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Grant motioned for her to take it and she hurried off a few feet to answer. He watched her for a moment, noting her slight smile—perhaps even relief. Whatever it was, she was getting good news. At least one person who deserved it was going to have a good day.
When Bella returned, she looked shaken. “That was someone from the Billings police department. There’s a job for me there. It’s my chance to become a detective.”
Her announcement was like a kick to the gut. “Wow.”
“I know,” she said. “I only came out here as a favor to a friend, my mentor. I figured if I paid my dues, maybe I’d get to move up. I… This was unexpected.”
“You deserve it.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t even solve your case.”
“You kept me out of jail for a DUI. That’s something. I’m sure that if you hadn’t been there, this would only be fuel added to Charlotte’s fire.”
“Maybe,” she said.
The battle going on in her head was well on display. The opportunity was too good to pass up. But something made her want to stay.
He understood that. This was now her home just like it had become his. Some part of him knew that from the very beginning. Once he’d stepped foot in Rocky Ridge, he hadn’t wanted to leave—not even to move back to Nashville.
“Your case still isn’t solved.”
“I’m sure someone else can handle it.”
Bella stared at him hard. “I don’t trust anyone else to do it right.”
He gave her a sad laugh. “After today, I don’t think it’s going to matter much. If Charlotte gets Nick, I might just head back to Nashville.”
“No, you won’t!” she snapped.
He stared at her in surprise.
“Nick needs you. A father like you doesn’t just leave.”
“You’re forgetting that I have the money to fly here as often as I want. I’ll work out some sort of visitation arrangement.”
She glowered at him. “That’s not good enough.”
What could he say to convince her she was wrong? This was officially out of his hands. He didn’t have a say, and staying here when he couldn’t see Nick every day would end up being too hard.
“You can’t just give up like that,” Bella insisted. “I won’t let you.”
He shook his head. There was absolutely nothing he could say to her.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she snapped. “I know you, Grant. I know how much you love that boy, and I know how much he loves you. My hands might be tied when it comes to the law, but I will stand by your side every second you fight for Nick.”
“But—”
“No buts,” she shot back.
As much as he wished this was her way of telling him that she still cared about him as more than just a friend, he had to be realistic. She might say he was a good father. Heck, she might even believe it. But the truth was, she didn’t trust him.
Being a good dad didn’t mean he would be a good boyfriend or a good husband. He’d already shown his worth when he’d been married to Dee, and he’d failed. He’d failed so bad that she’d hidden a pregnancy from him.
If he wasn’t already feeling so broken down by everything he was going through, he would have told her that he wanted another chance. He would have promised over and over that he would do better. There were so many things he would have changed about their lives that might change the outcome this time around.
Instead of saying any of that, he kept those feelings locked away in his heart. She was a good person who deserved someone who could give her what she wanted. And he wasn’t that guy.
One thing at a time. At least, that was what he would tell himself.
