Page 87 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

“What? Oh, God, no. Jaxon’s not like that. I really believe he’s offering it out of the goodness of his heart.”

“Well, you need to make your own choices, but I know how much you miss your dad and want him close. Just keep in mind his home is comfortable, a place he knows. Moving will put additional stress on him until he gets settled. And if it’s only temporary...”

I heard what Janice wasn’t saying. That this was a fling. My heart fought against her assumption.

“I know, and I’ll think about that part. I don’t want to make things harder for Dad. Besides, it’s not like I have to decide today, right?”

“Exactly. Your dad’s having a great morning. Want to say hi?” Janice asked.

Now that they’d finished discussing my offer, I figured this was a good time to go in. I knocked on the door to announce my presence. My gaze immediately zeroed in on Lily and the beautiful smile she gave me before she beckoned me closer.

“Hello?” Morris asked from the screen on Lily’s phone. “Pumpkin?”

Lily’s eyes filled with tears as she responded in a shaky voice. “Hi Dad. It’s good to see you. I’ve missed you.”

I moved closer, wanting to comfort her. One thing we often talked about was how hard it was never knowing if her dad would recognize her from day to day.

“I’ve missed you too. Where are you?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

“That job I told you about. The internship with the restoration project for Jaxon Beast.”

“Beast? The name’s familiar.”

“You’ve worked with Jaxon and his grandfather, André.” Lily gave me a quick glance at the mention of my grandfather. Knowing Lily, her soft heart was worried I’d be sad at hearing his name.

I tilted my chin in a brief nod to let her know I was okay.

“Yes! I did. André was great fun to work with. Tell him hello for me.”

Lily paused. “Dad, he passed away a few years back.”

Morris’s face fell. “Oh no, tell Jaxon, I’m so sorry. His grandfather was a good man.”

“You can tell him yourself if you’d like.” Lily’s eyes sought mine as though asking permission to include me.

I nodded and moved closer to her. Once by her side, I laid my palm against her back. I seemed to find more reasons to touch her when she was near. “Morris. It’s good to see you again.”

Morris smiled. “Nice to see you, too. I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather.”

“I appreciate it. Thanks.”

“I overheard Lily’s conversation with Janice about bringing me to your estate along with my homecare providers.” Morris eyed me as though trying to piece together my intentions.

“Yes, I thought it would be nice for Lily if you were closer.”

“I’m not always like this, Jaxon. During the times I’m not with it, I’ve been told I can be combative and not the best company to be around.”

I nodded.

“I don’t want Lily’s job to be affected by me being there. It’s bad enough she’s had to cover for me.” Morris’s face crumpled.

Lily sniffed. “Dad, you know that doesn’t matter to me. I’m here for you, no matter what.”

“Ah, sweet girl, I know you are. I just think Jaxon deserves to know what he’s getting into.”

“Whatever Lily and you decide, just know we welcome you here.”

Morris didn’t hide the conflicting emotions that crossed his face: sadness, hope, resignation, fear. “I’ll leave the decision up to my Lilybelle. Knowing I might not even remember this conversation, it’s probably best I don’t weigh in on it.”