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As he searched for the words, she lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “I’m sorry about that.”
His eyebrows pinched together. She was sorry?
“I may have been a little harsh.”
He wanted to lean into her words and allow her to take the blame, but he couldn’t. He needed her to know he was better than that. “Maybe, but I want you to know I’m sorry, too. You were right. It’s not me. Well, it’s not me anymore. I…saw red when he came here, and I reacted. But I’m trying not to be that man anymore.”
She pressed her lips together as he said the words. “I’m not certain I can blame you. I see Luke through a different lens, but what he did must have seemed very aggressive. Particularly, given his involvement with Lydia.”
“I appreciate that, Julia. But I’d really like you to know that…this morning was a temporary lapse in judgment.”
She offered him a tight-lipped smile and a nod. “It’s forgotten. With any luck, this win with those pictures will turn the tides.”
He blew out a breath, finally feeling some of the tension in his shoulders release. “Yes, that’s really good news.”
“One less thing to worry about. She can’t hurt Sierra.”
“Thanks to you,” Grant said as he took a step closer to her, his fingers tracing the outline of her arm.
“We should tell her. She’ll be thrilled.”
“Right,” he said as he bit back the urge to say more. She didn’t seem interested in talking about anything else, though, oblivious to the affection he struggled to conceal. But maybe now wasn’t the time. He preferred to sweep her off her feet, and the tension with Lydia still hung too heavy for that.
He stared down at her for another moment before a sudden burst of courage hit him. “Julia, before we go, there is one other thing…”
His words trailed off as she glanced up at him, her gaze questioning. Her eyes on him suddenly made him more nervous than he expected. What if she said no?
He swallowed hard, ready to take the chance when a knock at the door interrupted him. “Daddy! Are you in there? Where is everyone? We’re going to be late.”
Grant’s shoulders slumped as the incessant banging continued. Her timing was impeccable.
Julia’s eyes searched his as he shook his head. “Actually, hold that thought. It’s not pressing. We’ll talk about it another time.”
She smiled and nodded as he backed to the door and tugged it open. Sierra clicked her tongue as she set a hand on her hip. “You’re not even ready.”
“I just have to put my jacket on,” he said as he retreated across the room.
“Well, hurry up. I don’t want to be late. This is the first–” Sierra stepped inside, her voice cutting off abruptly as she spotted Julia. “Oh, oops. I didn’t realize I was interrupting anything.”
“You weren’t,” Julia answered.
Grant’s jaw clenched at the words as he pulled his jacket on. “We were just about to come find you,” his wife continued.
“I wasn’t interrupting…anything?” Sierra asked as she twirled a curl around her finger and shot a glance at her father.
The weight of her stare made him shift uncomfortably as he fiddled with his cufflink again. “No. Nothing that can’t wait.”
The look of disappointment on Sierra’s features was answer enough for him. “Are you sure? I can leave.”
“Don’t be silly,” Julia said with a laugh, much to his chagrin. “We have something very important to tell you.”
Sierra’s eyes widened and the corners of her lips curled. Her eyes slid back and forth between them. “Really? Is it really, really important? Like life-changing important.”
Julia bobbed her head up and down with an excited grin on her features, though Grant realized full well what his daughter was referring to. It had nothing to do with what Julia was about to announce and everything to do with what he had almost blurted out to his wife.
“Yes, it’s life-changing for you, Sierra,” Grant said with a subtle nod.
“For me?” Sierra asked, her nose wrinkling.
