Page 9 of Believing in a Billionaire
Silence met her answer, and her forehead creased. “Ally?”
A sob sounded on the other end of the line. “Juju…”
Her stomach dropped at the sound as her muscles tensed. “Ally! What’s wrong? What happened?”
“I left Ethan,” she said with a hiccup. “Our marriage is over.”
“Oh, Ally, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
Grant rubbed her arm as Alicia responded. “Yeah. You can come to your apartment and let me in so I can cry in peace away from prying eyes.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You’re in New Orleans?”
“I took the first flight I could. I just…need my sister. I came straight to your place, but I guess you’re not home?”
“No, I’m not…uh…I’ll be right there. Just sit tight, okay?”
“Thanks, Juju. I’ll be here.”
Julia ended the call, her lips tugging into a frown as she vetted ideas.
“What happened?” Grant asked.
She flicked her gaze up to him. “Alicia left Ethan. And took the first flight here. She’s sitting outside my old apartment.”
“She has no idea you’re here,” Grant answered as realization dawned in his eyes.
“No. She probably thinks…never mind. You don’t have to apologize for going to the office because I’m going to need to go get Alicia and find her a hotel and–”
“Hotel?” Grant interrupted. “Bring her here.”
Julia froze as she picked up her purse, her eyes rising slowly to meet his. Her mind raced back to the week they’d spent in Maine. Alicia’s cold words as she blamed Grant for everything and Grant’s sharp response had ruined the first moments of their family vacation. Bringing Alicia to the house wasn’t just inviting her sister, it was inviting a ghost of her past along with all its unresolved bitterness. “Grant, that’s a terrible idea.”
“But she’s your family.”
“And you two hate each other. The last time you saw her, she lied to you about a restraining order and wouldn’t let you see me.”
“Yes, that’s true, but…”
“But what?”
He heaved a sigh, pressing his lips together for a second before he spoke. “You know when Alex and Ava were here, I realized that in two years, you’d never had family or friends here. And I want that to change. This is your home, too. I want you to feel comfortable having your family here.”
“Well, I don’t,” she shot back. “Not when my family and you don’t get along at all.”
“We’ll get along. It’ll be easier now that this is a real relationship. She’ll have to accept your choice. We can’t avoid her forever.”
Julia pressed her lips together as she shifted her weight. Did she really want to bring Alicia here given how she felt about Grant? Would her sister even come?
“Julia,” he said, wrapping his arms around her again, “I’m serious. I want you to bring her here. I’ll get along with her, I promise.”
Julia eyed him for a second before she nodded. “Okay. But if this causes a problem…”
“It won’t. I promise. It’ll be fine.”
“Thank you,” she said with a peck on his lips. “Good luck at the office. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“I will. Good luck with Alicia.”
