Worth the Risk (Worth It 2)

And the moment he could finally legitimately see her without having to sneak into her room like a thief, he was going to tell her how he felt.

“I can’t just lie about in my room when I know you’re lurking in the halls.” The disgust in Grace’s voice was evident. “Stay away from my granddaughter.”

“Not going to happen,” he said through clenched teeth. “Considering I’m the father of her unborn child, I think I have every right to see Gracie.”

She narrowed her eyes, her expression going tight. “How would you feel if I told you the truth, hmm? I think you might change your tune.”

“What are you talking about?” The woman couldn’t distract him no matter what. He wouldn’t allow it.

“The baby? It’s not yours.”

“Impossible.”

“It’s true. Has she talked to you about it yet?”

He refused to answer, refused to give her the satisfaction.

“Your silence is answer enough,” she said smugly. “She hasn’t said a word about the baby because she’s afraid to tell you.”

“There’s no reason for her to be afraid.” Now that wouldn’t be a surprise, if Gracie was scared to tell him. Their relationship had been unsteady, even volatile, and mostly on her end. He’d told her what he wanted from her since the beginning.

“There is if the baby’s not yours. Not that it’s any business of yours anyway. You’re just her disgusting boss who took advantage of a vulnerable young girl,” she spit out.

“Now wait just a minute…”

“Mr. Worth?”

He turned to find the nurse he’d spoken to earlier in the morning standing before him. “Yes?”

“I just wanted to inform you that everything is in place for Gracie Hayes’ departure. She’s scheduled to fly out at one o’clock. Unfortunately, you can’t accompany her since we’re doing it by helicopter.”

“That’s not an issue. I’m just thankful an agreement was made.” Relief gripped hold of him, and he smiled broadly at the nurse. “Thank you so much for your help. May I see Gracie now?”

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to see her yet. She’s still in ICU. The doctor is tending to her now, but I’m sure you’ll be able to see her in the next hour or so. I’ll notify you when you can.” She smiled.

“Thank you.” He nodded gravely, eagerness filling him at the thought of getting Gracie the hell out of here, the sooner the better. And he needed to talk to her before she spoke with her grandmother again. The woman was set on vilifying him, and he hoped Gracie wouldn’t take anything she said to heart.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Oh, Grandma sounded good and angry now. He couldn’t care less. “I’m ensuring Gracie receives the proper care while she recovers,” he said as he turned to face Grace once more.

“By yanking her out of this hospital while she’s still in a delicate state?” She was fuming.

“I would never put her at risk. The staff reassured me she’s up to the move.”

“How dare you? Who do you think you are? Who gave you the authority to make such a decision?”

His brother had pulled strings and made a substantial financial offer. No hospital could resist the allure of such a massive amount of money. “I believe our discussion is finished.”

He started to walk away, but she grabbed him, surprisingly strong for a frail old woman with a supposed heart condition. “Don’t you dare walk away.”

“You don’t want any part of me. Why would you want to continue speaking? So you can berate me some more? I don’t think so.” He tugged out of her firm grip and brushed off his sleeve where she touched him.

“You won’t be acting like the lord of the manor any longer when you discover the truth,” Grace called after him. “Not when you discover she’s going to have another man’s baby.”

Increasing his strides, he walked faster, more than eager to get away from her. That she would be so uncouth as to yell such things about her granddaughter in the middle of a busy hospital hallway was testament to the fact that she was beyond delusional. Who did this sort of thing?

He felt like he’d landed in the middle of a Jerry Springer episode.