by T L Gray
“I couldn’t, Grant,” I whispered against his chest.
He pulled me back to look at me, his hands gripping my arms in desperation. “Why?”
“Let her go,” I heard Rusty yell from the door. He was practically running towards us, and my heart stopped when I saw the look on his face. Rusty was ready to kill Grant, and certainly had the size to do so.
“Rusty stop. It’s ok. He’s my…” I stopped because I didn’t know what to call him. We had never even had the chance to define it. “Friend,” I finally said. Rusty stopped charging, but still pulled me out of Grant’s arms and into his.
In that moment, I could have sworn I’d stepped right into a bad romance film. Both men were facing off, their eyes threatening as they stared at one another.
I put my hand on Rusty’s arm so he would look at me. “Rusty, this is Grant. I’ve known him since I was thirteen.”
Rusty caught the look in my eye, and he knew what I was saying. His eyes widened as he looked between Grant and me. It was like he finally registered that both of us had been crying and not just me. I saw Rusty’s jaw tighten. I knew this was hard for him, but he reacted just as I would have expected him to. “I’ll wait in the truck,” he stated. “Come get me if you need anything.” A few seconds later, he was gone.
I turned back to face Grant, but he had turned away from me. His whole body was tense, and his hands were on his head, which I knew from experience meant he was trying to get his anger under control.
“My father was going to accuse you of embezzlement. You had opened an off shore account for me and had been putting money in it for years. It was a set up from the very beginning…a way to control you, I guess, when he needed to.”
Grant turned around and stared at me in disbelief. “That’s why you stayed?”
I nodded. “I couldn’t let him do that to you, and I also knew you wouldn’t let me if you knew the truth.”
Grant gathered me in his arms again. “You negotiated the letters too, didn’t you?” I just nodded into his chest. “You’re unbelievable.” His words were one of frustration, not adoration, so I knew he was still angry. “You know I didn’t want that.” He pulled me back to look at him, his face stern. “I would have rather died than leave you with him. There is nothing worse than the hell I went through that day…and every day since.”
I dropped my head, feeling defeated all over again. “It was the only choice I had, and I did what I thought was best. Why are you so angry at me?” I asked, my eyes pleading for some explanation.
“Are you serious? Why am I angry?” Grant’s voice rose another octave. “You didn’t trust me. You didn’t talk to me. You just gave up and let him win.”
“No I didn’t. I ran. I escaped again just like you told me to.” My voice was getting louder now too and I felt my temper start to surge. I had been around Grant less than ten minutes and already he had my emotions churning and every one of my senses alert.
“To someone else!” he yelled, gripping my arms again. “You escaped to someone else…not me.” Grant practically pushed me away and walked toward one of the mirrors. I watched as he gripped the ballet bar and leaned over to put his head on his hands.
I didn’t want him that far away. I never wanted him far away again, so I followed him and tentatively ran my fingers up and down his back. “I knew you would be the first place he looked, and I couldn’t risk putting you and Jake in the line of fire like that.” My voice was calm, and I hoped he would see my reasons.
Grant let out a heavy sigh and I couldn’t help but smile. I knew a long speech was coming next and then he would forgive me. “I saw him kiss you, Issy. I’ve been following him for days. After all this time searching, I can’t believe I found you just to lose you all over again.” His voice trailed off, but there was no missing the desperation in it.
I stepped away from him, finally realizing what had been going on in his head all this time. He thought I had moved on. I pulled on his arm, forcing him to stand up and look at me. “Grant, I gave Rusty that moment because I cared about him. He is a good friend, and I never would have survived without him. But let me make this clear so there is no confusion.” I put my hands on his face so he wouldn’t look away. “There is no one, and I mean no one, on this earth that I love more than you. I’m barely the type of girl that falls in love once. Surely you know, it would never happen twice. You’re it for me. There’s no acceptable substitute. Now kiss me, already. I haven’t seen you in two mon--!”
Grant’s lips were on me before I had a chance to finish, and my body was rushed with a fire so intense I thought I would perish right there. He pulled back and chuckled, his lips still touching mine. “You love me, huh?” he teased. I didn’t answer, just pulled him back to me and showed him how much.
I wanted to kiss Grant forever, wanted to stay wrapped up in his arms for a lifetime, but I knew Rusty was still outside. In the past it wouldn’t have mattered that I hurt him, but today it did.
“I need to talk to Rusty,” I explained as I pulled away. Grant watched as I grabbed my hoodie and pulled it back over me.
“I’m going with you,” he stated, following me. “No more secrets, no more running. It’s you and me, Issy.” I could tell he expected a battle, as his posture was tense when he approached me.
Instead I just smiled at him and offered my hand. “Ok.”
He took it and pulled me back to him, examining my face and my eyes. “Avery told me what you did.”
“I found your bible, and saw the verse you marked for me. That’s when I knew, so thank you. I wouldn’t have made it these last two months if I hadn’t had God’s strength. Even when I doubted, I felt Him with me. And you,” I admitted, absorbing the beauty of his caramel eyes.
He shook his head and chuckled, his face a mixture of shock and elation. “Will you ever stop amazing me?” he asked.
“I hope not.”
After another long kissing session, we finally made it to the front door, where I saw Rusty leaning against his truck. He looked up when we opened the door and immediately glanced at our hands which were now intertwined and would probably stay that way forever if Grant had his say.
Grant stepped forward first and offered his hand to Rusty. He hesitated at first, but finally shook Grant’s hand. “Thank you for taking care of her,” Grant said before they released from the handshake.
Rusty put his hands deep in his pockets and kicked the ground a little. Finally he looked up at me and smiled, his dimples just faintly visible. “I’d do it again.”
It was a statement of no regrets, even though I knew deep down he was hurting. Rusty was strong, though, the strongest person I’d ever known, and I knew he would be fine.
After two hours of introductions and long goodbyes, Grant and I were finally alone and sitting in the suite he had rented just outside of Western. I looked around at the grand and expensive décor and raised my eyebrow.
“This doesn’t look like something you can afford on an assistant’s salary,” I noted. “I guess things worked out with Mark Stonewall after all?”
Grant was at the bar, pouring us each a coke and jerked his head toward me. “How did you know?”
I shrugged and pulled my feet up on couch. “I Googled you. Call it a moment of weakness.”
Grant handed me my drink and kissed me on the nose before settling next to me on the couch. “Well, thank goodness for your weakness, because that was the first real lead I’d had in a month.”
“Speaking of that. How did you find me?” I asked.
“It wasn’t easy, Issy. I have been searching for you since you disappeared. Non stop. First, I started monitoring Google for any searches on you, me, Jake, Robbie or your father. There were several hits, and with each one we started monitoring the owner. I’d check purchases, email, facebook, etc. Nothing was really panning out until a twitter feed went out that there had been an Isadora Summers siting at a concert near Western. I checked all the computers that we had been monitorin
g, and sure enough Rusty had purchased Tenth Avenue North tickets online. I put a trail on him a few days ago, trading off with a private investigator I had working for me.”
“Wow,” I stated in disbelief, staring up at him. “I guess I knew it was possible, but it still amazes me what can be done with computers.”
Grant set down his glass and turned me to face him before grabbing my hands. “The world didn’t stop while you were hiding. A lot has happened since you disappeared.”
I took a deep breath. Up to this point, I hadn’t asked, because part of me didn’t want to know if my father had indeed followed through with his threats to ruin everyone I cared about. “I realize that. What has he done?”
Grant squeezed my hand a little tighter, and then his eyes penetrated mine. “Before I tell you, I want you to understand that nothing that has happened is your fault. You hear me?” I nodded, but could already feel the tears in my eyes. There would be only one reason why Grant was being so careful. Something happened to Jake.
“After your father and Robbie’s goon dragged me out of your room, they gave me something that knocked me out. I woke up in my car outside my apartment complex. Every item from my office was stuffed in a box in the back of my car. It took me another thirty minutes before my head was clear enough to drive. I went straight back to the lake house, but couldn’t get past all the security. I was losing my mind at that point and knew I needed someone who could help me get to you. I tried to call Jake about a million times, but that guy never answers his phone.”
I couldn’t help but laugh because I knew it was so true. “You have to text him.”
Grant just glared at me in jest and then continued. “Thanks. Good to know. Anyway, I finally gave up and just drove up there. He was less than happy to see me, especially since he had company, but he kicked her out the minute I told him you were in trouble, and I needed his help. I told him all about the contract and the threats your father had made. I could tell he didn’t believe me, especially since he said you hadn’t mentioned any of it to him, and he knew that I had been driving you crazy.”
I laughed again and Grant pushed my leg. “Stop, this is important,” he scolded.
“I’m sorry, really. It’s just hard for me to picture you and Jake together…having a conversation. You’re so different.”
“Tell me about it. Well, I finally convinced him to call you so I could talk to you without your bodyguards around.” Up to that point, Grant had kept the conversation light, but then it shifted, his eyes getting dark and serious. “By the way, if you ever block my phone number again, Issy, I swear I will shatter your phone into a million pieces. I’m not letting you push me away anymore.” Grant looked at me, and I knew he was serious. The last two months had been hard on him, and despite his love for me, I could sense he still was angry with me for what I put him through.
“I’m sorry about that.”
He nodded and then patted my leg, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Jake told me you didn’t want me and that it was time I stop thinking you ever would. Believe it or not, Jake and I kind of bonded in that moment, even though it was one of the lowest points of my life.”
“I’m so sorry, Grant. Please know that I only said those things in order to protect both of you.”
Grant took my hand and squeezed it. “You have to understand. You’d been all over the map with me, and while I clung to that one afternoon, it made more sense what Jake was telling me. You said it yourself; I was in love with a fairytale. So…I believed him. The days to follow, I became someone I’m not at all proud of.”
I felt nausea hit my stomach and looked away from him. I had no right to be jealous. I had set him free. His hand was instantly on my chin as he brought my face back to look at him.
“Nothing like that, Issy. I don’t use women in that way; I never have. But I was bitter and angry. I fell into the Issy numbing cycle and drank myself into a stupor. I’ve loved you as long as I can remember, and I’ve always held to the idea that we would have a future together. When I lost that, everything just went gray. Luckily Jake let me stay with him. That guy really is at his best when he has someone to take care of.”
I smiled warmly at him. “I know this first hand. I’m glad he was there for you.”
“After a couple of days, I slowly pulled myself together. I called Pastor Boyd again and he helped me adjust my thinking. After a lot of repentance, I was ready to put one foot in front of the other, and try to get my life back together. Then before I even left the condo, your dad came storming in demanding to know where you were. As soon as Jake realized that you disappeared, and that I had been telling him the truth, he went after your father. I was able to pull him off, but not before Jake did a good amount of damage to your father’s face.”
“Am I wrong for being glad that Jake hurt him?” I asked with a smirk.
Grant didn’t smile back at me, and I felt butterflies in my stomach again. “Normally, I would say yes, but your dad pressed charges. Jake was arrested for assault. He spent two nights in jail before we could get him out. That little account you set up pretty much saved the day. All this happened before I had the deal with Mark, and neither of us had the liquidity to get him out.”
“He told me he would ruin anyone I loved if I messed up his merger. Of course Jake would be his first target,” I whispered, nausea filling my stomach.
Grant pulled me to him and settled us next to each other on the couch. “We can finish talking about this tomorrow if you want,” he offered.
“No. I need to hear it.”
Grant hugged me tighter. “Things just spiraled from there. Jake lost his job and took up day trading to try and pay the bills. I don’t think it’s going well for him, because David called to tell me that if someone didn’t get Jake under control, he was kicking him out. I tried to talk to him, even offered to get him a job in our financial department. He said he was fine and that I needed to stop worrying about him and stay focused on finding you.”
“How long ago was that?” I whispered.
“Three weeks ago. I haven’t heard anything since, but I guess that’s a good thing.”
My stomach turned again. Jake and I had been connected for years, and now he felt so far away, I wondered how our relationship would ever recover. Grant squeezed my hand in support, reminding me he was still there. “Where were you all that time?” I asked.
“I was in New York, making appointments with every investor I knew. Somehow, I got them to hand me thousands of dollars for my software. I used every tactic you taught me and it worked. It wasn’t until the fifth one that I heard about the recommendation letters your father had sent.”
“Did they help?” I asked softly.
“Yes, baby, they made all the difference in the world,” he assured me. “In just a few days, I had all the money I needed to test the software and that is when I first approached Mark Stonewall. Your father’s stock had been soaring ever since you and Robbie started making the papers, so Mark was eager to have something that could help them compete. We did the test run on his system and it was a complete success. Mark offered to buy the software for millions, but I knew better. I wasn’t going to be someone’s paperboy anymore. I offered him a deal. I’d sell him 49% ownership of the technology, and he had to make me vice president of the new division. He was already so impressed with me that he took the deal, and it’s been remarkable. I’ve made more money in two months than most people do in a lifetime, Issy.”
“Grant, you know I don’t care about that.”
Grant reached out and touched my face, assuring me that he understood. “It’s not the money, Issy. It’s the freedom. We are no longer dependent on your father. You can go back to Winsor and finish your school. I have the freedom to work anywhere I want to, but mostly, we can be together.”
Grant’s words sent warmth through my body, but it felt wrong to be happy when everyone else had suffered because of me. “What about my mom? My father threatened her too.”
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br /> “Your mom is in rehab. She admitted herself a week after you disappeared. Jake said he had been taking her pills away when he found them, but she always found a way to get more. But your dad did take possession of the house. I’m not sure if she’s still hospitalized because she needs to be or if she’s there because she has to be.”
I stood up from the couch, fury starting to flood my stomach. “How is it possible that he gets to win, when all of us suffer?” I demanded. Grant tried to console me, but I was too angry. “You have no idea how much I hate him…how much I want to make him suffer the way I have.”
“I think he is suffering. I ran into him two weeks ago. His company is a mess, Issy. Stock prices have practically bottomed out and it doesn’t look good for recovery. I didn’t realize how much I actually did for him until I left. Your father never knew the computer stuff. That was all me. I was the interpreter for him, which explains why he never was willing to let me go.”
I walked towards the window, staring out across the city lights. “I don’t feel sorry for him. He deserves everything he gets,” I stated coldly.
Grant wrapped his arms around me and I leaned into him, feeling the anger start to dissipate a little. “One day, you’re going to have to forgive him, Issy, for your own sake. Bitterness is no way to live, and I want you to live the life you’ve never been free to have.”
I turned around and threw my arms around his neck pulling him towards me. The fire that had been ignited earlier raged with new fury as we consumed one another. We somehow managed to stop before it went too far, even though both of us we breathing heavy when we separated.
“Stay here,” he said, kissing my hand with a grin before running back to his bedroom. He was back in seconds and carrying a small black box. “You once asked me to give you the names of two couples that were happily in love.” Grant opened the box and watched for my reaction. I didn’t move. The box held a gold ring with a larger square diamond in the middle and two smaller, round diamonds sitting beside it. “These two diamonds are from my grandmother’s and great grandmother’s wedding rings. Together they represent over a hundred years of marriage, commitment and love. The middle one is for us.”