Griffin
I was absolutely fucked. Like, seriously. Trying not to let the rising panic in my gut swallow me whole, I stared up the walls of the ravine I’d tumbled down. It was still every bit as steep as it had been for the past hour. At least I thought I’d been stuck down here for at least an hour. Since, idiot that I was, I hadn’t brought my phone, I had no real way of telling. I liked to fool myself into thinking that I could tell the passage of time by the way the sun moved in the sky overhead, but in all honesty, I had no idea. I’d never been a Boy Scout or anything. I was just a photographer who liked to take a few pretty shots of wildlife.
And I couldn’t even do that now because the fall had scratched up my camera lens. God, that was going to be expensive to replace.
If I ever got out of here.
I swallowed. People were going to come looking for me, right? Even if I didn’t have my phone.
Normally, I would have been able to climb back up where I’d fallen, but I did something to my hand when I tumbled to the ground, and I could hardly move it now without tears stinging my eyes. It hurt, even when I was holding it still. I must have broken my wrist or something, and of course, I’d also twisted my ankle because I was just that freaking unlucky.
So climbing was out of the question.
On the other side of the insurmountable ravine, I was faced with a creek. Dean and I had come here as teens sometimes. It was off the beaten path. A good hang-out spot, if you were a teen and all your limbs had full functionality. Now it was just a spot that I could neither swim nor climb out of.
Originally, I’d wanted to come here to think. I had not planned on going down into the ravine—I’d misstepped. At least now it seemed I had all the time in the world to think.
Lucky me.
It could be worse, though. It was still early in the day, which meant I had a couple hours of sunlight left. Time to think of a way to get out of here before it grew dark because I really, really did not want to spend the night here.
Just the thought alone made me shudder as the wind dragged some colored leaves into the ravine and blew them into my face.
At least it wasn’t winter yet. The weather had cooled down a bit over the past few days, but we hadn’t yet reached freezing temperatures. The night would be cold, though.
You’re going to get out of here before then.
Right, I just had to keep believing that.
Taking another look around, I had no idea how I was going to be gone by nightfall, though.
I didn’t want to admit it, but I really needed a knight in shining armor to get me out of here.
Why, oh why, had I forgotten to take my cell phone? All those times Eli had bitched at me over it and I’d shrugged him off. I should have listened.
That realization came a bit late, of course. I would do better next time, but there was nothing I could do about the situation now.
Even without the phone, though, people would notice that I was gone, right?
The note I’d left for Dean wouldn’t keep him from worrying if I was gone all day. I hoped.
But would he think to look for me here?
He might not. Even if he figured that I’d gone into the woods, he could search all day without finding me. That was the problem with preferring places off the beaten path.
Sighing, I rubbed my belly as I felt a small fluttering within. The little one was getting restless, just like me. Probably hungry too. I knew I was.
“Hang in there, baby,” I muttered. “Daddy’s gonna come for us, you know?”
I couldn’t help but think back to that evening I’d crashed Dean’s date and he’d kissed me. I’d told him I was so embarrassed I wanted to hide in the forest.
I would have found you, he’d said.
Please, was all I thought now.
38
Dean
Eli and I decided to split up at the entrance to the forest.
“We’ll cover more ground that way,” he said, and I agreed. I was all for anything that would help me find Griff faster. By this point, I was honestly worried. Before coming here, I’d left a note at Griff’s place, telling him to call me immediately if he came home, but so far, I had gotten nothing. More and more I was starting to fear that he wasn’t going to come home unless I brought him home.
And that was exactly what I was going to do. I didn’t care how long I would have to search the woods for him—if he was here, I would find him.
First, I decided to head for the spot where we’d gone camping. The hill overlooking the valley where we’d set up our tents had a great view, and I figured maybe he’d gone there to take a couple pictures.
No luck, though. When I got there, the valley as well as the hill were deserted with no signs of anyone having been there.
Gotta press on.
Heart pounding in my ears, I racked my brain for where else he could have gone.
The lake, maybe. It wasn’t warm enough to swim anymore, but we’d had a lot of fun there and maybe he just wanted to reminisce? The scenery probably made for a few good snapshots too.
Mind made up, I made my way to the lake where we’d taken Jake and Conner swimming at the start of summer, shortly before we’d become an item.
There were some teens there, trying to skip stones, but neither of them had seen a man fitting Griff’s description come by. I thanked them anyway, and took a deep breath, adrenaline pumping through me as I started to run out of ideas.
Where are you, Griff?
I checked my cell phone, but I had no missed calls or messages. Of course not. It didn’t look like I was going to wake up from this nightmare any time soon, and what a nightmare it was! Certainly worse than the ones I had at night. They couldn’t even compete, really.
Nothing could be worse than losing Griff.
But I couldn’t think like that.
Calm down, you’re not losing him.
If only because I simply refused to let that happen. I was an alpha and I could be damn stubborn if I wanted to.
But I couldn’t just run blindly through the forest, either. I had to think, even if I felt like I was wasting daylight just standing here and breathing in the mountain air.
As soon as I was home, I was going to kill Griff’s mother for upsetting him.
But that was not a productive thought, either.
Think, Dean.
Griff and I had met up out here a lot as teens. There really wasn’t much else you could do, growing up in Oceanport. There was the harbor, the one movie theater and the woods. And I was pretty sure Griff was neither at the harbor nor at the movies. He’d never been much of a fan of either. No, we’d come here. And we’d gone…
There were certain spots we’d visited more than others, but it was all so long ago and I hadn’t thought about this in years.
I remembered the creek, because it was there I’d told Griff about my family’s plans to move. He’d looked so sad that day I’d almost kissed him. Almost.
In hindsight, I guess I really should have.
No use in lingering on that now, though. The only thing that mattered was whether Griff might have gone there.
Maybe yes, maybe no, but since the creek was all I could come up with, I decided to go check it out. The need to do something, anything, urged me on.
The day was starting to grow cold by the time I reached the ravine with the creek. I wasn’t holding much hope when I peeked down, but… I spotted a piece of fabric hanging off one of the roots sticking out of the wall of the ravine. It was the same color as Griff’s shirt!
Could it be?
Please!
“Griff?” I called out.
No response came, but I figured I had to try my luck anyway, and slowly, I climbed down into the ravine. I wanted to hurry, but I couldn’t help anyone with a broken leg.
Once I reached the bottom, I looked at the creek, lying silent in front of me. Had Griff swum to the other side? No, he wouldn’t have. It was too cold. He could have gone left or righ
t from here, but to the right, the path seemed narrower. Wetter.
To the left, then.
Please let me be right.
Biting my lower lip, I sped up my pace. Could Griff be down here? If so, what was he doing?
I had to walk for about fifteen minutes before I spotted a silhouette up ahead, outlined against the light of the setting sun.
“Griff!” I called out again, hoping that my guess was correct.
Startled, he turned around to me. “Dean? Oh my God, you really came!”
I exhaled. There were so many questions in my head, but for now, they were all swept away by the wave of relief that washed over me. I’d found him. Everything else was secondary. “Of course I came!” I muttered, before I sprinted up to him so I could pull him into my arms and kiss him to quiet the storm raging in my heart.
But as relieved as I was, I couldn’t help but notice that he favored one foot over the other.
“What happened?” I asked, still holding him close. For one because he seemed to be needing the support, but also because a huge part of me never wanted to let go again. “What are you doing out here?”
“I just wanted… I didn’t mean to be gone for so long. I’m sorry.” He sniffed.
“Shhh, it’s fine.” His skin felt cold, so I put my jacket around his shoulders, wondering just how long he’d been down here. “Did you fall?” I asked.
“I was stupid,” he said. “I didn’t even want to climb down. I misstepped and lost my balance.”
I looked him over. “Why didn’t you climb back up?” I asked, because it was obvious he hadn’t stayed voluntarily.
“I can’t move my wrist,” he said, holding his left hand out to me. It looked swollen, and I cringed. “And I think maybe I twisted my ankle.”
Well, that explained why he’d decided to sit it out, but the thought still made me shiver. How long would he have been stuck here if I hadn’t found him? If I hadn’t thought to look for him here?
“What about the baby?” I asked.
“I think it’s fine. I mean, I can still feel it and all. But I think it’s hungry.”
“Yeah, I bet you both are.” I kissed the top of his head, breathing in his scent. God, was I ever glad to have him back. “You are never allowed out of the house without your cell phone again.”
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 be my hero.” 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 truly was all that mattered.
39
Griffin
Two weeks after 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 be delighted if the two of you married, but we won’t ask that 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 secret that long, 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.”
“Yeah, I think so too.” I shared a glance and a smile with Dean. “We haven’t really talked about it yet.” But we had decided that we weren’t going to tell anyone whatever name we settled on before the birth. Mostly to annoy my brother, if I was being honest. He’d never shared his kids’ names with me before birth, either. Everything else, but not that. Now he was gonna have to wait too.
When my mom was gone, Dean and I retreated to the living room.
“What’s all this about marrying?” he asked almost as soon as we were alone.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” I waved him off. “Just one of the things my parents badgered Eli about when he told them that he was pregnant. They couldn’t cope with the idea that he was going to have a baby without marrying anyone. I was kind of scared they’d try to pull the same kind of shit again. I know it’s silly because I’m an adult and all… I guess I just don’t often feel like one.” I laughed weakly. “How am I gonna raise a kid?”
“You’ll do fine,” Dean reassured me, stepping close. Gently, he rested his hands on my belly. “We’ll figure thi
s out together.”
I leaned up to touch my lips to his just as I felt the baby kick. Seemed our little boy agreed with that.
40
Griffin
The day my cast came off, my alpha had a surprise for me. He wouldn’t tell me what exactly it was, though. He just told me to wait in the bedroom, so that was what I did. I waited on the bed while he finished preparing whatever he had in store for me.
I honestly had no idea.
Until he walked into the room in his firefighter uniform and my jaw nearly dropped. Dear God, he was hot. I licked my lips. Why couldn’t he wear that uniform every day?
Probably because random omegas would throw themselves at him in the streets. Now that was a thought I did not like. Other omegas had no business throwing themselves at Dean. He was mine.
Dean smiled at me. “Just asked Daniel to give me full-time hours today.”
I jumped up from the bed and embraced him. “That’s awesome!” I hadn’t been sure whether Dean would continue his job at the fire department. I would have supported him if he’d decided to quit, of course, but I got the feeling that wouldn’t have made him happy, and I really wanted him to be happy. He’d said his nightmares had gotten better over the past few weeks too. Partly because he’d regained some of his confidence after that day I’d gotten stuck in the woods, and partly because he’d started seeing a therapist about his issues shortly after that, saying he didn’t feel the need to be ‘strong’ about his trauma anymore. “I’m sure you’re going to be the best firefighter in town,” I told him.
“Yeah?” He closed his arms around me. “I don’t know about that, but I don’t need to be the best. It’s just a job. It’s not who I am. Not anymore.”
“No?” I kissed his neck and breathed in his scent. “I gotta say I like you as firefighter, though.”
He chuckled, the sound a low rumble that made his chest vibrate. “You weren’t kidding when you said uniforms were hot, were you?”
A Baby for the Firefighter Page 21