Page 66 of Battle with a Billionaire

He tried to speak, but no words would come. He stood paralyzed by her statement.

Sierra fielded the question for him. “Julia, what do you mean? It’s Daddy! Your husband, duh.”

Julia’s eyes widened as she glanced at him again. “My what?”

“Husband,” Sierra said, her voice slowing. “He’s your husband. I’m your stepdaughter. You can’t actually tell me you’ve forgotten me.”

“I…” Julia began, shock apparent on her features.

Grant saw the overwhelm building within her. He’d seen it several times on her features before. “Sierra, easy.”

“Well, obviously she’s just confused, she just woke up. She’s probably half out of it from all the drugs.” Sierra patted her hand and grinned. “It’s okay, Julia, we’ll forgive you.”

Maybe she was still feeling the effects of the drugs in her system. He gripped the railing of her bed, softening his tone. “Julia, just take a breath. It’s me. It’s Grant.”

Her heart rate ramped up as she shook her head. “I don’t know any Grant. I don’t know you. I don’t know her.”

The words sliced at his heart, and his features melted as alarm filled him. “Okay, okay, take it easy. I’m going to find the doctor.”

He strode from the room, his stomach in knots as he searched for Dr. Gray. The doctor sipped his coffee as he studied a chart. “Dr. Gray, Julia’s…experiencing some kind of issue. Memory loss. She says she doesn’t remember a thing.”

The man’s features pinched as he set his coffee down. “Okay, I’ll be right in.”

“Thanks.”

Grant hurried back to the room, a mixture of worry and fear swirling inside him.

“Did you find him?” Sierra asked.

“Yes, he’s coming right in.” He rubbed her shoulder, trying to set her at ease. “It’s okay, Julia. We’ll get this figured out.”

The doctor strode in a moment later. “Okay, Julia, I hear you’re having a little trouble remembering things.”

“Apparently,” she answered.

“Okay, let’s take a look at your test results, first.” He tapped on the tablet before he paused, studying something. “Looks great. Do you still have a headache?”

“It’s dull, but still there.”

“Okay.” He pushed past Sierra and smiled down at her. “Let’s talk about this memory issue. Do you remember that your name is Julia?”

She shrugged. “I guess. Everyone’s been calling me that. It feels right, I guess.”

“Okay, how about your last name? Do you remember that?”

She chewed her lower lip before she answered. “Stanton.”

The doctor flicked his gaze to Grant. Disappointment filled him as he answered, “That was her maiden name.”

“Okay, so that’s not terrible. You remember some things. But…you don’t remember this guy.” He poked a finger at Grant.

She stared at him again. The expression on her features broke his heart.

“No.” Her voice broke as she choked out the word.

“Okay, there’s no reason to get upset. This is not uncommon. I’m just going to step outside with your family for a second, okay? You just try to relax.”

She nodded, her features pinching.

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