Page 10 of A Baby for the Firefighter
Thank God I'd made more than enough for all of us. “I tried something new, going for a cinnamon taste. Tell me how you like it.”
Griff took the box and looked into it. “That sounds awesome! I'm sure your bakery is going to be awesome when you open it.”
I had no idea why I'd told him that I thought about opening a bakery someday when I had no intentions of doing so. I just needed a reason to keep feeding him treats without him growing suspicious.
And I really sucked at lying when I had to make something up on the spot.
Griff handed a cupcake to Jake and then bit into one himself. And the expression on his face when he did so...
He looked like he was about to have an orgasm.
How could I stop baking when it made him look likethat?
“These areamazing,” he exclaimed. “You definitely need to make more of them!”
Oh, I would.
Jake seemed happy too, finishing his cupcake off in record time and digging into the box for more.
“Hey,” Griff addressed his nephew. “Don't eat all of those.”
I had to laugh. It was good to know my sweets were worth fighting over. I’d grown up as one of seven siblings. When I was a child, Griff was the first person I met who truly managed to make me feel like I was special—and he continued to do so to this day. One of the many reasons I loved him—maybe more than I should.
“I'll surrender my share,” I said, notreallywanting the two of them to fight.
My generous gesture pleased both Griff and his nephew and they split the cupcakes evenly between them. Then we could start our movie night. Or, anime night, as it had turned out.
I wasn't really into anime, but I was totally into the way Griff responded to the show. Helivedthe experience. He laughed when the characters did and he bit his lips when any of them were in danger, completely absorbed in what was happening. Even more so than his nephew.
In fact, Jake passed out on the couch between us just around 10pm.
“Should we turn off the TV?” I asked Griff, nodding to the sleeping boy.
He waved me off. “It's fine. Once he's asleep, he's out. That's my favorite thing about him,” he joked, although it was obvious how much he loved his nephew. He'd told me so many stories and showed me so many pictures. He was a great uncle, and someday, I was sure, he was going to be a fantastic dad.
And whoever the lucky bastard was who’d eventually put a claim on him, I was already jealous.
“I'm sorry I sprung Jake on you,” Griff said quietly. “I was going to tell you, but...”
“You forgot?”
He gave me a sheepish smile. “Got caught up in this new project I'm working on. It's kind of awesome. They want a lot of nature shots.”
“It's fine,” I said, even though I had been abitdisappointed that we weren't going to be alone. That was only due to my fantasies of starting something with him. In the end, it had been good to finally meet the kid I heard so much about. He was obviously a major part of my friend's life. “He seems like a sweet kid.”
“He is.” Griff smiled. “Lots of energy.”
“That's good.” I leaned back into the couch and inhaled. “I wish my cousin's child could be a little more like that.”
“Conner?”
“Yeah. He's only a year younger than Jake, but he spends all of his time hiding away with a book. Not that there's anything wrong with a child who loves books, but... it's all he ever does anymore since Ron passed away.”
“It's difficult to lose a parent,” Griff said with so much sympathy in his eyes I almost wished I hadn't brought the topic up. The evening had been so lighthearted up to now. But Griff made it easy to talk about difficult topics. There wasn't a judgmental bone in his body. He'd always just wanted everyone to do what made them happy.
Even in school, he'd offered his friendship to every outcast and bullied kid he could find. It was no surprise he'd done everything he could to support his brother when Eli became pregnant.
I wanted to be there for my family too. “I just wish I knew how to help. Nothing can replace Ron.”
