She bit into a saltine cracker.
Her stomach had settled down some, but she still felt nauseated occasionally.
She slowly made her way upstairs to her bedroom, carrying a glass of ginger ale and a pack of saltines.
She was just about to lie down when she heard someone calling out for her. Marissa released a long sigh at the sound of Jillian’s voice as she made her way upstairs.
“What now?” she whispered.
Jillian entered the bedroom without knocking, which irritated Marissa. “I’m pretty sure that my door was closed.” She picked up a pillow and held it in front of her, covering her stomach.
“I need to talk to you,” Jillian blurted.
Marissa sat down on the edge of her bed. “About what?”
“Griff.”
She swallowed hard. She couldn’t help wondering if Griffin had said something to her sister. No, he wouldn’t have, Marissa decided. Griffin was very private when it came to his personal life.
“Is there something going on between you and Griff?” Jillian asked. “I tried asking him, but all he would say is that I needed to talk to you.”
“Why would you do something like that?” Marissa demanded. “I am not some little kid, Jillian. If there is anything between me and Griff, it’s our business. Not yours.”
“I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Jillian said. “I’m not stupid, Marissa. Something must have happened between the two of you because I can see that there is some tension between you when you and Griff are in the same room.”
“Regardless, it is none of your business, Jillian.” She picked up the pack of saltines.
“You’re not feeling well?”
Marissa gave a slight shrug. “It’s nothing serious.”
Jillian openly studied her. “You really don’t look like yourself. Have you seen a doctor?”
Marissa’s stomach roiled and she jumped up, making a fast dash to the bathroom.
After emptying the contents of her belly, Marissa washed her face and brushed her teeth. When she walked out, she found Jillian sitting on her bed, deep in thought.
“Sorry about that,” she murmured.
Jillian turned to look at Marissa. Her eyes traveled from her sister’s face to her belly and rested there.
“It all makes sense now,” she said. “The way you’ve been acting, your pale complexion… You’re pregnant.”
Marissa glanced over at her reflection in the mirror. The oversized T-shirt and sweats did nothing to hide the roundness of her belly. Although she wanted to deny the truth, Marissa was actually relieved to be able to share her pregnancy with someone—someone who might actually be happy about it.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” Jillian asked. “You’re pregnant.”
Marissa nodded.
“So how…who…” Her eyes widened as she murmured, “Griff…”
“Yes, Griff is the father of my baby,” Marissa confirmed.
“I knew there was something between you two,” Jillian said. “You wait until I see him. I—”
“Before you start blaming him for everything, don’t,” Marissa uttered. “Griff had no idea I was pregnant until recently. I kept it a secret from everyone including him. When I told Griff, the first thing he wanted to do was get married right away, but I turned him down.”
Jillian looked surprised. “But why?”
“Because he is not in love with me,” Marissa said. “I won’t marry a man who doesn’t love me.”
“What happened between the two of you besides, you know…?”
“We were working late one night, Jillian. I have always had feelings for Griff, and one thing just led to another. Afterward…well, he decided that we’d made a huge mistake and that it would never happen again.”
“Oh, he couldn’t decide this before you two made love?” Jillian snapped.
“You can’t just blame Griff for this,” Marissa said. “We are both adults and this was a choice we made together.”
“But what about protection?” Jillian asked. “Did either one of you think about that?”
Marissa nodded. “We used protection.”
Her sister smiled. “Then I guess this little one is meant to be here.”
“I feel the same way,” Marissa said. “I already love this baby so much.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t just throw away Griff’s offer of marriage,” Jillian suggested. “I admire him for being willing to step up and be a husband and father.”
“As much as I love him, I refuse to be viewed as some kind of obligation.”
“A baby needs its father,” Jillian said softly.
“I won’t cut Griff out of his child’s life. We will not be married, but I am sure that he and I will be able to work out an agreement.”
Before her sister could comment, Marissa asked, “Jillian, what do you remember about our parents when you were growing up?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did they seem happy? Did they ever seem overwhelmed by having so many kids?”
Jillian shrugged. “They were busy, but they seemed pretty happy. I don’t remember ever hearing them argue or raise their voices, even when they didn’t agree on something. Why are you asking?”
“I was just curious. Ever since Griff mentioned marriage, it has been on my mind. I can’t help wondering what marriage would be like—having a husband and children.”
“Whoa…you are having one baby, right?” Jillian said.
Marissa laughed. “Yes, it’s just one baby. One is enough for me right now.”
“When do you plan to tell our parents?”
“I don’t know,” Marissa answered honestly. “There’s so much going on right now.”
Jillian pointed to her belly. “You are not going to be able to keep your pregnancy a secret much longer.”
“I know.” Marissa chewed on her bottom lip. “Griffin and I are going to figure out the best time to tell them.”
Marissa released a short sigh. “I hate keeping secrets.”
Chapter 14
Griffin paced back and forth across the hardwood floor of his apartment, his stomach full of nervous energy. How am I going to break the news to Jacob that Marissa and I are having a baby?
He had no idea how his boss would take the news, especially since Griffin and Marissa were not involved in a relationship.
How will he take the news of us getting married?
Griffin decided that Marissa was probably right about not rushing into marriage. He still wanted to marry her, but so far, they had done things backward. They’d conceived a child after just one night together.
We are going to be parents in a few short months, so it’s time for us to investigate our feelings for each other.
Griffin wanted to explore a relationship with Marissa. He knew that his own feelings ran deep where she was concerned, but Griffin wanted to see if Marissa felt she could ever love him as much as he loved her.
He had never admitted his love for her. Griffin considered that doing so now would only make her believe that he was making the declaration because she was pregnant. He had to find a way to show her…to make Marissa feel loved. It was the only way that she would consider marrying him.
The doorbell rang, surprising him.
He opened the door to find Marissa standing there.
Griffin broke into a smile. “Come in.”
He stepped aside so that she could enter.
Marissa held up a large bag. “I hope you haven’t eaten dinner yet.”
“I haven’t,” Griffin responded with a smile. “I’m glad to see you.”
He took it as a good sign that she’d come to him, and he couldn’t help feeling hopeful as he took out utensils and they
ate right out of the Chinese food take-out containers.
They did not talk much while they ate, but every now and then Griffin would catch Marissa staring at him. It was as if she were photographing him with her eyes.
Marissa finally pushed her container away and said, “Griffin, I have to tell you something.”
He wiped his mouth on the edge of a napkin before asking, “What is it?”
“Jillian came to me. She wanted to know what’s going on between you and me.”
“She questioned me, as well,” Griffin said. “She is very protective of you, Marissa.”
“My sister knows that I’m pregnant,” Marissa announced. “She figured it out when she saw me in a
T-shirt and sweats.”
His gaze was riveted on her face. “What did she have to say?”
“She was surprised initially, but she is excited and happy for us.”
“Really?” Griffin asked, not hiding his own surprise. “I figured she’d be ready to hang me without a trial.”
Marissa nodded. “She just wants me to be happy.”
“What if she tells your parents?”
“She won’t do that,” Marissa said. “Jillian will keep our secret. She has been the keeper of my secrets since I was a little girl.”
“Speaking of little girls…I hope that you are carrying our daughter.”
Marissa’s brows raised in surprise. “I thought you would want a son.”
“I do,” he confessed. “But I also want a little girl.”
She smiled. “I’d like a daughter also, but if this baby is a boy, I’ll love him just as much.”
“Pregnancy agrees with you, Marissa. You look even more beautiful each day.”
“Where is all this coming from, Griff?”
He got up and walked around the table, moving toward her. He pulled her up and into his arms.
“I don’t just want to be a part of our child’s life. I want to be in your life, Marissa.”
He held her snugly. “This feels so right to me,” he whispered. “I want you to know that you’re not alone. We can get through anything you’re facing. We can do it together.”
She leaned back to look up at him, studying his expression.
Griffin smiled then, stirring something within him.
“What?” Marissa asked.
He pulled her close and kissed her lips. When her tongue met his, he felt shivers of desire racing through him.
Marissa matched him kiss for kiss, and in no time he felt the heat they’d generated that fateful night.
“Sweetheart, I don’t want to let you go,” he whispered against her open mouth.
“I can’t stay,” Marissa whispered. “I have a yoga class.”
“Should you—”
She cut Griffin off with a wave of her hand. “Exercise is good for me. I’m not going to do anything to put the baby in jeopardy.”
“Do you really have to leave?” he asked.
Marissa nodded. “I’ll give you a call later.”
Griffin met her gaze. “Why don’t you just come back here?”
“I’ll think about it,” she murmured.
It was taking all of his willpower to let Marissa walk out of his apartment. Griffin wanted to give in to the passion that had been building since he laid eyes on Marissa. But now was not the time. He wondered when that time would come.
* * *
Marissa called Griffin as soon as her yoga class was over. She had debated whether to go home or go back to his apartment. Her overwhelming desire to see Griffin was the deciding factor.
“Is your offer still open?” she asked.
“Yes,” he responded.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Smiling, she turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the gym parking lot.
Twenty minutes later, Marissa was standing at
Griffin’s front door.
He welcomed her back with a kiss and then they settled down in the living room.
“I’m glad you came back,” Griffin said. “I have to admit that I wasn’t sure that you would.”
“I wasn’t sure either,” she admitted. “To be honest with you, Griff—I’m not real sure why I’m here.”
He placed a hand on her belly. “Because of this little one and because of your feelings for me.”
Marissa looked up at him.
“Let’s just be real,” Griffin stated. “We have feelings for each other. I want to explore those feelings. Let’s try and see if we have a real future together.”
“I’d like that,” she confessed. “There’s been so much going on with me…”
“You keep alluding to that. Did something happen to upset you?”
She nodded.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Griffin asked. “I meant what I said about being here for you.”
“Harper came to me a few weeks ago and told me something that has wrecked my whole world.”
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“Someone gave Azure an anonymous tip about my family. They said that my mother and my uncle had an affair.”
Griffin shook his head in disbelief. “Surely, you don’t believe that.”
“I didn’t want to believe it,” Marissa stated flatly. “But Harper confronted Uncle Frank about it and he admitted that it was true. He had an affair with my mother twenty-seven years ago.”
“Have you talked to your mother about this?”
“No. I just don’t know what to say to her. I don’t know how she could do something like this to my dad.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “Griff, the worst part of this is me.”
He looked confused. “What do you mean by that?”
“The affair was twenty-seven years ago.”
Comprehension dawned on Griffin. “Naaah…you can’t think that Frank Hamilton is your biological father.”
“According to this tip, he is.”
Griffin wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. “Honey, I’m so sorry. This is a lot to have to deal with along with everything else. Why didn’t you come to me?”
Marissa wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Because things were very tense between us, Griff. You didn’t want anything to do with me.”
“That’s not true,” he told her. “I wanted everything to do with you, but I…I was stupid.”
“I’m so angry with my mother, but I’ve been trying to move past those feelings. I have no right to judge her.”
“She wasn’t honest with you,” Griffin reminded her.
“I haven’t been exactly honest with her either.”
“Point taken,” he said. “This is your mother, Marissa. I think that you should sit down and talk to her about this. Maybe not right now, but soon.”
Marissa swallowed her pain.
“I take it that you haven’t told anyone else about this?” Griffin asked. “Your brothers or Jillian have no knowledge of this?”
“How could I tell them something like this?” Marissa said. “It would destroy our family. Harper and his father are barely on speaking terms. Mother and I…we are just starting to have small conversations. My mom and Aunt Vanessa barely tolerate each other. Something like this coming out would be awful.”
“I’m sorry that you’re having to deal with this,” Griffin murmured. “It isn’t good for the baby.”
“That’s why I’m doing yoga,” Marissa explained. “It helps to relax me.”
“I have something that will help take some of that stress off you, as well.”
Marissa gave Griffin a sidelong glance. “What?”
“Well, first you are going to take a nice, relaxing spa bath.”
She chuckled. “Is
that your polite way of saying I stink?”
Griffin laughed. “Not at all. Just trust me on this, Marissa.”
“Okay,” she said.
She had no idea what Griffin had planned for the two of them, but she had no intention of ending up in his bed. She was not ready to take their newfound relationship to the next level just yet.
Marissa almost laughed aloud at the irony. She was already pregnant with his child. However, she intended to use her head this time, and not her heart.
* * *
Griffin prepared a bath for Marissa.
He left the master bedroom to join her in the living room. “Ready?”
She smiled and nodded.
Griffin took her by the hand and led her into his bedroom. “I hung a robe for you in there.”
“Griff…”
He placed a finger on her lips. “Trust me.”
Marissa nodded and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
While she bathed, Griffin lit a few candles in his bedroom and then turned on some relaxing music. He made sure that it played at a soothing volume. Griffin did not want the music too loud to distract Marissa. He wanted her completely relaxed.
Satisfied with the music, he quickly prepared the bed by laying a clean sheet on top of the comforter. Griffin placed a few drops of lavender oil at the top of the sheet where Marissa would lay her head. He picked up a jar off his nightstand and opened it, sprinkling rose petals all over the bed. He had purchased the items with the intent to give them to Marissa so that she could pamper herself at home, but Griffin decided to make use of the oil and petals tonight. He then placed a stack of neatly folded towels on the edge of the king-sized bed.
The night air was cool but not enough to start a fire in the fireplace. The glow from the candles added not only ambience but also warmth to the room.
Marissa walked out of the bedroom, dressed in the robe. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes traveling the room. She glanced over at the bed, then at Griffin.
“I’m going to give you a massage,” he explained.
Griffin offered her a large towel.
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