Page 85 of The Grump I Loathe

And with that, she turned and marched away, her fists clenched by her sides. I didn’t have any way to convince her to leave, and I wasn’t about to abandon her here, so I did the only thing I could and made my way back to our table, debating if I wanted another drink.

It only took a minute to decide the answer was no—tonight was not the night to drown my sorrows. Not while I was still responsible for Grace. So I sat there and watched my daughter dance with everyone except me.

I was fine.

This didn’t hurt.

I’d done the right thing pushing Eddie away. Getting involved with her had been a terrible idea from the start. Avoiding precisely this situation was why I’d instituted the no-dating policy in the first place. I’d let my own selfish desires creep in, and the mess had blown up in my face, as I should have known it would.

Eddie had wormed her way past my professional distance with her fun lessons and her endless positivity and that fiery rebuttal that was always on the tip of her tongue. And I’d let her!

But no more of that. Eddie was right. Things were over between us.

Because no matter how bad things had gotten with the divorce, Grace had never once said she was angry withme. And now she wouldn’t even look at me.

I pulled my phone from my pocket, desperate for a distraction, but it was still too early for Mom to be awake. I considered texting my brothers, but they’d only realize something was wrong, and I wasn’t in the mood to explain.

More frustration surged through me. I was pissed that Mom had barely checked in this weekend. She knew how difficult this was going to be for me. Was she so wrapped up in her romance that her own family didn’t matter to her anymore, either?

My hand trembled, and I clenched my fist. Why did it feel like I was losing Mom, Grace, and Eddie in the same weekend?

Sleeping with Eddie had been a mistake. Coming to this wedding had been a mistake. Letting Grace get dragged into the middle of all this drama had been the biggest mistake of all. She was a kid. She should be focused on just being akid.Nothing more. That was the life I wanted for her. Not one stressing over her parents.

I didn’t want her to have to grow up too fast. I didn’t want her to have my childhood.

I was ruining everything.

I sighed heavily, throwing my phone down on the table. What I needed was a night to get my head screwed on straight. Tomorrow, I would knuckle down, deal with the lawyer, patch up any concerns with Mr. Singh, and pray Pavilion Games was still coming to the table to sign the distribution deal. Songs stopped and started, the emcee made more announcements, and what felt like eons later, Grace slumped toward me, looking moody but exhausted.

“I’m still mad at you,” she announced. “But I’m ready to go back to the room now.” She marched past me, stopped, then held her hand out for me. “You can tuck me in.”

I swallowed the glob of emotion in my throat. Maybe she wouldn’t forgive me tonight, but tomorrow would be a new day. I blinked away the sudden weight behind my eyes as I took her hand. I squeezed gently and she squeezed back. We’d be okay, me and Grace. And that’s all that mattered.

Not the way my chest constricted as Eddie’s words replayed in my mind.

Not the look on her face as I’d refused to give her a reason to stay.

Not the way my heart was shattering.

Not the way I’d miss her warmth next to me in bed.

I held Grace’s hand as we crossed the lobby to wait for the elevator, and my eyes burned. I clenched my jaw, fighting off the desire to find Eddie, pull her close, hold her.

That was over now.

It had to be.

My phone buzzed before the elevator arrived, and I looked at it, hoping it was finally Mom. Instead, I found a text from Leigh.

She’s safe, by the way,Leigh wrote.Doctor cleared her with a minor concussion.

My heart hammered in my chest. A concussion? I hadn’t even realized she’d hit her head. I started to respond when another message from Leigh flashed across the screen.

Not that you apparently care.

27

EDDIE