Page 25 of Barely Breathing
He didn’t miss the look in her eyes.He’d swear it was a mix of hope and fear.
“No changing the subject.Why don’t you like Roman with your mom?”
“I don’t know, and that’s the truth.I look at them, and it reinforces that my dad isn’t here.That all the things Roman does with my mom are stuff my dad should have been here doing.”
“Have you told your mom you feel that way?”
“I haven’t really spoken to her for a while.We say hello.I tell her I love her, and I go on.I know it hurts her.But I can’t seem to move past this.”
“If your dad was even half the man you say he was, I can’t imagine he’d want this for either of you.”
“My dad’s the one who made me promise to watch out for her.I didn’t even know she and Roman were together until she showed up at the hospital when Roman was hurt.There was an ugly scene.I left.”
“I want to ask you something.Hypothetical.”
“Okay.”
“Imagine you met and married the woman of your dreams.Your best friend.She and the children you two had were your entire world.Then one day, something happened, and you were taken from her.You could still see her, but you weren’t there anymore.”
“I see what you’re getting at.”
“Just go with me.”
He glanced over and saw the sincerity in her eyes.
“Would you want her to mourn you forever?”she continued.“Or would you pray she found someone else?Someone to put the light back in her eyes.To make her smile and laugh.To make her live.”
“That’s not fair.”
“You’re right.It’s not.It’s not fair to you, your mom, your dad, or Roman.”
“Fuck, Honor.”
She squeezed his thigh.“It sounds like you both lost an amazing man.I can’t imagine there would be any reason he’d want you to lose each other.Not when love and family seemed so important to him.”
Damn it, she was right.Gil, Doug, and Katie had all tried to tell him the same thing, and he’d ignored it, trenching into his anger instead.Maybe, it was because he’d wanted them to be upset, as well, and had been hurt by the fact they’d all accepted Roman so easily.
“You make valid points,” he told her.
“We haven’t known each other long, but I can see the rift between you and your mother bothers you.You’re a good guy, Griff.”
“What makes you think that?”he asked with genuine curiosity.
“Everything about the way you’ve been with me since we met.The way you talk about your family, especially your parents.”
“The file you put together on me?”he questioned.
She shook her head.“Facts on a page can’t show me who a person is.Only what they’ve done.”
“I like you, Honor Davison.”
“I like you, too, Griff Daniels.”
Did she like him enough to stick around after the man she’d run from was no longer an issue?Would she want to see if the chemistry brewing between them was more than lust?Greater than fantastic sex?He hoped so.He wanted to explore what was happening between them.To see where it might lead.
“Back already?”she asked, glancing out the window.“I don’t remember you pointing out any amazing sights in Legacy.”
He’d been driving aimlessly while they’d talked.Now, he wasn’t surprised to notice they were right back where they’d started.
