Page 75 of Battle with a Billionaire

“Oh, no. Does she need more surgery?”

“No, no, nothing like that, thank goodness. She…has amnesia. She doesn’t remember anything.”

“Really?” Kathryn’s voice sounded intrigued and surprised. “Nothing?”

“Not me, not Sierra. Nothing.”

“That’s wild. Do the doctors know when she’ll get her memory back?”

“Could be in a few hours. Could be in a few months. Could be never.” The last words stuck in his throat. Would he lose the woman he had grown to care for so deeply over a lost memory?

Kathryn sighed on the other end. “Oh, Grant. That’s terrible. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me too. We’re hoping for the best, but until then, it’s rough going. She is trying to re-learn everything but in this family, that’s a difficult thing to do.”

“Right. Well, I certainly understand you need to be with your wife, but I do have some updates for you.”

Grant bit his lower lip, sliding his eyes closed as he made a decision. His hand tightened around his phone. Images of campaign rallies and strategy meetings clashed with memories of quiet evenings with Julia. At that moment, the roar of the crowd paled in comparison to her soft voice. “Kathryn, before we go through that…I’ve come to a decision.”

“Oh?”

“I…can’t continue with this campaign. Not now. I need to be with Julia. I need to see her through this. And I’m concerned the election is going to put more stress on her than she needs.”

“Wow,” Kathryn said, her surprise obvious. “I mean, I understand what you’re saying, but this is a blow.”

“Come on, we didn’t stand a chance after those fake affair photos came out.”

“We still could have made a good run at it. Our numbers weren’t that bad. And to be fair, it stinks to say this, but your numbers are up after reports of the accident.”

The thought of winning because his wife had nearly died didn’t sit well with him. “Well, that cinches it for me. I have no desire to win this election because Julia nearly died.”

“Hey, a win’s a win. If you still want to go for it, I’ll do my best to stay out of your hair and run everything while you take the time you need with Julia.”

Grant shook his head. Despite his desire to win, he had more important things in his life now. “No. Here’s the thing, Kathryn, if I feel this way now, I’m not going to make a very good Senator, am I?”

“No one cares about that. Everyone will understand that you need time with your wife. Especially if we tell them she’s not well.”

“No,” Grant said firmly. “I do not want Julia’s amnesia all over the media. She’s under enough pressure right now than to have those vultures reporting on her condition and speculating. No, I’m out. I need to take care of my family right now.”

Silence stretched between them for a moment before Kathryn sighed. “Well, we ran a hell of a campaign. I’d rather you take some more time to think about this–Grant, this is career-defining.”

“I’ve had plenty of time. I’ve sat by Julia’s bedside for two days doing nothing but thinking. My priorities have shifted. This is what I want. I’m sorry, Kathryn.”

“Don’t think anything of it. I’m already on to my next two jobs. I just need to know if you want to announce this personally or if you want me to handle it?”

“Can you handle it? It’s not usually my style, but I just don’t want to leave Julia to do a press conference on this.”

“That’s fine. I think everyone will understand. I’ll put a release out tomorrow morning. If you do change your mind–”

“I won’t,” he answered.

“Alright.It’ll be public at nine tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Kathryn.” He ended the call and blew out a long sigh. The Senate race had meant a lot to him, but not more than Julia. He needed to spend time ensuring she was okay and building back their relationship, even if it was from scratch.

He rubbed his chin as he allowed his decision to settle on him. It was the one thing he felt certain about, right now. With the campaign cleared off his plate, he strode back to her hospital room.

He hoped to find her asleep but expected to see her blue eyes open when he entered. He pulled the door open and stepped inside, freezing at the scene.

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