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“Did you sleep at all last night?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I couldn’t get my brain to shut up. Also, I had heart burn from binging on comfort foods all day.”

“I was going to suggest that we go for a ride on my bike and get some fresh air, but you look like you’re fixing to drop. How about we watch a movie instead?”

She shrugged listlessly but followed me into the living room. I found the remote and scrolled through her saved movies, picking one at random. I sat at one end of the couch and patted my lap.

“I’m not in the mood for that,” she said acidly.

I smiled. “Lay down. You can rest while we watch the movie.”

It was a testament to how exhausted she must be that she actually listened. Dawn laid her head down on my lap, and I grabbed the blanket that was on the back of the couch, drawing it over her body. As the movie started, I stroked her hair gently, the way I used to when we were kids, and within five minutes she was fast asleep.

Chapter 12

Dawn

I woke up slowly, feeling heavy and confused. I heard soft snoring behind me and turned my head to investigate. I was laying on Griff’s lap on the couch, and he was asleep with his head thrown back against the top of the couch.

He looked so much softer in sleep. Up until now I’d steadfastly avoided sleeping over with him. I’d convinced myself that the best way to protect my heart was to rush away after we made love. I was an idiot. My feelings had been growing this entire time and I’d pretended not to notice that I was falling for him again.

Moving slowly, I made my way to the bathroom. After taking care of my bio needs, I brushed my teeth and took a quick shower. I hadn’t showered since yesterday morning and after a day and a half wallowing around and binging on carbs, I felt kind of gross.

I pulled on yoga pants and a tee shirt and went back to the living room. Griffin was awake and looking at something on his phone. He looked up with a smile.

“You look much better.”

I suddenly felt awkward. “Yeah. Thanks for letting me sleep on you.”

“Any time, sweetheart.”

“Um...do you want to stay for dinner?” I asked.

I knew we needed to talk and figured we might as well do it now while we were together. Not that I knew what I was going to say. I was just as confused now as I had been when the doctor gave me the news.

“Sure. I’ll help cook.”

I raised my eyebrows. I’d never seen Griff cook anything that didn’t involve a microwave.

He must have read my thoughts on my face because he added, “I’ve come a long way since the days I couldn’t handle more than microwaving a hot pocket.”

I laughed. It felt good to laugh after the last two days.

We worked together to grill some chicken and vegetables. Griff had brought over a loaf of bread from the store’s bakery section, so I popped it in the oven to warm it up while he set the table. It was all very...cozy.

We ate in companionable silence for a few minutes before I broached the topic that I knew we were both thinking about.

“We obviously didn’t plan this, but I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’ve decided I’m having the baby. Assuming it’s viable I mean.”

Griff gave me a radiant smile.

“Great. I’m glad. I mean, I would have supported you either way, but I’m glad you made this decision. So...let’s figure out when we should get married.”

I leapt out of my chair so fast my chair overturned.

“What the fuck? We’re not getting married again. Are you crazy?”

He gave me a stubborn look. “The baby should have two parents.”