Page 2 of Holding Out

The baby in question cried out and squirmed under Alia’s wrap.“Uh-oh,” she said, touching her lips to his fuzzy head.“You were supposed to sleep till dinner was done.”

Griff eyed the fussy lump on Alia’s chest.He was Robbie’s number one fan, and not at all ashamed to admit it.“I could take Robbie,” he offered, reaching his arms out.He loved holding the kid, with his warm heaviness and clean baby scent—except when Robbie had one of those not-so-fresh moments.Then Griff was more than happy to return him to his parents.

Alia began unwrapping the baby from her chest.“I think I need to feed him first or he’s not going to be a whole lot of fun.”

“I could hold him till you finish eating?”

She laughed at the eagerness in Griff’s voice.“Are you sure you want to be a bachelor?”Untangling Robbie, she handed him to Griff.Robbie’s fat face was creased with lines from Alia’s shirt.He looked up at Griff, then broke out beaming.

“Well, hello to you, too, little dude.You and me, bro.We’re the last single guys on the planet.”He lifted Robbie up so their faces were level.“Batching it with Uncle Griff,” he told the baby, who gave him another big, open-mouthed smile, then farted.Griff grinned.“That’s right, that’s how it’s done, Robbie boy.What are youdoing?”he demanded of Alia, who was photographing him.

“I’m taking a picture of you and Robbie in case you want it for your online dating profile.”

“I don’t have an online dating profile,” Griff said.He preferred the old-school techniques.Buy a girl a drink.Make a lot of eye contact.Say the right things.

Tell her up front you don’t do relationships.

One thing that had surprised him was how many women were just fine and dandy with that.Maybe even preferred it that way.That had been a pleasant revelation after his marriage had ended.

Every once in a while, though, you could see the disappointment on a woman’s face, and that was the best reason to steerwideclear.

“Well.If you ever decide to, you would clean up with this profile pic.”Alia held out her phone.

Griff winced.“God!Do I really look that goofy?”

“You look like a happy uncle,” Becca said, taking the phone from her sister and studying the picture.

“That’s right.I’m happy.As an uncle.No need for the rest of it.”

Alia and Mira exchanged an eye roll.

“Speaking of dating, I’ve been meaning to ask you—” began Mira.

Griff eyed Mira suspiciously.He was pretty sure he knew where this was going.His female friends were determined to matchmake.

“I have a friend—”

Alia broke in.“It’s hopeless, Mir.He’s not fixable.”She shot Griff an apologetic glance.“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

He shrugged.It took more than that to hurt his feelings.“I didn’t take it that way.And I’m not opposed to being fixed up, it just never works out.”

Alia gave him a sharp look.“Because you dump anyone who starts to get serious.”

He shrugged.“Guilty as charged.”

The truth was, he hadn’t met anyone he wanted to get serious with.Not since Marina.And he really, really didn’t want to think about Marina right now.

Or ever.

Alia took the last few bites of her dinner, then reached for Robbie.“I’ll feed him—oh, for Christ’s sake, Griff, I’m going to give him back!You aresofull of it.You aresodaddy material.”

“Nope.”

Once upon a time, he’d thought he was daddy material.It was just that a lot of shit had gone down since then.

He handed Robbie back to Alia, ignoring the ache of that particular memory.That was the good thing about other people’s babies.You could return them when you were done.

“Hey, you guys,” Becca said.“What do you say we clean up and play a game of Taboo?My roommate Jenina and I have been playing it with our friends in Seattle and it’s super fun.I brought my set.”

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