When Griff had explained that Miranda didn’t have a family, the medical team immediately started talking about in-patient convalescent care, and his had blood run cold. It went against everything he believed in, it sure as hell wasn’t where his Miranda belonged. She needed to be with people who cared. She needed to be with him.
How in the hell was he going to convince her? Rolling a bolder uphill would be easier.
His mouth twitched up in a tired grin. After seeing her bloodied and then in a coma, the idea of Miranda spitting fire at him was welcome.
While drying off, he surveyed his bathroom with a critical eye. He did the same thing with his bedroom as he got dressed. Walking out to the living room he took note of the hallway and determined that even though it was narrow, it should be able to accommodate a walker, but a wheelchair would be touch and go.
“Do you want a sandwich?” he asked Jack as he opened his fridge.
“I already placed a to-go order for steak sandwiches, fish tacos and carnitas tacos with all the sides at the Snack Shack. We’re picking them up on the way back to the hospital.” Griff’s stomach growled at the thought as he grabbed a bottle of fruit juice and shut the refrigerator.
Jack leaned against the kitchen island and gave Griff a hard look. “So tell me about Miranda.”
“I waited too fucking long.”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked.
“I should have asked her out the first time I saw her. I knew she was special. I’ve been jonesing for her for almost two damn months. I’ve been taking public transportation instead of driving my perfectly fine truck, just so I could see her. Mom thought it was cute. Dad thought it was funnier than hell.”
“You mean you, Griffin Porter, gave up a chance to sing along with the country radio station?”
“I know, right?” Griff agreed. “Anyway, my truck was in the shop the first time I took the train. That was when I met her. It was fixed the next week, but there wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to miss an opportunity to see her again.”
“Why didn’t you just ask her out?” Jack took a sip of water. It was obvious he was really curious.
“Because Dad’s been so sick. The chemo was really kicking his ass, and I’ve been a morose piece of shit to be around. Mom’s called me almost every night of the week when I wasn’t up there on the weekends. Dating just wasn’t in the cards. But this weekend? This weekend Dad lit up, and I knew it was my chance.”
“What were you thinking so hard about just now when you were coming out of the bedroom?”
“You kind of suck, you know that?” Griff asked his friend as he finished his juice and threw the bottle in his recycle bin and slouched into the corner of the kitchen counters.
“That’s what happens when you spend three years together on a SEAL team. You end up being able to read each other a little too well.”
Griff wished that Jack hadn’t switched to Mason’s team. It hadn’t been the same on Black Dawn without him.
“So, what were you thinking?” Jack prompted again.
“I was wondering whether or not I could get this place in working order so that Miranda could recuperate here.”
“Hmmm.” Jack took a sip out of his glass.
Griff really appreciated that he kept his own counsel. The man didn’t jump right in with why he shouldn’t take such a big step. Jack had been the most laidback and thoughtful of all the team members. He was even more relaxed than Hunter Diaz, but that was probably because he was a few years older.
“Out with it,” Griff said.
“Are you sure you want questions? Seems to me, you’ve made up your mind.”
“I have, but I like the idea that you might be looking at some angles I haven’t covered.”
“Reasonable,” Jack nodded. “You know she doesn’t have any family. What about other good friends? Wouldn’t they take her in?”
“I don’t think so. Not a single one of them has come to visit. Sure, they’ve sent flowers. They’ve called, but they’ve had a million and one excuses why they couldn’t be here. When we were talking, she said they were all workaholics like her, and she didn’t think they would even be able to take a week off to meet up with her for a vacation. I think it’s up to me.”
“That’s an interesting turn of phrase, ‘It’s up to me.’” Jack straightened away from the kitchen island. “Griff, you’re making it sound like it’s your responsibility. It’s not. You really don’t know the woman. You’re not in love with her. You haven’t even been out on a date with her, have you?”
Griff took his time before answering. “That’s the thing Jack, I do know her. God, by that second train ride I knew she was someone special. As Dex would say, she’s wicked smart and she makes me laugh. I think about her all the time.”
Jack nodded for him to continue.
“I know this is going to sound strange, but I got to watch her do her job on the train and she’s super-competent. It was a huge turn-on.”
“Did she wear a business suit?” Jack asked with a grin. “You’ve always been a sucker for a woman in a pencil skirt.”
“Hell, she sometimes even wore pearls.”
Jack laughed. “Yeah, you were doomed. What else?”
“The wreck cinched it for me. I love her. I’m in love with her. When I saw her go after Hope…”
“Hope? That’s the baby, right?”
“Yep. Miranda waded in without a thought to her own safety to save that little girl. She got in my face and demanded that she be the one to climb out that train window and pluck the kid off the cliff. When I demanded she not take any risks, she shouted me down. She said she’d lie to me if she had to, but don’t make her, because she was going to do what the situation required. Fuck, Jack. Need I say more?”
“Let me guess, she took the right risk, and saved the kid.”
“Yep, and ended up in that hospital bed because of it. She’s a crazy woman, and she’s mine to take care of.”
“What makes you think she would ever, in a million years, agree to this?”
“I’m not sure she has a choice.”
“You mean it’s convalescent hospital or you?” Jack asked.
Griff stood up straight and walked around the bar to face the window in the dining room. He could still see Jack. “I can’t believe you would think I would throw down on her like that. I would move heaven and earth to make sure she has the best recovery possible, outside of a convalescent or rehab facility.”
“I call bullshit. You intend to glue her ass beside you.”
Griff rubbed a frustrated hand through his short hair. “What’s wrong with that? She needs care. I can offer that. Ergo, she needs to stay with me.”
“Ah, fuck, you just said ‘ergo’. You’ve lost the argument before it even starts.”
“All right, Brainiac, what would you suggest?”
Jack put his empty glass of water in the sink and joined Griff in the dining room. “Are you doing this because you need to fill the void left now that your daddy’s getting well?”
Talk about a question coming out of left field. He glared at Jack, then he really took the time to think it through.
“I hated it when Dad was sick. Hated it with a passion. I hated that he felt like shit. He was so weak, and he felt impotent. I wanted to fix it for him. But the fact that he needed help and I could provide it…? To the man who made me who I am today? Yeah, that was a bit of a rush. But that was a miniscule amount of what was behind me doing it. Because I would have given my left nut for him not to have had to go through cancer.”
Griff could see Jack’s shoulders release some tension.
“This is a whole different ballgame with Miranda. We don’t know what to expect when she wakes up. She has a traumatic brain injury. To tell you the truth, depending on the level of care she needs…” Griff’s voice trailed off.
“Don’t think that way,” Jack’s hand clamped down on Griff’s shoulder.
Griff shook off his melancholy
thoughts. “Let’s go get the food. The doctors said that there was no damage to her brain. They just had to repair a couple of blood vessels, they really think that there’s no reason not to expect a full recovery.”
“There you go,” Jack said easily as they headed to the front door. “Focus on that.”
“I’m going to.” Griff said as he locked the door behind him.
They got into the SUV and decided to change the subject. “So when are you and Beth going to tie the knot?”
“You really have been out of it.”
“That goes without saying, but humor me, why are you saying it?”
“You should have checked your mail, there should be a wedding invitation in it.” Jack pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
“I’m paying,” Griff said, as he got out his wallet.
“I’m rich,” Jack said with a self-deprecating grin. “Put your money away.” He slammed the door shut.
Griff pulled out his phone and texted Dex Evans and found out the details of Jack and Beth’s upcoming wedding.
“You’re thinking pretty hard again,” Jack said as he put four bags of food in the backseat.
“Hell, you’re getting married in two months in San Antonio.”
“Yep.” Jack pulled onto the freeway. “Mom’s chartered a plane for folks.”
“What? Isn’t that excessive?”
“That’s my mom. She wanted to make sure everyone would be able to make it to the wedding. She remembers when we didn’t have two dimes to rub together. It was important to her that everybody who’s important to me here in California would be able to make it.” Jack had an indulgent look on his face. “So what does your Miranda do for a living?”
“She’s a hotshot consultant. She does project management, making sure everybody works to the terms of the agreed upon contract.”
“And you think you’ll be able to convince her to just move in with you? Again, I say, good luck with that,” Jack laughed.
He took the freeway exit to the hospital and Griff considered his friend’s point. He was right, he was going to have to be very careful on how he presented his solution to Miranda. He didn’t want to have a battle on his hands. However, he was extremely good at battles.
“Are you going into sniper mode?” Jack asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen you wait out the enemy for thirty-two hours. You can be a patient son-of-a-bitch when you get a target in your sites.”
“In that case, I guess I am. But I’m using my powers for good.”
They were soon at the hospital. When they got to the waiting room, they found Mason and his wife, Sophia, with her little brother Billy Anderson. Most of his Black Dawn team members were there too, along with Drake Avery.
Billy rushed up to Griff, clearly distraught. “They said Miranda is in a coma. Mason said you would know the most. How is she doing? How did the surgery go? When is she going to wake up?”
Griff put both of his hands on the young man’s shoulders.
“Breathe, Billy. The surgeon said the operation went perfectly. They were able to alleviate a lot of the swelling and stop some of the bleeding that was happening. As the swelling goes down, she should wake up in a few days.”
“Days?” The kid was clearly choked up. He was emoting what Griff was feeling.
“Her brain just needs time to rest and heal. We got her here in time, they don’t think there was any brain damage.”
“Griff, let us know what we can do to help,” Mason said.
“You can tell us where a vending machine is, I didn’t get drinks,” Jack said holding up the sacks of food.
“Billy’s all over that,” Sophia said with a smile. She handed her purse to Billy. “You know where the coins are.”
“I need to get back in there with Miranda,” Griff said, eyeing the hallway.
“No, first you’re going to eat.” Gray Tyler, his lieutenant said firmly as he stood next to him. At that moment. he realized he was boxed in by him and Jack.
Fuck.
Then his stomach growled.
“Why don’t you come sit next to me?” Sophia suggested. She was unpacking the food and laying it out on the table in front of her. He reluctantly sat down, and Gray sat down on his other side. Sophia handed Griff a steak sandwich, and all reluctance flew out the window as he started eating with gusto.
Most of the men ate standing up. He turned to Gray after he had finished his sandwich. “Have you heard from Josiah? How is Scarlett doing? Did anything change while I was gone?”
“Damn, I forgot for a second that you’re family friends with the Captain,” Gray said ruefully. “Mrs. Hale is already trying to get out of bed so she can come see Miranda. There were more flowers delivered to Miranda’s room. It’s getting out of hand. Beth made sure to keep the ones from the Hollister’s.”
“Who?”
“The baby Miranda rescued? Her name is Hope Hollister. Her dad died in Afghanistan. It was one of her grandparents who arranged for the flowers to be sent. Apparently, her mother is still recuperating after spending a night in the hospital.”
“I couldn’t believe all the flowers from strangers that were showing up,” Griff said. “Fucking-A, Miranda made the national news.”
“You don’t sound happy about it,” Dex said as he sauntered up to grab another fish taco.
“I’m not. I mean, it’s great that people are recognizing her heroism, but I don’t want her recovery impeded. She’s going to need peace and quiet, not a feeding frenzy of reporters.”
“But you have a plan, don’t you?” Dex said before he took a bite.
“Damn right I do.”
Miranda’s laugh jolted Griff out of his flashback. It took just a moment to realize he was in the present, and that she was not in a hospital bed, but actually sitting across from him at their dining room table, a baby monitor sitting on the table between them.
“Why the laughter?” he asked his beautiful wife.
Miranda lifted her head. She’d had it propped on her palm while her elbow rested on the table. “I’ll tell you why the laughter. I don’t think I’ve ever realized that you were actually kind of sneaky. Single minded, determined and a bulldozer, sure. But manipulative? I thought that was more my style.”
“What are you talking about?” He didn’t know whether to be proud or offended.
“You had been planning your method of attack from the moment I was in the hospital. You were thinking through all of the angles. That is totally a Miranda Slade move.”
He leaned over and kissed her. Then he picked up their dishes and dumped them into the sink. It was too late to even think about loading the dishwasher. “Come on, it’s time for bed. Livvie’s going to be up in two hours. We’re going to have to take naps in shifts.”
“I’d prefer to take at least one nap together,” Miranda said softly as she scooped up the baby monitor.
“That’s what I love about Saturdays.”
9
Miranda got to work early on Monday morning. Since Griff’s team had had a long deployment, he’d taken some of his leave this week so he could take care of Livvie and she could get caught up at work. She shot off two e-mails and stared at the massive size of her inbox stuffed with e-mails that had come in over the weekend. She couldn’t concentrate. When she realized she was biting at her thumbnail she damn near threw her hands up in disgust. She needed to get her shit together.
She sat back in her chair and looked at the five pictures on her desk. Susan had put them there. One was of the entire Porter clan, with her, Livvie and Griff in the middle. She was so lucky to be part of this family.
Next was a candid shot that Beth Preston took of Griff leaning over her hospital bed soon after she had woken up. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, but the smile on his face was breathtaking. Just for this picture alone, Beth would always hold a special place in her heart. She turned to the next picture. This was o
ne of her and Griff again, only she had a pissed-off look on her face. Griff said it was her stubborn look and he had a dog-eared copy in his wallet.
It was during these few days that Griff managed to convince her to recuperate at his home. To this day, she had no earthly idea how he could have managed that. She vaguely remembered an argument, but it was so fuzzy, like a dream.
The third picture showed her with her work computer on her lap, and Griff holding her phone over her head with her trying to grab it back from him. Nope, no memory of that.
Yeah, she had been suffering from a severe case of ‘like’ on the train. Oh hell, who was she kidding, she had a hell of a crush on the big goofy, sexy SEAL. But moving in with him when she was vulnerable as hell? That should have been the last thing she would have ever agreed to, that was not her. Not, not, not.
Miranda felt a gooey smile covering her face. If it had been a little bit of brain damage that had caused her to agree, she thanked God for it, because it had been the best decision of her life.
There was a knock on her door and Miranda set down the picture, finally in the mood to get shit done.
“Come in,” Miranda called out.
“I brought you some coffee,” Susan said as she plunked a Starbuck’s cup on her desk. Miranda knew it would be hot and black, just the way she liked it.
“How’d you know I’d be in early?”
Susan rolled her eyes. “You’re always in early after Griff’s been on deployment. He likes to stay home for a few days and play Mr. Mom.”
Miranda took a sip of the black gold and smiled at her assistant. “You are a wonder.”
“I know,” Susan said impishly as she pulled up a chair. “So what’s on today’s agenda? Did anything new hit your inbox this weekend?”
“I still have to check,” Miranda admitted. “We’re going to have to get the lead out. My report that they’re going to reference for the meeting with the Joint Chief’s is needed in six weeks. We’re down to the wire, and I’ve got a bad feeling. The assholes are being cagey.”
Susan’s eyes got wide. “Don’t tell me that after the international publicity Lartronics received on this project, that they’re going to screw it up,” she breathed. “Are they giving you a hard time?”
Her Honorable Hero Page 10