Chapter 24
Savannah
I rub my eyes, wondering why it’s so bright.
“Ahhhh… morning, baby…” I tell my bump as I rub it, yet it feels different. My mind connects, memories from last night swirl, and I open my eyes, looking at my side and seeing my bed empty.
No Griffin. I can’t say I’m surprised. Last night was raw, in more ways than one. The sex was amazing. He was caring, supportive, and manhandled me in a way I’ve never been touched before. Even remembering him naked now makes me blush.
But also, our conversation afterward. How he shared a little more of his past. I knew he had demons. I knew he had a past he was not fond of. But when I heard some of his story last night, my heart broke for him. For him now, but also for the little boy he was.
I’m not surprised my bed is empty. He’s a runner by habit.
Not trying to run from me or anything like that, but run from his mind.
Something he’ll never be able to outrun.
His memories will always follow him. The fact is that he’s here.
He stayed, we connected. I hope that even though he’s a man who will always need his space, that he’ll run to me a little more.
Find solace with me instead of leaving town as often as he does.
I roll over and sit up before panic slithers through my body. It’s full sun outside. My eyes flick to the clock, seeing it’s past nine.
“Nine!” I yell to myself. I should’ve been awake hours ago.
Hell, the bakery should already be open with the smell of fresh goods.
I’ve never slept in this late. I jump up and waddle around as fast as I can, taking a quick shower and pulling my hair back, and although I’m stressed, I’m smiling.
I feel at ease. Not as tightly wound as yesterday.
I look at myself in the mirror, admiring my body, my bump, not feeling fat and exhausted, but sexy and confident. I notice a few little love marks on my chest, making it obvious Griffin is a breast man. Good thing, considering mine are massive and are going to be out a bit with breastfeeding.
That man. He’s a total contradiction and yet exactly what he’s meant to be. And I’m falling for him more every day. My eyes rest on my bump for a moment, and I frown as I pull my dress over myself.
I tilt my head, trying to work out what’s different before my eyes widen. I’ve dropped.
Does it happen that quickly? Was sex all it took to get this baby down? The heavy feeling I’m now experiencing on my pelvic bone tells me this baby is now using gravity to its full capability.
I pull in a breath, feeling my lungs expand a little more than they have in months, and I smile before I become instantly terrified. Oh shit, the baby is going to come soon. It’s locked and loaded and ready.
I have so much to do and I’m already late. I wonder if people are banging on the front door.
As I walk downstairs, I’m careful on each step, surprised to see the lights on down here already. Griffin must have left them on when he headed out this morning. I wonder why he didn’t wake me.
I pause at the bottom step, and my eyes widen. The bakery is open. I step tentatively into my kitchen, seeing it all with new eyes and surprise.
“Uhmm?” I’m confused as I spot Griffin, surrounded by tools, a fully built nook now almost complete.
His head whips around at my voice, and he stands quickly. “You’re up? You feel okay?” He looks worried as he stalks toward me.
“What’s happening?” My belly may have dropped, but my brain isn’t firing.
“I opened the bakery. Got Melissa out in front serving. Just your cold stuff, since I wasn't sure I trusted myself to turn on the ovens. Then I got busy here…”
I blink up at him a few times, then I look at the baby nook.
It’s beautiful. All natural timber shelves and a small white feeding chair.
A little table already full of diapers, clothes, wipes, bibs.
There's the soft white blanket laid across the chair, looking so inviting I want to sit in it immediately.
“You did all this? This morning?” How did I not hear all this noise?
“I did. Oh what’s a five-letter word for butting heads?” He rubs the back of his head, and I look at him curiously. He has a pen in one hand and the morning paper in the other.
“Argue.”
“Nope, that doesn’t fit.”
“Clash.” I serve back to him quickly, and his eyebrows rise.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” He writes his answer, and I wonder what universe I’ve woken up in.
“Hey, Savannah! Good morning! Do you have any more of those frozen curry pies? Tim from the toy store and Bob are both after one each. Apparently, it’s their night to cook dinner, so…
” Melissa walks into the kitchen with a full smile.
She’s a lifesaver. I grin, my shoulders lowering before my head finally kicks into gear.
“Yes, sure, of course.” I quickly move to my freezer and pulling out pies I baked last week. “Cooking instructions are on the front. I’ll come out, and…”
“No need. Rest up. We got it.” Melissa nods to me, and I pause as I peek around the door and watch her go back out with the pies.
Melissa’s serving and doing a little icing of cupcakes at the side, ready for the after-school rush.
She’s selling all the goods that I had previously prepared, and by the looks of it, a few of the frozen items as well. As was my strategy.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” I frown at Griffin. I feel bad, with him here helping me when he has his own work to do.
“You needed your sleep. Here.” Griffin passes me a glass of yellow liquid that looks like pee.
“What is it?”
“Pineapple juice. It’s meant to help bring on the baby.”
My eyebrows shoot up, and I immediately drink the juice, feeling dry and parched.
“Oh, wow. This is delicious.” I look around for the bottle to see what brand it is.
“It should be. I flew it in from my Hawaii property this morning.”
I splutter on the juice, my eyes watering from almost choking.
“You what?” I wipe my mouth, as a small pain laces through my side, and I rub my belly subconsciously.
“I also thought we could go for a drive later,” he offers, not really answering me.
“A drive?” What in the world is he talking about?
“Yeah, drive over some speed humps and hills. Apparently, that may help as well.” My brain finally catches up.
“You’ve been on your app all morning, haven’t you?” My chest warms that he’s researching all these things for me. But his gaze remains serious.
“Listen, about last night…” he starts, and my heart stalls.
Is this where he says it was a mistake? Is this where he says it can’t happen again?
I steel myself. Was he just being a friend, helping me bring on labor by having one night of passion?
It meant more to me. It felt like more to me.
Self-preservation circuits through me, and I interrupt him before he can say anything more.
“You don’t have to… I know you were just trying to… It’s not your responsibility. I mean, the baby’s father already told me he wasn’t interested in being any part of this.” I’m rambling as I indicate my bump, and Griffin's frown deepens to a shockingly new depth, so I continue.
“You have work and important things… dating, maybe… I don’t know…
I’m pretty sure once this thing comes out, it isn’t going back in.
Like it’s a fixture in my life that’s not going to be going anywhere for a good few decades, at least. I can’t let you step in and fix everything with juice from Hawaii and sex…
incredible sex… mind-blowing… amazing… I can’t let you ruin your life for me, Griffin.
You have so much, and I can’t do that to you… ”
His jaw looks like it’s clenched so hard he’s about to break a tooth as he steps closer.
“Do you see which way my boots are pointing?” he asks sharply. I look down, not able to see anything past my bump, but I have a reasonably good idea of which way they are pointing.
“Toward me?” I hazard a guess.
“There’s only one direction they’re walking in…” he growls, low and deep, looking me dead in the eye.
My heart skips.
“Toward you. I told you, I’m all in, and I meant it.” He watches me intently, and I take a big breath and nod, relieved. Something about the way he looks at me, the way he speaks so sincerely, I believe him.
“How are you feeling? After…” he asks, and I feel my cheeks heat.
“Great. I think it worked…”
His eyes widen as he looks down at me, his hand coming to touch my belly as his brow furrows.
“Hmmmm… I think so…” He nods.
“How are you feeling? After…?” I ask him the same question and watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. He goes to move his hand from my belly, to step away from me, but I grab it. I need him to know I’ve got him.
“I’m sorry I unloaded. You didn't need that.”
Now it’s my turn to frown. “That’s what friends do, Griffin. We listen. We don’t judge…” I tell him, watching him carefully.
“Is that what we are? Friends?” he asks, and my chest hurts at the thought.
“I mean, last night was…” I blow out a breath because last night was amazing.
“It was… mind-blowing, I think you said?” A smirk tugs at his lips as he takes another step closer to me, his hand moving back around my belly, and I almost melt into him.
“Are we more than friends, Griffin?” I ask tentatively. I don’t even know how this is ever going to work.
“I can tell you right now that you better not have any other friends who fuck you like I did last night because that isn’t going to end well for anyone.” His voice is gruff but laced with a little humor, although I have no doubt he’s speaking the truth.
“I mean, if that’s us as friends, what does us as more than friends look like?” I can barely breathe as I wait for his answer.
“That’s new territory for me,” he says, looking a little apprehensive.
“For me too,” I admit, because while I had a boyfriend, he never treated me like a woman he wanted to keep around, the benefit of hindsight showing me exactly what I didn’t have, now that I do.
“So I guess we’ll figure it all out as we go along. None of what we’ve done so far could be classed as conventional. No point changing it now.”
“Don’t go promising things you can’t handle.” It’s almost a warning. Like if he’s in, he can’t be running off in a week’s time when things get real.
“Let me be clear, sweetness… I thought I showed you last night exactly how well I can handle you. But if you need reminding, I’ll pick you up and take you back upstairs and let this whole town hear how I take care of my business.”
I think I sway on my feet. I feel my pussy flutter, my legs weakening.
He’s not committing, but he’s not letting me go.
I mean, he can’t. None of us know what’s going to happen when this baby comes.
Will he run? Will I change? Will I be so overwhelmed that I can’t handle it and end up going home, like my parents expect?
That feels like it would be the worst decision I could make, but babies make you do weird things.
“I better get baking. Looks like I need to replenish the freezer.”
Griffin’s eyes search mine. Like he’s looking for an answer he can’t find yet, before he nods.
“I’ll finish your baby nook.” He kisses my forehead before he steps away and grabs the newspaper and pen on the way past.
“Hey, what’s a five-letter word for devour with gusto?” he yells out to me, and I grin.
“Inhale?”
“No…”
“Scarf?”
“No… Isn’t that something you put around your neck?”
I giggle at his confused frown.
“What about…”
“Gorge,” we both say in unison before we laugh.
“It works…” He smiles.
And that’s how our day continues as Melissa sells out and the bakery has one of its most profitable days yet.
Which is good, because that night everything changes.