Page 77 of Accidental Irish Daddy

“Are you certain? Yes, of course. As soon as you can get to me. I want it brought into court so we can end this motherfucker once and for all.” He laughs. “Right, well, let’s hope for the best.”

The word court sticks out. He’s not talking about my case…is he?

When I come out of the bathroom, he’s off the phone and sitting on the bed in his sweatpants. He smiles up at me and I come to him, putting my arms around his neck and kissing him.

“What do you say we go out to dinner tonight,” he says. “Just the three of us?”

I’m looking down at him and I want to see sincerity…I don’t know, maybe I’ve looked at him for so long now that I can tell when he’s hiding something. And I’m sure he is.

“Who were you just talking to?”

His smile fades a little, then he stands up. “It was business,” he says. He walks over to his closet. “I was thinking of somewhere fancy tonight. I’ve never had the chance to take you out on a proper date. I figure why not now?”

I don’t like this. My gut is telling me that there’s something more here and…and I don’t like it.

“Grant? Who was on the phone?”

“I told you—”

“Please don’t do this,” I say. “Things are going so well and…and I can’t do this if you’re going to start off lying to me.”

He sighs and walks over to me. “You’re right. No secrets between us.”

He takes my hands and sits on the bed, pulling me down next to him.

“I was thinking about the custody case and how uneven it is with you working at the club and everything that Liam has levied against you.”

I blink at him, my heart pounding. “Don’t tell me something’s happened.”

“No. Well, yes, but not in the way you think. I hired a private detective to look into Liam. I figured a man like that had to have some demons lurking about that we can use in the case.” He takes a deep breath. “That was just my PI on the phone. He’s found something on your uncle that’s…”

Why is he drawing this out? What’s the struggle here? “Grant…just tell me.”

He releases my hands and looks down to the floor. “The night of your parents’ accident… Seems that Liam was driving the car.”

It’s like all the air just flies out of the room. “Wh-what?”

“The three of them were at a pub. Your mother and father were, reportedly, sober as judges. Your uncle, on the other hand, had had quite a bit to drink. Toward the end of the night, he convinced your father that he was all right to drive home. The pub they were at wasn’t far. Right around the corner. According to witnesses, Liam drove the car into oncoming traffic about a mile from your house.”

My hand leaps to my mouth as I gasp. The tears are starting to come. He goes on.

“Your uncle should have been brought up on charges. Would have been, actually, except at the time, he had some friends on the force. They altered the files so that he wouldn’t get into trouble.”

He stops talking and the air is suddenly thick and heavy around me. That son of a bitch. That horrible…son of a bitch!

I dissolve into Grant’s arms. He lets me cry for a bit, kissing me on top of my head. After a few moments, I get myself together, wiping my face with the palm of my hand.

“There is good in this,” he says. “What he’s done…well, it’s manslaughter. The cops who changed the file are in trouble aswell. This find has opened a rather large can of worms that can’t be closed again.”

I blink, putting it together. “Wait…so, what does this mean for my custody case?”

“I haven’t talked to Arthur yet, but I figure if Liam’s in jail, then custody will naturally go to Bridget’s next of kin. Which is you.”

I can’t believe it. I just…I can’t believe it. I stand up and start pacing, the joy propelling me forward. “It’s over. It’s…it’s really over. I’ll get custody of Bridget.”

“Yes,” he says. “I mean, there are still some things to do, but it certainly looks like Liam’s finally going to get his.”

I leap up in the air and whoop loudly. Then I jump on Grant, knocking him back onto the bed. I kiss him hard, and he smiles against my lips.

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