about to punch me.
Ford folded his arms and met my eye. “If that’s the way you want to see it, that’s your choice.
At Clean Slate Productions, we enjoy giving people a fresh start.
It’s what we do. But we’re also a business, and facts are, your wife could level up by starting her own makeup line.
And we could level up by diversifying our interests.
We feel that between Peyton and Juliette, they could make something really great happen.
” He cocked his head. “So you might want to start thinking like a husband, discuss it with your wife, and make the decision together.” He shrugged one shoulder.
“Or you could continue to make a jackass of yourself and keep throwing out hateful jabs you’re going to regret later. It’s really up to you.”
I was the jackass?
My jaw ticked, but I turned to face my wife. Because there was no way this actually appealed to her. I hated that they’d put her in this position.
She looked at the floor, and I took that as confirmation—she was uncomfortable, just as I’d suspected. I was about to pull her into my arms and whisper that we could leave right now. She didn’t have to do this. It was okay to say no.
But then she said in a hush, “Ford’s right. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I’d get to start a company with my name on it and model makeup I created.”
Hold up.
Did she actually want this?
Her expression was nervous but excited.
She wanted this. Badly.
Then it hit me. Ford had seen my no on the fire chief job and raised me a wife who’d just been offered everything she’d never told me she wanted. All to maneuver me back.
My jaw pulsed. “Let me guess,” I said to Jules. “You have to stay in Seddledowne to do it.”
She stared at me, saying nothing.
Which was its own answer.
I couldn’t live here again. I’d fought so hard to be happy last time and it had evaded me at every turn.
But I was happy in Phoenix. Actually happy, maybe for the first time in years.
I didn’t want to give up my job, my friends, my peace, or the distance from my family that let me breathe.
I could be a good husband out there. A really good husband.
But here? Juliette would see all the worst parts of me.
And there was no way she’d love me after that.
For the sake of our marriage, I had to talk her out of this.
I threw up my hands. “Jules, this is what Ford does. He twists people into doing what he wants. Well, guess what?” I whirled on my uncle.
“I’m not going to be your stupid puppet.
I’m perfectly happy out west, and I am never, ever moving back.
So just stop,” I seethed. “Stop manipulating my wife and using her as a pawn so you can be the hero who got Griffin to come home.” I hardened my expression. “The answer is officially no.”
There. End of story. Now we could leave. And we needed to, or we were going to miss our flight. Did they think I could just walk away from my job? I’d signed on for the season and couldn’t tap out early simply because it was inconvenient.
Aunt Peyton shook her head, mouth pressed flat.
Which was whatever.
But Ford? Wasn’t playing fair. He said nothing. Just looked at Jules—a single, deliberate look that handed her the floor.
I saw my mistake too late. Right about the time Jules lifted her chin.
“Wow,” she said. Then she rolled her shoulders back and thrust her hand at Peyton. “I accept your offer. When do we start?”
As they shook, sealing the deal, I stared at them open-mouthed.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked Juliette.
It hit me then. Maybe Liam was right. Maybe I didn’t know my wife as well as I thought I did.
Last night we were the greatest love story ever told, and today she didn’t give a crap about what I wanted?
It felt like a betrayal. Full stop. “You know how I feel about this place. This town.”
Jules turned to me, her expression softening.
“I like it here. A lot. Your family is…incredible. And now they’re my family.
You know what that means to me.” She put her hands on her hips.
“Since the second day we got here, all I could think was, I don’t want to leave.
Ever. I want to be here for Christmas and Easter and Halloween, and every Sunday dinner.
And I want to watch Blaze play football and see Belle argue with Madden’s son, Christian, the next time he’s at the ranch.
Everybody keeps talking about how spicy they are together.
I want to castrate a bull and learn to ride a horse.
I want to experience all of it. In person.
Not over FaceTime.” She sniffed. “That’s why I cried myself to sleep last night—not because I’m about to start my period.
Because I was devastated at the thought of leaving.
” Her forehead furrowed. “I don’t get how you can stand being anywhere but here.
Especially with everything going on with James.
Just think about it. If we were here, we could help him. ”
Her reasons were… valid. But I couldn’t even think straight. All I knew was that I needed to leave. The panic came out as indignation — cocky, defensive, wrong. “You don’t want to live here. You’ll be bored in six months. That’s a promise.”
“No,” she said, frustrated. “I won’t. I already know that. I will never get tired of being here. It’s peaceful and quiet, and I could really—”
“No. I’m not staying. This is insane. You can’t make life-altering decisions that quickly.”
Jules’s head tilted to the side. “You mean, like getting married after knowing someone for three days?”
The room went quiet. Even Bowen and Maggie, who I’d heard come running in behind us earlier, stopped their incessant judgmental whispering.
Jules pressed a hand to her heart. “Sometimes you just know.”
But I couldn’t. I couldn’t stay. I was about to hyperventilate just thinking about it. If this really was her dream, we’d find another way.
“We have a plane to catch, Jules. Are you coming or not?” I asked, stupidly thinking that if I made it black and white, she’d choose me.
She searched my face. I felt it before she said it. Even tried to brace myself. But when she whispered, “Not,” it felt like she’d reached into my chest, yanked my heart out, and crushed it between her fingers.
My vision blurred—rage and grief, both at once. “Fine. Have it your way.” I yanked my wedding band off and slapped it into her hand. “Hope it’s worth it.”
I didn’t say goodbye to my brothers. Didn’t hug Sophie. Didn’t kiss my niece one last time. I grabbed my suitcase. Left Jules’s where it was. Threw the door open and slammed it behind me.
Most of my extended family was in the yard. Holden started toward me, but I emitted a signal of complete and total back the hell off.
“Dad!” I shouted. “Mom!” They looked over from the other side of the yard where they were talking with Granny and Gramps. “Let’s go!”
For the first ten minutes, my parents tried to get me to talk—to tell them what happened, why Jules wasn’t with us. But I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe.
Finally, Dad called Bowen to find out. I let him listen to whatever version Bowen was painting of me, and I didn’t try to defend myself.
I didn’t care.
All I cared about was that once again, the woman I loved loved something else more than me.
When I couldn’t hold back any longer, I lay down across the back seat, pulled my hoodie over my face, and sobbed the rest of the drive.