“Anyway, make sure you take care of it,” I tell him. “Pa took William to the hunting cabin for a few nights and I don’t need to worry about a forest fire on top of everything else.”
“I’m on it.”
Sophie
By the timeI’m finished in the shower and I’ve towel dried my hair, my ankle is throbbing and angry from standing too long. I wrap one of Griffin’s big plushy towels around me and hobble into the bedroom to find something to wear.
I didn’t pack much for the overnight trip and the idea of pulling jeans on with my ankle so sore and swollen doesn’t appeal. Besides, what I’d felt the most comfortable in earlier was Griff’s flannel. Just like him, it made me feel safe, warm and comfortable.
Ignoring my throbbing ankle, I hobble over to the dresser on the far side of the room but before I can open any of the drawers, the framed photos catch my attention.
The first is a family photo. An older couple sat on a log in the centre with five very big men, surrounding them. It was obviously taken a few years ago, but I can pick out a younger Griffin. Instead of a beard, there was only the start of a scruff on his cheeks, but he was just as handsome and even looking at a younger version of him in the photo sends a spark of desire shooting between my legs.
The picture in the next frame causes my breath to catch in my throat. Gently I pick up the frame and stare at an image of Griffin posed with a little boy in his arms. A little boy who is the mirror image of his father.
Griffin has a child?
Does that mean he has a wife, too? And if so, where is she? And where is his?—
“That’s William.”
I spin around so quickly at the sound of his voice, I forget about my sore ankle until a shot of pain shoots up my leg.
“Ouch.” Before I can collapse to the floor, I catch myself with my free hand on the dresser. Griffin’s there in a flash. He puts his arm around me, and instinctively I lean into him.
“You shouldn’t be on your?—”
“He’s your?—”
Griffin stills for a moment before reaching to take the photo from my hand. Without releasing his hold on me, he says, “His name is William. He’s six and my whole world.”
Something about the sweet way he speaks about his son makes my heart swell and I for a second I forget about the prospect of the little boy’s mother.
Griffin reaches past me to put the frame back on the dresser before turning me in in his arms. His eyes dip to my cleavage. I’m only wearing a towel and water is still dripping from my hair between my breasts.
“You really shouldn’t be on that foot.”
Before I can protest, Griff bends and scoops me up easily into his arms. A gasp slips from my lips and my arms wrap around his neck for the short walk to the bed.
Instead of putting me down, Griff sits with me still in his arms and doesn’t relax his grip on me.
“Sophie.” He clears his throat loudly. “You should know?—”
“It’s okay.” My heart sinks which was ridiculous because I’ve just met this man. It doesn’t matter that he has a wife and son. I’m just some stupid girl he’s being kind to after almost hitting with his truck. “You don’t owe me anything, Griff.” I try to twist out of his arms. As much as I love the way he holds me, it isn’t right if he has a family. No matter how natural it feels to be with him. “I shouldn’t be here. Your wife or girl?—”
“Sweetheart.” His deep voice and the way he speaks the pet name he’s given me so easily, stills me in his arms. “There is no wife. No girlfriend.”
My mouth falls open and I look up into his eyes. “William’s mother?”
Griffin
The last thingI want to discuss with my girl while she’s wearing only a towel, a soft warm weight on my lap, is my son’s mother.
But I can see the confusion in her eyes, and I cannot stand her thinking that she’s anything less than the single most important woman in my life at this very moment.
With one finger, I lift her chin until I can look into her big, beautiful eyes. “There’s no wife,” I say slowly. “No girlfriend.” I see the realization in her eyes as she understands that I’m telling her I’m a single father. “He’s with my dad for a few nights on a camping trip,” I add before she can ask.
The worry slips from her face and she relaxes into my arms. My large hand cups her cheek while my thumb slowly rubs circles on her soft skin. “There’s only you, sweetheart.”
