Page 10 of Betrayal of a Billionaire
Alicia glanced over her sister’s shoulder at Sierra. “You must be Sierra. Yes, I will escort you in just a second. I just need to finish sorting this out with my sister.”
“Sister? You’re Julia’s sister?” Sierra asked as she slid her eyes sideways to Julia. “Julia, you’re from Harbor Cove?”
Alicia creased her brow before she returned her gaze to Julia. “What’s going on here?”
“I’m sorry,” Grant said as he stepped around Julia with his award-winning smile. “I think I can clear this up. Julia is obviously surprised. None of us knew the destination my daughter picked.” He thrust his hand out. “Hi, I’m Grant Harrington. I’m Julia’s husband.”
Julia slid her eyes closed, wishing she could melt into the floor.
“You’reJulia’s husband? The billionaire who needs police protection?”
“That’s a gross overstatement regarding our needs, but yes,” Sierra said.
Alicia stared down at his extended hand without taking it before she flicked her gaze back to Julia. “When did you get married? Last night?”
A nervous chuckle escaped Julia. “That’s such a close guess. Sooooo close. Umm, yeah, not quite last night.”
“When?” Alicia asked.
“It was about…sixteen months ago or so. But like I said, your guess was really close.”
Alicia’s eyes went wide, the unmistakable expression of shock, hurt, and anger crossing her eyes. “You’ve been married for over a year, and you didn’t tell me?”
“Didn’t I?” Julia said, her voice an octave higher than normal. “That doesn’t sound like me.”
“I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you.” Alicia shook her head at Julia, the disappointment on her face obvious.
“Is it possible for us to go to our house and have you yell at Julia there because I have been cooped up on this plane for hours.” Sierra’s usual impatience shined.
“Sierra,” Grant growled before he smoothed his voice. “I’m very sorry about my daughter.”
Alicia’s gaze bounced back and forth among them before she nodded. “Yeah, fine. Let’s get you folks to your destination.”
“Ally…” Julia called.
“No, she’s right. You haven’t told me for over a year. What’s twenty more minutes?”
Her sister stormed from the plane, leaving Julia stunned. Her stomach churned with a mix of upset, worry, and guilt. Everything she’d been trying to hide had just been exposed. Her world had just come crashing down around her. And she had no idea how she’d fix it.
CHAPTER 3
GRANT
Grant glanced at Julia’s features, now a mix of upset and guilt. His stomach clenched as his plans for their relaxing vacation slipped through his fingers. Hopefully, they could solve the problem with her sister and move forward.
Though a pang of doubt stuck in his mind. She hadn’t told her sister about this relationship. She hadn’t wanted to admit to her family anything about it. What did that say about her feelings toward them as a couple? Nothing good, he decided, as his hopes for their life together deflated a little more.
He shoved the doubt aside as he studied her again. Maybe she hadn’t told her sister because of this exact reaction or because she’d been unsure about their future.
Right now, though, he needed to push all of that aside and be there for her. She looked like someone had just stolen her puppy.
“Julia?” Grant asked as he slid an arm around her shoulders. “You okay?”
She nodded as she grabbed her purse. “Let’s just get to the house.”
“Right,” he said as he led her from the plane to the waiting limo. He slid inside after her, taking her hand in his, memories of their past struggles mingling with the warmth of her touch. They’d made it through far worse together. “It’ll be okay.”
Sierra and Kyle climbed in after them before the limo began to roll forward.
