Page 157 of Contentious

“What?”

“Nah, it’s dumb.”

“What do you wish for, Griffin?”

“I wish I could spend all day with her the way you do instead of a couple of stolen hours after work has gotten the best of me.”

“You could take a paternity leave, you know.”

“What?”

She smiled as she adjusted Hadley’s blanket to cover her sweet little toes. “It’s a common concept used by new fathers who want to take time off to spend with their new babies.”

“I know what it is, but I never thought…”

“You might need to take a paternity leave?”

“Something like that. I’m not sure how that would work for me. I’m booked three months out.”

“And there’s no one who could cover for you among that posse of brothers you work with?”

“I mean, they could, but their load is every bit as heavy as mine is. I can’t picture myself stepping away from work for longer than a day or two, and even that has to be arranged well in advance.”

“That’s a very sad state of affairs, Griff. You realize that, don’t you?”

“I’m beginning to.”

“Aren’t you a partner in the firm? Doesn’t that mean you’re one of the bosses?”

“In our firm, there’s only one boss—my dad—and being a partner means I’m basically running my own business, so walking away for even a short time feels impossible.”

“It might feel that way, but it’s actually not impossible. You know that, right?”

“Um, not really.”

“Do I need to remind a lawyer that you have a legal right to take leave when needed? There’s a thing called the Family Medical⁠—”

“Leave Act. Yes, I’m aware. I’ve helped numerous clients exercise those rights with their employers.”

“Oh, phew. I was afraid for a minute there that you were actually unfamiliar with the concept.”

“Haha, now you’re just mocking me.”

“Am I?”

“You know you are, and I think you’re enjoying it.”

She squeezed her fingers together. “Maybe just a little. For such a smart guy, you can be rather dense sometimes.”

“Ironically, you’re not the first person to tell me that.”

“I already knew this about you, remember?”

He glanced at her. “I remember everything, including how badly I treated you at the end for no good reason other than that I was scared.”

“I knew that, even if it didn’t make anything better at the time.”

“I’m sorry I did that. You so didn’t deserve it.”