Page 83 of Under One Roof

“Gas?”

“I’ll be filling up before I hit the highway.”

“You know where all your stops are?”

“Yes, I have all the reservations you made.”

Because he would not be Captain Griffin Stone without controlling a trip that wasn’t even his, emailing me the best route to take, along with confirmations of hotel reservations he made for me in Columbus, Kansas City, and Albuquerque.

“So you have everything you need,” he says like he’s pissed about it.

Maybe I am too.

Because I need him.

He braces his hands on my arms, fingers wrapping around my biceps, and draws me to him, mouth on mine. It’s perfunctory, with lots of space between our bodies, practically miles, and before I can even part my lips, he forces me away.

I start to tell him it’s not enough, but he shakes his head, reading my mind. “I can’t, Andi. If I start, I won’t be able to stop.”

He’s right. The longer I stay, the more difficult it will be to leave.

As much as I’m proud of myself and happy to go live my dream, it’s not easy to leave the life I’ve built here, no matter that it’s not forever. It feels like it, when there is still so much left unknown.

Griffin steps away from me and drops his arms to his sides, hands fisting and unfisting in that familiar movement I’ve come to know means he’s agitated.

Because of me.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him, and he shakes his head.

“You have nothing to apologize for. You’re going to do what you were meant to.”

My eyes sting, and I inhale deeply through my nose, biting my cheek to stanch the flow. If I start crying again, my big softy will have no choice but to hold me for a while, and we’ll have to start all over again.

So before I can get off track, I wave to Grace, blowing her a kiss. I spare a glance up to the windows on the second floor and spy Logan standing at his, so I offer him a wave as well. He pivots away.

Then I smile at Griffin.Never doubt I love. “See you, Captain.”

Never doubt I love.“See you, sweetheart.”

Then I get in my car and drive away from home.

At the end of the block, I glance to the rearview mirror to see the three of them standing in the street watching me, Griffin with his arms around Logan and Grace. As I make the left turn out of the development, I beep a few times, waving out my window.

Never doubt I love.

Then I blast some Janis Joplin and pretend I’m not crying.

Chapter28

Griffin

This fucking sucks.

Chapter29

Griffin

Iscrub my hand over my face and readjust my baseball cap, shading my eyes from the sun as I trudge down Aster Street. I debated blowing off coffee, but I didn’t want Ian and Taryn to get up in my shit about it. I never miss our meetups, so if I did, they’d know something was up.

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