Page 119 of No Way Home
I gazed beyond him…to Bowen, leaning against the trunk of a tree, eyes hooded, posture stiff. My heart stuttered at the sight of him, unsure if he was angry or just hurt. The two of them, here together? Meant he’d told Griff about me. Today. With everything going on with James.
This was exactly what I was trying to avoid.
Bowen tilted his head, eyes drilling into me, and I swear I could read his thoughts.Really, Magnolia? You thought you could get rid of me with that weak breakup text?
Griffin dropped onto the bench three feet away from me. “Hey, Maggie.”
“Hi?” I waited for him to say something more—to bless me out for cheating on him. Or cuss me out for going after Bowen now. I wouldn’t blame him. Clearly, I had the world’s worst timing. But he just leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, watching a couple of birds hopping around in the grass, like he was perfectly comfortable being here with me. “How’s James?” I asked.
“Alive. But…” His head dropped, staring at the ground. “So busted up, it doesn’t even look like him.”
I sagged with relief. “He made it through, though.”
He glanced over, eyes red and exhausted. “He did. Thank God.”
“Is he awake?”
He shook his head. “No. They’re keeping him in a coma until tomorrow morning. They want to give him some time to heal before he learns about Sa…” He inhaled and forced her name out, “Sage.”
“Griff,” I said softly. I didn’t know what else to say.
He turned to face me. “How’ve you been?”
“Good?”
“You’re good. It’s okay to say it.” He chuckled. “You’re probably wondering whyI’mtalking to you instead of Bowen.”
I didn’t answer, afraid it was a trap.
“It’s okay.” He smiled, and it was kind of spectacular. But he’d always had a nice smile. “I know you two have been going out. A lot.”
“He told you?” I asked, more surprised by the second.
“Yes—and he also told me it was too bad if I didn’t like it because he was choosing you.” He huffed, but there was a touch of amusement in his words. “But I already knew.” He held up his phone, and there was my last known location,right here at the Whispering Wall. Cash’s location was underneath mine. Followed by Bowen’s.
“You never deleted me?” I asked, mouth hanging open.
“Don’t worry.” He smirked. “I haven’t been stalking you for two years. I stopped checking locations the day I left Virginia. But as soon as I sawLiam’s boomerang,” he muttered. “I knew that was it. No way was Bowen going to let Liam have you. I was right. An hour later, yours and Bowen’s dots were right on top of each other, like you were making a baby.”
A snort shot out of my nose. “Uh, definitely not. I told him to talk to the hand, right there in the belly of the Costco inflatableNeuschwanstein.”
His eyes sparkled. “Your German is still impressive.”
“My nightmares are all in German, so it’s kind of embedded in my long-term.”
He laughed but it died quickly. “Bowen told me. About everything. Including seeing…Selene…at the movie theater.” I could tell it hurt to talk about her.
I pressed a hand to my forehead. “Why didn’t you tell me about her?”
His eyebrow raised in a slow arch. “For the same reason that you never told me you went on a date with Bowen and he ditched while you were in the bathroom.”
I sat back, face hot. Bowen really had told him everything.
“What Selene did was humiliating,” Griffin said. "For both me and Bowen, and I never wanted you to know because I felt inferior to him. I always did anyway, but she made it a hundred times worse.”
“He idolizes you.”
Griffin huffed. “I have no idea why.”
