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“You can use Deidre’s home office. It’s completely equipped, including two desktop computers. You already have access to the Wi-Fi.”
“I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right, I could.”
She walked ahead of him to Deidre’s office, across the hall from the living room. The office looked much as it had five years ago, although the equipment had clearly been updated. With a network connection, he’d be able to access the company system. He wouldn’t be able to do all of his work, but he’d make some inroads.
He could call Grace and arrange a Skype call with her. That way he could try again with her. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the only thing he could think of at the moment. The only thing he knew for certain was that he couldn’t make another mistake where Grace was concerned.
* * *
GRACE WAS SO relieved when Lucas pulled into the parking lot of his condo. She had called him in tears after the conversation with Aidan. When Lucas heard how upset she was, he’d told her to meet him there. He was at a meeting in Greenville, but he’d said he would be home as soon as possible.
She jumped out of her car and raced over to him.
“Gracie, I’m sorry you’re so upset. What’s Aidan up to now?” he asked, pulling her close.
“I’m so relieved to see you.”
“I’ll always be here for you, sis,” he said, hugging her tight. “It’s kind of nice to have my baby sister need me.”
“I always need you, silly,” she murmured into his shirt.
“Not in recent times. Even with all your baby-making efforts, you kept your biggest worries to yourself,” he said, clicking the locks on his truck key fob before starting up the walkway toward the condo entrance. “Let’s go in so we can talk.”
Once inside, he led her over to the sofa. “Now, spill the beans. You and Aidan are fighting about how he’s behaving over Emma and Deidre, right?”
“Yes. It’s as if he’s taken complete control of our lives.”
“Have you told him how you feel?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“That he was willing to talk, but that was after he’d left me feeling as if I didn’t matter in his life.”
Lucas looked at her, his affection for her clear in his expression. “I’m here to encourage you to not let go of what you and Aidan have. I realize that’s not easy, given what a mess he’s managed to make of things, but you can’t give up.”
“What am I supposed to do? Every time we speak, it’s all about his daughter, his concerns. I feel so angry at him—”
“That you clam up, right? You get angry and you walk away.”
“That’s not—”
“Let me ask you something, and be honest with yourself.”
“Go ahead,” she said, feeling very uncomfortable with the conversation.
“Do you think there will ever come a day when you can forgive Aidan for what he did?”
“I—I don’t know. There is so much between us that is good, but the past few weeks have left me unable to trust him. I don’t believe in him anymore. I’d really like to have our old life back, but I realize that’s not possible under the circumstances. We will always have a child he had with another woman in our lives. I’m not sure I can get past that.”
“Oh, sis, I wish I could kick Aidan’s ass to Mars and back for what he did. Believe me, Aidan seriously regrets what he did. Hell. He’s called me every day since your first trip to Spartanburg, full of remorse, begging me to help him convince you that he didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“So what am I supposed to do?”
“I have no idea. It’s certainly been a wake-up call for me where Maria is concerned. She and I have talked every night about being willing to share everything, no matter how difficult it may be. And, oddly enough, our relationship has gotten stronger. To think it took your marriage problems for me to make changes in my relationship with Maria.”
