‘But nothing. You’re braver than me. I’ve been wanting to . . .’ Lyndsey toyed with one of her silky corkscrew curls. ‘I’ve trained myself to always be in control. Never to give in to rash impulses. I found it’s safer that way.’
‘But is that any way to live life? If I hadn’t taken the plunge, I’d still be juggling balance sheets and sitting through boring four-hour long meetings about budget projections and cost analysis.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m not gonna say I’m making a steady six-figure salary, but I get by pretty well. I can identify the birds at my bird feeder. One day I might have enough research gathered up on old Middle Tennessee barns to write a book. My vegetables are coming along pretty damn well. Last week, I helped Tiffany put up a new fence. Harold asked yesterday if I’d help him and William repair Miss Grey’s roof.’
‘Griff, I . . . really want to say the same as you did . . .’ Her visible effort to swallow touched him.
‘There’s no hurry, although I hope one day you might—’
Out of nowhere, she flung her arms around his neck, locked lips in a searing kiss and wriggled over onto his lap at the same time. Through his wonderful confusion, it took a second to click that the words she was breathlessly reciting over and over were, ‘I love you too.’
With a triumphant smile, she let go and beamed at him. ‘In case you weren’t sure, I’ve had enough of being a coward. This is me being out of control, rash and horribly, dreadfully unsafe.’
‘Yeah, thought so. I’m a massive fan.’ Griff hugged her back. ‘How about we tidy up here, then I’ll slink off to shower and throw on some clean clothes, and you go on back and make Becca’s morning? I’ll come back to rescue you, and we’ll tell her our news together, if you like?’
‘Tell her what exactly?’ A wobble shook her voice.
‘As much or as little as you want. In case you aren’t sure, I want this — you — long-term. I’m not so sure how we’ll make it work or what exactly it’ll look like, but I’m okay with that if you are?’
Lyndsey looked thoughtful. ‘Would you mind if we kept it to ourselves for now? Behaved as normal?’ A mischievous smile lit her up. ‘Well, normal with sex thrown in, because Becca’s bound to guess that part.’
‘Sure.’ Griff squashed a trickle of disappointment. He had an overwhelming urge to shout their love from the rooftops, but he’d pushed her far enough out of her comfort zone for one day. ‘I’ll wash our mugs if you make the bed.’ The sparkles in her eyes glittered brighter than the summer sun. ‘Don’t do that, woman.’
‘What?’
‘The teasing eyes thing. You know I’d take you back to bed in a heartbeat, but—’
‘Real life is waiting.’ She exhaled a dramatic, resigned sigh. ‘It’s the penalty of falling in love when you’re not a teenager. People give you a break, then, they put it down to uncontrollable hormones.’
‘Were you that way?’ Griff couldn’t see it somehow. ‘I sure was. I lost my mind at fifteen big time. Mandy Green was a blonde prom queen with curves in all the right places.’ He shook his head. ‘I never could figure out why she hooked up with me when she was two years older and could have any guy in the school by crooking her little finger. For a couple of magical weeks, nothing else existed for me but when I’d see her again. We made out like crazy in her parents’ basement when they weren’t home, and the afternoon she let me touch her breasts is etched in my brain. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.’
Lyndsey’s husky laughter filled the air. ‘I do not need the details of you losing your virginity, thanks very much.’
‘She didn’t let me gothatfar! I was soon kicked to the curb and replaced by the muscle-bound, needing-to-shave-twice-a-day quarterback for the football team.’
‘How sad. I suppose her toy boy days were over.’
‘You’re mean.’
‘Yep. That’s what all the men say.’ Sadness ran through her words.
‘You know I was joking, right?’
Her nod struck him as automatic rather than heartfelt. She said, ‘I’m not a fan of dredging up my past love life, so can we leave it there for now?’
Griff itched to discover what brought on the change in her upbeat attitude, but he refused to ask. She’d been patient with him; it was his turn to repay the favor.
‘Do you fancy having supper with me and Jase tonight?’ The impromptu invitation brought back her smile.
‘I’d love that. I’ll clear up here. It’s not much. You run along while I gather the strength to face my smug sister.’
He snorted. ‘My brother’s gonna be equally self-satisfied. The SOB even offered to put in ear plugs last night, so I could take you back to my place and . . .’ Griff shut his mouth. Time to make a swift retreat.
Chapter Twenty
Lyndsey chatted away to Nora while she struggled to wriggle the baby’s tiny arms through the sleeves of an unbearably cute red-white-and-blue striped dress, which came with matching rompers. Her mother sent it in a parcel from England, along with more Minstrels for her and Becca, plus a couple of English computer magazines that Theo requested.
There was something incredibly soothing about discussing her thoughts and feelings with someone whose only response was to gurgle and kick her plump pink legs in the air. Before this, Lyndsey never had much to do with babies beyond the usual cooing over friends’ offspring. Sadly, her friendship with the new mums inevitably faltered when the reality of their vastly differing lifestyles sunk in. Now she totally got why her friends’ priorities changed so drastically.
Every day her love for her niece deepened; it was fascinating to watch Nora’s personality reveal itself like a budding flower opening to the sun. At almost four months old now, there were clear signs of the person she’d one day become. Generally good-humored, unless she was tired or hungry, but very much knowing her own mind about what she did and didn’t like.
