Page 79 of No Going Back
“Excellent news.” The nurse came to Dianna’s other side, unhooking the line connected to the IV taped to Dianna’s hand. “I just got your discharge papers, so you get to break out of here.” Her eyes lifted to Griffin. “Are you her ride?”
Griffin turned to Dianna, uncertain of the place he currently held in her life.
Dianna nodded. “Yes.”
“Excellent. We will get you all situated and then you can go home and rest.” The nurse went to work peeling away the tape from Dianna’s skin and sliding the catheter free before covering the tiny dot of a hole with a Band-Aid. Then she went through Dianna’s paperwork, explaining the instructions and the prescription for anti-nausea medication they gave her to tide her over until she got in with the obstetrician of her choice.
It wasn’t long before Dianna was being rolled out the entrance and loaded into his waiting truck, dozing on the ride home.
They pulled past his house and he parked in her driveway, getting as close as he could to the front door without planting any of his tires in the yard. He rushed around to help her out, keeping her steady as her feet hit the ground. Dianna’s eyes went to where the workers were milling around next door, coming in and out as they plowed through the remaining renovations. “Did you hire them so you wouldn’t have to be close to me?”
Her question was quiet and laced with hurt. Normally he would have done anything to avoid answering her in the hopes of avoiding a conversation he didn’t want to have. But that hadn’t gotten him anywhere in his life. All it did was lead to a string of broken relationships and failure. And there was no way he was going to fail Di.
“No, I didn’t.” Griffin met Dianna’s gaze, holding it as he laid out a little of the truth he’d planned to reveal once everything was perfect. But perfect was no longer an option, so he was just hoping for good enough. “I hired them so I could be close to you sooner.”
Dianna’s dark brows pinched together. “The math on that doesn’t add up.”
“It does, actually.” He tipped his head toward the house that suddenly represented even more than it did when he woke up this morning. “Would you like to see why?”
Dianna glanced at the house behind him, barely hesitating. “Okay.” She tried to take a step, but before she could get anywhere he scooped her up, carrying her princess style across their yards.
She let out a squeal of surprise. “What are you doing? Put me down. I’m too—” Her lips sealed together, pressing tight before she finished. “Too risky to jiggle up right now.”
He gave her a grin, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. “I’ll take my chances.”
She could barf all over him if she wanted, as long as he got to keep her close. This might not be the way he planned all of this to go, but he couldn’t find it in him to be upset that she rushed his timeline. It was taking everything in him to stick with it as it was.
One of the contractors he’d hired held the door open as he carried Dianna in, gently setting her down on the newly refinished entryway floor.
Her eyes immediately widened as they moved around the gleaming hardwood and shining staircase. “Holy cow.” Her eyes snapped to his. “I knew there were a lot of people coming and going, but I didn’t realize how much they’d accomplished.”
He’d had people working almost around-the-clock for nearly two weeks straight, shelling out an exorbitant amount of money to push the project along at an epic pace. Because being away from her was fucking awful, but he wasn’t willing to show up in her life until he could prove all he had to offer.
All he’d worked to be able to provide.
“They’ve been focused on certain areas.” Griffin rested one hand on the small of her back, leading Dianna down the main hall, past the relatively untouched formal living room and den. “I wanted to finish the most important parts first.”
And thank God he had. He might not have a completed product to show her, in any capacity, but at least she would see his intent.
Dianna stepped into the mostly done kitchen and sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh my gosh.” She moved deeper into the room, one hand resting along the marble countertops he’d chosen. “It’s beautiful.” She gasped again, pointing at the line of cabinets stacked down the wall of windows. The ones he’d done his best to make sure looked exactly the way she wanted them to. “That looks so nice.” She went to stand in front of them, resting her hands on the counter as she stared out into the messy backyard, confusion pinching her beautiful features. “Are you putting an addition back here?”
He stepped in beside her, looking over the corner farthest from her property. It sat back a little, the bulk of it blocked by the jut of the office, making it difficult for her to see well from her own yard. “I am.” He focused on her face. “Would you like to go see it?”
Dianna immediately nodded. “Of course I would.”
He turned her toward the mud room that now sat on the back of the kitchen, attaching the addition to the main house. Opening the door to the almost complete sunroom, he watched Dianna’s reaction as she took it in.
She pressed her lips together, but not before her chin barely quivered. Moving carefully down the steps, she went straight to the custom-made swing sitting in the center of the space and sat down on the cushioned seat, leaning back against the pillows and blankets he’d piled up to make it as comfortable as possible.
Because he intended to spend every morning there for the rest of his life.
Griffin eased down onto the swing next to her, slowly rocking them back and forth as Dianna looked around the room he’d built just for her. Just for them.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.” Dianna scanned the windows circling the space. “It’s like being outside but still inside.”
Griffin pointed to the removable panes. “All those come out and leave just a screen, so in the summertime the bugs won’t bother you and in the wintertime you can still be outside without freezing to death.” He gave her a little smile. “And now Snickerdoodle has a spot to hang out.”
He hated that the space was still as empty as it was. He’d had a whole plan worked out. One he’d spent more hours than he could count organizing. He wanted it all to be perfect for her so Dianna would see how hard he was willing to work to have her back in his life. “I have a lot of plants on order so it will feel summery even in the winter.”
