19. Griffin
CHAPTER NINETEEN
GRIFFIN
August
Hey Griff, how are you feeling?
Me
Still sore and now bored as hell.
Harrison
LOL of course you are. You mean you’re not playing Naughty Nurse with your new bride?
Bodhi
LOL at the name “Naughty”. Isn’t that what he calls her?
Harrison
Oh shit! I forgot! I’m funnier than I think I am.
Me
Yeah a real comedian. And no, she’s refusing to be my Naughty Nurse because she wants me to heal. But also, she’s been frantically trying to get her book finished so she hasn’t looked up from her computer much since yesterday.
Barrett
Sounds like you need to get her attention.
Me
What do you want me to do, Bear? Walk around the apartment naked?
Barrett
If that’s how you get your kicks, man. Sure. Pour a little glitter on those balls and chim-a-ring-cha.
Me
I think you’re obsessed with my balls.
Barrett
How can I not be? They just hang so…*licks lips*…perfectly.
Oliver
LOL. Bear, you’re a gross motherfucker.
Barrett
Thank you.
Me
Can I ask you something?
Ledger
Just lie down with one knee slightly lifted and let her slide in so she’s basically straddling that leg. Then once you’re inside her, she can take control and ride like the wind.
Oliver
*Looks at Ledger*
Me
*Cocks head at Ledger*
August
Where the fuck did that come from, Ledge?
Ledger
What? I thought Griffin was going to ask about sex positions. That’s my favorite one.
Me
Uh…no. Not what I was going to ask.
Ledger
Oh. My bad.
August
Do you need a cinnamon roll recipe Griffin? Because Ella’s been baking all day…
Me
Lol. No. But you better walk one of those sweet ass buns up here when they’re done. I can practically smell them from here.
Bodhi
What do you want to ask Griff?
Me
Guys, I’m falling for my wife.
Ledger
Perfect. See sex position description below. Let me know how she likes it.
Harrison
Bow chica wow wow.
Bodhi
I mean…we’ve already known this soooo….?
Me
Yeah but I think I’m like…really fucking falling for her.
Bodhi
Corrigan just squealed and starting singing “Griffy luuuurves her. He super luuuurves her.” I think she’s a little over excited.
Me
But what if I do? Love her, I mean? What if I love her?
Oliver
What if you do? Have you told her yet?
Me
No. And I don’t know if I should.
Oliver
You’re the only one who can answer that.
Me
What if she doesn’t feel the same way?
August
Only one way to find out. What’s the worst-case scenario for you?
Me
Honestly? That I tell her I love her and she laughs in my face.
Bodhi
Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Have you seen the way she looks at you?
Ledger
Roche is right, man. Also, Bear just farted and it smelled like ranch Doritos. I can smell it on the other side of the gym.
Barrett
#sorrynotsorry it happens when I do squats.
Bodhi
Even Corrigan just said no way will that happen. She’s crazy about you. Pretty sure she wouldn’t still be there if she wasn’t. She does have her own apartment that she’s still paying for you know.
Me
Fuck, that’s right! I never even thought about that. She could be saving all that money. I’ll make that right for her. I think I need to get her out of the house this evening. We’ve both been cooped up in here too long.
Oliver
Still one week to go?
Me
Probably. Time needs to fly fucking faster. I’m itching to get back on the ice.
Harrison
Take your time man. We’ll need you to be at the top of your game when you get back. If you take another blow too early you could break ribs and then you’re out the rest of the season.
Me
I hear you. I want to be in perfect shape when we face off against Chicago.
Oliver
Those damn birds
Me
I think you mean those FAM birds. You are related to Landric.
Oliver
Yeah, yeah, don’t remind me Makes it easier for me to rip his feathers out on the ice when I’m not thinking about it.
L etting the conversation with the guys drift, I pocket my phone and take a few quiet steps into the living room to see what Layken’s doing. From the other side of the room, I can see she’s scrolling through a website so she’s definitely not writing.
“Hey. What are you up to?” Stepping up behind her and rubbing her shoulders I can see she’s scrolling through a job search website.
She visibly relaxes at my touch, her shoulders falling, but continues to scroll. “Looking for a new job. My old boss, Julia, sent me a few links to check out because she’s been looking around too.”
“Ah. Right. Forgot Corrigan mentioned you were both let go.”
“Yep. They took the other team when we merged. So, she and I were both out. She was the best boss. And she believed in me when even my own family didn’t.”
The mere mention of her family not believing in her hits a nerve with me.
“So, you’re looking for the same kind of job?”
She shrugs. “Yeah for now. It’s one of the only things I’m good at.”
There she goes again with the self-deprecation.
I spin her around on her chair so she has to look at me. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why do you think so low of yourself?”
She frowns, her cheeks pinkening with embarrassment. “What do you mean?”
I take her hand in mine, hoping she doesn’t hear my comments as any kind of slight against her. “Charity work is not the only thing you’re good at, Lake. I mean, yeah, you’re great at that kind of work and I’m immensely proud of you for what you were able to accomplish at the hospital. They were stupid to let you go in my opinion. But on top of everything you did there, you also write and publish fucking books.” I cup her face in my hands.
“Let me say that again. You wrote thousands upon thousands of words and strung them together in coherent inspiring entertaining thoughts and other people pay to read them. And you’re doing it all over again. You have accomplished more in your life by seeing a project like that through in its entirety than many people who even think of writing a book. Do you know how many people think about writing a book and never put pen to paper? Or how many start and never finish.”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“I don’t know the actual number.” I shrug. “But let’s say a fuck ton.”
She smiles at my encouragement.
“And you accomplished more than most of them because you actually fucking did it. You’re great with people. You’re kind. You’re compassionate. You’re a beautiful human being inside and out.” I shake my head, confounded. “But for some reason you don’t believe it about yourself. And I don’t understand why you seem to think you’re not?—”
I stop myself before I finish my statement because I see the answer in her glistening eyes.
“Fuck.”
A few tears break the surface of her warm cocoa-colored eyes and slip down her cheeks. I swipe each one away with my thumbs.
“Your parents,” I whisper.
She closes her eyes for a moment taking a steadying breath and when she reopens them, more tears trickle down her face.
“My mother thinks I’m nothing, Griffin. She’s never loved that I didn’t follow in my father’s footsteps. Or my older brother’s footsteps for that matter.” She shrugs. “I’m the ugly duckling. I’m the kid who didn’t turn out the way her cookie cutter molded me to. I’m the one they don’t want. And now they don’t care what I do as long as I’m not an embarrassment to my father.”
Shit.
I can’t let them continue to berate her.
I can’t let them have any power over her.
She’s my wife and I need to protect her.
I want to protect her.
“I’m sorry Griffin,” she says with a sniffle. “All I ever wanted growing up was a family who enjoyed spending time together like my other friends’ families. I wanted to go on vacation with my family. I wanted to go to the movies with them or even miniature gulf or bowling. Normal family type things, you know?” She shrugs, her face sullen. “I just wanted to be normal with a normal loving family only those aren’t the cards I was dealt. And you shouldn’t have to be distracted or bothered by my personal life.”
“No. We’re not doing this.” I shake my head defiantly. I reach down and lift her chin. “Layken you are my personal life. Everything about you is important to me. You owe your parents nothing. Do you hear me? Not one thing.” I lean down and press my lips softly to hers. “You’re my family now, Lake. And I refuse to allow you to see yourself as anything other than stellar any longer.” I tug on her hand. “Get your shoes on, you’re coming with me.”
Wiping her sleeve across her eyes dabbing at her tears, she asks, “Where are we going?”
“To see your parents. And then I’m taking you out.”
“Griffin…”
“Layken.” I take her hand in mine and place it on my chest, her helpless expression breaking my goddamn heart. “One question. And I need the most honest answer you can give me.”
“Okay.”
“Has anyone ever stood up to your parents in your defense?”
She answers with a scoff and an adamant, “Never. Who would’ve ever been in the place to do that? And besides…” She shakes her head. “It’s not anyone’s problem but mi?—”
I stop her with a finger to her lips, shaking my head. “I’m going to stop you right there because that’s where you’re wrong, Naughty. It’s not just your problem. You’re my wife and it’s my job to protect you so it’s my problem too now. It’s my problem because I want it to be my problem. And I want it to be my problem because I see parts of you that you can’t see for yourself and it breaks my heart that you don’t always see it. And the one thing I refuse to do any more is let you think less of yourself because the people who manufactured you don’t know what it means to love and care for their family no matter what. So, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”
She dries her eyes and wraps herself gently into my chest, her arms circling my waist. “I always trust you, Griffin.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Layken types her address into my GPS and I follow the directions straight to the home where she grew up. It’s an affluent part of town but a little older looking than the newer allotments that have gone up in the past ten years or so. We pull up to the house and I can feel Layken’s tension. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat and plays with her hair, stroking the ends of the long golden strands through her fingers. She clutches her hands in her lap and picks at her nails, so I calmly reach over and wrap my steady hand over hers.
“Hey.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve got you. Okay?”
“Yeah.”
She’s not looking at me.
Not good enough.
“Lake?” I hook my finger under her chin and turn her face toward me and then I lean over and kiss her. “Trust me. I’m not going to let them hurt you. Never again on my watch. I promise you that.”
She nods and I open my door to step out of my car before walking around to help Layken out of her side. Still moving a little stiff, we make our way up the front steps to the door where I reach for and ring the front doorbell.
A woman looking almost identical to Layken except for a graying hair color and age lines that Layken doesn’t have answers the door. She glances at me and then her gaze moves to Layken and then back to me. She plasters on what I can tell is an obviously fake smile and says, “Layken! Baby! What a wonderful surprise! It’s so good to see you!” She moves to hug her daughter but Layken scowls and steps back. Her mother mirrors her expression and opens her mouth to say something but I squeeze Layken’s hand and then step slightly in front of her so her mother can look at no one but me.
Her smile falters and she purses her lips waiting for what I’m going to say. Realizing she’s not inviting us in, I grasp Layken’s hand and look her mother square in the face.
“Mrs. Hobbs, I’m Griffin. Griffin Ollenberg.”
“Oh, I know very well who you are, Mr. Ollenberg.” She huffs, folding her arms in front of her. “You’re the man who is exploiting my daughter probably for some sort of political or unlawful gain.”
My brows furrow as she continues.
“You took advantage of our daughter when she was the most vulnerable and now look at her.” She gestures to Layken standing semi-behind me. “You forced her into a marriage she didn’t even want, most likely using her for sex, and now she doesn’t even want to hug her own mother.”
“Oh, my God that is the biggest bucket of horse shit I’ve ever heard.” Layken scoffs, stepping out on the other side of me. “Do you even know what a hug entails, Mom?”
Her mother frowns. “Of course, I?—”
“And let’s get one thing straight. Like I told you before,” she says, her body straightening, her chin rising the more confident she becomes. I squeeze her hand in mine to remind her I’m right here with her.
That’s my girl.
“I love Griffin. Do you hear that? I love him. With my whole heart. He didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to do. In fact, it wasn’t even his idea to get married in the first place. It was mine.”
She rolls her eyes. “Well, as far as I’m concerned, the only smart thing you’ve done so far was not sign a prenup. So, when this crazy ass relationship you think you’re in is all over, you can at least walk away with enough money to live comfortably…until you fuck up again.”
Mrs. Hobbs takes the wind out of Layken’s sails so I tag myself back in. “As far as I’m concerned what’s mine is Layken’s. She can have every last cent I own if she wants it because I love her more than I’ve ever loved anyone. My love for her in the short time we’ve been together is more than you or Mr. Hobbs have shown her in her entire lifetime. You told her over and over again that her life would amount to nothing unless she took the path you paved for her, but that was a lie. She hasn’t amounted to nothing. She’s a goddamn rockstar who has changed not only my life, but the lives of so many children at Pacific Children’s thanks to her hard work and creativity and determination.”
Layken’s mother rolls her eyes. “You mean until she got herself fired?”
“That had nothing to do with her and maybe if you listened to your daughter for one damn minute you would know that.”
I lift Layken’s hand in mine and show her mother her ring. “Do you see this? This right here means I’ll spend the rest of my goddamn life making sure your daughter knows how loved and cherished and admired she is. I’ll support her in anything she wants to do whether that be helping a hundred organizations raise charitable funds, or writing the kinkiest smuttiest book she can write, or hell, maybe she’ll decide to give pole dancing lessons someday. If that happens, I’ll buy all the fucking poles and install them on every floor of my house. Because your daughter, Mrs. Hobbs, no thanks to you, is one mother fucking badass bitch who could run the world if she wanted to. This girl can do anything she wants to do and be anything she wants to be because I’ll be by her side loving her and encouraging her every fucking step of the way.”
“What’s going on here?” A man steps up beside Layken’s mom. I can only presume that it’s her father.
“For the love of fucking Christ.” Mrs. Hobbs rolls her eyes again. “You guys have no idea what it means to be?—"
“This will be the last time you see your daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs,” I tell her parents, interrupting whatever kind of bullshit Mrs. Hobbs was spouting our way. “Because I’ll be damned if I let her step back into a world that doesn’t know love. Or kindness. Or basic human decency. You will never again darken her light because I will spend the rest of my days making sure she shines brighter than any star in the goddamn sky. And if and when the day comes that we bring children into this world, they will not know you. Your legacy will die with you. Because I believe the things you do for yourself…” I gesture to their fancy clothes and expensive home. “These things die with you and only you. It’s the things you do for others, the imprint you make on their lives, their hearts. That’s a legacy that will remain far after you’re gone.”
Mr. Hobb’s brows lift. “What in the hell?—”
“Layken is my family now.”
I turn to Layken, arching my brows to ask her if there’s anything else she wants to add, but she shakes her head and squeezes my hand and then turns to walk back to the car.
“Layken!” her mother calls after her.
“Fuck all the way off, Mom.”
“But Lake!
“You too, Dad!” She raises her arm up and waves without looking back. “Thanks for believing in me. Fuck you both very much.”
I smile as I follow Layken back to the car, opening her door for her and waiting as she hops in.
“You good?” I ask softly when she sits back and grabs her seatbelt.
She nods, releasing a big breath, and then beams back at me, her smile melting away any and all dark thoughts from my mind. “Couldn’t be better.”
That’s my girl.