“No one is good enough for you, and while I agree, I don’t agree with how he has gone about it,” he said slowly. “I never knew about him running Karson off until you told me, but I did know about Ethan.”

Her brows came together. “Ethan?”

“Yeah, Dad always knew that Karson would be the one person to take you away from him. He told me that plenty of times, and that’s why he hates him so much. Well, he decided that if there was someone to replace him, then you’d never leave. So he paid Ethan to be with you.”

Her heart sank as she searched her brother’s eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, but then he wanted to be traded, so Dad paid him off again to break it off with you so he wouldn’t take you with him.”

“Oh my God,” she said, covering her mouth.

“Yeah, when I found out about it, I lost it,” Grady said, shaking his head. “I saw Ethan after one game, once you’d split up, and I went after him, was about to kick his ass, but then he told me what Dad did. So I confronted Dad and he admitted it, trying to say he did it to keep you close. I don’t know if you remember, but Dad had a black eye and said he got hit with the butt of a stick at practice. That wasn’t true. I hit him, and I’ve had an issue with him ever since.”

“Grady,” she gasped through her hands as tears gushed down her face. She couldn’t believe the words that she was hearing. Her father had either constantly tried to run her life or ruin her; she wasn’t sure which, but it hurt nonetheless. While she hadn’t loved Ethan, she had cared for him and thought he felt the same. To know it was all fake just hurt. It seemed like such a waste of time. Above all though, why did her father keep doing this to her? Meeting Grady’s gaze, she asked, “Do you think he set Karson up?”

Grady nodded. “I have no doubt, and I know he’s been using Rachel as a pawn. She craves attention from him since she has no dad, and I’ve told her repeatedly to stay out of it. But she’s selfish, like him, and doesn’t want you to leave.”

“I didn’t believe him,” she whispered as her body shook with a sob. Closing her eyes tightly, she wrapped her arms around her center, trying to hold herself together. She felt like at any moment she could fall apart. When Grady’s arms came around her, she sobbed into her big brother’s chest and let go. She just didn’t understand why her father would do this. Why would he hurt her like this? The pain was unbearable, but the worst part was that she hadn’t believed Karson. She hadn’t believed in their love.

“Why doesn’t Dad love me, Grady? Why doesn’t he want me to be happy?”

“He does, a little too much, and he doesn’t know how to let go. I love you, a lot, but as much as I want you to stay here, I want you to be happy. He doesn’t understand that. He wanted to control your life and, Lacey, you can’t let him. You have to do what makes you happy, and Karson does that. I’ve always known that, but I thought he was a jackass who ran out on you for the big leagues and I was wrong. I apologized to him for that, but I refuse to sit here and watch you throw him away for some petty-ass reasons.”

“He’s never stopped loving me. Ever,” she cried. “But I’m just so scared.”

“There is no reason to be, though. Like you said, he never stopped loving you in all that time, so why would he now?”

“Because I won’t—”

“Stop with the ‘I won’t,’ ‘I can’t,’ and the other crap you keep saying. If you love him and you want to be with him and you know that life is nothing without him, then you know what you have to do.”

“I have to go home,” she answered as she sucked in a deep breath.

“Yeah, because Chicago isn’t your home anymore. Home is wherever the hell he is.”

Looking up at Grady, her lip wobbled as she tried to smile. He had always looked out for her, always overprotective, and didn’t let anyone get close to her unless he thought they were good people. To know that he was in Karson’s corner meant a lot to her, and she couldn’t help but think maybe he was right. It hadn’t seemed right to break it off with Karson, but her fears were too much to handle. She’d turned into everything she hated, and she’d tried to let go of the one person who had always been her biggest supporter.

Who loved her, no matter what.

Even when she was being an idiot.

“I should call him,” she said reaching for her phone.

“Probably a good idea. I’m going to get a cup of coffee, and I’ll call the airline for you,” he said, but before he could get up, the door was flung open and in stomped in her husband.

“Karson?”

He turned and looked at her before looking at Grady. Pointing back at Lacey, he said, “I came to get her back. You have a problem with that?”

Grady scoffed. “None at all.”

Karson gave a curt nod and then met Lacey’s gaze. Her heart sang for him as her body shook with the need to be near him. He looked like hell, his hair all a mess, he wasn’t shaved, and his clothes were wrinkled, but he was her hell. Her husband.

Before he could say anything, she stood and said the only thing she could think of.

“I love you.”

Karson wasn’t expecting that.

“What?” he asked, confused as his heart continued to pound in his chest. He hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep, and he’d been on edge the whole flight to Chicago. He’d tried to fly out as soon as he got off the phone with his dad, but the earliest they had was first thing this morning. Deciding he couldn’t sleep in the bed he shared with her without knowing if she’d ever sleep there again, he’d left for the airport and hung out there until his flight. So as he looked into her swimming-with-tears green eyes, he wasn’t sure if he’d heard her right or if he was hallucinating.