Page 4 of No Going Back
But it had to happen. She couldn’t go back to the way she used to be.
She wouldn’t survive it.
Griffin spared the group of waitresses a quick glance as they moved to form a line behind him. “I guess I’ll stop holding you up.” He tossed two twenties down onto the counter before backing away, eyes staying locked onto hers. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Dianna.”
TWO
GRIFFIN
HE’D ALMOST ASKED Dianna to dinner.
He’d given himself one rule when he decided to permanently move to Moss Creek, and he’d already come close to breaking it after less than five minutes in town.
Less than five minutes with her.
He wasn’t off to a great start.
Griffin shoved the cup of coffee Dianna made him into the holder of the rental car he’d picked up at the airport, raking one hand through his hair as he set the cookies onto the passenger’s seat.
He shouldn’t have gone to The Baking Rack. He knew damn well what happened when he was around her.
But he’d done it anyway.
Not just done it, but driven over the speed limit the whole way there to make sure it would happen.
It had been almost three months since he’d seen her. Part of him was hoping his brain had embellished the memories he pulled up a little too often, making Dianna out to be sweeter and softer than she really was.
It hadn’t.
If anything, his memories had dimmed, because when she came out of the back room, smiling like it was just for him, the sight of her nearly sent him back a step.
Like she’d been waiting to see him too.
“Shit.” He started the engine and backed out, turning onto the road that ran through the center of town, unable to resist taking another glance into The Baking Rack as he passed. Dianna stood at the counter, laughing as she chatted with the group of women who saved him from himself, coming in just as he was about to self-destruct once again.
He wasn’t here to find yet another woman to disappoint. He was here to figure out how to build the first functional relationship of his life. One that mattered more than any other—the relationship he hoped to have with his son.
Troy was the only thing that was supposed to matter right now. Getting to know him. Being the father he deserved to have.
They’d been without each other for almost thirty years. He wasn’t going to fuck up this opportunity, no matter how tempting the town’s dark-haired baker was.
And Dianna was definitely tempting. Full lips, wide eyes, curves he wanted to sink his fingers into—the woman was a distraction that would test his limits.
His control.
His dedication.
But he couldn’t fail at this. He’d failed so many people in his life. Troy couldn’t be one of them.
Griffin forced his eyes from Dianna and her bakery, locking them onto the road as he drove through the little town he now called home, making his way to the small farmhouse he’d be sharing with Troy and his new wife Amelie until he managed to find a house of his own.
Buying a place in a town like Moss Creek seemed like it would be a simple process. He’d already sold his home in Seattle and was prepared to make a cash offer, which normally would have given him an edge over the competition. The problem was there was no competition to have. Most houses sold before ever hitting the market. Apparently everyone knew everyone around here and word traveled fast, making it easy for sellers to save themselves realtor commissions.
Good for them, bad for him and his plans of homeownership.
But he needed to find a place, which meant tomorrow he’d be looking at the only houses his realtor could come up with. Even if they weren’t exactly what he was looking for. Because as much as he wanted to spend time with Troy, the farmhouse he lived in was a tight fit, and he didn’t want to upend his son’s life.
He simply wanted to be a part of it.
