by Jerry Cole
“Not particularly,” Grant said. “But I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“Damn right I am.” Natasha leaned forward. “Wanna tell me why you’re still trying to shove money down Robert’s throat?”
Grant felt his own anger bubble up and he clenched his hands into fists, sneering. “Why do you always think it’s me that’s fucked shit up? Why can’t it be Robert going to a fucking loan shark and then getting me beat up because he can’t pay his shit!”
Almost immediately, Grant knew he had said the wrong thing. He slapped a hand over his mouth as Natasha’s eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. They stared at each other for a long time and Grant winced.
“God, I shouldn’t have said that. Even angry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Natasha said slowly, but she was staring down at the sheets on the bed. “You offered him money to pay off the debt?”
“Of course I did,” Grant burst out. “If I have the money, why wouldn’t I? I love him, Natasha, and I wanna help him.”
Unlike Derek, Natasha was surprised by the pronouncement. “You love him?”
Grant huffed a laugh, and while he aimed for self-deprecating, it was a touch genuine because he couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that he was in love with someone. Someone he always managed to unintentionally hurt. “Of course I love him.”
Natasha sat back in the chair, raising her eyes to the heavens and cursing. “God help me for being stuck in the middle of you two assholes.”
“I don’t know what I did wrong,” Grant admitted. “I told him it wouldn’t matter to me how much it would cost.”
“Shit,” Natasha muttered. “There’s your problem. For someone who doesn’t have so much money that it’s not a problem how much something cost, you wouldn’t understand how powerless and inferior that makes Robert feel.”
Grant felt like the idiot Robert had told him that he was; he should have known that was what Robert was mad about. It had nothing to do with the offer of money, though Grant was sure that at least played a part. “That wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to protect him and Morgan from whatever Tyson would try and do to them.”
“Robert knows that too,” Natasha said gently. “He’s just feeling inadequate because he can’t do what comes so easily to you.”
“I don’t understand how we keep getting it so wrong,” Grant admitted. “It seems like everything I try doesn’t matter, that whatever we do, I’ll miss and upset Robert and we’ll be back to step one again.”
Natasha was silent for so long that Grant was afraid he had hit the nail on the head, that it would be better to just cut and run given that he was always going to be making the same mistakes. Instead, when she leaned across and grabbed his hand, she was smiling at him. “How about I drag his ass back here and you can explain it exactly that way.”
“No,” Grant said immediately, gritting his teeth. He was going to fix the situation before he and Robert had the conversation because he didn’t want to risk anyone’s safety for a moment longer than he had to. “I need you to do me a favor.”
Though she didn’t look convinced, Natasha looked willing enough to do what Grant wanted.
“You’re the one explaining to Robert why this is happening,” she said, before shutting the door to the bedroom.
Grant was only too willing to do it if it meant that everyone was safe and he had time enough to do it, come whatever decision Robert made about their future together.
Chapter Twenty
It took long enough that Grant was beginning to worry about Natasha. He felt guilty enough that he had sent her into the mouth of the beast and didn’t need anything happening to her. Thankfully, he heard the door to the B&B open a couple of hours later, Natasha’s voice coming up the stairs. There was a familiar male voice accompanying it and Grant clenched his hands, holding his head high and sitting up in a position that had taken him longer than he wanted to admit.
Natasha knocked on the door and then it swung open.
“Well, well,” Tyson said, sneering at Grant. “Someone looks a little worse for wear.”
“When I’m out of this bed,” Grant said, his tone brooking no argument, “you’ll be glad you’re out of Maine.”
Tyson’s eyebrows raised and his lips curved into a smirk. “And what makes you think I’ll be leaving Maine?”
“Because I’ll be paying Robert’s debt off.”
The laugh that Tyson let out was booming. Grant rolled his eyes at the drama and shared a look with Natasha. He didn’t know why loan sharks tended toward the ridiculous, but Grant was glad he didn’t know any personally – and wouldn’t know Tyson longer than he had to.
“I’m not joking,” Grant snapped, cutting over Tyson’s laugh so abruptly, that Tyson glared. “I’m paying off his debt and you’re leaving Maine.”
“Big words for a guy stuck in a bed,” Tyson said, amused. “I don’t know how exactly you think you’re going to get rid of me in the state you’re in.”
“He won’t be the only one doing it,” Sval said from the doorway.
Grant derived a shit ton of satisfaction watching Tyson jump in surprise. Whipping around to see Derek and Sval had crept up behind him, Tyson ground his teeth together and glared angrily at Grant.
“You have no idea how much he owes me,” Tyson pointed out.
“I know exactly how much it is,” Grant lied, “and if you tell me a dollar more in interest than two percent of what Robert borrowed, I’ll have Sval and Derek here introduce you to the harbor.”
It was a threat that Grant wasn’t wholly certain he could convince Sval and Derek of, but they held their heads high and looked as threatening as possible. There was a flash of fear in Tyson’s eyes, but when he looked at Grant, he was back to furious at being cornered in such a way. “You set me up.”
“Yeah, I did,” Grant said immediately. “Fucking sucks, doesn’t it?”
Tyson growled under his breath. “How’s a guy like you got so much money, huh?”
“None of your fucking business,” Grant said. “I have the money to pay it and I’ll do so. Then you fuck off out of Maine. Don’t make me have someone follow you out of the county!”
“I just want my money,” Tyson said, with the most seriousness he’d had all afternoon. “It’s not my fault Robert didn’t pay.”
“No, it’s not,” Grant agreed. “But it’s your fault that you threatened me, and Robert’s daughter just happened to be there. Do you know how most sane people feel when you threaten a kid?”
“I didn’t threaten her,” Tyson said immediately. “And you can’t prove I did.”
“He doesn’t need to,” Sval pointed out. “It’s enough that we know.”
Tyson gave everyone in the room a long look and Grant could see the moment that he gave in, the slight release of his shoulders, and the way his fingers flexed in their fists. He didn’t feel the flush of triumph that he might have under other circumstances, primarily because Robert wasn’t around to experience it with them.
“Natasha has my money,” Grant said. “She’ll make sure you’re paid.”
Tyson nodded jerkily, and shoved his way past Sval and Derek, who waited until he had disappeared down the stairs with Natasha before breaking out into twin grins.
“Did we do what you wanted?”
“Sure did,” Grant said with a relieved laugh. He ran his hands over his face and groaned.
Sval looked concerned. “Is there anything we can get you?”
“No, thanks,” Grant said. Then, after a brief thought, he looked at them. “Unless you know where Robert and Morgan have gone?”
“That,” Derek said slowly, “is definitely something I can help you with.”
Grant opened his mouth to ask what he meant, when he caught sight of Robert standing behind Derek, his expression twisted into anger and embarrassment. “Robert.”
“You wanna tell me what the fuck Tyson is doing inside of my house?”
> Chapter Twenty-One
Sval and Derek left quickly after Robert’s arrival, when it was clear he wanted a repeat of their fight for a third time. They promised Grant—and Robert—they would make sure Tyson left with no trouble, and then disappeared down the hall.
“Where’s Morgan?” Grant asked.
“Away from here,” Robert snapped. “Did you think you were being overly subtle? I saw Natasha drag Tyson into the B&B and wanted to know what the hell you were thinking.”
“I was thinking,” Grant said slowly, trying to keep a tight grip on his anger, not wanting to end up scaring Robert off again, “That I was going to stop you having to pay out a ridiculous amount of money.”
Robert threw up his hands, pacing the end of Grant’s bed and looking like he had something to say but not able to find the words.
“Listen to me,” Grant said, and when Robert opened his mouth to retort, he held up two hands. “I swear to God, Robert, if you loved me then you’d fucking listen to me!”
Grant thought it was the swearing that had Robert looking at him in astonishment, but he replayed his own words through his head and could have kicked himself.
“You love me?”
Shit, Grant hadn’t wanted to say it in such a way. “Robert, God, you know I would have chosen somewhere else to say this but yes, you have to know by now that I love you.”
Robert didn’t say anything for a while, and then he leaned against the bed as if all the fight had been driven out of him. “Part of me wants to believe it’s just a means of getting me to stop fighting with you.” Grant must have looked as horrified as he felt, because Robert held up his hands. “I don’t. Most of me knows it’s true.”
It was the part that didn’t that Grant was worried about, but he managed to push the worry down and gave Robert a long look. “I know it got you to listen to me, but I would have preferred you in a stunned silence somewhere other than this moment.”
“I know it doesn’t seem like it,” Robert admitted, “but so do I.”
Neither of them spoke for a beat, and then Grant sighed, the sound coming out more like a sob. “You know I don’t want to hurt you, Robert. I never wanted you to feel – inadequate or whatever it is you feel. I would never want that. I just wanted to help because you deserve to be happy.”
Robert moved toward the chair beside the bed, playing with the edge of the duvet. “It’s hard. I know you mean well in here,” he said, tapping his chest, “but making my brain believe it?”
Grant thought of what Natasha had said in the cafe. “I can tell you’ve been hurt before. I want to find every single person, slap them, and tell them exactly how amazing you are, how amazing Morgan is and let them know that you deserve so much better.” At Robert’s flush, Grant reached over as far as he dared, relieved when Robert reached the rest of the way, tangling their fingers together. “I knew I could help you. I wanted to help with this place, make it so you didn’t have to worry about your next meal, or whether you were going to have to leave Maine.”
Robert swallowed, throat bobbing, and Grant wanted to wrap him up in his arms. He had to settle for what he could get, even if that was just Robert holding his hand, but when he was up and about, no matter what the relationship between he and Robert, he was going to make sure Robert knew exactly how he felt. “I think I knew it all along. I just – my pride wouldn’t let me accept help from you and it always sounded so much worse every time I thought we were getting somewhere.”
“I guess we have some problems communicating,” Grant said with a short laugh. “And I’m sorry I did this behind your back,” he continued, waving to encompass Tyson, Natasha, and Sval and Derek. “I just didn’t want Tyson around you or Morgan any longer than he had to be.”
There was a hitch in Robert’s breath when he stood, and Grant panicked for a moment that he had managed to fuck things up once again, but then Robert was leaning over the bed, stroking a hand through Grant’s hair. His hand was shaking, but his expression was open and had enough emotion that Grant’s breath caught in his throat.
“You’ve loved Morgan since that first day,” Robert said, dropping his head to touch Grant’s forehead. It was an awkward position, but Grant relished the touch. “You’ve cared about her as much as you’ve cared about me and you have no idea what that means to me.”
“Of course I do,” Grant pointed out. “God, Robert, I love her so much and I just want to make sure she’s safe.”
“She is,” Robert whispered, pressing a kiss to Grant’s lips. “She’s safe and you protected her.”
Grant closed his eyes, letting out a sob, the emotions he had been keeping in overwhelming him in the moment. Robert held his hand, touched his face through the tears, and when they finally subsided, he rubbed his thumb gently over Grant’s cheek.
“I know you love me,” Robert said eventually, his words a whisper against Grant’s lips, “and I know we still have stuff to talk about, but I’m so, so grateful to have met you, Grant.”
Grant wondered if Robert might climb onto the bed beside him, but then there was the slam of the door downstairs, and Natasha yelled, “Is it safe for us to come up?”
Robert laughed gently, standing straighter, though he didn’t let go of Grant’s hand. “It is!”
It didn’t take long for Natasha, Sval and Derek to come back up, and though Robert had yelled it was safe, they still looked apprehensive as they approached. Robert rolled his eyes and Grant snorted.
“We’re fine. Stop being dramatic.”
“We’re being dramatic?” Natasha laughed. “I think we’ve been stuck in the middle of you two ridiculous idiots for long enough, don’t you?”
Grant rolled his eyes, refusing to admit to anything. Robert squeezed Grant’s hand and Grant sighed, addressing Natasha. “Did it go okay?”
Natasha didn’t answer right away, turning her attention on Robert. “Just how much did he give you?”
“Twenty grand,” Robert said with a wince, not wanting to look at Grant.
Grant squeezed his hand in return to let him know that it was okay, and that Grant didn’t judge him for it. “Why, how much did he try and say he owed?”
“Thirty,” Natasha said with a snort. “Thankfully Sval was around to loom over his shoulder and he soon gave in, took the twenty grand and got the hell out of here.”
To be fair, it was more than Grant had expected he would have to get rid of when he had arrived in Maine, but it was worth every cent if it meant he didn’t have to worry about Robert and Morgan being ambushed by Tyson’s goons in the forest. Of course, he could panic a little about retribution, but with the amount of people Grant now had on the lookout, he doubted he would try anything.
“Thanks for that, Natasha,” Grant said. “And you guys.”
Derek and Sval exchanged a shrug, and Derek gave Grant a smile. “You know we’re always willing to help. Though when you’re up and about, we may take advantage of some of that guilt in making cargo runs with us.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” Grant said with a grin of his own, and though he thought he saw a strange expression on Robert’s face, it was gone before it had appeared, and he was back to looking at Derek and Sval in appreciation.
“Well,” Natasha said, either picking up on the mood or knowing that Grant and Robert wanted to be alone, and leaned in to give Robert a kiss, and then duck down to place one on Grant’s cheek. “Get some rest you two, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sval and Derek echoed her goodbyes, and Grant found himself exhausted when the door had shut behind them and Robert was leaning against it, looking at Grant fondly. “Where’s Morgan?”
“Staying with Darcy,” Robert admitted. “She’s even more mad at me now than she was before.”
“I’m sorry,” Grant offered. “I know it’s kinda my fault.”
“Actually mine,” Robert said immediately. “I got us into this mess, and I have to start accepting responsibility for it and help when it comes,” he added.
Grant nodded. “If you wanna call her home, I wouldn’t complain.”
Robert snorted. “If you want her to come home, you just have to ask.”
There was no hesitation. “You should call her home. I think she should get an explanation and a promise that nothing’s going to happen to her.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
It took Grant a little while to recover, more than a couple of days. He was exhausted most of the time, and though his bruised ribs wouldn’t heal properly for a while, he could move without pain at least.
Robert had spent most of that time taking care of him, and though Grant was grateful, it had mostly been frustrating because he’d wanted to touch Robert in ways that Robert was refusing to allow, especially given Grant’s injuries, and no amount of protesting would move him.
Now that Grant was feeling better, he had a plan to make sure Robert knew exactly how well he was doing and that he was going to make it worth their while. Unfortunately—or not, depending on how charitable Grant was feeling—Morgan had decided to take it upon herself to put together a picnic and wanted them to come with her to the beach. Grant was torn; on the one hand, he had already wrangled a promise from Natasha to watch Morgan while he and Robert had a night to themselves, but he knew he couldn’t say no to Morgan. If she wanted a picnic on the beach, they would be having a picnic on the beach.
“You’re going to have to learn the word ‘no’ eventually,” Natasha said on the phone with a laugh, but she wasn’t angry. “Just let me know when you do need me, and I’ll swap a shift or something.”
“Thanks,” Grant said, not sure he wanted to commit to anything when Morgan was around. Robert had mentioned more than once not to let her get away with everything and when Grant had promised that he would stop eventually, he got a wistful look from Robert that he didn’t understand.
Maria had apparently helped with the picnic, making the sandwiches and helping Morgan pick out the rest of the food and drink, and Grant made a mental note to send her a thank you something.