Page 113 of A Little Secret
“I am scared of doing this alone, but that doesn’t mean I’m not capable of it.”
“You’re plenty capable, Fin.” I grab her face, forcing her to look at me again. “You are. But just because you can do something by yourself doesn’t mean you should have to. I care about you.”
“For how long?”
“Well, if we take our history into account, I’m gonna go with a long fuckin’ time, especially when I’m already in theprocess of figuring out how to stay here. With you. Like you asked me to just this morning,” I remind her.
“I know I did,” she whispers. Reaching up, she touches the back of my hand as I cradle her face. She doesn’t remove it this time. Instead, she leans into my touch, sandwiching my hand between her palm and cheek as she peers up at me with the most vulnerable gaze I’ve ever witnessed. “And I do want you to stay, Griff. I want it more than you know, and you know I’m all for secrets, but this one could affect the rest of your life. I don’t know if I can…I don’t know if I can do that to you. This is new and terrifying and…”
It hurts more than I expect. Her lack of faith in me. In us. I’d give up anything for Fin, and the fact that she can’t see it? That she refuses to see it? It isn’t fair. Not to me, or to her.
“How long have we known each other, Fin?” I demand.
She shakes her head. “That isn’t the point.”
“Answer the question,” I push. “How long have we known each other, Fin?”
Her lips part, the mint of her breath hitting my face. “Forever.”
“And have I ever, in your entire life, let you down or broken a promise?”
My heart wars in my chest, and irritation heats my limbs as a smokescreen falls over her eyes.
“That’s the thing, Griff,” she whispers, pulling away from me again. “I know you wouldn’t let me down, and I know you’re pretty much incapable of breaking promises. It isn’t in your blood, and it’s one of the things I love most about you, but this is your entire future.” She lifts her shoulder in defeat. “If we let people believe this baby is yours, and it doesn’t work out, I won’t be able to live withmyself. You’re unselfish, Griff. But me?” She pats my chest. “I’m looking out for number one here.”
My mouth lifts as I stare at her. Taking in every curve of her face. The slight dip of her brows. The pout of her bottom lip.
“I’d be lucky to be your baby’s father, Fin.”
“And this baby would be lucky to have you as their father, but I’m not going to let you take the blame for knocking me up,” she counters.
So. Damn. Stubborn.
“Yeah, well, maybe I need you to, to save my ass,” I argue. “Ever think of that?”
With a frown, she leans back on her hands. “Since when does your ass need saving?”
I squeeze the back of my neck, hating the precariousness of the situation and how I feel like I’m about to walk the plank despite my best intentions.
“Griffin, tell me,” she pushes.
“You know the whole…Uncle Henry thing?”
“Yes?”
“I, uh, I may have told him about the baby.”
She blanches. “Griff?—”
“I know.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because after the doctor’s appointment, I couldn’t imagine being away from you, so I told him the truth.”
“That I’m pregnant,” she finishes for me.
I give her a sharp nod. “Yeah.”