“You know me,” Grant said. “Have I ever willfully allowed myself to be fooled?”
“No, but maybe you wanted to believe she was closer to your age because you desired h
er.”
“She put on a good act. And I bought it.” Yet, he couldn’t deny that something happened between them that weekend, something that had shaken him. “But once I found out how young she was, I put an end to it.”
“I think it would do you good to date a younger woman. You could use someone fresh and vibrant in your life.”
Grant snorted. “What are you saying? That I am stodgy and old?”
“I’m saying that you spend too much time in your head and you work too much. You need a partner.”
“I tried that once,” he reminded her. “It didn’t turn out well.”
Rose gave a delicate snort. “I knew from the start that Paisley wasn’t the right woman for you.” Oblivious to her brother’s inner turmoil, she continued, “Her needy dependency drove you away.”
Grant regarded his sister in surprise. While Rose hadn’t applauded his choice of wife, she’d never voiced any criticism. “She wanted more from me than I could give.”
“There was more to it than that. You two had nothing in common.”
“We moved in the same social circles.” The Everett family was invited to all the charity events held in Royal and Paisley loved attending the balls and parties. In the early months of their marriage, Grant escorted her now and then, but soon returned his energy to his demanding fertility practice.
“You need someone who can help you balance work and play.” Rose shot him a sly smile. “Someone who understands how driven you are but who’s passionate about her own dreams.”
As his sister spoke, Harley’s face popped into his mind. Was she that someone? He’d certainly been behaving differently since she’d come home. More so since learning that she’d given birth to his son. Becoming a father had given him new responsibilities and a permanent link to Harley. Suddenly, his future had a fresh, unexpected outlook.
“Someone like Harley,” his sister continued as if reading his thoughts. “You are both dedicated to helping women and families. Her nonprofit helps women lift themselves out of poverty. You help women get pregnant and create new families.”
“She’s too young.” The response came out reflexively.
Rose waved her hand. “Men date and marry younger women all the time.”
As tempting as it was to wonder if he could put aside his bias about their age difference and see where their explosive chemistry would lead, Grant knew better. When it came to his personal life, he struggled to think outside the box and his failed marriage hadn’t exactly nudged him toward a more flexible attitude.
“Dating is the last thing I should be thinking about,” he said, uncomfortable with the emotions his sister’s advice was stirring up. “I need to focus on being a father.”
“But have you considered that Harley and her son are a package deal? You could have both with very little effort on your part.”
It was all too much to think about. Before marrying Paisley, he’d never really paid attention to his private life. He’d certainly never had good luck in relationships that would lead him to think a family was in his future. Turns out, he’d been right.
“I think my marriage to Paisley demonstrated that I should stay single.”
“That’s only because she wasn’t right for you. If you marry the woman of your dreams, and open your heart to love, the intimacy you experience will be everything you ever imagined and more.”
Rose’s suggestion reminded Grant of all those times he’d resisted dropping his guard when Paisley had asked him to share how he was feeling. Tension filled him as he remembered the pain he’d caused her. He hadn’t deliberately set out to close himself off from his wife, but the woman he wanted to reveal his deepest thoughts and most vivid emotions to hadn’t been Paisley.
Nor was he certain he could ever let himself be vulnerable. Especially when in the past doing so had left him gripped by disappointment.
“It isn’t as easy as you make it sound,” Grant said, his tone indicating he was done with the conversation.
“I never said it was easy. You’re more comfortable with things you can investigate and control. Love isn’t like that. You need to take a leap of faith. A bit like your patients do. They trust you to take them from infertile to parents. All I’m asking for you to do is to trust someone and let them take you from loneliness to love.”
“Someone?” he probed. Or Harley Wingate? He was letting the possibility tempt him more than it should.
“You deserve a woman who will love you despite all your flaws.”
Grant took refuge in dry humor. “So now I’m flawed?”