Page 83 of Battle with a Billionaire

CHAPTER 19

GRANT

Grant let go of some of the tension in his shoulders as Sierra paraded Julia from the room. Emotions ran high after the admission, particularly on his end.

Kyle’s outburst not only prevented him from breaking it to her more gently, but his follow-up comment about Grant not caring twisted the knife.

He wanted to deny it, but given the medical advice they’d received to keep things as normal as possible for her to maximize her chances of remembering, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to risk stunning her into a permanent memory loss and losing whatever connection they’d built in the year they’d spent together.

He let his fingers release from the tight fists they’d curled into after the remark. “That was uncalled for.”

“I don’t agree. She has enough on her plate right now than to try to live up to something she was never intended to be,” Kyle answered.

“She has enough on her plate without you taking it upon yourself to inform her of whatever you deign is important. Maybe we should have informed her of how dangerous you are.”

“I would never hurt Julia. And when my actions accidentally led to her being hurt, I corrected them. Because I care about her.”

“We all care about her,” Grant shot back.

“Yes, I know. You care about her ability to win you elections and save your company. Beyond that, though, she’s expendable. Like every other woman in your life.”

The words stung. His track record with women hadn’t been good, but Julia wasn’t anything like the others. But he had no desire to confess his innermost feelings to a son who still held such deep resentment toward him.

So, instead, he let the remark slide, only striking back tangentially. “That’s not true. As of nine this morning, I am no longer a candidate for Senate.”

“Really? Figured you’d lose after that cheating scandal hit?”

“It’s too much on Julia right now. I didn’t want her dealing with the campaign when she’s under this much strain.”

Kyle shook his head, offering him an incredulous glance. “I don’t believe you. I think you knew you were going to lose. This way you don’t have to, and we can all pretend it’s because of Julia. You can blame her, not you.”

“I’m not blaming Julia. I made this decision because of Julia, but I’m not blaming her.”

“I don’t care why you made the decision, I just don’t want Julia hurt any further because of you.”

The words smacked at him like a physical blow. “I have never hurt Julia.”

“No, you only used her to make sure you stay out of trouble at every turn. She’s been through more in a year than most people go through in a lifetime. It might be best if she doesn’t get her memory back. At least then she won’t have to remember the worst year of her life.”

Kyle twisted and strode from the room, leaving Grant behind to process the biting remark. He sank onto the couch with a sigh, letting his head fall into his palms.

The conversation with Julia hadn’t gone at all how he’d hoped. Kyle’s presence weighed on him, making the situation all the more difficult.

It didn’t help either that Julia’s sole vague memory was of him. When he’d found them together last night, she’d seemed upset, but she’d still clung to his hand like he was a lifeline.

Ironic that the one man who managed to raise his hackles at every turn would be the only person Julia remembered. He didn’t want to stop her from leaning on him for whatever she needed to get her memory back, but he hated watching her need someone else.

His mind drifted to their time together. Why had she remembered Kyle only? Why not any of the moments they’d shared? Had she blocked them because she preferred to forget them? Had they been meaningless to her?

He shoved the thoughts aside, assuaging his fears with a meager balm that she likely just recalled the frenzy of the emergency room following her accident. The tense situation probably burned its way into some area of her brain, making Kyle remotely familiar to her.

“Difficult day, dear?” Lydia’s sharp voice instantaneously made his day worse.

“It’s not one of the best I’ve had,” he admitted.

“Ironic since it coincides with the day the latest in the long line of Mrs. Harringtons arrives home.”

He heaved a sigh at the thinly veiled insult. “Shut up, Lydia.”

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