AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Right. So you’re back in Vegas, then?” Another idiot question from Captain Obvious over here.
“For a week or so to iron out the hotel project details. Then I’m back in New York while we set up renovation plans. After that, I should be in Vegas for a while again.”
“How long is a while?”
“It’ll depend on how smoothly the project goes, but I’ll assume a few months a least.”
“And after that?”
“I’m not sure yet. It depends.”
“On what?” My stomach does that flip-flopping thing, as if it’s my first day on the boat again. It was nothing like kayaking, unless I was kayaking in ten-foot waves.
Griffin rolls his glass of expensive scotch between his palms, peeking up from under his girl-long eyelashes. “You, mostly.”
My heart skips like a stone over water. “Explain that, please.”
“Now that Imogen is no longer in the picture, and my situation is much less complicated, I wondered if maybe you’d be willing to give me another shot.” He motions between us. “Give us another shot.”
I shouldn’t be at all surprised to hear this. I can’t see any other reason he’d fly his ass all the way here unless he wanted to get back together, but it’s still mind-blowing to hear the words come out of his mouth. “Do you happen to have any other potentially pregnant ex-fiancées I should be concerned about?”
“Just the one, and she won’t be a problem anymore.” Griffin takes a hefty sip of his scotch.
“And you know that how, exactly?”
“Because I told Imogen’s mother that if she tried to contact me again, I’d slap a restraining order on her.”
“Why her mother?”
“She’s more reasonable to deal with.”
That prompts a whole series of questions. “Okay.” I rub my temple. “I need to ask, how in the world did you end up with a cheater who lies about having your baby and needs parental intervention to keep her away from you? Also, should I be worried that I’m dealing with some kind of Single White Female crazy bullshit?”
“Imogen was . . . is high maintenance and prone to overreacting.”
“So she’s a drama queen.”
“That about sums it up.”
I pull my knees up and tuck my feet under my butt. “You don’t seem like the kind of guy who would deal with drama queens.”
“Generally, no. Imogen wasn’t like that when we met. Not at first. She seemed like a good partner. We had similar life goals, a few common friends, my parents liked her parents.”
“So you stayed together out of convenience?”
“In some ways, yes. The relationship lacked passion, but for a while, we worked, probably because I was out of the country so much.”
I can see how two people could settle into routine and let love languish or put up walls to prevent heartbreak. I’ve done it. My sister does it with every single guy she dates.
But with Griffin, I can also see the other side—how we might grow together, lust evolving into a soul-binding kind of love that has the power to obliterate a heart if it’s taken away.
“This whole getting-emotionally-attached business isn’t something I’ve done a lot of, and how I’ve felt the past month has made me super aware that breaking up is pretty low on my to-do list.”
“I won’t hurt you again, Cosy. I—”
I hold up a hand before he can finish that statement. “Don’t promise me anything, Griffin. You can’t guarantee that, but I’d like to keep my heart as intact as possible from here on out.” I’m rambling so hard right now, but it’s been a lot of weeks of sadness and confusion, so getting this off my chest feels necessary.
“I may have gone into this”—he motions between us—“thinking it would just be casual, but that changed the more time I spent with you. You’re not a rebound or a fling; you’re exactly what I want and I’ll do whatever I can to keep you in my life. We can take it slow if that’s what you need.”
These are all things I want and need to hear, but there’s more to this relationship than just us. “What if I don’t fit into your life outside of Vegas?”
“You already do.”
“You’re going to want me to meet your family eventually, right?” I’m all over the place right now, but then, I didn’t expect Griffin to show up here today, so every single disorganized thought I have comes out of my mouth.
“Well . . . yes. Eventually.”
“What if they don’t like me?”
“They’ll love you.” He says it as if he’s 100 percent sure.
“They loved Imogen, and she seems like a bit of a nutjob.” I think this is a valid point.
“They liked Imogen because they thought she made me happy.”
“She also fit better into your life than I will.”
Griffin frowns, which makes him look ridiculously sexy. “You’re referring to her family’s financial status?”
“Sort of? I mean, there’s a very distinct difference between her and me. She’s polished and I’m . . . me.” I motion to my attire, which consists of shorts and a shirt with hot pink sequins. “I won’t change who I am to fit into your world.”
