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“Instead, Luke waltzed right through it.” She pressed her palm against her forehead.
A surge of protectiveness raced through him. “Hey, if you want me to ask him to leave…”
She sighed and shook her head. “No, you’d better not. Let’s just hope this wraps up quickly.”
“And that your friend can do what he says he can. If we can take away even a little bit of Lydia’s power, this would be far easier.”
“I know,” Julia said. “Although I’m not sure how much easier it’ll be. Just because she can’t hurt Sierra doesn’t mean she won’t have something else up her sleeve. She’s already come after you how many times.”
“And you. That’s the one thing Kyle and I agree on. I want you out of the line of fire as much as possible.”
“I appreciate that,” she said as she grabbed his hand and squeezed. “We’d better get in there.”
“Yes, I don’t think we can avoid it much longer.”
She nodded as she took a step toward the door when he pulled her back. “Hey, if it gets too intense, let me know, okay?”
She smiled up at him as she slipped her hand into his again. “Thanks.”
They strode to the living room. Each step felt like he was walking toward his doom. He had no desire to deal with Luke or even Julia’s other friends. Guilt coursed through him about that. She finally had someone from her past at Harrington House, and he hated it.
She’d even brought them to help him, and he still found himself aggravated by how easily they conversed with Julia, how close they seemed to her despite years of not seeing her. He lived with her every day and didn’t feel nearly as close.
Worthington delivered him another bourbon as he entered and offered Julia a brandy to help with her nerves. They parted ways with Grant headed toward Sierra who glared at her mother and Luke.
As he crossed the room, he came to the sudden realization that in the two years she’d lived here, she’d never had a single personal moment within these walls. She’d never had a friend over, never invited family, never intruded on their lives.
The thought settled in the pit of his stomach, weighing his heart down, too. Why hadn’t he pressed her to expand her presence here? He wanted her to feel at home here, but he’d done a terrible job. Had he been so concerned with himself that he’d ignored her when he should have cherished every moment? He vowed to do better moving forward…if he had the opportunity.
“Hi, baby,” he said as he approached Sierra. “How are you holding up?”
Her narrowed eyes never left her mother and Luke. “Why is he here?”
Grant glanced at him, his jaw clenching. “I guess your mother convinced him–”
“To make a play for Julia?” Sierra asked.
“I was going to say to go into business with her but…”
Sierra shifted her angry gaze to him. “Really? Please tell me you are not actually that stupid.”
“That’s a little much, Sierra. I have built a billion-dollar energy empire.”
“But failed in almost two years to tell the perfect woman for you that you want to stay married to her.”
Grant sucked in a breath. “Guilty. Julia is…”
“Going to leave us for Luke,” Sierra finished for him before she poked him in the chest. “Unless you do something.”
He flicked his gaze sideways, spotting Julia speaking with Alex. They seemed to be intensely discussing something that brought color to her cheeks.
“Easy, Sierra. Your mother probably just brought him here to make the dinner uncomfortable and throw things into chaos. It’s probably just a distraction.”
“Don’t downplay this, Daddy.”
“I’m not. I’m just…trying to keep it in perspective. I know I don’t like Luke, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything nefarious going on here.”
“Pretty certain all the looks he kept giving her over dinner were nefarious. And then Julia kept drinking more and more wine. You know what happens when women drink lots of wine and then guys look at them like that?”
