Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - THREE DAYS LATER
Griffin stared at the black Jeep in Savanna’s driveway. Was that Shep’s?
Am I too late? His body tensed as he stood stuck to the pavement, staring at her front door. He should have called. He shouldn’t have waited eighteen damn days to show up.
Griffin’s focus snapped to the door opening, and Shep appeared, holding a see-through bin of what appeared to be food. Baked goods, maybe.
“Griffin,” Shep called out, stepping aside as Savanna made an appearance.
Savanna stood alongside Shep on the front stoop of her townhouse, unmoving as she stared at him, and it took all his restraint not to run to her.
Shep turned to her, and they exchanged a quick word. Griffin wasn’t sure what he’d said, but she slowly stepped back into her house and shut the door.
His heart might have shriveled and died in his chest to see her turning away at Shep’s directive. Griffin told himself to take a breath and collect his thoughts. To not assume anything or immediately throw down with Shep and fight him for Savanna.
Had she made her choice?
“Wait,” Shep said as if worried Griffin was going to leave.
Griffin wasn’t going anywhere, but he couldn’t face the firefighter just yet. He needed to get a handle on his emotions first.
“It’s not what you think. I told her I wanted a word with you before you two talk.”
At that, Griffin looked over at Shep as he placed the bin in the passenger seat of his Jeep before walking to where Griffin was standing at the end of the driveway.
“Those cupcakes are for the station. She’s been baking a lot while waiting for your ass to finally show the fuck up,” Shep said in a low tone, either so Savanna wouldn’t overhear or to let Griffin know he was a dick for waiting so long.
Waiting for me? So, she waited. He tore a hand through his hair as Shep closed the space between them.
“I’m not gonna lie. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t want me being friends with her.”
Yeah, that’s not what he wanted to hear when he was trying to work through his issues and be a stronger, more trusting man for Savanna.
“I know she told you what happened when we were drunk a while back. Or, well, you guessed, I should say.” Shep folded his arms across his broad chest, standing at the same height as Griffin. “So, I get why you wouldn’t want us to be friends. I’d feel the same. And for a second, when I saw her with you back at that hangar weeks ago, I got a little jealous. Not gonna lie about it.”
“Where are you going with this?” Griffin asked, doing his best to keep from snarling at the man.
“I’ll never be good enough for that woman. I’m not the type to settle down and have kids.” Shep held his palms open, his keys still in one hand. “I don’t even want kids, and she wants a lot. I’d hurt her, and then A.J. and Jesse would go to jail for murder, and well, none of us want that, do we?”
“I’d kill you too,” he found himself admitting, trying to forget the fact this man had had Savanna in his arms—and more.
“I reckon you would.” Shep lowered his palms. “But also, I’ve never seen her look at anyone the way she does you. I do kind of want to hit you for making her wait so long, but if your reasons were honorable for that wait, then I’ll withhold. You know, for Savanna’s sake. She hates using her frozen peas for black eyes.”
Griffin replayed Shep’s words, hoping he heard him right.
“You can trust her, though. I promise. She’d never . . .” He offered his free hand. “You have my word I’d never cross the line. I want her happy, and if that’s with you, then that’s with you.”
Griffin eyed the peace offering, and he finally accepted his palm.
“But if you hurt her, I’ll kill you.” Then he added, “And if you die on her, then I’ll drag your ass back to earth and kill ya again.”
Griffin had been a nervous wreck at the idea of facing Savanna, but somehow this encounter with Shep surprisingly relaxed him. Maybe it was what he needed to help him lose his baggage. If he could trust Shep to be honorable, then there was hope for him moving forward.
“Roger that,” Griffin responded with a nod, his stomach flipping again when he set his sights back on the front door, finding it open with Savanna there.
“See you around,” Shep said before tossing a goodbye wave to Savanna and heading for his Jeep.
Griffin slowly walked to the front steps, his heart pounding furiously.
“You came,” she whispered, tears in her eyes.
He stopped at the top step, keeping some space between them. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I wanted to make sure I was . . . well, that I could be the man you deserve before I did.”
She sniffled. “And are you?”
“I hope so. I might need a little more fixing. You know, my head has been in my ass for quite a long time, but for you, Savanna, I’ll do anything.” He thought back to her words about Marcus in Greece. “I’ll fight. I’ll fight to be with you until my last breath.”
Savanna stepped forward, and unable to stop himself, he pulled her into his arms, setting his chin on top of her head.
“Do you still want me?” he asked, his voice a bit raw with emotion. There was still the potential problem of his job. “My work,” he reminded her.
“Without a doubt,” she answered, easing back to find his eyes. “I know this thing between us happened fast, but maybe we could date or?—”
“I would love to bake with you.” He grinned.
“Come inside.” She stepped back and held out her hand, and he followed her into the house, hating she still lived in a place where a man had been killed.
“I want to tell you something,” he said once they were in the foyer.
“What is it?” She pointed her beautiful hazel eyes up at him and palmed his cheek, and he did his best not to scoop her into his arms and kiss her.
“You see, I met this woman, and she’s got the biggest heart in the world. She’s the most forgiving person I’ve ever met.” His voice gave out a little. “And I thought maybe I could be like her.” He closed his eyes. “So, I visited my mom, and I took the first step to being the man she needs. And I forgave my mom.”
Savanna’s other palm found his cheek, and she held his face, which had him opening his eyes. “Griffin,” she softly whispered. “I’m proud of you.”
“I have something for you,” he said after swallowing.
He stepped back and reached into his pocket.
“My passport?” She eyed it in surprise.
“You forgot it, and I . . .”
She arched a curious brow before peering up at him.
“I thought maybe we could fill it together?”
Her lips stretched into the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen in his life before she said, “I love you.” Her eyes became watery, and she added, “I know that makes me crazy.”
“Then I’m crazy, too,” he admitted in a hoarse voice before pulling her into his arms and finally kissing her.
When he lifted her off the ground, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he walked her to the wall for support. One hand on her ass, the other on the wall over her shoulder, she kept herself in his arms as he broke their kiss to say those “crazy words” for the first time in his life to anyone other than his parents. “I love you.”
Savanna’s short nails bit into his back as she kissed him again with even more intensity, and then he dragged his lips to her ear.
“Tell me, Sugar, did you touch yourself every day I was gone?” he rasped, and she bucked her pelvis into him.
“There’s only so much baking a girl can do,” she replied as he pressed his cock against her. “What about you?”
He gently nipped her earlobe. “No, I wanted to wait for it to be with you.” Griffin brought his lips back to her mouth, brushing them over hers.
“Oh really? Well then. I guess I’ve been a bad girl for not waiting.”
“Very bad,” he murmured darkly.
“Mmm.” She leaned back to catch his eyes. “Guess you’d better punish me.”