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I glowered at him, taking a heavy sip of my beer before setting it on the counter and crossing my arms.
“I was worried about you,” he continued, his voice dropping an octave.
A spur of guilt wrapped around my heart as I met his eyes, deep and green and lined with worry.
“I’m sorry. This is what you hired me to do, Grant.”
He rolled his lower lip between his teeth, shrugging his shoulders as he set his beer down.
“We need to talk, Moira.”
“I know,” I breathed.
“Mama!” Day said as he sped around the corner and into the kitchen, Jenny at his side. “Can we spend the night?”
“No—”
“Sure,” Grant said, then looked at me, a boyish smile touching the corner of his mouth. “If it’s okay with your mom.”
I sighed heavily, looking between Grant and Day. Day was going to throw a fit if I said no, and in all honesty, I didn’t want to drag him kicking and screaming back to the bunkhouse in the middle of a thunderstorm.
“Fine, but you’re going to bed in an hour.”
Day beamed, jumping up and down before darting back into the living room and out of sight.
A silence passed between me and Grant, broken only by the steady claps of thunder breaking overhead.
“It’s for the best. The power will likely go out soon at this rate.”
“You don’t have to take care of him like this,” I said, a little breathless.
“I’m taking care of you,” he replied heavily.
I met his eyes as he took a step toward me, shaking his head.
“You’ve been doing this on your own for far too long.”
“I never asked for your help—”
“I never asked for permission.”
“Grant—”
“Moira,” he said in sharp whisper. “I don’t know what happened between you and Day’s father. I don’t care, honestly. What I’m telling you right now is that I want you. I want you to stay. I want you to stay as more than just my employee.”
“I can’t do this to Day.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t—he loves you. It’s just been me and him practically his entire life and he loves you, Grant. You say you want me but you don’t even know me. What happens if we get together and you change your mind? We leave? I have to take Day away from here, uproot a life he deserved to have from the beginning? Do you think I don’t feel fucking guilty about bringing him here in the first place now? For showing him what his life could be like if he had a man around, giving him things that I can’t. A different love than I can?”
“Moira—”
“I want you,” I said, my voice strained. “I do. Since the fucking day I got here. But I can’t risk the happiness of my son on my feelings. I have to protect him.”
“Who the fuck do you think I am? Do you think I’d just throw you to the curb the second I got bored of you?”
“I don’t know, Grant—”
