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I smiled over at my friend. “You’re also a trained hotshot firefighter.”
Phoebe’s eyes twinkled. “What do you think?”
Just as I was contemplating if I had the nerve to make that call right now, my phone vibrated with another call. As soon as I glanced down at the screen, the anxiety and nausea that I was barely keeping at bay started churning at high speed.
“Who is it?” Phoebe pressed.
“Paul,” I said flatly.
After the call went to voicemail, I stared down at my phone as if it were a venomous snake about to strike. “You think I should just play the message?”
“Play it.” Phoebe’s calm tone helped me.
Nausea burned my throat as I tapped the screen and hit play. Just to follow up, I don’t want to be involved, but my parents do. I’ll file for custody if I need to so they can have visits.
Phoebe’s eyes narrowed, flashing with her anger. “What a fucking loser. You’ve already talked to Colin. Let him handle this.”
I got through my day, telling myself it would be fine, that somehow Colin would straighten this out for me. I’d updated Colin about the second message from Paul and provided his contact information.
Late that afternoon, he called me with an update. “He’s worried about child support,” Colin said.
My laugh was bitter. “I don’t want any money from him, but I want everyone to know the truth.”
“About how you got pregnant?” Colin prompted.
“Yes. His parents can have visits, but they’ll have to hear why I don’t want Paul involved.”
“Understood.”
I felt so stupid, so painfully stupid. This whole thing brought up so many feelings of shame and embarrassment.
That night, I missed Griffin. Badly. I missed him most of the time, but I was able to put it to the back of my thoughts when I was busy at work. But tonight, my heart ached with it. I wanted his strength, the way his presence comforted me.
I didn’t know when he would get my text, but I sent it anyway.
Me: I miss you.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Griffin
I re-read Tish’s text with my heart kicking against my ribs.
I slung my jacket over my shoulders as I walked down the back hallway in the station. We’d landed back in Willow Brook this afternoon. I’d been planning to text and see if I could stop by to see her, but I decided to surprise her.
“In a hurry?” Chase asked as I walked out to the parking lot.
I paused beside my brother. “Headed to see Tish.”
He studied me for a beat, his lips twitching at the corners. “Never seen you like this. You know there’s a bet out there.”
“On what?” I narrowed my eyes.
“When you might settle down. You’re the only sibling who hasn’t.”
As recently as six months ago, I would’ve scoffed at this. Although my passing encounter with Tish when we first met had been powerful, it had seemed like a fluke, almost a mirage. While my draw to her at the time had been startling and unexpected, I certainly hadn’t been thinking about marriage, or getting serious.
Hearing the entirely not-surprising fact that my siblings were betting on when I might get serious with someone, I simply shrugged. “When the time is right.”
