I rolled onto my side to face him properly, mirroring his position. “You’re annoying.”
“Yeah.” His voice dropped, that half-smile playing at his mouth. “But you like me anyway.”
He had no idea how well he’d hit that nail on the head.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
VIOLET
“Come on, sweet girl. Just close your eyes.”
I paced the length of the hotel suite, bouncing Hazel gently against my shoulder. She fussed, her tiny face scrunched in displeasure. She’d been fighting sleep for nearly an hour, overtired and thrown off by the time change. I’d tried everything—rocking, singing, even a warm bath—but nothing worked.
Griffin lounged on the sofa, scrolling through his phone with one hand, the other drumming an irregular pattern against his thigh. He’d been restless since he got back from his cycling trip.
“Is she still not settling?” he asked without looking up.
I shot him a look. “No, I’m just pacing for the cardio.”
His mouth twitched. “Sarcasm. Always a good sign you’re at your limit.”
“I’m fine.”
“Sure you are.” He set his phone down, watching me with those too-observant eyes. “Give her here.”
I hesitated, my arms tightening instinctively around Hazel. “I’ve got her.”
“Didn’t say you didn’t.” He stood, stretching his arms overhead, his t-shirt riding up to reveal a strip of tanned skin. “But you’ve been at it for an hour, and I’ve been sitting on my ass doing nothing. Your turn to sit.”
Before I could argue, he crossed the room and held out his arms. Hazel, the little traitor, immediately reached for him, her fussing quieting to curious hiccups.
“Unbelievable,” I muttered, surrendering her. “I pace for an hour, and you just have to exist.”
Griffin grinned, settling Hazel against his chest. “What can I say? I’m irresistible.”
“To sleep-deprived infants, apparently.”
He chuckled, swaying gently. “Go sit down before you fall down.”
I sank onto the sofa, my body melting into the cushions with embarrassing eagerness. My shoulders ached from tension, my head throbbed with the beginnings of a headache, and my patience had worn tissue-thin.
Griffin paced the same path I’d worn into the carpet, murmuring nonsense to Hazel. His voice dropped to that low, gentle register he only used with her. It was softer than I’d ever imagined possible from the championship’s resident playboy.
“You know what your problem is?” he asked, glancing over at me.
I raised an eyebrow. “Please, enlighten me.”
“You never stop.” He shifted Hazel higher on his shoulder. “Always working, always thinking, always doing. When’s the last time you just... existed?”
“Some of us don’t have that luxury.”
“It’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity.” He nodded toward the window, where sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains. “Perfect pool day out there. You should take advantage.”
I snorted. “Right. Because lounging by the pool while you’re on baby duty is exactly what Julian expects.”
“Julian’s not here.” Griffin’s eyes met mine, something challenging in their depths. “And I’m her father. Watching my own kid isn’t babysitting, it’s parenting. Besides,”—he glanced down at her, smiling—“Hazel’s about to crash. Once she’s down, she’ll be out for at least an hour. Plenty of time for you to go soak up some vitamin D.”
I chewed my lip, temptation warring with responsibility. An hour wasn’t much. And it wasn’t as if I was abandoning Hazel. Griffin was her father, not some clueless stand-in. He was more than capable of holding down the fort at this point.
