AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Whoa. What? Griff, you have a kid?” Jovie’s mouth hung open as she took in the scene again.
“Yeah, apparently. No one was more surprised than me.” Griffin looked genuinely ashamed for not knowing his child sooner. “How’s the biz?” He cleared his throat and eyed my phone on the table between us. Jovie started talking about work as our small world got smaller. She introduced him to the twins and he told her a little more about Celia. It was sad how he ended up with his long-lost daughter just a few months before. I thumbed open my phone to see he had put his number in it. I sent him a text so he would have mine.
Was tall, tatted, and sexy flirting with me?My vote was yes, but it could have been his excitement over Celia talking to Axel.
“So, now my employee and my former neighbor slash pseudo-big brother are having yogurt?” Jovie smirked like she knew something we didn’t. The question sounded very rhetorical. As usual, Jove was reading into things. “I have George all week while they do the anniversary thing. Amelia’s car is in the shop, so my vacation is being spent as nanny and chauffeur. Plus, I’m still a little hungover from last night.”
I already knew all of that, she had done nothing but whine about it for days leading up to George’s arrival, but it obviously made her feel better to bitch. My hangover was gone, but Jovie kind of looked like crap.
“Celia and I don’t want to intrude, so …” Griffin stood, eyeing me again and smirking. It was like he knew I was already fantasizing about him. Hell, even the girl at the counter was staring. The man was sexy as hell. I had never been one to like the bad boy look until he graced dance class with his considerable presence.
It was more than that, though. No men caught my attention, like ever, but Griffin was soft and cocky all at once, making me swoon as soon as I saw him. I thought I had sworn off the opposite sex, but the man across from me could win me over easily. It scared the shit out of me.
“No, stay. She seems content with Ax.” Jovie winked at me when Griffin turned his head to study his daughter. She had a point and I could happily stare at the man for hours. Griffin was hot as hell, and his gruff exterior covered a sweet center. He dropped back into his seat, sighing, but still holding a half-smile. An incredibly sexy half-smile. The man was making me crazy, and we had just met. It was like every time he looked my way, a spark of electricity zapped between us.
Jovie chatted about Ewan’s new tattoo Griffin did a few days before, and I helped her juggle a toddler as well as two babies while Ax and Celia plotted to take over the world. He talked about the shock of Nick having a kid and filled me in on how he used to live between Nick and Jovie before buying the house right behind Needles. Even I knew Nick had resisted the idea of multiplying, but he was so good with George, but Rae was not shy about making him knock her up. The kid had his burly dad wrapped around his finger.
Then Celia tapped my shoulder, jerking me from the conversation, and I leaned close to hear her. “Take me to the bathroom, please.” Her tiny voice hit my ears, making me melt. She was so quiet and meek, but there was fire behind her dark eyes. The same fire I saw in her dad’s. Whatever she had been through had been terrible, but she would heal and be so much stronger.
“Ax, bathroom?” She shrugged and the three of us walked back to the bathroom with George on my hip. I waited while they did their business and washed their hands, taking the opportunity to study my appearance. At least I looked cute. My light brown hair was in a high ponytail with my bangs pinned in a bump at the front. My David Bowie shirt hugged my curves right along with my skinny jeans. I had even bothered with a little makeup, which didn’t happen often. If I was going to meet a super sexy man at dance class, I had picked a good day. We returned to the table as Amelia walked in and showered Ax with kisses before hugging me. Then Amelia looked over Griffin. She gave me an approving nod and took George from me.
Griffin seemed oblivious to the seventeen-year-old drooling over him. He just gawked at me like I had a booger stuck to my face. “Did she talk to you?” When I realized he meant Celia, I nodded. “Wow.” It was all he said, but it spoke volumes. Celia’s life had been rough, and her trust was hard to come by. I knew the feeling.
Jovie and Amelia gathered the kids to leave. I assured her I would be at The Dog House on time in the morning and we watched them climb into Jovie’s SUV. Once they were gone, Griffin looked over me again, eyebrows furrowed.Damn, why can’t I read minds?We both snapped back to reality when the girls giggled.
“Well, this turned into an afternoon. I should probably go check on the shop and get her home to unwind.” I was enjoying his company and really didn’t want him or Celia to go but nodded. Axel groaned when she realized we were leaving.
“We’ll do this again soon, kiddo.” Griffin rested a hand on Axel’s head, messing her hair up. Axel squealed, jumping up to hug Celia. I kind of wanted to mimic her reaction.
After we cleaned up, Axel jumped on my back and we strolled out to the parking lot across the street. Ax climbed into my Jeep and Griffin chuckled as he unlocked his own Jeep next to mine. Our cars were matching black and white. They were the same year, too. I stared at his back, watching the muscles flex as he placed Celia gently in her seat. I only looked away when he turned back around. My face flushed, giving me away entirely. I recovered by waving at Celia, who smiled and returned the gesture.
Then I felt him staring at me and our gazes locked before I cleared my throat, trying to shake the static from my brain. “It was so nice to meet you, Griffin. I’m glad the girls hit it off.” I patted his arm like an idiot, but the big, sexy guy just smiled warmly.
“Celia barely talks to me, or anyone.” He pursed his lips lightly. “Can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?”
My arm pat turned into him taking my small hand in his giant one and my stomach clenched. I had no idea how to respond, and his hand wrapped around mine wasn’t helping. The numbers ran through my mind. Two years, three months, one week, and five days. It was how long I had been divorced. The divorce was finalized a good eighteen months after Richard went to prison, so it had been a long time since a man was on my radar. I had offers but had turned every one of them down because, to be honest, I was in no condition to date. I had been out exactly two times with one guy and he truly hadn’t deserved the psychotic break I put him through. I stared at Griffin blankly while questions bombarded me, and I tried to process the current situation.
“Okay,” my mouth said the word without my permission, and my mind came to a screeching halt.Traitorous mouth.
What if Ax got attached and then we called it quits? What if he touched me and I flipped my shit again? What if I was so fucking broken, I was going to fall into a panic attack rivaling all others.It was so bad last time I quit looking at all men altogether. What if …oh, screw it. Dinner wasn’t a sin and if it were, I was going to hell for a whole laundry list of sins anyway.
“Sounds fun,” I feigned confidence. He smirked, I blushed, then Griffin let go of my hand so I could get in the Jeep.
“See you tomorrow, Cori.”
“I guess so, Griffin.” I watched him climb in and walked around to my side of the Jeep. Once I was hidden safely inside my car, I rested my hands on the steering wheel and leaned my forehead between them. As soon as he pulled out, I handed Axel a book to look at, then called my mom to line up a sitter, because, apparently, I had a date. I wanted to text Harri and let her know, insist she help me, but decided against it. If I chickened out, I wanted the option to do so with dignity. Harriet knowing about it would not give me that option.
FOUR
Griffin
Celia hummed quietly to herself while I drove, too distracted by the fact that I had just asked a woman on a fucking date to pay attention to anything else. Griffin Steele didn’t date. Griffin Steele hit and quit. I had literally never taken a woman to a restaurant, ever, but after two hours had asked Cori to dinner. I knew I wanted her the second I saw her, but had no idea how crazy I’d gone. We were nearly to Needles and I was falling into an abyss ofwhat the hell have I donewhen Celia spoke.
“When can I see Axel again?” Her voice was so soft I nearly missed it, lost in my own thoughts.
“Hopefully before next dance class. Did you have fun?” I watched her in the mirror as she nodded eagerly, smiling. Her smiles were rare. Considering all she had been through, I didn’t blame her. Celia was broken and bruised when a woman knocked on my door four months before. As soon as I opened it she said the words I never thought I would hear.
I was not meant to be a parent, I was always careful, but there she was, my DNA-confirmed daughter with a woman I didn’t remember. My life stopped and started all at once the day she came to my house. The drinking and womanizing stopped, abruptly, but the growing up happened way too damn fast.
