“And then he left her.”
“And she wouldn’t let me help her. Wouldn’t even let me give her the little bit of money I was able to offer.”
“But you knew about Grant. Knew where he was. Why did you not tell him who you were?”
“She asked me not to. And I couldn’t blame her. I was a mess when she knew me. It wasn’t until three years later that I met your dad, that he gave me a job and a purpose. And it was another five years before I met my wife and put my life back together with her. Jenna…she couldn’t trust the man I was before that, so she didn’t trust the man I’d become.”
“And then she died.”
“And I wanted to help them out. I did.” He glanced out the window again, memories clearly dancing on the glass for him. “But it was too late. He was so angry. So when he showed up on the site, destroyed that stuff, I thought it was my opportunity to right a few wrongs. I did the best I could, saving him from your dad, giving him a skill. And when he said he was going to run away with you, I thought it was the best thing that could happen to him. But then he came to me on the site, a picture and a birth certificate in his hand. I guess your dad had had him investigated and gave him a copy of the file. He was so angry…and when I told him my story, he just got real quiet. Then he left. It wasn’t until later that I found out he’d left you behind.”
He reached across the table for my hand. “I’m sorry. I never meant for that to happen.”
I rubbed the back of his hand affectionately. “Things worked out.”
“Thank God.”
“And now you’re going to be a grandad.”
His eyes dropped to my belly, widening. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
And then the clearest joy danced over his face and it made my heart lighter than it’d been since before Grant came marching back into my life.
Chapter 32
I curled up against Grant as he tried to read through a contract with a new supplier. He slid his arm over my shoulders and tugged me closer.
“Put that away, Mr. CEO.”
“I will. Just a minute.”
“I want to ask you something.”
He set the contract on the bedside table and slid down on the bed a bit more so that we were almost face to face. “What’s going on?”
“We’re doing good, right? We’re happy?”
“Beyond words,” he said, lifting my chin so that he could steal a little kiss.
“I’ve told you just about everything it’s possible to know about me.”
“Probably more than you should have. I mean, that thing with you and your roommate—”
I slapped my hand against his chest. He was joking and he burst into laughter, and that made me laugh, too. But I was trying to be serious and he was making this so difficult.
“Come on,” I said.
“Okay,” he said, holding up a hand. “I’ll be serious.”
I took his hand and pressed it to my belly. “I don’t want there to be any more secrets between us. I don’t want anything to threaten this life we’re building.”
His face tightened and he carefully pulled away, climbing off the bed.
“Addison, I know the hormones are—”
“Don’t blame this on hormones. This is about you keeping secrets from me.”
“I don’t see what purpose laying my whole life out on a board for you will serve.”
“It’ll show that I can trust you.”
His eyes narrowed. “You don’t trust me?”
“I want to. But I still don’t know why you left. Not really.”
“Isn’t the money enough of a reason?”
“No. Because I know you. I know that wasn’t it.” I touched my own belly as I sat up, groaning because of the deep pain that had settled in my back these last few days. No matter what I did, it wouldn’t go away. I was beginning to think I was going to be in pain for the rest of my pregnancy. “I know about Billy.”
He whipped around like I’d slapped him.
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw the investigator’s report, Grant. Did you really think my dad had destroyed it? That he wouldn’t have wanted me to see it?”
He stared at me, the wheels clearly turning in his head. “He just left it lying around?”
“No. He gave it to me when you came back.”
“And you didn’t feel the need to tell me?”
“It didn’t matter by then. I thought I already knew what I needed to know.”
“But things have changed.”
“I just want to know, Grant.”
He groaned like he was the one with the back pain that seemed to want to radiate around to his lower belly. I shifted, trying to find a comfortable position, but the pain was making it impossible.
“Did you talk to Billy? Do you know that he was an alcoholic who left my mother to marry that bastard that made her pay for years for getting pregnant by another man? Did he tell you that he hit her? That when he was drunk, he would come after both of us? Did he tell you that I was afraid I would be just like that?”
There was pain in Grant’s voice. I climbed off the bed, ignoring the pain, and went to him.
“You aren’t that man.”
“I know that now. But then? Your father calls me a loser in one ear and my own father tells me how he couldn’t be man enough for my mom in the other? It does things to your head.”
“But that’s not you. You know that now, right?”
He touched my face. “I just didn’t want you to know about the dark parts of my soul, Addison. I wanted you to see me as the man who would do anything to protect you. That I’m the man who would put everything at risk just to make you happy.”
“I do see that.”
“I didn’t want this to change anything.”
“It doesn’t. It just takes away the secrets. It shows me that you’re willing to let me in.”
He groaned as he pulled me closer. “There’s no one else I want.”
That should have been the moment when we kissed and fell back into bed, making love for one of the last times before the baby came.
But the baby had other plans.
Just as he tugged me close to him, I felt something pop deep inside of me. And a gush of water that was like a bad dream that leads to a wet bed. And then searing pain that was a hundred times worse than the stitches Kevin put in my finger.
I cried out and Grant backed up. I guess he thought he’d stepped on my toe or something. I reached for him, the pain making me double over.
“Is it time?”
I couldn’t even speak, the pain was so intense. But Grant was perfect. He lifted me onto the bed, called the doctor, and had me at the hospital before I could wrap my head around the fact that I was in labor. And, three hours later, I was holding my six-pound baby girl.
“Better go buy a gun, Daddy,” Kevin joked.
“She’s beautiful,” Angela said.
Grant ran his hand over the top of her tiny head.
“Welcome to the world, Charlotte Elizabeth,” he said softly, tears in his eyes.
“Charlie,” Billy said as he came through the door.
I thought I would cry. But there was a smile on my lips that wouldn’t go away. This was my family. And it couldn’t have been more perfect.
~ END ~
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DOTTY (The Naughty Ones Book 3) Page 103