Chapter 18
That Makes Three Of Us
? Girl On Fire - Kameron Marlowe
Griffin
Wife: I can drive.
Me: We need to talk.
Wife: Nothing good ever comes after a sentence like that.
Me: Would you prefer a haiku?
The door swings open, and I forget how to breathe.
Angie’s standing over the threshold in a pair of painted-on jeans and her cowboy boots, but that’s not what grabs my attention.
It’s the shirt she’s thrown on over a tank top and tied at the waist—my button down she was wearing that morning in Vegas.
Everything about my wife does it for me, but seeing her in my clothes? Yeah, that’s gonna get me going every time. It’s at the top of my list of the best views in the world, second only to Angelina completely naked.
I grip her hips and walk her backward into the house. “Fuck it. Family dinner is cancelled.”
She snorts out a laugh, and the sound goes straight to my dick. “What? Why?”
I slide my fingers into her belt loops and tug her against me. “Because you look too goddamn good in my clothes, wife.”
A quiet breath escapes her perfectly plump lips. I press her against the kitchen island, letting her feel just what she’s doing to me.
There’s a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she starts to unbutton the top, her mouthwatering tits popping out of her bra. “Maybe I should take it off then.”
She moves slowly, deliberately, like a goddamn temptress.
My teeth grind together as I fight to keep a tight grip on my restraint.
Fucking hell. She’s gonna make me embarrass myself.
Be the better man, Griffin.
When she goes for the third button, I stop her. My entire palm engulfs hers, and I lower her hand to her side. “If we don’t get over there, I won’t live to see the sunrise tomorrow.”
She smirks. “It would be worth it.”
I palm her cheek and stare into those shimmering brown pools. I should probably hold back the words that are running through my mind, but with Angie, I can’t seem to repress anything. Not anymore. “Every second with you is worth it, Angel.”
Ever so slowly, her playful smile shifts into something like wonder. She searches my face, and I don’t know what she sees there, but it’s probably something like complete and utter obsession.
She swallows and extricates herself from my hold. “Ready?”
To bend her over this island and fuck her senseless? Absolutely. But anything else is gonna have to wait for my dick to calm the fuck down.
I clear my throat and toss my keys in the air. “Let’s get going.”
With any luck, the drive to the ranch will give me time to get my shit together.
I walk past her and hold the door open.
She doesn’t move, planning her hands on her hips. “What? No princess treatment today?”
I advance on her without warning and scoop her into my arms, and she squeals.
“All you had to do was ask,” I say.
Her smile sets my fucking soul on fire, and I can’t look away.
I set her in the truck and buckle her seatbelt before taking my place in the driver’s seat.
“What is it you wanted to talk about?” she asks.
“Did you talk to Tyler?”
She throws her head back and lets out a ragged sigh. “No, but I might’ve left a less-than-stellar voicemail the last time he didn’t answer.”
“So, he knows?”
“Probably. There’s a chance he hasn’t checked it, but if I know Tyler, he has.”
“No good, piece of shit, mother fucking cock weasel,” I mutter through gritted teeth.
Her soft hand lands on my thigh. The touch instantly soothes. “It’s fine. I’m over it.”
At the next red light, I glance over at her, my brow furrowed, before turning my attention back to the road and flicking the turn signal.
“Just like that?” I ask.
She pulls her hand back, and it takes all of my self-control not to reach for her again.
Any amount of distance between us feels wrong.
“I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve been a bit busy lately.
Between work and throwing up every hour like clockwork, I don’t have any leftover energy to put into hating Tyler. ”
“The morning sickness isn’t getting any better? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Why would I? There’s nothing you can do about it.”
“Maybe not, but I check in every day asking how you’re feeling. You never thought to mention it?”
“Honestly? I wasn’t sure you’d care.”
I pull onto the side of the road and put the truck in park, whirling around to face her. I need her eyes. “Of course I care.”
“Why?”
“Because I care about you, Angel. I’ve always fucking cared. I stood on the sidelines for years, silently waiting for the day you might need me. I left you alone because I thought that’s what you wanted, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t care.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh. Is that answer enough for you?”
She nods.
“Good. When I check in, I expect you to tell me the truth. I want to know when you’re not feeling well, or when you need something, anything at all.” I palm her belly and gentle my voice. “Let me take care of you. Both of you.”
She places her hand over mine. “Are you sure about this?”
“Never been more sure of anything in my life, baby girl.”
A tender smile blooms across her face. “Ok.”
I glide my thumb once over her stomach before pulling my hand back. I could sit here for hours just looking at her, stroking her belly, but we have somewhere to be.
I put the truck in drive and guide us back onto the road. “What should we tell my family about us?”
“Everything?” she says tentatively.
I try not to seem too eager, but the idea of claiming Angie and the baby as mine has me doing a mental backflip. “Yeah? Baby and all?”
“Go big or go home,” she says nonchalantly.
“If that’s what you want, I’m all in.”
“I’m tired of keeping secrets. It’s exhausting and, in a way, I feel like I’m stuck in limbo. I won’t be able to move forward if I don’t say it out loud. Does that make sense?”
I pull through the ranch gate, reaching for her hand. It’s as if my body is moving of its own accord, drawn to her in ways I can’t explain. Every second without some sort of contact is its own form of torture. “Whatever you need. I’ll follow your lead.”
Too soon, we pull up to the big house, and I’m forced to let go. Loud chatter drifts through the yard from the back deck. I take her hand in mine and follow the sound to the boisterous family gathering.
It’s weird to see Wilder manning the grill when that’s usually my job, but I let them know I’d be picking up Angelina. Wilder stepped up to the plate at the eleventh hour. My family is great that way. Always ready to step up when someone needs an assist.
They’re also nosey as hell, so it’s no surprise when my sister Ruby links her elbow with Angie’s and pulls her away. I pin her with a glare as she grins over her shoulder at me. She drags her over to the table where Callie and Olivia are already seated.
The smell of barbecue catches on the early summer breeze, combining with the comforting scent of home. I live for days like this, for family dinners with my favorite people—good food and good women, as my Pops always says.
I drift toward my brothers on the lower part of the deck. Jaxon reaches into a cooler and offers me a beer.
“Not tonight. I’m driving.”
A sly grin spreads across Jaxon’s face, and he slowly places the drink back in the cooler. “How’s everything with the wifey?”
“Never better.”
I return his smile as I settle in a nearby chair and let my gaze wander to our women. Ruby’s sitting across the table holding Angelina’s hand, running her thumb over the diamond band on her finger, while Callie smiles and clutches her chest.
I need to find a way to get Angie to move out here with me.
We’d have my family close by for support after the baby comes, but it’s more than that.
I hate not being there for her every day.
Driving back and forth, daily text messages—they aren’t enough.
I want to be there when the baby starts kicking, and I want to hold her hair back when she’s sick.
I don’t want to miss a single moment of the pregnancy.
Emmy comes bounding out of the sliding doors to the kitchen, climbing onto Olivia’s lap. Gracie toddles after her with Ruby’s stepson, Aiden, following close behind.
Aiden rounds the table to my sister and whispers in her ear. She smiles and shakes her head, scooting over on the bench seat, and he takes the spot at her side. Ruby slid into the stepmom role with ease, forming an unbreakable bond with Aiden from day one.
Sweet little Gracie signals for uppies, and my wife, smiling from ear to ear, lifts her into her arms.
My wife.
That’s when I see it—our future. A little girl with her mama’s eyes, running after a little boy who looks a lot like me in the backyard of the home I had built just for them, long before I even knew who they were or what we’d become.
It’s only a brief glimpse, but potent as hell, and it spears me right through the heart.
The sliding door opens, and Mama comes out with a bottle of wine under her arm and four glasses. She sets them on the table and tucks a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. I swear she hasn’t aged a day in the last twenty years.
“Wine?” Mama says.
Callie freezes up.
Angelina’s face falls.
Olivia averts her gaze.
Do they already know Angie’s pregnant? I must’ve missed something.
I’m on my feet in an instant, bracing for what comes next. My wife’s words echo in the back of my mind.
Go big or go home.
Before Angelina can say anything, Wilder materializes at Olivia’s side, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Guess now’s as good a time as any.”
Olivia glances up at him with a soft smile before turning her attention back to the table. “I’m pregnant.”
When the words are out, Jaxon spews beer all over the deck in an epic spit take. Callie dissolves into a fit of giggles while everyone looks on in confusion.
“What’s so funny?” Mama asks.
Callie pulls out an ultrasound and sets it in the center of the table. “I’m pregnant, too.”
I lock eyes with Angie. Her brows raise in silent communication, and I nod in her direction.
“That makes three of us,” she says.
Ruby takes the bottle of wine from Mama’s hand and pops it open. “More for me.”
“We’re so fucked,” Jaxon grumbles, not quiet enough as evidenced by the fact that Emmy’s now standing at his feet holding out her hand.
“That’s the worst one, Uncle Jaxy. Two dollars.”
He balks. “In this economy?”
Emmy shrugs dramatically. “Pinflation.”
“Do you mean… inflation? Who taught you that word, Em?”
“You did.”
His eyes go blank like he’s stuck on a computer’s loading screen, then he shakes himself out of it and places the cash in her hand. “Highway robbery.”
“I told you,” I mutter. “How the tables have turned.”
Dad walks out onto the deck, giving the scene a cursory glance. “What’d I miss?”
“We’re about to have three more grandbabies,” Mama says, practically beaming.
“Four.” Callie holds up the ultrasound so everyone can see it. “We’re having twins.”
I bark out a laugh and run my palm down my face. The sound catches and spreads, and soon we’re all laughing while the kids look on in horror.
Emmy tugs on my sleeve. “Uncle Griff? Are you okay?”
I heft her into my arms and kiss her cheek. “All good, Em. It’s about to get a lot crazier ‘round here.”
And I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I lock eyes with a smiling Angie across the deck, and I know without a shadow of a doubt this is the life I want for us.