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“Bull, don’t die.”
He laughed. “Trust me. I plan to live a very long and healthy life.”
Chapter Fourteen
Grant stood out in the cold, staring at the dogs as they sniffed around the backyard of the clubhouse. He had to head into town to Aria’s house to grab her some clothes and personal items.
He loved seeing her in his clothes but knew there would come a point when she missed her own clothes. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he watched Wanda, Ernie, and Bruno. They were good dogs.
“Here you go,” Maddie said.
He turned to see her holding a mug of hot coffee.
“Thanks,” he said.
“Aria hasn’t come down for breakfast yet.”
“I told her to stay in my room,” he said.
“You’re going to keep her prisoner?”
Grant laughed. “No, but I don’t need her talking to you.”
Maddie snorted. “Please, I’m an adorable person.”
“Exactly. I can’t have you turning my woman against me.”
“That’s something I wouldn’t dream of doing.” She placed a hand on her heart. “I’m shocked you would even think that.”
“I know you were there last night,” Grant said.
“No, you don’t.”
Grant laughed. “And now you will never know if I did know you were there or not.”
Maddie shook her head. “That is a cruel trick.”
He winked at her.
“For what it’s worth, I think you should tell her the truth about … you know.”
Grant looked toward the clubhouse. “Maddie, Aria has a lot of … she has … body issues,” he said.
“Don’t we all?”
“Her mother has spent her whole life putting her on a diet, telling her she’s fat. That she’s ugly. When Aria looks in the mirror, all she sees is something … that I don’t.”
Maddie sighed. “It’s hard, Grant. I’ve been there, and even now, I still struggle. I gained quite a bit of weight with Lindsey, and I know I just want to lose it.”
“I can’t have her thinking I prefer her sister to her,” he said. “I can’t lose her.”
“Then don’t. Tell her the truth. Be honest with her. That’s all you can do and hope she sees reason.” Maddie put a hand on his arm. “And I hope your dad died a real horrible death for what he did to you. For what he did to us. We could have been great friends even before now. He cost us that.”
Grant nodded. He felt the heat rising up the back of his neck. “You heard it all.”
“I know this has been bothering Bull. I came to see how he was doing, but you arrived before I could take care of him.”
“Take care of my brother, Maddie. He needs it.” He finished off the hot coffee. It was freezing outside, so it didn’t take long for the drink to get warm enough for him to down quickly.
