“You’re right,” Paul said, aching at the thought that she intended to leave him. What could he say or do to convince her to give up her nomadic ways and stay in one place? With him. “I love her, but I messed up big time. She won’t stay for me.”
Grady shook his head. “She loves you.”
For a second Paul couldn’t breathe. He shifted his gaze from his grandfather’s fond smile to Ethan’s exasperated expression. Hope rose.
“Are you sure?” The level of desperation in his voice shook him.
“She’s been falling in love with you from the first,” his brother said. “I have no idea why. You’ve been a complete jerk.”
“The whole time,” Paul agreed, unable to imagine how she’d managed to see something of value in him.
When he wasn’t pummeling her with distrust, he’d been battling the unsettling emotions that turned him inside out. He wasn’t the least bit lovable. And then he realized the familiar path down which his thoughts had taken him. Damn it. He was still questioning her judgment. Maybe the time had come for him to accept that he had much to learn from her.
“How do I fix this?” he asked the room at large.
“You could start by telling her that you can’t live without her,” his brother said. “And that you have her back. Then remind her that we all love her and everyone believes she only had Grady’s best interests at heart.”
“What if I can’t convince her?”
Ethan ejected a curse. “When did you become the guy who gives up? Is that what you do when your clients have a data breech?”
“No.”
“So why with something that is so much more important than all the hackers you chase put together are you just quitting?”
The question, combined with Grady’s disgusted expression, caused Paul’s gut to twist in shame. He hated that Ethan was right. Was he really going to let her go? Without a fight? What was wrong with him?
All at once everything became so clear to him. He loved her. She loved him. He just needed to figure out a way to convince her they were meant for each other. In a flash he knew exactly what it would take to convince Lia that he was the man for her. The brilliance of it made him grin.
“I have to go.”
“Wait.” The single word came from Grady. He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to Paul. “Give this to Lia.”
Feeling slightly light-headed, Paul opened the small box and saw a familiar diamond ring tucked into the black velvet. “This is Grandma’s ring,” he murmured in awe.
Grady’s lopsided smile bloomed as he nodded. “Make her my granddaughter.”
Clutching the small box, Paul left the library and raced downstairs.
* * *
The trip from the estate to where Lia was keeping her camper felt as if it took forever, but it was only a forty-minute drive. He took advantage of the time to rehearse what he intended to say to her. He started with I love you and ended with Will you spend the rest of your life with me? What came in between would be all the reasons why she made his life better. Her laugh. Her giving nature. Her sweetness. Her free-spirited ways. Her beauty.
He didn’t deserve her. But from now on, he’d work damn hard to.
When he reached the spot where her camper had last been parked, he saw it was gone. He gripped the steering wheel in dismay, unable to believe she’d leave after promising to wait for him. Several seconds ticked by while he brought his doubts back under control.
Lia hadn’t left. She’d given her word and she was the type of woman who kept her promises. He turned around and headed toward the shop to find out where the camper had been moved to. To his relief, as he rounded the final corner, he spied it near the water station. She was filling the tanks with water in preparation for starting out.
He parked his SUV so that it blocked her truck and hopped out. Finding himself oddly out of breath, he strode toward her. There was wariness, not welcome, in her hazel eyes as he stopped before her.
“You can’t leave,” he began, suddenly awkward. Incapacitated by growing panic, he stood looking at her with a pounding heart.
“You have to be kidding,” she said, shutting off the water and replacing the hose. “Now that this whole ridiculous scheme is over and everyone knows I’m not Ava’s daughter, no one will want me to stay.”
“I do.” He came over and took her hands in his. “Stay in Charleston with me.”
She shook her head and wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Why?”