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The words stung him, twisting a knife in his gut. His son wasn’t wrong. And it was that very concept that had pushed him to spend nearly two years with the woman without confessing his feelings.
“What is the purpose of this little non-heart-to-heart?” Kyle asked.
“I wanted to clear the air, but you’re making that impossible.”
“Of course, I am. It’s always someone else’s fault, isn’t it?”
Grant sipped his drink again, stalking a few steps away to stare out the window as he tried to get his temper under control. “You said some things that I wanted to address.”
“Such as?”
“Like the idea that you’re not really family. And that I treat Sierra differently.”
“You do. It’s not an idea, it’s a fact. And I’m not. You make that obvious.”
Grant twisted to face him, a pang of understanding striking him. “I’m sure there is some truth to the second statement. But…I raised Sierra. I’m sorry that I didn’t know you when you were growing up. Maybe things could have been different then.”
“Worse, probably,” Kyle said with a shake of his head. “At least I grew up with two loving parents this way.”
“Yet you came out so hateful.”
Kyle flicked his gaze, clouded with anger, to his father, his jaw clenched.
Grant heaved a sigh, disappointment over his own behavior filling him. Julia would have given him a disapproving look over that statement. “Sorry.”
“Not as sorry as I am,” Kyle said before he finished his bourbon and slammed the glass down.
“Kyle, wait–” Grant said as his son stormed toward the door.
The man whipped around to face him, his fists clenched at his sides. “For what? For you to tell me it’s my problem? For you to be disappointed in me again? Why should I care? You’re a horrible person. You’ve used Julia for two years, put her through hell, made her make impossible choices. Do you really think for a second I’d want to hear your opinion on anything?”
The words were like a physical blow. The anger spewing from his son wasn’t misplaced. He tried to answer each piece of his statement, but his mind leapt ahead, wanting to strike back. “So, what, Kyle? Was I right all along? You hate me. Are you lying about working with us? Are you really out to destroy me despite what you said?”
Kyle scowled at him. “No. I’d never betray Julia. Not like you.”
“I never betrayed her either. And I never would. I love her.” The words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop them, his voice breaking as he admitted aloud something that he hadn’t even fully allowed himself to grasp.
Kyle cocked his head, his eyebrows pinching. “What?”
Grant shifted his gaze to the floor, his nostrils flaring as he tightened his grip on his glass. Why had he blurted that out to his son?
“Wow. You have got a really funny way of showing that. Have you told her?”
“No,” he growled.
Kyle scoffed at the statement, shaking his head. “Of course not. Because you’re a coward. You were a coward thirty-three years ago, and you still are. You couldn’t face my mother. You couldn’t face your own hostile board. And now you can’t face Julia. Though I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want to have that conversation with her either if I was you. With your track record, she’ll probably laugh in your face when you tell her.”
“Look, Kyle–”
“If you’re about to ask me not to tell Julia what you just said, don’t worry, I won’t. I have no desire to complicate things for Julia. And every desire to prove to her that I’m the better Harrington for her.” He headed for the door again.
“Kyle, wait.”
His hand lingered on the doorknob. “For?”
“Sierra’s reputation is still at stake here. I need to know that you’re not going to do anything to damage that.”
“I already told you. I’m loyal to Julia. Sierra’s ruined reputation would upset her. So, it won’t happen from anything I’ve done.”
