Chapter 35 #2
I drove at top speed, debating if I should call her on the way. But no, I wanted to talk to her face-to-face, look her in the eyes, watch every expression.
When I arrived at the inn, I parked right next to my brother’s car. There was no one in the front, but that was no surprise. I assumed they were either inside or at the back of the house, around the fire pit.
I listened intently for a few seconds. Laughter resounded in the open air, and fire crackled. They were clearly in the back.
I hurried, walking around the house. When they came into view, I didn’t announce my presence right away. Instead, I simply witnessed the scene in front of me.
Phoebe and Hannah were both laughing hard. Chase stood next to Hannah, shaking his head, but he was laughing too. Something in the way both women moved told me they’d had a bit to drink. Sure enough, there was an empty bottle of wine next to them.
“Hello, fam,” I greeted.
Chase looked up. “Finally, you’re here.”
Phoebe turned around, her smile falling as her eyes went wide. She licked her lips before asking, “How did it go with Jude?” Then she tried to stand on her feet rather abruptly and swayed. In an instant, I was right next to her, steadying her with both hands.
“Babe, how much wine have you had?” I asked.
“Oh, a bit.”
“You know what?” Hannah said, turning to Chase. “You and I should go inside and leave these two alone to talk things out.”
“That’s a good idea,” Chase said.
Hannah stumbled a bit as she started to walk away. “Oops. I had a bit too much wine too.”
Chase put an arm around her waist, leading her toward the house.
I was grateful to both of them for looking after my woman.
“I’m sorry for bailing tonight,” I said in Hannah’s direction.
“There wasn’t too much to do,” she replied. “Still, a phone call would have been nice.”
“True,” I admitted.
Hannah waved her hand as she added, “Doesn’t matter. You’re here now. All right, in we go.”
Chase pushed the door open, and they both went inside.
The second the door closed, Phoebe asked, “How did things go? Is the investment moving forward?”
“Fuck the investment, Phoebe.”
“No, it’s important to you.”
I cupped her face between my hands. “You know what else is important? The most important? You.”
“Oh,” she muttered. “So, you’re not mad at me?”
“No. Fuck no. Why would I be mad?”
“Because this whole thing blew up in our faces because of me.”
“It’s not your fault. Even if it were, it wouldn’t matter.”
“But last night, you didn’t even come to bed.”
I blinked, realizing how that must have looked from her perspective. I cleared my throat. “Babe. I was just tossing and turning, and I knew I’d wake you up. That’s why I slept in Jeremy’s room.”
“Ohhh, that makes sense.”
“You’ve changed me in so many ways, Phoebe. Before meeting you, I would have done anything in my power to make sure the deal with Jude went forward. But tonight, I told him that I don’t actually care about the deal so much, that I simply want our friendship.”
Phoebe looked at me with soft eyes. “Griffin, really?”
“Yeah. And it’s all on you, babe. But—” I laughed without humor. “—I have many, many faults, such as completely getting lost in my head when I’m focusing on an issue. It’s not something I do consciously. But I will work on it.”
Her eyes watered a bit. “Don’t worry. I love you with all your faults.”
That was music to my ears. I had no idea I actually needed her to say that. I was so into this woman, and she needed to know that right now.
“And I love you, Phoebe. With all I have. I can’t promise that I’ll do better next time. But no matter what, I don’t want you to think I’m pushing you away. Why would you even think that I’m pulling away from you?”
She shrugged, swaying a bit. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just used to being blamed for everything.”
“I’d never do that. I worship you, Phoebe. Don’t you know that?”
She giggled. “You’re going to make me swoon. And I already have trouble keeping my balance!”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
“I know you do.”
“Promise you’ll never worry about this again.”
“I’m going to try my very best. How about that?”
“Good enough,” I said, then strengthened my grip on her, pulling her flush against me. “What do you say about going home?”
She flashed me a grin, putting her hands on my shoulders. “I thought you’d never suggest that. I’ve been fighting the urge, but I’m running out of willpower.”
“What urge?” I asked.
“To jump your bones… or your cock.”
I started to laugh as my cock twitched. She was more than a bit tipsy. She was adorable.
“Let’s go to the car,” I said.
“Should we say goodbye to Hannah and Chase?”
“Oh, yeah. I had completely forgotten about them,” I admitted.
“That’s not possible.”
“I told you, you have that effect on me, Phoebe.”
We went toward the house, but before I even had a chance to knock, the door swung open. Hannah was grinning, and Chase shook his head.
“Have you two been spying on us?” Phoebe asked. If I didn’t know before that she was tipsy, now I would have been sure of it.
“Oh, not really,” Hannah said. “We just kept an eye on you from the window.”
“Babe, you were completely spying,” Chase stated.
“Hey, if I was spying, then so were you.”
“No, I was simply next to you.”
“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, Chase.”
“Right,” I said. “Well, thank you for looking after her tonight. We’re going to go.”
“It was our pleasure. I can’t wait to see you again tomorrow and meet your parents, Phoebe,” Hannah said.
Phoebe leaned in, hugging Hannah. “Thanks a lot for everything.”
I was happy that my woman was so at ease around the family.
Gently steering Phoebe toward the car, I opened the door and helped her in by the ass.
Yeah, no question. Phoebe was the woman for me.