The room fell silent when I opened the door, and both men turned to look at me. I gave Grant a reassuring smile before turning my attention to Kiro. He looked awful. He had lost weight since I’d seen him last, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He wasn’t wearing any jewelry. If he weren’t covered in tattoos, he’d look like an average older man. But he was a rock god. The world’s rock god. My dad.
“Hey, Daddy,” I said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.
Pain contorted his face, and he shook his head. “You can’t do this, baby girl. I won’t let you. I need you. Gambling with your life sure as hell ain’t gonna fly. I’m taking you to get this fixed.”
“No,” I interrupted him. I had known what he would say, but hearing him actually say it was too hard. “No,” I repeated for emphasis. “I’m staying here. I have an obstetrician who specializes in pregnancies like mine. He’s teamed up with a cardiologist, and I will see him weekly. Yes, this is a high-risk pregnancy compared with normal ones, but I’m considered low-risk in my category. The doctor is positive about this.”
“But there’s still a risk. Why? Why would you do this to me? You know I need you. This—this . . . thing isn’t even a baby yet. It’s just a fetus. It can kill you, Harlow. I can’t allow anything to take you away from me. Your mother wouldn’t want this. Emmy would be heartbroken. Is this a religious thing? Is this some shit your grandmama taught you? Because it’s bullshit! Do you hear me! Bullshit.”
“Daddy! Stop. I want this baby. It’s our baby. Mine and Grant’s. I love this baby—and it is a baby, not a thing. It’s our baby, and I love it so much.” My voice broke, and Grant was beside me in an instant, his arm wrapping around my shoulders.
Kiro shifted his gaze from me to Grant, and a furious gleam lit his eyes. “This is your fault,” he said.
“Daddy, no—”
“If she dies, I will kill you. Do you understand me, boy? I will end you.”
“Daddy, stop—”
“She’s all I’ve got. You can make babies with some woman who won’t get killed by it. You didn’t have to knock up my baby girl—the only f**king thing I have left of Emmy.” Kiro shook his head. “You don’t know what it’s like to love someone like I love Emmy. You have no f**king clue. And Harlow is part of Emmy. My Emmy.”
My stomach felt sick, and my chest hurt. I hated hearing him talk about Emily, my mother. He still grieved over the life he had lost with her. It broke my heart over and over again now that I knew the truth behind my father’s rock-and-roll image.
“Harlow is my world. I love her, and I will do anything to protect her. She’s my only concern. But she also wants this baby. I won’t force her to do something she doesn’t want to do.” Grant’s words sounded grave and tense.
Kiro continued to glare at him. “Really? Because you sure weren’t thinking about keeping her safe when you f**ked her without protection,” he snarled.
Grant flinched.
“Daddy, please stop this.”
“I didn’t know about her heart. I never would’ve . . .” Grant swallowed and took a deep, ragged breath. “Never would’ve done anything to hurt her. I had no idea she had this condition. I wasn’t trying to get her pregnant.”
“But you did,” Kiro said in a hateful tone. Then he turned his attention back to me. “You’ve always known you couldn’t have kids, Harlow. It wasn’t something we kept from you. I warned you all your life that you had to be careful and take care of yourself, that your heart wasn’t as strong as others’.”
I had lived in fear as a child because Kiro had convinced me that if I did anything exciting, my heart would stop working. I didn’t understand what was wrong with it, but I knew it was broken. I hated being broken. “I don’t want to live like I’m broken. I’m strong, Daddy. I’ve proved that over the years. I need you to believe me. Trust me that I can do this, because I’m going to. Grant can’t change my mind, you can’t change my mind, and no doctor can change my mind. I want this baby. I want our baby,” I said, reaching for Grant’s hand and threading my fingers through his.
Kiro threw up his hands and let out a string of curses, then pointed at our clasped hands. “Enjoy that, because you’re killing her!” he yelled at Grant. “Life without the love of the woman who owns you makes it one empty f**king nightmare. Prepare yourself, because I’ve already lived this hell. I know what it’s like.” He took a step toward me and cupped my face in his hands. “I love you. You’re my girl. Always have been,” Kiro whispered, and he pressed a kiss to my cheek. Then he turned and walked out the door without another word.
I waited for it to sink in that he was gone. He was angry, but he was leaving. I would miss him, but I knew that once I survived this, he’d come around. He would be a part of our baby’s life, and he would love his grandchild. I just had to live for all of us.
Grant tugged my hand until I was pressed against his chest. His body was tense, and I knew the words my dad had spat at him were going to haunt him. Kiro didn’t know he had just thrown all of Grant’s fears in his face.
“I’m going to be OK. I can do this,” I told him with a fierceness that left little doubt. I was strong. I was going to show them all just how strong I was.
“You have to be. I can’t . . . I can’t live without you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
It was my turn to reassure him. I reached up and pulled his face down to mine so I could press my lips firmly against his. He opened for me immediately, and his hands wrapped around me as he kissed me with all the love, passion, and warmth that embodied Grant Carter.
Grant
Blaire rescheduled her girls’ day with Harlow and invited Della along for lunch and a trip to the spa. The idea of Harlow getting pampered made me happy. As long as the people touching her were women. Blaire had assured me they would be, then laughed at me.
I had handled the issue in Sandestin and didn’t have to work, but I knew Harlow needed time with friends. I wanted to give her space. Then Woods called and asked if Rush and I wanted to join him for a round of golf. It had been a while since we’d done this. I knew the absence of Jace would be on all of our minds.
I had stepped out of the truck and reached for my clubs in the back when I smelled a familiar perfume. Shit. No one had told me Nan was back in town. I hauled the bag out of the truck bed, then turned to face Nan. My biggest mistake.
“You look better than the last time I saw you,” she said with a smirk.