She nodded, giving him that consoling glance again. “Yeah.”
“Well, what is it?” he asked, fearing the answer.
“Grant…” she began, her eyes sinking to the floor before she raised them to him again, “I am so sorry…she said…” Her voice hiccupped with a sob before she sucked in a breath and stiffened her posture. “Sierra isn’t yours.”
The three words crushed him, twisting his heart into a knot as his chest tightened, making breathing impossible. The room faded around him as he went numb. His ears rang, and the room spun. “What?” His voice came out a hoarse whisper as he choked out the word.
“I am so, so sorry. I was shocked when she said it. I–I thought maybe she was lying. Just…saying that to cause strife, so…I had Kyle run a DNA test.”
“Kyle?” He rose from the chair, running a trembling hand through his hair. “Kyle knows?”
She leapt from her seat and slid a hand onto his shoulder. “Yes. But I had to check first. I didn’t want to tell you this without knowing for certain.”
“Well, we don’t know for certain. Kyle…probably lied.”
She pressed her lips together as she twisted him to face her. “He wouldn’t lie about this.”
“Well, I don’t believe him…or her.” Grant struggled to keep his voice steady as his emotions raced in a thousand directions. His heart raced and disbelief coursed through him. This was onefinal taunt from Lydia. Kyle probably was in on it. It couldn’t be true.
“Okay, I understand. If you’d like to do another test–”
“No,” he barked out, his voice coming out sharper than he intended. He softened it before he spoke again. “No. She…lied. She probably cooked this up with Kyle before they parted ways.”
Julia rubbed his back as he leaned over the desk, his mind whirling. None of this could be true. It was all a lie. He shook his head. “It’s not true. It’s a lie.”
She didn’t answer, making the moment so much worse. He needed to hear her agree. He needed that reassurance. He was desperate for it.
“It’s not true,” he repeated. “Tell me you agree. Tell me you don’t think it’s true.”
She offered him a penitent smile, tears shining in her eyes. Her silence told him everything he needed to know.
He struggled to hold back a sob, his fingers tightening on the desk’s edge. “I can’t…”
His voice broke before he could deny it again.
She rubbed his back. “There’s nothing I can say to make this easier. But I’m here, okay? For whatever you need.”
The words brought the tumultuous feelings in him crashing down around him. He reached for her, pulling her tight against him as a tear slid down his cheek.
She squeezed him tight. “I know this is a lot. But it’s going to be okay.”
“No,” he answered, his voice shaking. “No, it’s…this is…it’s too much. She’s taken one of the only things that matters to me. She couldn’t take you, so she took Sierra instead.”
Julia pulled back from him, cupping his face in her hands. “That’s not true.”
“You’ll have to explain that one to me,” he said, his voice still weak.
“Grant, Sierra is your daughter in every way that matters. The DNA is just one part of parentage, and it’s not even the most important part.”
He tried to cling to those words, but he struggled, still feeling like the rug had been pulled out from under him. Lydia ripped away his daughter.
“We don’t have to talk about this now,” she said, her voice soft. “We don’t even have to talk about it at all. But I did think you deserved to know.”
He forced his mind to face the situation. “I’m not glad you told me, but I’m glad we don’t have any secrets. But I…”
His features pinched as he struggled to maintain his composure. She pulled him into a hug again. “You don’t have to know what to say. Take all the time you need. I’ll be right here with you.”
He slid his eyes closed, tightening his arms around her as he tried to use her to center himself. Wrapped in her embrace, the world outside fell away, leaving onto the weight of the revelation and the warmth of her presence. Time stretched as silence enveloped them.
