Inappropriate - Vi Keeland Page 0,60

bad guy he was, even though everything I’d witnessed so far in my time spent with him had shown me just the opposite. I went round and round, analyzing and overanalyzing where things had taken that turn, and I came back to one commonality. Every time we talked about Grant’s ex-wife, he took a step back.

There had to be a piece to the puzzle I was still missing.

Chapter 21

* * *

Grant - 7 years ago

“She’s perfect.” I kissed Lily’s forehead and looked down at the tightly swaddled little princess. Eight pounds, four ounces of perfection. One little foot kept finding its way out of the blanket. It was hard to imagine how something so small could make such a big footprint on my heart so fast. But that’s how it happened. I saw her face, and my heart immediately swelled inside my chest.

The last few months had been pretty damn amazing. Pregnancy seemed to agree with Lily—or maybe it was the therapist she’d been seeing. I wasn’t sure, but she’d been so happy and excited through it all. We’d talked a lot about our own screwed-up home lives over the last nine months and how our personal experiences had taught us so much—what not to do. We were both excited to give our child the kind of life we’d dreamed of having with our own parents. We wanted the kind of life Pia and William had given me.

I pulled the blanket up and covered my little girl’s foot. “Is it weird to say I feel different already?”

Lily smiled. “It’s only been two hours. So maybe.”

I couldn’t describe what had changed the moment my daughter was born. I looked into her eyes and saw nothing but innocence, and suddenly the gravity of being a father hit me. I wasn’t just here to change diapers and pay college tuition someday. My job was to protect her from all of the things in life that chip away at the innocence we’re all born with. My mother’s drugs and Lily’s mother’s mental illness had made us grow up too fast. But that wouldn’t happen with my little girl. I’d protect her from the evils of the world as long as I could.

Lily rubbed her nose with the baby’s. “How about Leilani?”

I’d wanted to pick out names over the last few months, but Lily said a child was like art. You didn’t name it. It gave you its name when it was complete. To be honest, I’d thought that was a load of crap. But as I looked down at my daughter, my eyes roaming her beautiful face, I realized my wife had been right.

I nodded. “Leilani. That feels right, doesn’t it?”

Lily looked up at me. “It’s perfect. Just like she is.”

I kissed the top of my wife’s head. “Like you both are. My girls. Lily and Leilani. I’m going to take care of you two forever.”

Chapter 22

* * *

Ireland

“Thanks, George.” The guy from the mailroom had just come around and dropped off a package. On top was a legal-size manila envelope with my name across it.

I kicked off my shoes and sat down at my desk to slice it open. Inside was a Notice of Hearing for my zoning variance, and there was a yellow sticky stuck to the middle of the page.

Mr. Lexington asked me to pass this along when it came in. – Millie

At first I was confused. What in the heck was Grant doing with the paperwork for my house? Then I noticed the date of the hearing—a week from today. The architect had told me the building department was months behind. Had I even mentioned that to Grant? Ahhh… I’d told Santa Grant. How the hell had he done this?

I picked up my phone and started to text him, but decided to call instead. I wanted to remind him about something else anyway.

Grant picked up on the first ring.

“Are you really Santa Claus or something?”

He chuckled. “Hang on a second.” I heard the sound of the phone being covered and then a muffled “Excuse me for a minute, gentlemen,” before a door opened and shut and Grant returned to the line.

“I’m guessing you got the paperwork from the City.”

“Yes. But how?”

“I have a friend at the building department who owed me a favor. I called it in and asked him to prioritize whatever you needed.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe you did that. Thank you so much.”

“Can’t have my employees homeless, now can I?”

“Is that why you did it?