The Paternity Pact (Texas Cattleman's Club: Rags to Riches 3)

Josh looked sympathetic. “You didn’t know?”

“Things didn’t end well between the two of us before she moved, and then I got married and Harley didn’t want to interfere in my life.”

“But now she’s back.”

“She is,” Grant said. But a gulf existed between them as wide as if she and Daniel still lived halfway around the world.

“Kids are great, aren’t they?” Josh continued. “I mean there are days when mine drive me crazy, but my life would be so much less without them.”

“I never thought about being a father until Daniel came along,” Grant admitted, his mood thoughtful. “Now it’s all I want.”

His buddy glanced at Grant’s phone screen once more. “You guys look really happy.”

Grant turned the phone and regarded the image of himself with Harley and Daniel. Just staring at the picture lightened Grant’s whole being. The three of them were laughing. Their connection so clear. That day had been

great. Amazing. Spending time with Harley and Daniel had brought him more joy than he’d ever known.

But it hadn’t lasted, just like he knew it wouldn’t. He and Harley wanted different things and like with his marriage, it had been only a matter of time before their varying expectations drove them apart. Still, comparing his relationships with Harley and Paisley wasn’t fair. His entire marriage hadn’t stirred the sort of emotional squall that a single weekend with Harley had done. At the time, he’d considered that a good thing. But since his marriage hadn’t worked out, Grant wondered if he had a clue what was truly best for him.

The question remained unanswered when Grant entered Piper’s gallery later that night. He assumed she’d invited him as a patron of the arts. To his surprise, Harley’s aunt made no attempt to convince him to buy anything. Instead, she herded him into a corner and fixed her dark green eyes on him.

“What’s going on with you and my niece?” she began without preliminaries.

“What do you mean?” he asked, not intending to dodge her question, but hoping she would clarify whatever point she was trying to make.

“For weeks now, Harley has been Grant this and Grant that. And Grant and Daniel this and Grant and Daniel that. But now she tells me she’s not going to stay in Royal. I thought you two were trying to make it work.”

“Yes, well.” Grant crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not working.”

Piper gave an impatient snort. “So, what are you doing about that?”

“To start, my intention is to be legally recognized as Daniel’s biological father.”

“That’s smart.”

“Damn right it is,” Grant snapped. “He’s my son. I have rights.”

“Of course you do. But isn’t there a better way to go about getting what you want?”

Grant stared at Piper, noted her intent regard, but couldn’t quite fathom what she was trying to get at. “Such as?”

“What about you, Harley and Daniel being together?” When he continued to regard her blankly, she added, “As a family.”

The suggestion went through him like a lightning strike. “Too many things have gone wrong between us. I don’t think she’ll have me.”

“Have you asked her?” Piper asked, looking unimpressed by his grumbling.

“I have.” Hadn’t he?

Grant had tried bribing her with funding for Zest and when that had failed, he’d blustered about her decision to take Daniel away.

“I’ve made it perfectly clear that I want more time with Daniel.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “You took the easy way out by making all of this about Daniel.”

Because fixing his custody situation was something tangible and within his control. “It is all about Daniel.”

“Is it?” Piper countered slyly. “I don’t think so. Why don’t you try telling her you love her and see what happens?”