AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Your sister hates me, but it was no different in high school.” I cocked my head to see him side-eye me. Ari was a bitch back then too. It was in her DNA or something.
“Do you care?”
“Not at all. I’m having away too much fun with this.” He squeezed my hip, kissed my head, and jogged over to throw Celia on his shoulders. Griffin went all out on the trip. Celia rode camels, fed giraffes, and we watched the bird show. He insisted on paying for Axel to join Celia at every turn and at one point had both kids on his back running past crowds of people. After a couple of hours of trailing behind the kids, we stopped for lunch. I fed the four of us sandwiches while my sister pulled out grilled chicken salads with organic dressing for her darlings. I snuck chips to the boys, distracting Ari with talk about her book club. Someone had to save the boys from their mother.
I came back from the bathroom to overhear Ari talking to Griffin.Shit.I stopped behind my sister so I could listen but stay out of her line of sight. “So, you’re in a relationship with my little sister?” Griffin shrugged. “Do you even know what she’s been through?” Griffin adjusted his posture, readying himself for the confrontation. “The last thing my sister needs is a guy like you coming in and messing with her head when it’s obvious what you want from her. Guys like you don’t stick around. You were a whore in high school, so I highly doubt you’ve grown up by the look of you.” I cleared my throat, taking the focus off Griffin, and sat down between them. My bitch of a sister had a death wish. Granted, I was a disaster, but it wasn’t her place to talk about me. Griffin pecked me on the forehead, scooting his chair back to go get the kids some ice cream and taking orders before he went. The poor man obviously needed an escape. My sister jumped down my damn throat before Griffin was even out of earshot.
“What in the world is wrong with you, Cori?” Ari hissed at me across the metal table. “You let that man around Axel? Into your life?”
“Has he done something to offend you?” Who the hell was she to be judgmental? I knew she would be, but dragging Ax and my parenting into it was too much. “I met him because our kids go to dance together. He is a contributing member of society. He’s a nice guy trying to do the best for his daughter.” I narrowed my eyes, ready to argue this one into the ground. Griffin and I weren’t super serious, but she made me want to screw him on the table to seal the deal.
“He ruins bodies for a living. How is he contributing?”
“Griffin’s an artist, Ari, and I’m done talking about this. He’s a good guy, his daughter loves Ax. You need to get your head out of your ass. It’s not your business.”
“He’s around Axel, so it is my business, Corinne. What happens when he’s done with you and you’re too broken up to care for your daughter? Or when he leaves you after a panic attack and someone needs to pick up the pieces?” Arianna’s face read like she had just won the Olympics.
“Since when do I get torn up about anyone? Again, my private life is none of your business.” I looked down at Ax and Celia. “That little girl has been through more than I have, and Griffin has done wonders for her. So, keep your bullshit opinions to yourself.” She opened her mouth to throw her rebuttal at me but there was shouting from the brick building we had settled in front of. Chaos ensued. Griffin’s rough voice shouting sent a chill through me. His tone bordered on murderous. Several things happened at once. Celia crawled into my lap, Ben came scrambling out of the bathroom, and Griffin slammed a man into the bricks. Ben was pale, with tears streaking his face. I passed Celia to Ari and threw my seat back. I could hear Ben crying and Celia crying, but mostly I heard Griffin yelling a string of profanities at the zoo in front of a lot of kids. He had the man by the collar holding him off his feet against the wall. Griffin made the man look tiny and the fight had obviously started before Griffin moved it outside. There was blood and a fresh bruise on the guy’s face.What the hell happened?
“Call the police before I kill the motherfucker, Cori,” Griffin’s voice was a low growl. When the man tried to talk, Griffin tightened his grip, shoving him back harder and choking him. The guy shut up. Everything happened in a blur. People gathered to watch, but no one attempted to pull Griff off the man. They would have been stupid to try. A few other men gathered, creating a wall behind Griffin, but I wasn’t sure if they were there to back Griffin up or preparing to take him out. I fumbled with my phone calling 911 and stumbled through the best explanation I could muster with the woman on the phone. It was difficult to answer her questions when I didn’t know what the hell had happened.
A golf cart with security pulled up and two uniformed men jumped out, demanding answers. “This creep was harassing a boy in the bathroom.” My hand went to my mouth and I took a step back. He could kill the guy for all I cared. The other dads who had gathered took a step in, ready for their turn with the sicko. “Walked in to hear the boy yell. The fucking pervert was shoving him into the stall.” Ari was still at the table with Celia in her lap and her hand on Ben’s shoulder. His eyes were wide and his face was red. Max had Axel in his lap. I didn’t know if I needed to restrain Griffin to eliminate a murder charge or help my sister with the kids.
I could see the pulse in Griffin’s neck. The muscles in his jaw ticked. Security cuffed the man, insisting Griffin let him go, led him to the cart. They told us to stay put for when the police came. I watched Griffin’s body uncoil, loosening slightly as security took the man from him. Once I was sure justified murder was not on the agenda, I focused on the kids and Ari. Griffin grabbed my arm as I started back to the table.
“I, uh, I’ll be back in five.” He walked off, leaving me to deal with the aftermath. I watched him storm off without a look back.
Once I could move, I made my way to Ben, but it was Celia that ended up in my arms. “Where did he go?” The terrified little girl whined into my chest as I petted her hair. “He was so mad.”
“Not at you, baby. That man did something bad and Daddy stopped him.” It was Ari who answered her as I dropped into the chair. My sister caught my eyes, jerking Ben into her lap, folding him up so he fit. “I’m sorry, Cori. Obviously …” I shook my head.
Screw her for judging him in the first place. I couldn’t even begin to think of what would have happened if Griffin wasn’t there. Axel was fine with Max, so I focused on Celia, helping her deal with seeing Griffin angry and aggressive, assuring her that her dad would be back. The sweet little girl seemed convinced that Daddy was abandoning her, and it broke my heart.
Police came, Griffin reappeared, and Celia climbed him to cry into his shoulder. He kept away from us, or Ari, most likely, calming Celia. I heard him promise repeatedly that he would never leave her, could never be angry with her. Axel asked a million questions, mostly questions that were for another time, so I pulled her away to answer her the best I could so Ben couldn’t hear us. We talked more about good touches versus bad touches and I finally satiated her quest for knowledge. Arianna decided to take the boys home and have her husband, Lee, come home from work. I doubted she would ever leave either boy unattended again, but I couldn’t blame her. Before she left, Ari grabbed Griffin, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back, whispering to her, and patted my nephews on the shoulders. I hugged and kissed everyone, still in a bit of shock. We watched them walk toward the exit. The four of us stood at the table, collecting our thoughts.
“Do you want to leave? Maybe we should call it a day.” Axel whined at my words, but I shushed her. She didn’t understand what had just happened, and I didn’t want her to.
“No, I want to see an elephant,” Celia squeaked from her perch in Griffin’s giant arms. At her command, her dad nodded once and started walking, brushing past me.
I let him brood, let him process, following him with Ax on my back. Griffin didn’t even look at me the rest of the time. I exchanged texts with Ari, checking on Ben, telling her to call if she needed anything. Crowds of giggles moved around us in droves as we walked, but Griffin didn’t say a word to me. I was barely able to concentrate on the good time Axel and Celia were having for the creeper in the bathroom. Axel’s sunshine voice did nothing to help my mood or Griffin’s after another hour, so I called it quits.
“You guys stay if you want, but I think Ax and I are heading out. I need to cook dinner and get stuff ready for tomorrow.” Griffin finally looked at me, furrowing his brow, shoving his hand in his pockets. The day had sucked, again, which meant attempt number two at spending time together had been a disaster as well.
“Can Celia come play?” Griffin and I both looked down at Axel.
* * *
Half an hour later,Griffin was unloading at my house, and Axel was giving Celia every detail of our home. My munchkin talked about the swing we used to have on the porch, the color of her room, the new furniture on the patio. I told her to take Celia to her room for some coloring and relaxing while I got ready for dinner. My existence still hadn’t been acknowledged by Griffin so I let him in without a word. He looked around quietly, not looking at me or speaking. The entry room was mostly a mudroom with a shelf for shoes, a small table for my purse, and some pegs for coats. The living room was spacious with big windows covered in navy-colored furniture but everything looked small with him inspecting it.
Leaving him on his own, I went to the kitchen to take dinner inventory. I was used to two people, not four, so I made sure I had enough of something to feed us all. By the time Griffin waltzed his moody ass back in, I was wrist deep in seasoning for chicken and the oven was preheating. He watched from the doorframe, crossing his arms over his broad chest, keeping his expression unreadable. Maybe Ari was right. I knew he was a genuinely good guy, but maybe he wasn’t ready for the baggage I had. Maybe it was best that Ari had run her stupid mouth and warned him not to get involved with me. I wanted Griffin, but after two horrible dates, maybe it was all too much.
It was after I moved to wash my hands that he pressed his front against my back, running his hands down my arms to where I was lathering my hands. I shuddered when he kissed from my ear to my shoulder. Fuck him for making me react to him. Griffin reached across, turned off the water, and spun me to face him.
EIGHT
Griffin
It was so sexy how she tried to stay angry at me. I almost expected her to stomp her foot and complain about not getting her way, but instead Cori twisted her damp fingers in the sides of my shirt, resting her forehead on my chest. I was still reeling from the incident at the zoo, but her gentle gesture calmed my need to hit something. I want to punch something, anything. I had wandered around the zoo before the police came, trying to find an outlet for my aggression. I had gotten a few good hits in before I dragged his sorry ass outside, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
