Chapter 14

There was no hiding anything from Grace. Between the scrapes and bruises and my general mood once the adrenaline wore off, the perceptive little girl knew something was wrong. I chose to give her the tame version of the story. Leaving out names and choosing instead to tell her how someone who wanted to hurt me tried to run me over with a horse and how her daddy protected me and chased them off.

It turned into the important lesson about how sometimes people try to hurt others, and we need to be careful. I ended it by assuring her that she was safe and that I, her dad, and everyone at the house would take care of her.

Grace took it all in bravely, and then asked, “Are you okay? Do your cuts still hurt?” “No.” I shook my head. “I’m alright.”

That was a lie. My knees still stung, my arm sported a wicked bruise, my head ached, and to top it off, my clothes were bloodstained. But Grace didn’t need to know any of that.

“I’m glad my daddy was there to chase away the bad guy.” She said, digging into the bowl of marshmallows she had requested as her evening dessert.

“Me too. You’re a very lucky little girl.” I said, reaching over to steal one from her. She didn’t object. “When I was a little girl, I wished I had someone to take care of me the way your daddy takes care of you.”

“You didn’t have a daddy?” Grace asked, sounding just a little dismayed.

I shook my head. “No. Some people don’t have one.”

Grace appeared to think for a moment, pondering this information. “My daddy could take care you too. He can protect you.”

I snag another marshmallow. “I’m all grown up now.” I explain. “I don’t need to be taken care of anymore.”

Grace wrinkles her brow. “But daddy says even grownups need someone to love them.”

“Well, he’s right about that.” I concede. My mood sours even more.

That was supposed to be Julian. We were supposed to take care of each other. Love each other. And yet, when it mattered the most, he always seemed to let me down. My student loans and the incident with Vanessa were just the start in a list of disappointments that I had been dutifully ignoring. Maybe I needed to stop ignoring it.

When I had imagined the man I would spend my life with, I saw someone that represented safety, security, and reliability. My life had been so full of constant struggle, that I wanted someone who would give me that sense of something solid and safe. Someone who showed that they cared and whose eyes softened when they looked at me. Like I represented something just as important to them.

“You know when I was a little girl,” I tell Grace, hoping to distract her. “I always wanted a swing in my garden just like the one at Jeneau Castle. The big one, with all of the flowers around it.”

Grace’s face lights up. “I’ve been there!”

“Really?” I ask, smiling at her.

“Have you ever been there?” She asks and I shake my head.

“No, I’ve always wanted to. My class went once when I was young as a father-daughter trip, but I had just gotten to that foster parent’s house and they couldn’t go. Then, ticket prices went up and I’ve just been too busy working to make time for it.” I steal another marshmallow.

Movement at the door has me looking up to see Adrian, carrying a plate of chocolate chip cookies and Grace claps excitedly to see the additional sugar.

I meet his gaze and I swear his eyes soften a little. My cheeks heat. I really hope he didn’t hear all of that.

“Daddy, I think Lily needs a hug.” Grace announces and I almost choke on my marshmallow. Adrian stiffens.

“Grace, I don’t think that would be appropriate.” I say quickly. “I’m you’re nanny.”

The little girl wrinkles her nose and says without missing a beat, “But daddy says everyone who works at our house is family. We should hug family.”

Hard to argue with that.

I look over at Adrian, hoping he’ll help me out. He looks equally at a loss. We’ve lost this argument. He sits down next to me on the couch and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. I can’t help but lean into his warm chest and when I do, it’s like all the emotions and stress of the day just melt away. Like through his embrace, he’s giving me his strength.

Adrian

I close the door to my study a little harder than I mean to. The wolf is howling again. I shouldn’t have hugged her. The moment my arms were around Lily, and I had her body against mine, I knew.

It was true. She was my mate.

Having her in my arms was a practice in self-control not to lean down and claim her lips with mine. Let myself give in to the attraction I’ve felt since the moment I saw her in that hotel hallway.

Listening to her talk about her childhood made my heart ache for her. I wanted nothing more in the world than to show her something different. Show her what it was to feel safe, secure, and cared for.

But she was Julian’s mate.

The wolf renewed its fury at that thought. I silenced it.

My relationship with my son was rocky, but it had just started to get better. I had received a message from him the day before agreeing to attend the Heir Ceremony. I’m not sure why he changed his mind, but I wasn’t going to question it.

A year ago, my son was refusing to so much as speak to me. Now he was showing up at the house, calling me to help find his girlfriend at the hotel, and agreeing to come to a ceremony he stubbornly refused to attend for years.

The only difference was Lily. She was changing him, and I finally had hope of a relationship with my son. There was no way I was jeopardizing that.

I take a deep breath, ignore my raging wolf, and make the hard decision.

I pick up my phone and after making a few arrangements, send a message to my son. “I have 2 VIP tickets to the Jeneau Castle. Why don’t you take Lily on a date there?”

I don’t have to wait for long for a reply. “What made you change your mind about her.”

“You care for her.” I write back. “Go and have a good time.”

I put down the phone, pour myself a strong drink, and sit back in my office chair, listening while the wolf curses me.