10. Layken
CHAPTER TEN
LAYKEN
“ I uh…” Griffin hands me one of his folded hoodies. “I brought this for you. In case you get cold while we’re out. It’s supposed to be chilly later tonight and…well, you know. I mean you don’t have to wear it. I was…just in case.”
“Aww, how thoughtful of you, husband.” I grin up at him and he laughs and then shrugs his shoulder.
“It’s what good husbands do, right? Keep their wives warm?”
I can think of a few other ways you could keep me warm…
“Yes. Thank you. I appreciate this a lot. I’ll give it back when we get home.”
“Keep it,” he tells me. “Looks better on you than me, anyway.” He passes me a quick wink as we reach the car and then says, “Thanks for recreating those pictures with me this morning.”
After we got all dolled up and found a few key spots to take some random wedding pictures, we came home and relaxed for the afternoon. Well, Griffin relaxed and watched a hockey game on the sports network while I did some editing. And by editing, I mean I sat on the couch and thought about getting myself off in Griffin’s bathtub the other night only to be edged by him before I could finish. And then I thought about his face so close to mine when I asked him to help me with that whole door lean thing.
Okay, okay I may have seized an opportunity and done that on purpose just to stir the pot a little.
I’ll call it payback for the bathtime edging.
But then I didn’t really expect to be as turned on by his touch as I was.
There’s no way Griffin’s bad in bed and with the tension between us last night I’m a little surprised he didn’t crack. Part of me wants to try to break him. To see if he’s attracted to me, or if our wedding night really was just two drunk people making one bad decision after another.
“Of course. We’ve got to appease the parents, right?”
“Always.” He opens the passenger door for me and I slide inside.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He climbs into the driver’s seat and blows out a breath. “You ready to have the best lasagna you’ve ever had in your life?” he asks as he reaches to turn on the car.
I pat my stomach. “I didn’t wear my stretchy pants for nothing.”
“Good.” He chuckles. “You look amazing by the way. A lot more comfortable than this morning.”
“I don’t mind a heel now and then but you can’t beat leggings and a t-shirt.”
“Well, Naughty, you look great no matter what you wear.”
Naughty.
It’s a nickname I’ve not heard before.
And a nickname I never thought someone would ever have for me of all people.
But also, it’s one I kind of like, especially coming from Griffin.
The way he says the word.
Naughty.
It makes me feel a little dangerous but a whole lot fun.
He backs out of his parking spot and maneuvers down the ramp and out of the garage.
“So where are we heading for this world’s best lasagna?” I ask him.
He glances over at me and grins. “You’ll see. Make yourself comfortable. It’s a little bit of a drive.”
A little under an hour later we’re pulling into a driveway at the end of a cul-de-sac. My brows furrow and I look around at what seems like an ordinary neighborhood. Sure, the houses are roughly the size of tiny mansions but this is California. I would expect as much almost anywhere we go. The last sign I remember passing said Highgrove, so I have to assume that’s where we are now.
Griffin turns off the car and glances at me. “You ready?”
I click off my seatbelt still glancing out my window. “Yeah. Where are we exactly?”
“Home sweet home,” he answers. “This is where I grew up.”
My jaw drops and a million butterflies begin to flutter through my stomach. “Wait, are you kidding? We’re at your parents’ house?”
“Yeah. My mom makes the best lasagna you’ll ever eat.”
A feeling of dread washes over me as every worst-case scenario spins furiously through my mind.
What if his mom hates me?
What if his dad hates me?
What if his brother hates me?
What if they can tell we’re not in love?
What if they call our bluff?
What if I’m forced out and have to find an Uber home?
I don’t even know where we are exactly.
“Griffin!” I scoff. “You brought me to meet your parents and you didn’t even tell me?”
Hastily, I yank down the passenger side visor to glance at myself in the mirror. Luckily my hair looks good because I styled it to take pictures with Griffin this morning but otherwise, I’m a mess.
Inside and out.
“I figured it was easier to just show up than it would’ve been to let you be nervous about it all day.”
I mean…he might be right, but fuck!
I wasn’t prepared for this.
“Ugh! Griffin! Look at me! I’m wearing leggings!”
His eyes slide over me from head to toe and then he smiles and brings a hand up to cup my face in his palm. “I am looking at you, Naughty. And you look amazing. I told you that.”
“But what am I supposed to say to them?” I worry. “We didn’t come up with a plan and I don’t want to come across all flustered in front of your family. What if they don’t like me?”
He laughs at me. “What’s not to like? You’re an amazing woman.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I flail my arms. “Maybe they’ll think I’m a self-righteous bitch or maybe they’ll think I’m a spoiled brat, or maybe they’ll think I’m a failure, or maybe they’ll think my appearance is terrible or maybe, they’ll simply hate me for marrying you without their blessing or invitation. Maybe they’ll blame me for everything like I-I-I…took you away from them on purpose or something.” My body is heating so much I start to sweat. “Maybe they’ll see me as some kind of gold-digger who tricked you into marrying me for your money.”
“Layken,” he says softly. “Hey…” He brings one hand to my face, his fingers lifting my chin so I’ll look at him, and the other hand slides across my thigh. His touch immediately centers me. “Relax. Take a deep breath with me.” He inhales smoothly as I take a deep, shaky breath and then we both release together. “My parents are not your parents, okay? There’s not one thing about you they’re not going to like. They’re going to love you. I promise.”
“But how do you know for sure?” I grasp his arm. “Tell me right now, do I resemble an old ex or anything like that?”
He chuckles. “Not even close. You’re a billion times more beautiful than any ex I could have ever had.” He watches me triple check my appearance in the mirror as I bite the corner of my lip. “Trust me, okay? I promise I won’t leave you alone. Just…” He glances at me again and covers my hand with his. “Be prepared. I told you Gage has Down Syndrome, right?”
“You did, yeah.”
“He’s a great guy. The best. But he can be affectionate. I mean, we’re a family of huggers but you’ll find that out pretty quickly.”
“I don’t mind hugs, Griffin.” God knows I didn’t get them much growing up which is why I’ve always made sure to give the kids at the hospital hugs every time I see them.
“Listen, if I’m affectionate with you and make you uncomfortable in any way, just, you know…give me a sign. Otherwise, you’re my wife who I’m madly in love with so I’ll treat you that way.”
Not knowing at all what to say because I have no idea what he means by affectionate, I concede. “Okay.” I nod several times reminding myself I can do this.
Worst case scenario they hate me and ask me to leave and I go home.
Home.
My place.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, I got a notification this morning about my apartment building. The waterline is all fixed so I can go back home.”
The notification actually came well over a week ago but I’ve been busy writing and I’m not going to lie… I’ve kind of been enjoying having a roommate of the male variety. He’s great to look at, the perfect muse for my book, and he cooks too. But now I feel guilty for overstaying my welcome.
His brow furrows slightly, but then he nods and squeezes my hand. “Let’s talk about that later. You ready?”
“Yeah.”
I can do this.
We can do this.
“Let’s do this then.”
He gets out of the car and walks around to open my door, ever the gentleman, and then holds my hand as we approach the front door. He doesn’t say a word about how hard I’m squeezing his hand, and I’m grateful for that. We don’t even get the chance to knock before the front door swings open and a young man who has to be Griffin’s brother flies into Griffin’s arms.
“Griffin!”
“Hey Gagey!” Griffin says, wrapping his brother in a huge hug. He closes his eyes, a look of contentment on his face as they share a sincerely loving embrace. “I’ve missed you Gage.”
“I missed you too Griffin.” Their arms finally separate and Gage looks at me and smiles happily.
“Gage,” Griffin says softly, “I’d like you to meet my wi?—”
“Hello. I’m Gage,” he says. “Griffin is my best brother.” And then just as Griffin explained in the car, he wraps his arms around me in a tight hug, which I happily return.
“Hi Gage. I’m Layken. It’s so great to finally meet you.”
“Want to sit by me at dinner?”
“Of course! I’ll sit anywhere you tell me to sit.”
He releases his hold on me so I follow suit just as an older couple appears in the doorway.
“Well, if you’re going to get married without us being there, at least you leveled up,” the man says, smiling at me and then winking at Griffin. “That’a boy, Son. She’s a pretty one.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Griffin gives his dad a quick hug and then glances at me. “I’m pretty damn sure she’s the best part of me.”
I know he doesn’t really mean that, but something in the way he looks at me makes me shift on my feet and causes me to blush. How I could be the best part of anyone is beyond me. Especially if my mom has anything to say about it.
“Dad, I’d like you to meet my wife, Layken Hobbs Ollenberg.”
I offer Griffin’s father my hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, sir.”
He beams at me and opens his arms. “Oh, you can forget the handshake, sweetheart. I’ve been waiting for years to finally have a daughter, so I’d like to give you a nice big hug if that’s okay?”
Wait.
He’s not mad?
I huff a soft laugh, hiding my surprise. “Oh. Yeah. Of course.”
Mr. Ollenberg embraces me warmly and for the first time—I think ever—I feel like I might know what the Grinch felt like when his heart grew three sizes. My parents aren’t huggers. They never have been. I was rarely hugged as a child. In fact, standing here right now, I can’t remember even three times that I may have been hugged by either of my parents. So, being in the loving arms of a parental figure feels…odd. Odd but also…amazing.
My shoulders relax with every passing second and when he releases me and cups my face in his hands, much like his son does, and murmurs, “Welcome to our family, Layken,” I almost start sobbing right then and there.
“Thank you, Mr. Ollenberg.”
“Please,” he says with the warmest smile. “Call me Grant. Or Dad, if you prefer.”
I smile, choking back tears, and nod as he makes way for Griffin’s mother to join us. Griffin steps in, putting a quick arm around me, and says, “Mom, this is Layken.”
Griffin’s mom is already crying as she steps up to me with glistening eyes and a huge smile on her face.
“After all this time,” she says. “I finally have a daughter.” She throws her arms around me and squeezes me tightly, whispering, “Thank you so much for loving my son.”
“I…” I swallow the lump in my throat and simply squeeze her back because I have no idea what I’m supposed to say to that. I’m overwhelmed with emotions I didn’t expect to feel.
Gratitude.
Surprise.
Happiness.
Relief.
All of that mixed with a little fear and a little anxiety.
These people have every right to dislike me, to question me, to wish I wasn’t here right now, but instead they’re accepting me into their family like I’ve been a part of it for years and this was just the next natural step in the game of life.
And I’m not exactly sure what to do with that.
These kinds of things don’t happen to me.
At least, they never have before.
Mrs. Ollenberg releases me and places her hands on my shoulders. “We are so glad you’re here, Layken.”
“Thank you, Mrs.—”
“Gail. Or Mom. Whichever you like, Layken.”
“Thank you…Mom.”
I don’t miss the satisfied smile on Griffin’s face, but I turn my head away and take a deep breath when Gail gestures inside the house.
“Please, come in, both of you. Make yourselves at home. Dinner will be ready soon.”
Gage leads the way followed by his parents. I watch as his parents walk through their own doorway holding hands and quickly swipe a tear from slipping down my cheek.
“Hey,” Griffin whispers, concern etched in his brow. “You okay?”
I nod and wrap my hand around his. “Yeah. Good.”
“See? Told you,” Griffin remarks, taking another huge bite of his dinner. “Best lasagna you’ll ever have.”
Swallowing my bite and dabbing the corners of my mouth with my napkin, I nod in agreement. “You definitely weren’t lying. This is amazing!”
Gail smiles proudly. “Thank you, Layken.”
“What’s the secret?”
She wags her brows. “It’s made with love because I know how much my boys enjoy it.” She laughs. “But next time you’re here, maybe I can show you.”
“Oh, my God! That would be so much fun! I’d love to learn how to be a better cook. I think I have about four meals in my wheelhouse, not including peanut butter and jelly.”
“Well, I imagine with Griffin’s schedule you guys aren’t home often for a lot of homecooked meals.”
“That’s very true,” Griffin pipes in. “But Layken makes a mean peanut butter and jelly. Don’t let her fool you.” He leans over and kisses my temple and for just a moment, tiny butterflies flutter through my chest at the gesture and I allow myself to feel the love and sincerity rolling off him.
And then I remember none of this is real.
“So, tell me what you do, Layken. Do you get to travel with the team a lot?”
“Um.” My brows furrow. “Actually, now, yes I do. I used to be the Development Director for Pacific Children’s charity foundation, but I lost my job when the hospital merged with University Hospital. The other guy had more longevity than I did so…” I shrug. “I have a little extra time on my hands at the moment while I look for something else.”
“Which she isn’t going to need because she’s working on a novel and it’s going to be a bestseller,” Griffin says. “I can feel it already.”
I stiffen beside him at the mention of my book. While writing romance novels might be a fun passion of mine, I get that it’s not for everyone. And the last thing I want to do is make a bad impression on Griffin’s parents if they think I write porn books like everyone else who thinks that when they hear the word romance.
“Ooh, that sounds very exciting! What kind of books do you write?”
“Uh, well this one is a sports romance.”
Gail’s brows lift and she gasps. “Oh, I was hoping you were going to say romance! I live for reading!”
“It’s all she does all day,” Gage says, rolling his eyes and smiling. “Every time I can’t find Mom I just go to her big blue chair and there she is reading again.”
“He’s not wrong.” She shrugs her shoulder. “That chair is my happy place most days.”
I laugh because I totally get it. “I don’t doubt it. There’s nothing better than falling into a good book, right?”
“That’s right.” She smiles. “Who do you like to read?”
“Ashton Jacobs is one of my favorites for sure.”
She gasps again. “Oh my gosh! I have every one of her books!”
“But did you know it’s not actually her books? It’s HIS books because Ashton Jacobs is a guy?”
“Nooooo.” Gail sits back in her chair shocked. “Are you serious?”
“Swear to God! I even got to meet him once when he came for a signing!”
“How did I not know this?” She gawks. “I am seriously out of the loop!”
“Well don’t you worry because I’ve got you now. We book lovers stick together.”
She leans forward. “Did you read the last one where the housekeeping employee falls in love with the owner of that swanky hotel chain?”
“Yes!” I squeal. “I couldn’t put it down!” I bring my hand to my chest. “And that part where she walks in on him trying to do his own laundry so she doesn’t have to do it anymore but he has no idea what he’s doing and?—”
“And he asks her to teach him just so he can spend more time with her.”
My eyes bulge in excitement “Yes!”
Gail swoons. “So cute!” She puts down her fork and picks up her wine glass, lifting it in my honor. “Aaaand now I’m adding girls’ day to the bookstore with my daughter-in-law to my personal bucket list.” She giggles. “So what sport are you writing about? Football? Baseball?”
“Actually, it’s hockey.”
“Damn right it is,” Griffin affirms.
His parents get a good chuckle out of his response.
“Well, I do hope you’re being a great muse for Layken’s writing, Griff,” his mom says. “Especially if she’s writing about hockey.” He glances at me and I can’t help but think back to last night and asking him to help me with the whole doorway lean thing.
That was hot.
And I loved every minute of it.
And I absolutely wrote all about it.
I reach up and pat his cheek. “It’s nice to know I have him around whenever I have technical questions.”
“Always up for the challenge,” he answers, passing me a wink.
And now I’m not so sure he’s still talking about my books.