Chapter 28
JULIA
J ulia blew out a long breath as she leaned back against the pillows on the too-soft bed. She stared down at her phone before she tossed it away.
Sierra had demanded to see her. She wasn’t surprised, but she’d hoped to avoid a long goodbye. It would be hard to see her in person. And even harder when they parted, but she’d told her she was just a phone call away.
She sucked in a breath, her emotions still all over the place. Walking out of Harrington House had been hard, but she stood by her decision to leave before the long weekend. She couldn’t imagine pretending nothing was wrong as she counted the hours before he sent her on her way with a set of divorce papers.
She flicked her gaze out her window, staring at the glowing city lights as she waited for Sierra to arrive.
A knock at her door pulled her from her musing. She climbed off the bed and crossed to the door. As she tugged it open, she said, “Well, that didn’t last long–”
Her words cut off, her jaw agape as she stared at the figure in her door. “Grant.”
His features pinched as he stared at her. “You’re a hard woman to get a hold of, Julia.”
She winced at the words. He’d said them to her when he’d tracked her down with her missing purse. “I’m sorry. I thought it would be best–”
“Can I come in?” The gravel in his voice suggested an underlying emotion that she couldn’t read. Was he angry?
She stepped back, motioning for him to enter. “If this is about the divorce papers–”
“It’s not,” he said as he scanned the room.
She let the door swing shut behind her, her heart speeding up. Was there some problem? Maybe a nondisclosure agreement that he wanted her to sign about the entire ordeal. “Okay.”
He spun to face her, his features still carrying a weight she didn’t comprehend. “Julia…”
She lowered her chin to her chest. “Yes?”
He shifted his gaze sideways as he shook his head. “This isn’t the way I wanted to do this…”
“If there’s some problem, I’m sure we can work it out.”
“There is,” he said with a nod. “A very big problem.”
She arched an eyebrow at the words, swallowing hard. What had happened? What was the problem? She ran her sweaty palms down her pants as she waited for him to speak again.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
Her eyebrows pinched at the words.
“You should be at home. With us.”
She shifted her weight, understanding dawning on her. “I’m sorry. I know I agreed to go this weekend, but I didn’t think you’d let me say no. And I just don’t want to go. I hope you can understand–”
“I don’t. I…” His features scrunched again, as though he was in pain.
She tilted her head, desperately trying to understand what he was saying. “I think it’s better for everyone if I–”
“Please, Julia,” he said, holding up a hand to stop her. “Please just let me say this.”
“Okay,” she answered, her voice soft.
He focused his stormy eyes on her. Silence seemed to stretch before an eternity before he spoke again. “I love you, Julia.”
The words stunned her, maybe more than they should have. Or at least the way he said them, the sincerity she thought she heard, surprised her. They had shared tender moments. They had connected. But she hadn’t thought that connection existed on his end, only hers.
He continued before she could answer. “I have for a long time. I should have said something…dozens of times before, I should have said something. I almost did, but…I…it doesn’t matter. What matters is I love you. And I want you to come home. I don’t want a fake marriage, I want a real one. With you.”
Heat washed over her as she wondered if this was really happening. He reached into his pocket and produced a ring box. His fingers caressed it for a moment before he flicked his gaze up to her again as he snapped it open.
She studied the beautifully set diamond against the blue velvet.
“This was my grandmother’s ring. She told me to give it to the woman who captured my heart. I’ve never given it to anyone else. But I want to give it to you. I know it’s not as big as the other one, but I hope you like it.”
Her mind whirled as she stared at the ring in his hand. What was he saying?
He took a step closer, and her eyes raised to his. “What do you say, Julia? Will you come home? Will you be my wife?”
Her heart pounded at the question as dozens of thoughts raced through her mind. Her gaze fell to the ring again, her eyebrows pinching. Her stomach twisted into a knot, and she pressed her lips together.
A tumult of emotions swirled within her. Could she truly find happiness with him? Memories of their shared laughter, his unexpected tenderness, and their moments of connection flashed before her eyes. Yet, the shadows of his past, the string of failed marriages, loomed over her, feeding her doubts.
She shifted her weight as she raised her eyes to his again. He stared at her expectantly. She sucked in a breath, pressing her hand against her stomach. “I can’t.”
His anticipatory expression twisted into one of confusion. “What?”
The word came out barely above a whisper.
“Julia…”
“I’m sorry,” she said with a shake of her head. ”But–“
“Is this about Luke?” Grant’s voice remained tentative. “Is he the reason you’re leaving?”
She shook her head, her mind sliding back to their conversation the previous night. “No. Luke is part of my past. He has nothing to do with this.”
Grant’s features remained tense, but his eyes betrayed a vulnerability she’d only seen on a few occasions before. “Then, what? What is it? These last two years…did they mean nothing to you?”
His voice cracked slightly, betraying the turmoil bubbling below the surface.
Her heart tumbled as she blinked back tears. In the dimly lit room, the soft glow of the lamps cast a serene ambiance. Yet, the tranquility belied the storm of emotions raging in her heart. Grant’s presence, once a source of comfort, now felt like an anchor, pulling her into depths of feeling she wasn’t sure she was ready to explore. “Of course not. They meant everything to me. And that’s why I can’t do this.”
His eyes went wide as he shook his head. “I’m sorry…I don’t understand any of this. I thought we had a connection.”
She swallowed hard, trying to stabilize her emotions before she spoke. She blew out a shaky breath before she continued. “We did. We do. But that’s not enough.”
“What then? Tell me. What do you need? I’ll give it to you.”
Her features pinched again as she said words that she knew would hurt him. “You can’t. Grant…you have a terrible track record with relationships. I’m your fifth wife.”
The expression on his face made her heart break. She knew the statement would hurt him, but she couldn’t change the facts. Wives were like business deals to him—he was always searching for the next rush, the next chase.
He shook his head. “Because…I…I’ve never met anyone like you before, Julia. I can’t…I can’t change my past. And it’s not pretty, but I thought…I thought you understood that I’ve changed. I’m different now.”
“Are you?” she asked. “Or is this about the chase for you?”
“What? No,” he answered with a shake of his head. “Julia, no. You can’t think that. Please tell me you don’t think that.”
She shifted as she stared at the pattern of the carpet below her feet. She didn’t want to think about it. But she couldn’t think of anything else. She couldn’t see past a bitter divorce and a replacement wife. She couldn’t stop thinking about how he pursued business deals like a chess game, always seeking the next conquest.
“It’s not about the chase. If it was…I would have told you months ago how I felt. If that’s all it was to me, this wouldn’t have taken me two years to say.”
“Why did it?” she asked.
“Because…of this. What’s happening right now. I…would rather have stayed silent and have you with me than live through this rejection. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.” His earnest gaze held hers, a stark contrast to the unyielding, confident gaze of the businessman she knew. A new vulnerability shimmered in his eyes. “I’ve learned what truly matters, Julia. Not deals and successes. Not wins. Us. You.”
Her features pinched as she struggled to sort through her feelings, a slight shake of her head her only response.
“So…what am I supposed to do now? Just…let you go? I’m not willing to do that.”
She remained silent, biting her lower lip as she fought the surge of fear and tried to parse through her emotions.
“If you won’t come back for me, come for Sierra. She loves you. And–”
“That’s not going to work,” she said with a shake of her head. “That’s not fair to you.”
“Neither is this,” he shot back with a huff.
Silence stretched again before he spoke. “You can’t do this.”
She sucked in a breath, ready to argue but he didn’t give her the chance. “You can’t keep running away.”
“I’m not running away,” she retorted. She wasn’t running, she was protecting herself.
“You’re running. This is what you do.”
Her jaw unhinged as she stared at him with an incredulous expression. “No, it isn’t.”
“It is,” he said, his voice a little stronger. “You ran from Luke. You ran away the first time we met. We had a connection then. Those first moments that we spent together, I felt it, and I think you did, too. And you took off.”
“And then in Maine, when we argued, you left. And now…Every time things get real, you leave.”
She shook her head, wanting to deny it but afraid he may be right. She had a history, too. If she was going to hold his against him, he had every right to hold hers against her, too.
She ran a hand through her hair as she fought through the waves tearing her apart. “I don’t know where we go from here, then.”
Grant flicked his gaze down to the ring in the box before he raised his eyes to her. “Forward. Together.”
She sucked in a breath, ready to respond when he stopped her.
“Give me the chance to prove to you that we can be happy together in a real relationship. That’s all I’m asking.”
“It’s not just about happiness, though. It’s about trust. About knowing this isn’t just another fleeting chapter in your life. Can you promise me that?”
“It’s not!” he said, his voice raised before he steadied it. “Look, I know we can be happy. You’re the only woman who has ever made me happy. Let me prove it to you. Give me a year. If you’re not happy at the end of it, you can leave.”
Her eyebrows knitted as he made the offer, oddly comforting and reminiscent of their contract, only this time it wasn’t his image on the line, it was their hearts. She had to stop running. She was miserable the moment she walked out of Harrington House.
But a year was a long time. She pressed her lips together before she studied his stormy blue eyes. “Three months.”
She didn’t miss the almost imperceptible shift in his features, a glimmer of relief, and the hint of the smile that curved his lips. He took a step closer to her. “Nine months.”
She tried to stop the smile from turning the corners of her mouth up, but she couldn’t as he closed the gap between them. “Six months.”
“Deal.” He cupped her cheek and pressed his lips against hers, a kiss filled with relief, hope, and promises. A kiss that promised happiness against all odds.
His thumb caressed her cheek as he pulled back, pressing his forehead against hers for a moment before he released her. He pulled her wedding ring from his pocket and slid it onto her finger before he tugged the ring from its velvet resting place.
“Wait,” she said, yanking her hand from his. “Maybe you shouldn’t do that yet.”
“Why?” he asked.
“It’s your grandmother’s ring. What if–”
He cut off her words as he took her hand in his. “I want you to wear this. This is a promise. A promise that we are going to make it.”
She gazed up at him, a soft smile on her lips before she lowered her eyes to the new ring on her finger.
“Do you like it?”
“I love it,” she answered.
“I know you hated the other one.”
A giggle escaped her, a much-needed release from the intense situation that had just unfolded between them. “I didn’t hate it.”
“You did,” he said, joining her in laughter. “You didn’t want it when I tried to give it to you.”
“That’s not what I said.”
He laughed again, the tension in him dissipating as he stroked her arm. “It is what you said. But at least now you have one you like.”
She stared down at it for a moment before she slid her arms around him and kissed him again.
As they parted, he said, “Let’s go home.”
She smiled and nodded at the simple, yet profound words that marked the beginning of their new journey.
The End