Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
GRANT
G rant sat in his office, staring down at the text from Kyle. He was still brooding over the conversation with Julia. Her disappointment, the harsh words, the protective stance she’d taken on Luke, all of it bothered him.
He wanted to shout at her he loved her, but the storm in her eyes before she’d left him behind kept him quiet.
So many times before, he’d imagined telling her his feelings. She’d stood quietly as he’d spoken before she threw her arms around him with an excited, “Yes!”
Then, she would tell him she felt the same way, that she had for some time but had been too afraid to say anything. They’d ended the moment with a kiss. Not a fake one for a camera, or even the soft ones they’d shared while at a public event, but a real one, filled with all the emotions that had been pent up for all this time.
Now, he pictured it differently. He’d tell her he loved her, that he had for some time. But instead of throwing her arms around his neck, she crossed them and shook her head. “I thought you were better than this. We agreed to keep things separate. That was the deal. Not this.”
She’d then tell him she was leaving with Luke. And his heart would break into a million pieces over a woman he’d never had a chance with but had fallen harder for than he could have ever expected.
He tugged his mind from the melancholy thought and read Kyle’s message again. What did you tell Julia? She’s texting me about how disappointed she is that we’re conspiring to destroy Luke and now she won’t answer her phone .
He wrote a message back. I didn’t say anything. She found your stupid note. I got an earful, too.
His phone rang a moment later. With a deep sigh, he answered it. “Kyle, just let it go. Let her cool off.”
“Let her cool off? Are you serious? This is how you lose, Dad.”
“Pushing her when she’s this upset is not a good idea. Okay? Just…let her have some time.”
“Oh, right. That’s a great idea. I’ll let her have enough time to run straight to Luke.”
Grant held back a sigh at his son’s overzealousness. “Kyle–”
“You may want to sit on your hands, but that’s the exact behavior that is going to push her straight to Luke.” Before he could answer, the line clicked.
This time he couldn’t hold back the sigh as he tossed his phone on the desk. Maybe he was a coward, unwilling to put his heart on the line for Julia to stomp on it. But he couldn’t bring himself to go after her.
The last time he had done that, they’d had an explosive argument that had nearly cost him their relationship. He wasn’t about to do that again. He’d let her cool off, and he’d do the same.
He sat lost in his thoughts until the banging of the front door pulled his attention away from his brooding. Footsteps pounded up the stairs. He stayed tucked in the safety of his office, sipping the coffee Worthington had delivered somewhere along the line.
He hadn’t said two words to the man, so lost in his own mind. The clock on the mantel ticked away the time until a knock interrupted it.
“Come in,” he called, twisting to eye the door and hoping to see Julia.
Instead, Kyle popped inside. “Well, you’re welcome. I think I squared everything away with Julia. And she’s not running off with Luke.”
“You left the hospital to talk to Julia?”
“Someone had to do it. And she wasn’t answering my calls, so I came home to talk to her in person.”
“And she said she’s fine?”
Kyle set his hands on his hips with a shrug. “Not in so many words. But…I did tell her it wasn’t fair that Luke strolled in here and…did whatever it was he did that set you off–”
“He kissed her,” Grant answered.
Kyle’s eyes went wide. “Seriously? He kissed her? So, he’s definitely making a play for her.”
“It seemed obvious, yes.”
“Well, then that plays right into what I said. He came here last night and directly attacked us. And she expects us to just sit here and do nothing. Play nice with this guy who wants to take her away.”
“And she said?”
Kyle raised his chin. “That I had a point.”
Grant screwed up his face. “No, she didn’t.”
“She did so. I think she now realizes that Luke declared war first, and we were just defending ourselves. So, you’re welcome. Now we just have to focus on Lydia. I’m heading back to the hospital. I’ll see you later.”
His son spun on his heel and headed for the door.
“Kyle,” he called after him, his voice hesitant.
Kyle twisted to face him.
“Good work.”
Kyle nodded at him before he disappeared from the office. Grant mulled the information. Could he trust it? Had Kyle managed to convince Julia that Luke was equally at fault for their little stunt?
He wondered if he should take a chance to speak with her, but he decided against it. Maybe Julia had been more lenient with Kyle because of his tendency to cross lines. What she’d said to him had been harsher than a mere statement of disappointment.
And her defense of Luke had been fierce. He couldn’t hear her do it again. Not yet.
His mind drifted to his reluctance to speak with her about anything emotional. Kyle didn’t share his backwardness. What if Kyle’s boldness was what Julia preferred?
Time slipped away as he reflected on the past two years of his life. His eyes fell to the silver-framed photo on his desk. It made his heart ache.
As he stared at their happy faces, he recalled a simpler time. They’d just met. He’d been enamored with her simple beauty, but the way her gentle strength stood by him at every turn had made him fall for her.
He had never met a woman like her. He didn’t deserve her, but he did want to fight for her. But he worried it would push her further away.
Before he realized, enough time had passed that he needed to dress for the gala. He climbed to his bedroom to ready for the event.
His mind continued to spin as he threaded his cufflinks through the cuffs. He chose the pair Julia had given him, trying to draw strength from them as he wondered if it was the last gift he’d ever receive from her.
A knock jolted him back to reality. He strode to the door and pulled it open, his stomach clenching as he spotted Julia. “Julia,” he said, surprised to see her.
The burgundy dress she wore stunned him into silence. He wasn’t certain he’d ever seen her look more beautiful.
“Hi, sorry to interrupt you, but I have some news.”
“Come in,” he said as he stepped back from the door.
She lifted her skirt and slid past him, a grin on her lips. “I talked to Alex. The pictures are gone. Totally. Lydia lost her leverage.”
Had they just gotten their first break? “He’s sure?”
She nodded. “He’s one hundred percent sure. Alex would not make a mistake like this. He’s sure. We did it.” The grin she gave him made him want to pull her into his arms to celebrate.
But he couldn’t do that. Their argument this morning still loomed over him, tempering any excitement. “That’s…great news. We needed a win.”
She bobbed her head again, but before she could answer, he spoke again, wanting to clear the air after their argument. “We also need to talk.”
The grin faded from her features, replaced by a seriousness that made him nervous. “Okay.”
He hated to even say the words, but he needed to own up to his behavior. If he had any chance of being the man she chose, he needed to let her know that he was better than what she’d seen from him this morning. “About this morning…”
As he searched for the words, she lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “I’m sorry about that.”
His eyebrows pinched together. She was sorry?
“I may have been a little harsh.”
He wanted to lean into her words and allow her to take the blame, but he couldn’t. He needed her to know he was better than that. “Maybe, but I want you to know I’m sorry, too. You were right. It’s not me. Well, it’s not me anymore. I…saw red when he came here, and I reacted. But I’m trying not to be that man anymore.”
She pressed her lips together as he said the words. “I’m not certain I can blame you. I see Luke through a different lens, but what he did must have seemed very aggressive. Particularly, given his involvement with Lydia.”
“I appreciate that, Julia. But I’d really like you to know that…this morning was a temporary lapse in judgment.”
She offered him a tight-lipped smile and a nod. “It’s forgotten. With any luck, this win with those pictures will turn the tides.”
He blew out a breath, finally feeling some of the tension in his shoulders release. “Yes, that’s really good news.”
“One less thing to worry about. She can’t hurt Sierra.”
“Thanks to you,” Grant said as he took a step closer to her, his fingers tracing the outline of her arm.
“We should tell her. She’ll be thrilled.”
“Right,” he said as he bit back the urge to say more. She didn’t seem interested in talking about anything else, though, oblivious to the affection he struggled to conceal. But maybe now wasn’t the time. He preferred to sweep her off her feet, and the tension with Lydia still hung too heavy for that.
He stared down at her for another moment before a sudden burst of courage hit him. “Julia, before we go, there is one other thing…”
His words trailed off as she glanced up at him, her gaze questioning. Her eyes on him suddenly made him more nervous than he expected. What if she said no?
He swallowed hard, ready to take the chance when a knock at the door interrupted him. “Daddy! Are you in there? Where is everyone? We’re going to be late.”
Grant’s shoulders slumped as the incessant banging continued. Her timing was impeccable.
Julia’s eyes searched his as he shook his head. “Actually, hold that thought. It’s not pressing. We’ll talk about it another time.”
She smiled and nodded as he backed to the door and tugged it open. Sierra clicked her tongue as she set a hand on her hip. “You’re not even ready.”
“I just have to put my jacket on,” he said as he retreated across the room.
“Well, hurry up. I don’t want to be late. This is the first–” Sierra stepped inside, her voice cutting off abruptly as she spotted Julia. “Oh, oops. I didn’t realize I was interrupting anything.”
“You weren’t,” Julia answered.
Grant’s jaw clenched at the words as he pulled his jacket on. “We were just about to come find you,” his wife continued.
“I wasn’t interrupting… anything? ” Sierra asked as she twirled a curl around her finger and shot a glance at her father.
The weight of her stare made him shift uncomfortably as he fiddled with his cufflink again. “No. Nothing that can’t wait.”
The look of disappointment on Sierra’s features was answer enough for him. “Are you sure? I can leave.”
“Don’t be silly,” Julia said with a laugh, much to his chagrin. “We have something very important to tell you.”
Sierra’s eyes widened and the corners of her lips curled. Her eyes slid back and forth between them. “Really? Is it really, really important? Like life-changing important.”
Julia bobbed her head up and down with an excited grin on her features, though Grant realized full well what his daughter was referring to. It had nothing to do with what Julia was about to announce and everything to do with what he had almost blurted out to his wife.
“Yes, it’s life-changing for you, Sierra,” Grant said with a subtle nod.
“For me?” Sierra asked, her nose wrinkling.
“Alex managed to delete all of the pictures, Sierra. They’re gone. Your mother can’t use them against you now.”
Julia beamed at her as Sierra plastered on a smile. He could tell it was fake, but he hoped Julia couldn’t. Sierra lifted a shoulder in the air, trying to play up her excitement. “Wow, that’s so…awesome.”
“Yes, it is,” Julia said as she crossed to Sierra and slid an arm around her shoulders.
“A real win for the good guys,” Sierra said with a pump of her first. “Is there anything else?”
“What?” Julia asked, her brow knitting with confusion.
“Any other exciting things that happened? Maybe like another big win for the good guys or something?”
Julia flicked her gaze to Grant, surprise, and confusion still mixing on her delicate features.
“Sorry. Your mother isn’t in jail yet. No other big news either. Now, we’d better go before we’re late,” Grant said as he guided them both from the room.
Sierra glared over her shoulder at him. “Right. I mean if there was something else–”
“There’s not,” Grant said. The moment had passed. He’d put more thought into a romantic gesture. Something suited to Julia’s personality that would guarantee him the right answer.
“Well, I’d rather not be late anyway. This is the first public outing with James.”
Julia grinned at her as they made their way down the stairs. “Really? Aw, so you got back together.”
“We did,” Sierra said. “And we are taking our relationship to a new level by going public.”
“That’s great, Sierra. I’m so happy for you,” Julia said as they reached the foyer, greeted by James and Kyle.
Grant shifted uncomfortably as James kissed Sierra’s cheek. His daughter had the courage to take her relationship public, and he still hid in the shadows, clinging to his fear.
He supposed it was exuberant youth that made her bold. Outside of her mother, she hadn’t experienced loss.
They filed out of the door and into the waiting limo. As the limo glided toward the Regal Hotel, the evening lights of the city cast a shimmering glow over the streets, wrapping the scene in an air of elegance and anticipation. The Regal, with its grand facade and opulent decor, stood like a beacon of high society, its entrance bustling with the elite of New Orleans.
Grant’s heart surged as Julia grinned at him as he helped her from the car and wrapped her arm around his, patting her hand.
If he played his cards right, soon he’d proudly take her to every event in his future. He led her into the opulent hotel’s entrance.
“I just need a minute if you want to head in with–”
“You can go with me, Julia,” Kyle said, offering his arm.
Grant kept the growl threatening to escape him inside. She flicked her eyes between them before she settled her gaze on him. “I can wait.”
“If you don’t mind,” he said as he pulled a flash drive from his pocket. “I just need to put this in the safe.”
“Sure, send me in with Sierra. She hates me,” Kyle complained.
“You can wait, too. There’s something I want to tell you.”
The excited smile on his son’s face ruined Grant’s mood as he strode toward the front desk. It was nothing compared to what he felt as he waited for confirmation from the clerk that his flash drive had been successfully secured.
Across the lobby, Julia grinned at Kyle who wrapped her in his arms and swung her in a circle. “That’s a little much,” he mumbled as the woman returned.
“It’s been placed in the safe, Mr. Harrington.”
“Thank you,” he said to her, already backing from the desk so he could save his wife from his son. “Well, sounds like you told him about the pictures.”
“I did,” she said. “He was thrilled.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Grant said with narrowed eyes. “Well, thanks for waiting. Shall we?”
“Yes,” she said with a smile at him as she wrapped her arm around his.
He led her into the ballroom with Kyle trailing behind them. Light music tinkled in the background and chatter filled the room.
Kyle grabbed two flutes of champagne and offered one to Julia. “We should talk about next steps.”
“Maybe,” Grant said, pulling the flute from her fingers and setting it on their table. “But first I’d like a dance with my wife.”
He led her to the floor and pulled her into his arms. “You really look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you,” she answered as they swayed with the music. “So, what’s on the flash drive?”
“Top secret plans for a few new projects. I may do a little business tonight. I apologize ahead of time.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I understand.”
“You always do. I don’t think I’ve ever had such an understanding spouse.”
A finger tapped his shoulder, interrupting their moment.
He twisted to find Lydia in a form-fitting black dress, perhaps the antithesis of his current spouse. “Mind if I cut in?”
“Yes,” he answered as he turned back to Julia.
“Too bad,” she said, squeezing between him and Julia and knocking her back a few steps. “We need to talk.”
“We don’t,” Grant said with a shake of his head as he tried to push past her.
“We do. Julia will be fine.”
She offered him a wince and a shrug.
“Lydia…” he started, his voice a warning.
“Do you really have no time for the mother of your child?” her voice growing louder.
“You’re making a scene,” he answered.
“It’s fine,” Julia said. “I’ll be at the table.”
“Wait, Julia–” Grant started as he reached for her.
“Beat it, Toots,” Lydia said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him closer.
He kept his eyes trained on Julia’s retreating form as Lydia strong-armed him closer to her. With a sigh, he finally shifted his gaze to her. “Really, Lydia? If dances with me were so important, why did you leave me?”
“My, we’re in a sour mood tonight. Something wrong, Grant?”
“Yes. I was having a lovely time with my wife when you interrupted. That’s what’s wrong.”
Lydia threw her head back in a cackle. “Oh, come on. I don’t believe that.”
“Believe what? That Julia and I were enjoying each other’s company? We were. I love her.” Funny how the words rolled so easily off his tongue to anyone other than Julia.
“Amazing to me. Given her little…indiscretions. You used to not tolerate such shenanigans. Must be your old age catching up to you. Don’t have the strength to fight like you used to, huh?”
“Did you cut in just to irritate me?”
“No,” she answered, “but it’s awfully easy to do these days.”
With a sigh, he took a step back from her. “I’m going to find Julia.”
“Oh, don’t bother,” Lydia answered, refusing to let go of his hand, “I’m sure she’s found a replacement already. Your son is always waiting in the wings. And then there’s Luke. He is quite enamored with her.”
“And you were only too happy to bring him here, weren’t you?”
Lydia batted her eyelashes. “I have always been a sucker for love. And wow, does he love her! To hear him talk about her, you’d think she was some sort of angel descended from heaven.”
“You wouldn’t know what love was if Cupid beat you over the head with his bow.”
They spun on the floor, shifting to a new view. “Oh, I don’t know. I think I do know what it is. In fact, I think I’m looking at it right now.”
He held back rolling his eyes as he followed her gaze. His heart skipped a beat when he spotted Julia and Luke together. She stared up at him, her gaze soft.
A knot formed in his stomach. She looked so comfortable and easy as she spoke to him. A pang of jealousy laced with a sense of loss tightened his chest.
His muscles tensed reflexively as he considered storming across the room and throwing the man onto a table.
“Uh oh, I’ve struck a nerve. I really need to stop calling your attention to your wife’s straying eye.” She patted his shoulder as she stepped around him. Her hand slid down his arm, a smirk on her lips. “Enjoy the night while you can, Grant. Things are about to get much more interesting.
Her cryptic message coupled with Luke’s presence hovering over his wife left a chill in the air. The words, a harbinger of the turmoil Lydia brought wherever she went, made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. What was his ex-wife about to unleash?