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CHAPTER TWELVE
Skylar knew his mother’s expressions by heart, and he knew when to worry by the look on her face. Joann Griffin was not given to dramatics. The second he saw her standing at the edge of the living room his heart jumped into his throat. He immediately looked for Anna but didn’t find her. After that, he sprinted across the room to his mother. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
His father hurried over to them. “You okay, Jo?” John asked. “What’s happened?”
“I don’t know,” she said, hands trembling. “I gave Anna my grandmother’s ring, and she ran out of here without saying a word. The blood drained from her face. Did I say something wrong?”
Skylar placed a comforting hand on his mother’s arm. “It’s not your fault, Mom. Anna has been going through a lot lately. I should have warned you. Don’t worry. I’ll find her.”
His mother yelled after him as he raced for the door. “If she doesn’t want to come back up here, just take her home. But let us know she’s okay.”
He gave his mom a thumbs-up before disappearing down the small hallway leading to the front door. He didn’t have the patience to wait for an elevator. Taking the stairs, he ran down them level by level until he made it to the first floor.
Anna was pounding on the locked door. He shouted her name, relieved to see her unharmed. She turned to him and buried her damp face against his chest as his arms locked around her. Her tears wet the front of his shirt. He stroked her back with both hands and repeated soothing words near her ear. He’d never seen her in such a state before. It scared the hell out of him.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.”
She sobbed so hard her entire body shook.
He continued to hold her, feeling helpless. What else could he do? He didn’t even know what was wrong, why she was crying. So he gave her a moment to find comfort in his arms. He tightened them around her and whispered soothing words against the side of her head.
“I didn’t remember,” she said, sobbing into his shirt. Her hand balled into a fist and lightly struck his chest near her face. “It’s been so long.”
“What is it, baby? What didn’t you remember?”
“What it was like to have a family.”
An echoing sadness reverberated through him as he also remembered what it was like to have a family of his own. He and the woman in his arms shared a profound pain the average person couldn’t possibly understand. But his pain lessoned as he realized how much Anna meant to him. He not only wanted to protect her, but he wanted to take away that pain.
She freed herself from his arms and turned away. She took a moment to wipe her wet face with both hands before looking at him. Tinged pink, her cheeks testified to her embarrassment. “Your mother must think I’ve lost my mind the way I ran out of there.”
“She’s concerned about you.”
Anna held up his grandmother’s engagement ring. “She gave me this.”
He groaned. “I wish she would have run that by me first.”
“It’s not her fault. She doesn’t know this isn’t real.”
Her statement bothered him more than he cared to admit. It bothered him so much that it drove him to action. He took her into his arms and kissed her until she needed to come up for air. “This is real.” He kissed her again. “This, whatever it is between us, this is very real.”
“Don’t you think we should go back upstairs before they send a search party?”
“I didn’t want to spring a surprise on you tonight without warning, but they made me swear I wouldn’t ruin it for you. I’m sorry. They can be a bit much.”
“Don’t apologize. It was sweet, and I love spending time with your family. I really do.” She looked up as if she could see them through the ceiling. “I need to get my bag. Guess it’s time to face the music.”
“I’ll get it for you.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want them to think I’m a coward.”
“No one thinks that.” He pulled her into his arms for a quick kiss. “Let me take care of you.”
Anna gestured to the exit. “How do we get out of here? Do you have your cell on you?”
“No need.” He kicked the door before pumping the metal handle twice. With a harsh groan, it finally went down so he could push the door open. “This door doesn’t lock. It gets stuck. You can wait outside if you want.”
A relieved smile transformed her face, removing the tell-tale signs of stress in an instant. “Thank you,” she said before stepping over the threshold.
