Page 3 of Believing in a Billionaire (Hearts and Holdings #7)

Julia smiled at him before he strode from the room, and she swung back to her monitor. She stared at the display, her fingers ready to type, but the words didn’t come. Instead, she stared at the blinking cursor with a frown.

With all the drama in their past, she thought writing would be easier. Instead, she couldn’t get beyond a single word. She wondered if a call to her sister was in order.

She glanced at her phone, but before she could grab it, warm hands rubbed her shoulders. Grant’s voice tickled her ear. “Writer’s block, Mrs. Harrington?”

She twisted to face him, sliding her hand onto his. “Something like that.”

“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to make progress now that you aren’t single-handedly trying to save this family from ruination.”

She rose and allowed him to pull her closer and plant a kiss on her lips before she grinned at him. “Well, maybe not.”

Her eyes fell to the calendars sprawled across her desk. He shifted his gaze to them, his muscles tensing a little. “What is this?”

“Sierra’s Mother-Daughter event calendar.”

His eyes went wide as he stared at the sheer number of events littering the page. “Oh, uh…I’m sorry about that. Sierra can be a little overzealous. I’ll talk to her.”

“No!” she exclaimed. “It’s fine. I want to do them all with her.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You don’t need to apologize or ask her to back off. I love Sierra. And she’s really excited about something called the…Magnolia Ladies Mother-Daughter Tea.”

Grant lifted his chin as he sucked in a sharp breath. “Yeah, she’s always wanted to go to that. Thank you for taking her.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m excited to go, though apparently, we need to go hat shopping first.”

Grant’s features broke into a smile. “Well, it sounds like Sierra has thought of everything.” He glanced at the paper again. “I just hope you can find some time to spend with me.”

Julia chuckled. “I’ll make sure we find some time.”

He traced the outline of her chin before he gave her another kiss. “Good. Although…”

The grin faded from his lips, replaced by a taut jaw.

Her features pinched, not liking the tension in his features. “What is it?”

“I need to apologize to you already.”

“Oh?” Her stomach flip-flopped at the words.

He heaved a sigh. “Something’s come up at work, and I need to run to the office.”

“Oh, only that? What’s up?”

He shifted his weight, his shoulders tensing. “Nothing major, just…something that I need to take care of.”

She knitted her brows. He seemed tense for it being nothing major. “Okay. Well, there’s no need to apologize. I understand how much it takes to run this business. I did it for a while, remember?”

“I do. And you were an excellent CEO. But…I’m supposed to be off today, and spending time with you. Actually,” he said, the grin returning to his face, “I was supposed to be taking you to the cabin. You ruined my big plan to surprise you.”

“Did I?”

“You did. I wanted to tell you all those things I said last night only with you surrounded by hundreds of roses, candlelight, music, a roaring fire, and champagne. I had it all planned.”

“Well, I guess I should be apologizing to you, then, for ruining your big plan.”

“You should,” he said as he grinned at her and rubbed the new ring on her hand.

Before she could answer, her phone buzzed across the desk. She glanced down at it before she winced. “It’s my sister.”

“Oh, you’d better answer it.”

She glanced up at him with an apologetic expression as she swiped the phone. “Sorry.”

He kept his arms around her as she pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey, Ally.”

Silence met her answer, and her forehead creased. “Ally?”

A sob sounded on the other end of the line. “Juju…”

Her stomach dropped at the sound as her muscles tensed. “Ally! What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I left Ethan,” she said with a hiccup. “Our marriage is over.”

“Oh, Ally, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

Grant rubbed her arm as Alicia responded. “Yeah. You can come to your apartment and let me in so I can cry in peace away from prying eyes.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “You’re in New Orleans?”

“I took the first flight I could. I just…need my sister. I came straight to your place, but I guess you’re not home?”

“No, I’m not…uh…I’ll be right there. Just sit tight, okay?”

“Thanks, Juju. I’ll be here.”

Julia ended the call, her lips tugging into a frown as she vetted ideas.

“What happened?” Grant asked.

She flicked her gaze up to him. “Alicia left Ethan. And took the first flight here. She’s sitting outside my old apartment.”

“She has no idea you’re here,” Grant answered as realization dawned in his eyes.

“No. She probably thinks…never mind. You don’t have to apologize for going to the office because I’m going to need to go get Alicia and find her a hotel and–”

“Hotel?” Grant interrupted. “Bring her here.”

Julia froze as she picked up her purse, her eyes rising slowly to meet his.

Her mind raced back to the week they’d spent in Maine.

Alicia’s cold words as she blamed Grant for everything and Grant’s sharp response had ruined the first moments of their family vacation.

Bringing Alicia to the house wasn’t just inviting her sister, it was inviting a ghost of her past along with all its unresolved bitterness. “Grant, that’s a terrible idea.”

“But she’s your family.”

“And you two hate each other. The last time you saw her, she lied to you about a restraining order and wouldn’t let you see me.”

“Yes, that’s true, but…”

“But what?”

He heaved a sigh, pressing his lips together for a second before he spoke. “You know when Alex and Ava were here, I realized that in two years, you’d never had family or friends here. And I want that to change. This is your home, too. I want you to feel comfortable having your family here.”

“Well, I don’t,” she shot back. “Not when my family and you don’t get along at all.”

“We’ll get along. It’ll be easier now that this is a real relationship. She’ll have to accept your choice. We can’t avoid her forever.”

Julia pressed her lips together as she shifted her weight. Did she really want to bring Alicia here given how she felt about Grant? Would her sister even come?

“Julia,” he said, wrapping his arms around her again, “I’m serious. I want you to bring her here. I’ll get along with her, I promise.”

Julia eyed him for a second before she nodded. “Okay. But if this causes a problem…”

“It won’t. I promise. It’ll be fine.”

“Thank you,” she said with a peck on his lips. “Good luck at the office. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“I will. Good luck with Alicia.”

Her hand lingered on his before she finally tugged it away. She left the comfort of her room behind, hurrying to her car and sliding behind the wheel.

As she fired the engine, a knot tightened in her stomach.

Bringing Alicia into the heart of the Harrington household was a gamble, one that could either mend fences or ignite old feuds.

With each mile closer to her old apartment, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was steering into a storm, one that could challenge the fragile peace they’d just found.