Her Texas Family (12 page)

True.

“But I also know that I am fairly and squarely knocking you on your behind, so no worries.”

His mouth gave in to a grin. His daughter might be sick, but even with that, Graham knew he didn't want to be anywhere but where he was right now. Playing a game with Lucy and Mattie with a movie on in the background felt...right.

Had he been wrong all of this time? What if his theory on Brooke being the only love of his life was wrong? What if he could have that again? If it felt anywhere near as good as this, he would be a fool not to at least explore the possibility.

Graham would be lying if he didn't admit the kiss with Lucy had crossed his mind more than a few times this week.

But could that momentary lip-lock even be classified as a kiss? He hadn't done much to take part in it. He'd moved in a bit, but he'd cut it off before anything could develop. If he was really going to kiss Lucy, he'd take his time. Thread fingers through her hair, which he imagined would be as soft as it looked, and pull her close. He'd savor the anticipation of his lips a moment from hers, the feel of her—

“Earth. To. Hollywood.”

“What?”

“It's your turn.”

“Oh.” He laughed off his inattention, though the chuckle sounded more like a wounded duck. “Right. Sorry.”

He took his turn and then Lucy started hers. He might be attracted to Lucy, but there was a difference between kissing her and pursuing a relationship. Even if he did decide to move past the idea that Brooke was his one and only love, he wouldn't let himself move in that direction with Lucy.

She was young. Too young for him. They were total opposites. And she was still his employee—an absolute no in his world.

Totally unprofessional.

Exactly like his thoughts a few seconds ago.

The doorbell rang, and Graham popped up. He grabbed his wallet from the side table and dug money out as he swung the door open.

“How much do I owe you?” He glanced up to see his in-laws standing on his front step.

“Nothing.” Phillip attempted a smile, though it looked more like a grimace. “Were you expecting someone?”

“Food.” The one syllable sounded strained. If Graham stepped outside and closed the door behind him, maybe the Wellings wouldn't see Lucy.

“Someone besides the owner of a yellow Volkswagen?” Phillip pointed with a thumb over his shoulder.

Then again, maybe not.

Chapter Twelve

B
y the scowls lining the Wellings' faces, they'd guessed the owner of the car.

“Come in.” Graham forced himself to open the door wider. They glanced over his shoulder, their looks hardening.

He knew what they were seeing without having to look. Lucy and Mattie snuggled up under a white blanket, a game spread across the coffee table. An intimate scene Phillip and Belinda wouldn't appreciate.

The Wellings stepped inside, neither taking off their jackets, and the air in the room crackled with tension.

“Hi, Grandma and Grandpa!” Completely oblivious to the friction, Mattie waved from the couch. “Did you know I'm not feeling good so you came to see me like Lucy did?”

Lucy gave a small, tentative wave. The Wellings nodded regally at her, then asked about Mattie. Graham explained her symptoms, uncomfortable silence following.

Poor Lucy shifted on the couch, looking as if she wanted to crawl under the coffee table. Graham didn't blame her. In fact, he might join her.

“Mattie, why don't you show me your room?” She stood, but Mattie stayed under the blanket, confusion lining her features.

“How come? I thought we were going to eat.”

“We will in a little bit.” She picked Mattie up, and his daughter curled her arms and legs around Lucy. “Don't tell me what color your room is. I'm going to guess.” Lucy walked past, eyes averted from him and the Wellings as she and Mattie disappeared up the stairs.

Another apology talk loomed in his future. Heat flared at the thought, spreading across Graham's skin. It shouldn't be this way. Why were Phillip and Belinda so cold to Lucy? Didn't they realize Mattie was in the room? She was a smart girl. Eventually she'd begin to question how her grandparents were acting.

He clamped his teeth together to keep from speaking his mind and motioned for them to move into the living room. They did so quietly, their unease radiating with each step.

The two of them sat on the chairs and Graham took the couch. He waited, not willing to make things easier for them. Not trusting himself to speak. Anger from the last time they'd treated Lucy this way rose up, stifling him.

“Graham.” Phillip looked to his wife before continuing. “We heard a rumor yesterday, and we wanted to come straight to the source. We didn't want to believe it. But now that we're here...”

“We heard that you and Lucy went on a date to Danielle's wedding,” Belinda continued. “The last time we talked to you about this, you said you weren't interested in dating Lucy.”

He inhaled. Exhaled. Struggled for calm. “It wasn't a date.”

“But you went to the wedding together, didn't you?”

“Yes, Belinda, we did. But the wedding was out of town. It was more about not driving two cars down than anything else.” A half-truth. “And partly about Lucy wanting to do some sightseeing. It was completely innocent and not at all a date.” At least the last part of that statement was true.

Why was Graham defending himself? He was thirty-one years old. He had a five-year-old daughter. He could make his own decisions. And what did they have against Lucy anyway?

“I think there's more to this than you're telling us.” Belinda was the one carrying the conversation. Was all of this from her?

Graham turned to his father-in-law. “Phillip, are you part of this confrontation?”

He slowly nodded. “She was our only daughter.”

An ache flickered in Graham's chest. “I know. And I loved her. I always will. But she's not here anymore. Believe me, if I could bring her back, I would.”

“So you are dating Lucy.” When Belinda piped up, Graham counted to five before answering.

“No. I'm not.” His jaw hurt from clenching his teeth in order to keep from saying more. A full-out confrontation with the Wellings wasn't going to help the situation right now. If he got overly defensive, they'd assume he was dating Lucy no matter what he said.

“Graham, we just want you to be careful. This girl seems young—far too young to be a good influence on our granddaughter.”

Graham didn't miss Phillip's emphasis on “our.” As though the Wellings had part ownership or something. As though Graham wasn't the one ultimately in charge of Mattie.

“She probably sees that you're well-off, that you have a good profession. Perhaps she thinks she'll be set for life with you.”

“Right.” Belinda leaned forward, purse clutched in her hands as though a pickpocket might try to snatch it at any moment. “What do they call those young women who marry older men for money? Trophy wi—”

“Stop.” Graham snapped the word out, cutting off Belinda. Yes, he was older than Lucy by seven years, but he didn't think that qualified him as
that
old. At least he hadn't before Belinda mentioned it. And the idea of Lucy going after his money—not that he was a millionaire or anything—was outrageous. He clamped down on the urge to laugh, knowing it definitely wouldn't help the moment. Lucy couldn't care less about all of that. She'd never think twice about his or anyone else's financial status.

If anyone should be accused of something, it was Phillip and Belinda. They were snobby to look down on Lucy or think she'd be after some free ride.

“Lucy's not trying to marry me.” Strangely, no relief filled him at the statement. “And she's a great influence on Mattie.” But she
was
young. The Wellings were right about that. Hadn't he thought the same thing just minutes ago? But young didn't mean immature. Lucy might always be looking for the next bit of adventure, but there wasn't anything wrong with that. Graham had come to appreciate that about her. He probably shouldn't mention to the Wellings that she'd deemed herself the Director of Fun in his life. He imagined that wouldn't go over well.

Belinda dug a tissue from her purse and dabbed under her eyelashes. Was she faking? Or really that upset? The Wellings had always been strong willed. When he and Brooke had first married, they'd had a few squabbles over holiday schedules, but eventually they'd worked things out. Still, those small disagreements didn't compare to this. He'd never seen them act this way during his marriage to Brooke or even after. The only point of contention since her death was that he refused to be on the board of her foundation.

Phillip leaned forward. “What about Brooke's money?”

Oh.
He should have known there was more. Graham's head spun. “Brooke's money—” which had been given to
both
him and Brooke when they'd married “—is going to Mattie. We never touched it. It's in Mattie's trust fund. Her money for college.”

Graham hadn't realized he or Lucy could be offended on so many levels in one conversation. Lucy would never take anything from Mattie. That the Wellings could even think it created a bitter taste in his mouth.

Did he know them at all?

“We're not okay with this.” Phillip leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.

Graham stifled a groan. He'd hoped the money discussion would end their doubts.

“You tell us you're not dating her, but not only do we hear you went to a wedding with her, we come over and find her at your house.” Phillip's eyebrows thundered together. “In her pajamas, of all things.” He spread his hands. “How do you think this looks to us?”

Graham's defense caved a bit. “It probably doesn't look good. But I don't know how many ways to tell you that you're jumping to conclusions.”

“If we're jumping to conclusions now, it's only because we see what's happening and you don't,” Phillip stated.

Belinda sniffled. “We want you to stay away from her. We don't believe she's right for you. And if you date her...we're not going to stay around to watch her break both of your hearts.”

His world crashed down around him. “What are you saying?”

Belinda glanced to Phillip before continuing. “We're saying it's her or us.”

How could they even voice such a thing?

Graham couldn't sit in the same room with them. The temptation to walk out the front door of his own house and escape this nightmare was strong. If the girls weren't upstairs—and hopefully not hearing any of this conversation—he'd consider it. He popped up from the couch and paced behind it.

He wasn't dating Lucy and he didn't plan to, but the Wellings had no business getting involved in his life like this. They were out of line and being completely outrageous. He should tell them to get out of his house right this instant...that they didn't have any right.

But then what? They'd walk out and Mattie would never see them again?

Anger sank into despair. Graham couldn't let that happen. Losing Brooke had been hard enough. Knowing he should have been able to save her but couldn't had broken something inside of him.

He'd never be able to live with himself knowing he could have stopped Phillip and Belinda from walking out of Mattie's life.

Yes, they were being completely irrational. Judgmental. Inconsiderate. Untrusting.

The list could go on for days.

But a check in his gut told him none of that mattered. Because they were Mattie's grandparents. Despite the way they were acting right now, they loved Mattie dearly. And she loved them back. Which meant he needed to cave to them.

“I'm not going to date Lucy.” His voice was low, broken. “I don't know how many ways to say the same thing. You're just going to have to trust me.” If he'd already made the decision on his own earlier, why did saying the words now make him feel as though he had a collapsed lung?

At this point, it didn't matter what he felt. Another person wouldn't be ripped from Mattie's life because of him.

Including Lucy.

“I won't date her, but she is going to be in Mattie's life. She's good for Mattie. If you can't see that, then I don't know what to tell you.” Standing up for her felt like a small victory, and the sag in his shoulders straightened a little.

The Wellings exchanged a look, as though they were deciding how far to push. Phillip spoke. “How long will this Lucy be working for you?”

Graham ignored the “this” before “Lucy.” He had to pick his battles.

“Another two and a half weeks.”

The couple communicated with each other again without saying a word. Then Phillip nodded. “Okay. Deal. We'd prefer no contact at all, but since that's not an option, we'll concede to her being in Mattie's life.”

Deal.

Graham felt nauseated, as though he'd just made a shady business agreement in a back alley. He half expected Phillip to offer him a handshake over it. Thankfully he didn't.

The Wellings showed themselves out, and Graham walked around and dropped onto the couch, a flood of feelings coursing through him. Anger. Bitterness.

Disappointment.

Before he could analyze that last one, a knock sounded at the door. He grabbed his wallet from the coffee table and went to open it. No surprises greeted him this time. After paying, he called upstairs. The girls came down—Mattie with more excitement than Lucy.

“Where are Grandpa and Grandma?”

“They had to go.”

Hurt registered in Mattie's wilting shoulders. Though Graham still felt sickened by the conversation he'd just had with the Wellings, seeing Mattie's response to their quick departure told him he'd done what he needed to do in order to protect her from anything worse in the future.

She peered up at him. “Are we eating in the living room?”

He'd let her eat hanging from the ceiling if that was what she wanted. “Why not?”

“I'll get the plates.” Mattie ran into the kitchen, her momentary upset quickly forgotten.

Lucy shoved a jittery hand through her hair, causing a few strands to fall from the bun on top of her head. “I'm completely confused by her. One moment she's running across her room. The next she's crashed in her bed.”

“It's the medicine.”

“She introduced me to all of her stuffies. There's even one named after me. And her coloring pages are amazing. So detailed for her age. Not that I know what a typical five-year-old draws like, but of course Mattie would do anything better than anyone else. At least, in my opinion.”

“Mine, too.” Graham rested a hand on her arm to stop her nervous chatter. “It's going to be okay, Lucy.”

Worried blue eyes pierced him. “Is it? Do they want me to stay away from Mattie?”

Yes. “I told them that's not an option. You're good for her.”
And me.

“Okay.” Lucy's quiet acceptance didn't erase her sad look. Mattie came back into the living room with plates and silverware, and he resisted smoothing the crease pulling at Lucy's mouth.

“You okay?”

“Yep.” She crossed her arms, causing his hand to drop from her skin. “You?”

No. He wasn't. Lucy was hurt and he felt as though he'd been to battle. He wanted to tuck her into his arms, kiss the top of her head and make her sad go away.

Exactly what he'd just said he wouldn't do. He had the sinking feeling that all of his excuses for not being interested in Lucy were simply that.

But what could he do about that now? With the Wellings so upset, Graham couldn't develop feelings for Lucy. Mattie would lose two people she loved from her life if he did.

It was best if he kept his thoughts about Lucy centered on friendship and their mutual love for Mattie.

Surely that would be safe.

But even with that plan in mind, he couldn't shake the thought that he'd just made a trade he'd come to regret...his happiness for Mattie's.

* * *

Lucy dished a second helping of kung pao chicken and fried rice, then dumped on a packet of soy sauce. She expected a remark from Graham about all of the salt intake, but his commentary had been sadly missing from the evening ever since his in-laws had shown up. Lucy was torn between asking what had happened and not wanting to know.