Chapter 15
Grant wasn’tsure what prompted him to swing by the sheriff’s station after dropping Nick off at school. Nor did he know what he was doing when he made an impromptu stop over at the coffee shop down the street first.
For all he knew, Bella wasn’t even working today. Or she was on a run. There was a possibility he”d end up missing her and the whole town would end up hearing about it.
This time, he didn’t care. If the whole town of Rocky Ridge wanted to gossip about how close he and the deputy were getting, he’d let them. Right now, he was on cloud nine.
His boots clipped against the sidewalk as he headed for the door. When he pulled it open, a whoosh of cool air came around him. The station was quiet, but that was to be expected on a lazy Monday morning in their small town. Not even the issues at Sagebrush typically occurred until it got dark.
Grant headed for the reception area and offered a smile at the officer behind his desk. “Do you know where I can find Bella?”
The man’s name tag read Shelley. He leaned back in his seat, glancing around him, then came forward. “I don’t think she’s come in yet.”
“But she’s scheduled for today?”
Officer Shelley nodded. “She is. Can I leave her a message?”
Grant shook his head. “I can wait for a little while.”
The door opened and Bella hurried into the station, her bright voice calling out, “Hey, Tom! Sorry I’m late.”
“I think we can let you off with a warning,” Officer Shelley quipped. “Someone is here to see you.”
Her head whipped around as she backtracked a few paces and her gaze locked with his. “Well, Mr. Shaw. It’s a pleasure to see you this morning. What can I do for you?”
Grant hesitated. If she was being so formal with him, then would it be inappropriate for him to offer her a drink? He glanced at the officer behind his desk who didn’t seem to be paying any attention.
“Is this regarding your case?” She came around the desk and he didn’t miss the way she glanced toward the officer. “We can head outside to talk about it if you’d like.”
She gestured toward the door before leading him that way. The second they were outside and down a few paces, she turned to face him.
“I’m so sorry. I forgot to mention that we probably shouldn’t be seen…” Her face turned red. “If they found out we were sorta seeing each other… I could be taken off the case.”
“Really?” Grant let his focus sweep up and down the street. “Would they really do that?”
She nodded. “I wasn’t thinking about that when we went on our date. Luckily, you had that nice little corner for us.” Bella looked away again, her cheeks warming even more. “I should have told you.”
“It’s fine.” Grant watched her closely, loving just how much he was affecting her. He lowered his voice so no one could overhear and leaned a little closer. “You don’t know how much I want to kiss you right now.”
She released a breathless-sounding laugh. “I can understand the sentiment.” Her eyes lifted to meet his and she leaned slightly closer but then took another step back. Her fingers reached up to trap a strand of hair behind her ear then she glanced back to the door behind her. “I really don’t want to be taken off your case until we find out who is doing this. I just have a feeling it’s right under our noses.”
“Any word on the lab?”
Bella scowled. “No. I’ve got half a mind to drive all the way up there and go looking for everything myself. I don’t know how they could have lost any of it. This is so ridiculous.” She turned her gaze to the coffee cups. “Isn’t that a lot for one person?”
He chuckled. “One of them is for you.” Grant held it out toward her. “Just tell Officer Tom in there that it’s a thank you for all the work you’ve been doing.”
She stared at him over the top of her cup, her eyes sparkling with what he could only describe as love. Yes, it was too soon to be talking about such things, but perhaps he might get lucky.
Grant put a little more distance between them. With these new surging feelings, he needed to be careful around her—at least until the investigation was over. He turned his attention down the street as a smile filled his face. “I got to do something exciting today.”
“Oh? And it’s only eight in the morning.”
He nodded. “Nick asked me to teach him how to tie his shoes.” He risked a look in her direction, not surprised to see her smiling. “He said you told him he should ask for my help.”
Bella took another drink of her coffee. “I did.”
He reached out and grazed her hand with his fingertips as he whispered, “Thank you.” Just as quickly, he pulled away from her. “You don’t know how nice it was for me to be able to do something like that for him.”
Her smile widened and she tilted her head. “I think I can get a good idea.”
“No, I don’t think you can. No offense, but until you have a kid…” He didn’t want to turn this into something it wasn’t and it was already headed in that direction. “Let’s just say that I never got to see his firsts. I didn’t hear his first word or see his first steps. I didn’t get to take him to school on his first day. But this time, I got to be there for him.”
She nodded. “I suppose you make a good point. I was only saying that I can understand the importance of this milestone.” Bella looked away, her cheeks filling with color again. “I wore Velcro shoes until I was nine. My mom worked a lot and I was supposed to get myself off to school. Finally, I was able to find a video on the internet that walked me through it. I’ll always remember that day.”
Grant didn’t know what to say. With each layer of her past that she peeled away, he was left in awe of her. She could have easily taught Nick the basics. She could have come to Grant and let him know what Nick needed. Instead, she’d taken a step back and allowed them to have their moment—just father and son.
Bella cleared her throat and only glanced at him once more. “I’m glad it worked out. Nick was worried.”
His brows furrowed. “Worried? About what?”
She inched away from him. It was a small movement—almost unnoticeable—but he’d seen it. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
Grant closed the distance between them and took her hand in his. “No, you need to tell me. I don’t want Nick to be worried about anything when it comes to me. I’m his dad. He should feel safe.”
She peeked at him, then glanced toward the sheriff’s station and pulled her hand away. “He was scared that you were going to leave.”
“Leave? Leave where? I can’t leave, not without him.”
Bella offered him a patient smile. “I guess it has a lot to do with you being absent in the beginning of his life.”
“You know that wasn’t my fault,” he stammered. “You know Dee didn’t tell me?—”
“Have you told Nick that?”
He snapped his mouth shut. “No.”
“Why not?”
Grant ran a hand through his hair, mussing it beyond help. “Because it’s not just that I didn’t know about him.”
“Well, this isn’t an adult who can grasp the nuances of your reasons. All he knows is that you weren’t there when he was a baby. He might have it in his head that you chose not to be in his life. If his grandmother makes the smallest comment about you not being willing to commit?—”
“Did Charlotte say something?” His heart hurt, aching like it was expanding in his chest and not in a good way.
“I don’t know what Charlotte might or might not have said. All I know is that Nick’s feelings are valid. I know when my dad left, I?—”
“That’s different. Your dad left. I didn’t get a chance to be there for my kid.” His voice rose slightly, drawing the attention of a couple across the street. Grant lowered his voice and shook his head. “I didn’t know about him, but I’m not going to tell him because I don’t want to hurt the memory he has of his mother. I also don’t want to have to explain the reason his mother and I split. I was a workaholic. I thought if I could just make more money, be more successful, then I could create a life for the two of us to be happy. I wanted to give her the world, but that’s not how she saw it.”
All the words came tumbling out like they were ants fleeing their home. He hadn’t meant to spill everything. This morning had started off so well, and now he was standing here looking like a jerk. His marriage had failed because he valued money over his family.
He shut his eyes and heaved a heavy breath. Now was as good a time as any to tell the whole story.
“It’s not an excuse, but when I was born, my parents already had the perfect family. They only ever wanted a boy and a girl. I was what’s commonly referred to as an accident. I know they loved me as much as they could. That wasn’t the issue. I just never felt… wanted. I spent my whole childhood trying to prove to my family that I belonged. My siblings were both very successful. They were involved in sports and the arts. They excelled at everything, and my folks were at every practice and every competition.” He sighed again. “You want to know who showed up to my first science fair project?”
“Grant…” Bella whispered.
“It’s fine. I became the man I am today because I wanted to be successful if only to prove that I was good enough to be called part of their family. Unfortunately, none of that mattered in the end. None of my family really speaks to one another. We all went our separate ways. I guess that’s just how it goes sometimes.”
“That’s not how it’s supposed to be, Grant. I hope you know that.”
He shrugged. “All I know is that when I met Nick, I realized just how unconditional love is supposed to be. I regret everything that I prioritized over my family. I missed out on too much and I won’t let that happen again.”
“No one is saying you will.” Her voice had a soothing effect on him—one that made him want to scoop her into his arms and hug her. Only, they couldn’t do that right now. He’d have to make a mental note to do so later when they were alone.
He stared at her hard, wanting her to know just how much his next words meant. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She blinked, her expression sobering.
“No more regrets.”
“I think he’s going to like that,” she said.
Grant shook his head. “I’m not just talking about Nick. I’m talking about…” He glanced around, making sure no one was nearby. “Us.”
Her lashes fluttered more this time, and she bit back a smile. “I have to admit, I like that too.”
“Good, because I don’t want you or anyone to doubt where my heart is. I’m not going anywhere… except back to work.” Grant held up his wrist to get a look at the time. “I hope you’ll stop by later?”
She didn’t respond right away. He couldn’t be certain, but he thought he might have seen some hesitation in her eyes. She was holding something back. Was it possible she might resent him for the father he’d been? Would she always think about the way her father had failed her when she looked at him? Those kinds of scars could be hard to heal from.
Finally, she nodded. “I’ll see you later.” Bella lifted her coffee cup. “Thanks for this. I needed it.” She took a few steps back, then reached for the door. Tossing him one more fleeting look, she disappeared inside.
Hopefully, this was the beginning of something even better.