Page 89 of A Baby for the Firefighter
Griff chuckled, tucking his head under my chin. “Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to forget it again.”
“I’ll buy you a second one just to make sure,” I said, absolutely serious.
“Yeah?” Griff asked. “I’m sorry I scared you. I really only planned to be gone for two hours, tops.”
“You scared the shit out of me,” I admitted. “What if I hadn’t—”
“I knew you’d find me,” Griff cut me off.
“You weren’t scared even a little bit?”
He shook his head, his hair tickling my skin. “Of course I was. But I knew you’d find me,” he insisted.
“I wish I was as optimistic as you are.”
He gave me his brightest smile, and I was momentarily stunned by how beautiful he was. Even after a day spent lost in the woods, my omega had lost none of the spirit that had attracted me to him in the first place. “It’s easy to be optimistic when your boyfriend is a hero,” he said.
“I’m hardly a hero,” I argued. “I still struggle with my job and I—”
“But that doesn’t matter,” he cut me off. I got the feeling that if he hadn’t twisted his ankle, he might have stomped his foot on the forest floor. “You’ll always bemyhero.” And before I could protest again, he pressed his lips to mine.
For the first time, I got the feeling that maybe, he was right. Even if the only people I could protect were him and our baby, maybe that was enough. Maybe it trulywasall that mattered.
39
Griffin
Two weeksafter Dean had rescued me from the woods, my mother came by with a gift basket. This visit was just as unexpected as the last one had been—Dean and I had just come back from the doctor’s office, really—but she seemed a lot friendlier than she had the morning after the play.
“Dean told me what happened,” she said with a glance at my hand, which was wrapped in a cast. As it had turned out, my ankle was only strained, but my wrist was broken. Still, nothing that wouldn’t heal, even if it sucked for now.
I let my mother into the house and she set the gift basket full of fruit down on the kitchen table.
“Dean talked to you?” I asked, addressing her but looking at my boyfriend, who chose to examine the basket instead of joining the conversation.
“Yes,” my mother confirmed. Then a small smile crossed her features. “It seems your boyfriend likes to look out for you. Honestly I’m glad to know you in safe hands.”
I blushed. “Mom…”
She shook her head. “I should be allowed to say that. Although maybe I shouldn’t have said some other things.” Her voice turned soft. “I came to apologize to you. You were right. You had every reason to be reluctant to tell me about your pregnancy. I promise you I’m not here to tell you how to live your life. Your father and I would bedelightedif the two of you married, but we won’taskthat of you.”
Behind me, Dean coughed. Right, I hadn’t told him how crazy my parents were about marriage. Well, now he knew.
“I’m glad to hear that,” I said, focusing on my mom instead of Dean. Him I’d talk to later. “Dean and I are super excited about the birth and we’d hate if you couldn’t be around for that!” I said completely truthfully. “I wouldn’t have kept it a secretthatlong, you know?”
“I guess.” A smile found its way onto her lips. “Do you know anything yet?” she asked, clearly burning with a need to know everything there was to know. “How far along are you? When’s your due date?”
“Not for a while yet,” I said laughing. “But I’m almost twenty weeks along so… halfway there? And I got something to show you. Wait a minute. We had an appointment today, just before you came.” I went into the living room to fetch one of my newest, yet most precious, possessions. A picture more beautiful than any I could ever take, because it was of the child inside of me. Every time I looked at it, I felt awed.
And now I showed it to my mother and the expression on her face mirrored my own.
“That’s your newest grandson,” I told her proudly.
“Really? You’re having a little boy?” Her eyes seemed to mist over. I gave her a hug. It was a little awkward with the cast—I couldn’t wait for that thing to come off—but I made it work.
“Yes, we’re having a little boy!”
“That’s amazing,” she said. “I’m so happy for you two! Have you thought of a name yet? You need to give him a strong name. But not something too…” She stopped herself, probably realizing that she was falling back into old habits of wanting to meddle again. “I’m sure you will think of something good.”
