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He whirled around His face was angry red, and his lips were pressed together so hard they were a bloodless white Pain glowed in his eyes--a kind of pain she hadn’t seen since the day he’d been arrested for killing Lavine and hauled off to jail in handcuffs "Never, okay! I’ to be worthy of that kind of responsibility I’ people alive You want me to kill someone? I can take them out from so far away they’ll never hear the sound of the bullet that ripped their brains out But I can’t be responsible for raising anything reseretful "It’s just not in me, no matter how much I wish it was I know that now"

Isabelle was stunned silent She’d had no idea he felt that way How could oneabout himself? She had to make him see reason--see the truth "I’ve never known a man ill make a better father than you"

"Bullshit," he snapped

"Hardly Do you really think I’d put Dale with soht would be bad for him?"

"You’re desperate," he said as if that explained everything

"Asking you was not an act of desperation Who better to raise Dale than soh?"

"The blind leading the blind?" scoffed Grant "Is that your idea of good parenting?"

"You’re not blind You’re experienced You know the price a child pays when his parents don’t care You’ve lived it"

His gaze went to the carpet, and his shoulders hunched in shame "Which means I’ll make the same mistakes"

"No It means you’ll know better than to make them"

Grant shook his head "I can’t talk about this anyo, Isabelle Find so it She had to stop pushing, at least for now She’d give him time to think about what she’d said, but there was onecare of Dale is not so, but whoever I’d find to care for him will be h of regret "I can’t be the man you want"

"You already are"

"I don’t mean sex"

"Neither do I"

She couldn’t stand seeing hi to comfort him She had to touch him, had to try to ease him She didn’t want hi

Isabelle went to hihten it The sers, and Grant stood statue still, letting her fuss over hiood time in bed to a lot of the other women you’ve encountered, but you’re a lot more than that to ht? You knohat a great htness around his mouth softened If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought she saw the hint of tears welling in his eyes Soet Grant was human like the rest of the world He was so capable and confident, like he could carry the weight of the world on his shoulders and still have room for more

He closed his eyes and sed hard "You shouldn’t have so much faith People will just let you down"

"Not you," she assured hi out with h, I will"

"Is that an invitation?"

His jaw tensed, though she couldn’t tell if it was anger or frustration that caused it "Isabelle, I can’t--"

She covered his ers The smooth warmth of his lips made her shiver "I know I shouldn’t have said that I understand the rules between us"

He pulled her hand away "Damn it There aren’t any rules"

"Yes, there are For both of us" She couldn’t give up her dreams, not even for Grant She’d learned the hard way that a man who didn’t hat she wanted out of life would never make her happy Nor would she make him happy And she wanted Grant to be happy, even if it ith someone else

She’d be set over her feelings for him, and move on with her life Let him do the sa he didn’t want to be, no ht he’d be

She’d stop pushing so she didn’t mess up what little time they had left She had now, and for now, she was the luckiest woman alive, and would be until the day he left

Maybe today if the police found Wyatt

She wouldn’t think about that now She couldn’t Letting hi to rip her apart She loved hier Her childhood hero worship had turned into soto have to learn to live hen he was gone

Isabelle stepped back, separating herself fro she wanted to do "I’ll leave you alone"