Page 42 of Small Town Frenzy
“I’m sorry you felt you couldn’t.”
My heart sinks a bit. “Please don’t say that. You don’t owe me an apology, Griffin.”
“You don’t owe me one either.” He leans against the desk again, stretching his long legs in front of him. Taking me by the hand, he slowly brings me into the fold of his side. Kissing the side of my head, he asks, “So you’re a mom?”
I purse my lips, hoping to keep this damn smile from appearing, but I lose. “Why do you make it sound like that?”
“Like what? Sexy? Because you are.”
Rolling my eyes, I’m tempted to poke him until he sees the situation for what it is. I don’t, though, because I realize he’s seeing it how he always would have. Having a child doesn’t make me a detriment to him.
Unlike to my father . . .
Unlike to my family . . .
Unlike to our business . . .
As I stand in front of him, he reaches up and rubs my shoulders. His smile is sweet and his eyes full of understanding, and then he says, “Tell me about your son.”
CHAPTER 18
Griffin
“He’sthe best thing in my life.” Cricket covers her chest with her hands clasped, and joyful tears fill the corners of her eyes, and says, “The best thing I ever did.” Leaning against my leg, she looks at me with a glow that shines from the inside. I thought she couldn’t be any more beautiful than she already is, but here she is, proving me wrong.Again. “He’s silly, so funny, and the cutest kid I’ve ever seen, if I do say so myself.”I like her sass.
“That’s fair.” Her smile is contagious and causes me to react. Her smile falters as she hesitates. Angling away, she slips from the confines of the arm I had resting on her hip and busies herself by shifting a table that didn’t need shifting. Swiping the dust from the top with her hand, she says, “I think it looks better here, don’t you?”
I’m not sure how to read her reaction. It’s just his name that her family called him. Shouldn’t inspire any reaction, much less her discomfort. And she was talking so openly about him before that I’m confused by the shift. “Looksgreat.” I stand, wondering if I’ve overstayed my welcome. “I didn’t mean to pry. I figured since your?—”
“It’s okay. This is new with you, but you didn’t say anything wrong.” She’s still gripping the side of the table when she replies, “His name is Jacob.” Even looking down, she can’t hide the love that shines through the smile that follows as if just saying the name evoked it. “Jacob Justin.”
“It’s a good name. Strong.”
“Thanks,” she replies quietly. I hadn’t given any thought to the possibility of Cricket being a mom, though I shouldn’t be shocked. We’re in our thirties. It’s not like it would be uncommon. I’ve gone out with a few women who had kids, so it’s not new to me. But it does have me wondering why she kept that part of her life a secret.
Thinking back over the interactions we’ve had, did she have an opportunity to tell me, or a reason that slipping that information in wouldn’t have come off as out of the blue? Or maybe she just wanted us to get to know each other better before parading the kids out and an ex that’s tangled in her life. Is that what it is? The dad is still hanging around, and he’s the jealous type of any man stepping into his son’s life or even Cricket’s? Will I be dealing with a difficult ex? Is that why she’s not comfortable talking about her son or his dad?
She didn’t have a chance to tell me at the stadium. I still need to redeem myself from those encounters, especially for splashing her with a puddle. I cringe inside just thinking about it. That she thought it was on purpose . . . I need to make better first impressions and make it up to her.
Last night, she could have told me at the pizzeria or later in the boat, or even in the truck, if it was something on her mind she was ready to share. That’s the most logical explanation. She wasn’t ready to share. Her family forced theissue. Is it wrong for me to do the same? I need to know what I’m dealing with. “Is his father still in the picture?”
With her eyes cast down, she squeezes them shut. She grounds her jaw before looking up and replying, “Kind of.” Her voice isn’t any louder, but it’s more determined in tone.
“Kind of?” I ask, grimacing. How do I navigate a situation with the response being “kind of”?
“It’s complicated and something we should talk about soon.” She’s not shut it down entirely. That’s good, so I can respect her not wanting to delve into it right now.
Since I have every intention of spending more time with her, and that includes the son I just found out about, I ask, “What is he into? Cars? Horses? Dinosaurs?”
She nibbles on her bottom lip, but a giggle bursts free. “Don’t laugh, okay?”
“You think so highly of me,” I reply, sarcastically. “I’m not going to laugh at a kid.”
She takes a deep breath as if she’s bracing herself for an onslaught. Damn, what is this kid into? She says, “Baseball.”
“Baseball?” My eyebrows hit the ceiling, and my mouth drops open like an idiot to the floor. “That’s what he likes to do?” I ask while a smirk takes hold of my face. “I did not expect to hear you say baseball. You had me worried by your behavior. All that buildup over baseball.” I nod, feeling pride for something I had no part in making happen. “Sounds like my kind of kid.”
“Something like that,” she mumbles.
