“Can you help me out and take Charlie and get her settled in the car, please?” I nod, and Lauren makes a face. Griffin sees it. “We need to have a private conversation. Sadie will keep an eye on her at my car while we talk across the lot.”
Lauren still has a look of pure hate on her face, but I ignore it, and we all walk out together. Griffin puts Charlie down and squats to her level. “Charlie, honey, Nurse Sadie is going to walk you over to the car and get you settled. Mom and I will be right over there.”
He points to a spot a few cars over, and she nods. I take her hand and walk her over to his SUV. A couple minutes later she’s strapped into her booster seat and already nodding off. I keep the back door open and lean against the side of the car and keep an eye on her.
I try not to glance over too much, but when I do I see a lot of angry expressions and gesturing arms. Their voices start getting louder and louder as they talk, and I start to hear everything, but Charlie is asleep so she, thankfully, doesn’t.
“My boyfriend is sick and you’re punishing me by taking away my daughter,” she says heatedly. I bristle at the idea that she is turning this around and blaming Griffin.
“What is he sick with, Lauren?” Griffin snaps.
“I don’t know why Cale is sick, but I do know you won’t get away with this,” she yells.
Something in me snaps, and I can’t stay silent. I gently close the door to the car and take a step toward Griffin. They notice and both turn to face me at the same time.
“She knows why he was brought in, and so do I,” I can’t help but interject. My eyes narrow on her face. “And I will tell him if you don’t, even if it costs me my job.”
Lauren hates my guts. That is clear in the look she gives me. And if I get my way, this woman will be in my life for a very long time, because Charlie will be—because Griffin will be—but if the price I pay is a lifetime of bitchiness and death stares from her, then so be it. “He has to know if it affects his daughter, and clearly it does,” I remind her flatly.
“Who the fuck are you?” Lauren hisses.
“Sadie is my girlfriend,” Griffin explains.
“How the fuck does she know anything about my life?” Lauren demands.
“Why is my daughter in an emergency room waiting room in the middle of the night?” Griffin asks her in a dark, deep voice so serious it’s almost menacing.
“They said Cale overdosed, but I don’t believe them,” Lauren says, but the quick, furtive way she’s talking means that deep down, she does believe them. “I know he’s been under a lot of stress, because he wants me to move to New York with him and you’re making that harder than it needs to be. But he’s not like a serious drug user. It’s got to be a mistake. He has the occasional joint but never anything hard. I wouldn’t be with him if he had a real drug problem.”
Griffin takes a deep breath. He’s much calmer looking than I probably am, and it amazes me. “I’m taking Charlie home. She’s spending the two days I’m away for the road trip with Hunter and Mia. You are going to call your lawyer and cancel the custody hearing tomorrow.”
“I can’t. I won’t!”
“Lauren.” Griffin’s voice suddenly sounds so tired. “She’s our baby. She can’t move to New York with a drug addict. I know you love her.”
“We don’t know for sure that’s what happened tonight!” She is so desperate that I almost feel bad for her.
“Lauren, it’s this plan or I go in there tomorrow and tell the judge all of this,” Griffin explains. “And you’ll have a lot more to worry about than whether you go to New York.”
Lauren starts to cry, but she nods. “Fine. I’m going to need time to deal with this anyway. But I want to see her while she’s with Hunter and Mia.”
“Of course,” Griffin replies. “I will never keep you from your child.”
Oh, my God, I love this man. Ilovethis man.
Lauren storms past me to the car and opens the door to the back seat. Charlie is still out cold. She strokes her hair and kisses her forehead before glaring at me one last time and turning and heading into the ER without another word. Griffin turns to me, grabs my face in his hands, and kisses me feverishly. When he pulls away I’m breathless.
“I can’t tell you what you mean to me,” he whispers hoarsely. “Because I can’t even process it at this point. But I will never be able to thank you enough.”
“Go,” I say simply and give him one more quick, soft kiss, because I am drowning in my own feelings for him. “Get her home.”
He nods but it’s reluctant. Even with everything going on he still wants to take care of me. “I’ll be fine. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
He nods, kisses me one last time, and drives away.
26
Griffin
