“He’s probably just blowing off some steam. Look, if the kid had a thing for you, and then got into it with his dad, he’s just cooling off somewhere. I mean, you did just pick his father over him.”
“Did it seem like that was bothering him while I was sick? No. We talked about it. Things were fine. Something’s wrong.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Alicia said. “What’s wrong is you sitting here worried over a grown man who left of his own free will after a fight with his dad? You need to stop worrying about him and start worrying about you.”
Julia shook her head, her forehead pinching as she settled back in the pillows. The relief of being home was tinged by the shadow of Kyle’s absence. She supposed her sister had a point, but she couldn’t shake the bad feeling she had. “I’ll text him. I just…I don’t like this. I have a really bad feeling.”
The concern that gnawed at her felt like the precursor to a raging storm, something that threatened to unravel the delicate family tapestry they’d woven.
CHAPTER 15
GRANT
Grant heaved a sigh as he leaned back, the supple leather creaking under him. His fraught nerves threatened to fray further, though at least Julia was home. That removed some of the pressure that threatened to undo him.
Unfortunately, the other stressors moved ahead full steam.
“Yes, I know what it looked like, but I can assure you everything is fine,” he said.
“Really?” Greg Mitchum, one of his board members asked. “Because if–“
“Greg, there is nothing going on. My son was a little overzealous in his affection toward Julia. It’s over and done with. It’s nothing to be worried about. Julia and I are fine.”
“You know Veronica is going to be all over this.”
He tightened his jaw at the mention of her name. “Yeah, I know. I’m going to call her for all the good it will do. The thing is, though, there’s nothing here to be worried about.”
“Grant, there was no prenup or post-nup. That’s going to be Veronica’s play. She’s brought it up before, though she’s always maintained that you would cheat. This is a wrinkle we didn’t expect.”
Grant tightened his fingers into fists. “There is no wrinkle here, Greg. No one cheated. Julia came home from that little fiasco and told me all about it. Our marriage is rock solid. Kyle is not a threat, and he never was.”
“All right,” Greg said with a sigh. “As long as we’re not looking at another bitter divorce that can take HG’s interests…”
“There is no divorce on the horizon. You can take that to the bank.”
“Honestly, I’d have been surprised if there was, Grant. Julia’s a very stable woman, and she’s obviously in love with you. I don’t know how you got so lucky, but I’d do whatever it takes to keep her around.”
“Believe me, Greg, I am doing just that.”
They finished their conversation, and he ended the call, letting the phone clatter to his desk as he rubbed his forehead. While the crisis seemed to be contained, he was getting sick of explaining his son’s overly amorous behavior to every board member who wanted to pry into his personal life.
At least this time when he told them their marriage was solid, he wasn’t lying. Julia wasn’t tethered to him by a contract for the first time in their lives. It brought a smile to his face every time he thought about it. However, it also left a knot of worry between his shoulders as he realized he could now lose her at any moment.
At least when they were contracted, she couldn’t leave.
“Bourbon, sir?” Worthington asked from the doorway, pulling him back from his thoughts.
“Please,” he answered as he leaned back in his chair.
Worthington crossed to the drink cart and poured a glass. “Difficult day?”
Grant sipped the bourbon before he sighed, allowing the burn in his throat to soothe him. “It’s been a difficult several days, Worthington.”
“I am sorry to hear that. I had hoped settling matters with Mrs. Harrington would ease your burden. Instead, it seems to have added to it.”
Grant snapped his gaze from the broken image of him reflected in the bourbon to Worthington’s face. “That’s not true. Julia being here permanently…more or less…” He shrugged as he recalled the six-month trial she’d given him. “It’s…perfect.”
“Perfect? That answer seemed…rather hesitant.”