“Feels like a bomb going off in my life.”
“It is, but everyone will be okay.I promise.”
“Easy for you to say when you didn’t just become a father without the usual nine months’ notice.”
“I’m not saying it’ll be easy.Take it one minute at a time and send pictures.”
“I will.Thanks for calling, Jules.”
“Of course.You’ve got this, Griff.Remember, one minute at a time.”
“Got it.”
“And don’t forget to take pictures.”
“I won’t.”
He felt better after talking to Julian, which wasn’t unusual.His eldest brother had always been there for him—for all of them.He wasn’t the only one who went running to Julian any time something went sideways.
Did finding out you had a baby you didn’t know about count as something going sideways?How about if her mother was the one woman who’d managed to crack your resolve to stay stubbornly single?Julian didn’t know that part.No one did, or how he’d run away from her like his ass was on fire when he realized he’d developed feelings for her.
And now he had to see her—and the child they’d created together.Was it any wonder he was freaking the fuck out?
At eleven fifteen, he left his condo in Malibu to drive south to Santa Monica in his Chevy Silverado 1500 High Country, counting on the midday traffic to be lighter than it would be later in the day.Thinking about traffic was easier than trying to anticipate what was waiting for him at the other end of this short drive.
McKenna had been different from the start.Not only was she gorgeous and sexy as all hell, with curly light blonde hair and hazel eyes, but she was the funniest person he’d ever dated.She was a flight attendant who dabbled in acting and was away a lot, so the relationship, such as it was, had worked out well for him as he’d still had plenty of time to surf and see his friends and family.They’d done nothing but laugh—and screw—for months before he’d gotten scared of the emotional overload and headed for the hills.
He’d hurt her with his sudden withdrawal, and he hated that he’d done that to her, but one day, he’d woken up to the fact that she was becoming essential to him and decided he couldn’t let that happen.It wouldn’t be much consolation to her to hear that he’d suffered through genuine heartbreak for the first time in his life after walking away from her, or that his decision had screwed him up for months after.
It was no wonder she hadn’t told him about the baby until she was born, or that she’d engaged a lawyer to reach out to him rather than texting him the news.She had no reason to have an ounce of faith in him after the way he’d behaved.Not to mention, knowing he was a family law attorney, she was probably afraid of what he might do next.Not that she had any reason to be afraid of him wanting custody of her child.He didn’t.
So in addition to the considerable anxiety about meeting his daughter, he was also mortified about the chickenshit way he’d treated her mother.
Good times.
The vow they’d taken to stay single, so they’d never be part of a nasty split like their parents’, had been easy enough to stick to until he’d met McKenna and had to reckon with the reality of letting go of someone he truly cared about.Steering clear of the kinds of nightmares they saw every day in their practice had turned out to be harder than expected when real feelings were involved.
But he’d done what he had to do, and now…
Today, he’d face the consequences in more ways than one.Considering the way he’d walked away from her, he was lucky she was allowing him to visit her home or meet their daughter.
Needing comfort wherever he could find it, he put down the window to let in the salt-air scent that always soothed him.The sound of gulls squawking as they went about their scavenging further calmed the rampaging emotions.He’d give anything to be spending this day surfing rather than having to face a woman he’d treated badly and the baby they’d made together.
Guilt, embarrassment, anticipation and curiosity were all present as he pushed the button on the panel outside her building to announce his arrival.“Hey, it’s Griffin.”
“Come on up.”
How strange it was to hear her voice again after trying so hard to forget her.The woman who answered the door at apartment 4B bore little resemblance to the polished, put-together professional he’d met at a cocktail party in town.This version of McKenna wore no makeup, her hair was in a ponytail, and she had on a long-sleeved T-shirt with sweats, and somehow, she was even more beautiful than he recalled.There was a radiant, joyful aura to her that hadn’t been there before, and he wondered if that had come from motherhood.If so, it looked good on her.
“Come in.”She stepped back to admit him into the warm, cozy space he’d enjoyed so much when they were together.He’d enjoyed it too much, which had led to his retreat.
“You look great, Mac.”
Grimacing, she said, “That’s nice of you to say.Having a baby is tough stuff.”
“You’ve never been more beautiful.”
“It’s okay.You don’t have to say what you think I need to hear.”
