Page 112 of Battle with a Billionaire

The characteristic tense of Grant’s jaw alerted her that his frustration was growing. Even with no memory of him, she’d seen that enough to know Kyle was pushing every button he had.

“Please stop, both of you,” Julia said as she pressed her palm against her forehead. “I really hate that I’m causing this much trouble.”

“You’re not, he is,” both of them said at the same time.

She heaved a sigh, shaking her head. Her day already threatened to overwhelm her. She wondered if when she had all of her memories this was any easier to navigate. She supposed it was because she had a full picture of each of them. But this…threatened to be too much for her.

“Julia, I’m sorry,” Grant said as Kyle reached for her hand. “This isn’t what you need right now. We shouldn’t be adding to your stress.”

Kyle softened his tone. “For once, he’s right. I’m here for you, Julia. This shouldn’t be about our issues. I’m not trying to make things worse.”

She glanced between them, a mix of relief and uncertainty in her eyes. The complexity of their relationship seemed to depend on the labyrinth of her recovering memories despite both of them expressing their concern for her wellbeing. “I know. Neither one of you seems to be doing that, but you can’t be in the same room together without fighting. And while that may be normal for your relationship, right now nothing is normal for me. It’s all overwhelming.”

“I’m sorry,” Grant repeated. “Kyle, I’m sorry. Please stay as long as you’d like. No questions asked, no judgments.”

Kyle pressed his lips together as he eyed Julia. “Why don’t you take some time alone and text me when you want to talk?”

She kept her gaze trained on the floor as she nodded. “Okay. I think that’s probably best. I need to sort through some things.”

“Of course,” he said. “Call or text any time.”

She smiled at him as she squeezed his hand.

“James can take you back to the city. Unless you want to wait here,” Grant said.

Kyle squeezed her hand before he shook his head. “No, I’ll go back to my place. Thanks, though.”

Though the tension remained, it had eased considerably from the earlier argument. Julia blew out a sigh of relief as the door closed behind him. She shook her head as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Don’t apologize, Julia,” Grant said before she could.

“I feel like I should. This situation is becoming untenable.”

“That’s not your fault. It’s ours. Both of ours. And we really shouldn’t be arguing like this constantly in front of you. It traps you in the middle and that’s not fair.”

“Maybe it would be better if I went somewhere else…do I still have my apartment?”

“What?” Grant asked, his voice a mix of shock and disbelief. “No, Julia, that would not be better.”

“I just think this is too difficult. I don’t want to cause any more trouble, but at the same time, my biggest connection to my past is someone you can’t stand.”

“That’s fine. I’m a grown man, I can handle it. What I can’t handle is you somewhere else when you should be here with us so we can make sure you’re okay.”

She let her shoulders sag a little, still feeling guilty over her most recent actions.

“Julia, I’m serious. I want you here. Kyle can come and go as he pleases, I’m not going to say a word.”

She shook her head, the confusion and regret still swirling. “That’s really not fair to you.”

“I’m not worried about being fair, Julia, I’m worried about you and what you need right now.”

She stared up at him, trying to reconcile this version of Grant with the single memory she had of him and the information from Kyle. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. You have done more for me than I could ever thank you for. This is the least I can do.”

His words did little to ease her pain, but she clung to them anyway. She didn’t know enough about him to assess if they were genuine or not, but she had to take them at face value. “Okay.”

“Julia, I mean it. Stop worrying about Kyle and me. We’ll get along, okay?”

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