Chapter 23
Grant clungto Nick like he was oxygen itself. He couldn’t believe what had happened. His head spun with the new information. Bella thought that Charlotte was responsible for everything?
He’d caught snippets of what had happened at the stand, but Bella’s voice had been hushed. At this point, none of it mattered. He could even wait three more months before he had the documents in hand that confirmed he was officially Nick’s father.
Grant hugged his son tighter, then stood, his eyes seeking out the one person he had to thank for all of it. Bella slipped out the door as soon as his gaze found her. He turned to Tish.
“Can you keep an eye on him for a moment? I need to speak to the deputy.”
Tish’s nod was all he needed to dart out from where he’d been sitting. He dove through the crowd of people on their way out of the room and those who were moving to the front for the next hearing. Bella couldn’t have gotten far. He’d be able to catch her as long as she hadn’t parked right out front.
A handful of times, someone tried to talk to him, but he waved them off with an apology and made it to the entrance of the building. Grant burst from the doors and stopped at the top of the stairs. His gaze swept from one side to the other, heart pounding both from exertion and the fear that he might have lost his chance to say what was really in his heart.
A flash of that familiar golden-brown hair and the cobalt hue of her dress caught his eye. Grant darted down the steps, nearly crashing at the bottom in his dress shoes. His arms waved out at the sides as he caught his balance and charged forward.
“Bella!”
She didn’t react to his call.
“Bella Whitfield!”
This time, she slowed and turned her head so he caught sight of her profile. Her expression was blank. “Grant? What are you doing?”
He doubled over, gulping in deep breaths. “I didn’t know you walked so fast.”
One side of her mouth quirked upward.
Grant continued breathing heavily as he peeked up at her. Words failed him in that moment. With her standing there, looking at him like that, there wasn’t a single doubt in his mind what he wanted.
Bella.
He wanted Bella.
Straightening to his full height, he gazed at her without the weight of the criminal events resting on his shoulders. He finally saw everything clearly. He only hoped he hadn’t completely ruined his chances with her.
“When… um,” Grant looked away and shifted nervously. “How did you figure it out?”
She squinted at him, her smile growing. “She mentioned the bottles in the truck.”
“I could have told her about them.”
Bella shrugged. “I suppose I was willing to risk that. But from what I’d learned about you, I figured you would have kept that sort of thing quiet.” She gave him a pointed look. “You weren’t willing to risk anything when it came to Nick.”
Her words couldn’t have rung more true than they did in that moment. He inched closer to her. “You do know me pretty well.” His voice had grown soft. “I wish…” Grant swallowed down his fear. It was now or never. “We were good together, weren’t we?”
Her smile faded but she didn’t say anything.
Grant rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. “When we weren’t arguing about the danger of me staying, we had our moments.”
Bella tilted her head. “Yeah, I suppose we did.”
“Do you think…” His voice went hoarse. “If things were different… you’d consider trying again?”
Her brows lifted with surprise.
“It’s okay if you need to think about it,” Grant rushed to add. “I understand if you don’t feel you can trust me. But I promise you right here, right now, that I won’t keep anything else from you. I’m an open book.”
Bella’s small smile crept back onto her face. “I think I could work with that.”
“Yeah?” Grant moved closer still and reached for her hand. “You want to see where things might go?”
She nodded.
He frowned, a memory coming to the forefront of his mind. “What about that job opportunity in Billings?”
Bella lifted a shoulder. “I don’t have to get back to them for a couple of days. But I have a feeling I’ll be sticking around Rocky Ridge a little longer.” She reached up and touched his face. “I’ve come to realize that the people around here are a bit more interesting than I originally thought.”
Grant leaned into her touch. Her fingers soothed his nerves and yet set his heart racing at the same time. He’d already gotten used to the way she affected him. “The people around here have grown on me, too.”
“Does that mean you’re going to stay?”
He grinned. “I think it’s safe to say that’s a strong possibility.”
This moment couldn’t have gone better if he’d planned it. They were finally on the same page. This was their fresh start. He would prove to her that he was the man she deserved.
“I’ve got to get back to Nick, but maybe I can see you later?” Grant grasped her chin with his finger and thumb, tilting her head upward. “I’d love nothing more than to spend an evening doing whatever you want.”
“I’d like that,” she whispered as he dipped closer to her.
“Good. Let’s say I pick you up at six.”
“Okay.”
Grant brushed his lips against hers, and just like that, the flow of electricity resumed. It was like someone had flipped a breaker, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull away from her.
Apparently, Bella must have had similar thoughts as her hands came around his neck. She clung to him, her grip tightening. He sensed a mild desperation in her touch as she deepened their kiss. If this was what it felt like to be himself with someone, he never wanted to go back.
And if he had anything to do about it, he never would.