For Our Son: A BWWM Parenting Romance For Adults (18 page)

Forcing his thoughts into the present, Griffin pulled up in front of the
day care center and got out of the car. He opened the back door and unstrapped
Avery from her seat. Grabbing her book bag, he carried her over to the
playground and deposited her where the rest of the children were already
playing.

“I'll see you later. Have a good day,” Griffin said as he gave Avery a
quick peck on the forehead. He watched as she ran off to join a group of
children that were playing on the monkey bars beside two of the day care
teachers. Waving goodbye to them, Griffin jogged back to his car to make the
drive to work. And as he drove, he allowed his thoughts to once again wander to
how Avery had entered his life.

Griffin winced as he recalled the day he was delivered the news. He and
the rest of the Red Street crew were on set filming the last scene of the day
when the back door came swinging open and a shouting Toni came stalking in.
Griffin recalled the expression on her face vividly. There was fire in her eyes
as she thrust her finger out at him and accused him of ruining her life.

Confused and more than a little nervous, Griffin swiftly grabbed hold of
Toni’s arm and dragged her into his office. Once there, he shut the door and
turned around to face her. That was when she went in for her attack.

Toni’s nails went straight for Griffin’s jugular, but he was lucky enough
to have sidestepped her just in time to miss the brutality. At this point, Toni
let him know the reason behind her anguish.

"I’m pregnant, you idiot! You got me pregnant and now my whole life
is ruined!"

Stunned, Griffin remained frozen in place. He didn’t know what to say or
how to react. A feeling of déjà vu washed over him. After about a minute of
listening to Toni scream obscenities at him, he made a hasty decision.

He wanted this baby.

"Look, Toni, I’m really sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am,
but—"

"You’re
sorry?!
" Toni let out a humorless laugh.
"Griffin, let's get one thing straight – I don’t give a
damn
what
you think or feel about this. I want this…this…PROBLEM out of me!"

Blanching at her words, Griffin thought quickly. "Toni, come on. I
know how you must feel, but—"

"BUT NOTHING!” Toni interjected. She was on the verge of crying now.
“You don’t get a say in this, Griffin. I don’t want this kid or any other for
that matter! I don’t even like kids!"

Sensing that she was only going to grow more frantic, Griffin knew he
would have to do some fast-talking to change her mind. "Toni, look, I know
how important your career is to you, but I need to ask you to do me a
favor..." licking his lips, Griffin looked deep into her eyes and
continued, "I want this baby. I don’t even know it yet, but I know I want
it." Desperate now, he began to get a bit choked up. "I know you
don’t understand, but…I need this. Please just…carry it. That’s all I’m
asking," he begged.

Toni was rendered speechless by this unusual spill of emotion from
Griffin. Unsettled, she shook off his gripping hands and walked away from him.
Looking out the office window, she took a moment to gather her thoughts before
finally speaking. “I don’t know…" she trailed off. Then, in a small voice,
she said, "I’m scared…"

Toni mumbled something else under her breath that Griffin couldn’t quite
hear. He thought she said that she’d keep the baby, but he needed further
confirmation.

"I said I’ll do it,” Toni repeated when Griffin told her he hadn't
heard her. She turned away met the window and reluctantly meet his gaze. “I’ll
have this baby, but I’m warning you – I’m gonna be rotten at this."

A wide smile broke out across Griffin’s face that he had trouble
containing. "Don’t worry," he said with conviction. “We’ll get
through this together.”

He meant it too. He had made a real mess during the pregnancy of his
first child, but not this one. Right then and there, Griffin made a promise to
himself that he’d do whatever it took to make sure Toni and this baby were
taken care of.

The next seven months flew by in a flurry of activity. Toni moved out of
her apartment and into Griffin’s condo. Her belly grew bigger everyday, and
slowly, Griffin grew less scared and more excited over the prospect of becoming
a father. Unlike in high school, this time, he did things right. He was with
Toni for all her doctors’ appointments, they went to Lamaze classes together
twice a week, and he was diligent in ensuring that she got enough rest and ate
properly.

Avery was born on the fourth of July on a cloudless summer day. As the
weeks after her birth wore on, Griffin realized that she was a spitting image
of her mother. Toni was a striking woman whose looks stemmed from her Egyptian
roots. With large brown eyes, long curly hair, and soft olive skin, she was
quite a sight for sore eyes – and Avery was too. She may have taken after Toni
in the skin and hair department, but her dark green eyes were all Griffin’s.
She was so beautiful that there wasn't a doubt in his mind that she’d one day
go on to break many hearts.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows though...

Shortly after Avery’s birth, the relationship between Griffin and Toni
grew strained. Toni wanted nothing to do with the infant and would often leave
Griffin to care for her while she went off to party. Hoping it was just
postpartum and not benign neglect, Griffin put up with it for awhile. It wasn't
until he came home from taking Avery to a doctor’s appointment one afternoon
that the relationship came to an abrupt end.

As soon as Griffin entered his condo, he found all of Toni’s things gone
and a note on the coffee table that simply read ‘I can’t’.

From that point onward, Griffin made a point of avoiding Toni when he
bumped into her at the occasional industry function, and she never
once
inquired about their daughter. Quite the contrary, her first order of business
after she moved out was to denounce all of her parental rights and give Griffin
full and complete custody of Avery.

Regardless, Griffin was satisfied with his life. He bought an upscale
townhouse in a quiet, safe part of town that was mostly inhabited by young
families, and for awhile, he managed to convince himself that he was fine with
being a single dad. It wasn't until he settled in for bed each night that the
loneliness would start to set it, and his weary mind would wander to the very
woman he’d all but vowed to forget…

Chapter three

Erica had driven from D.C. to San Francisco in the allotted three days.
Along the way, she enjoyed the scenery and the fresh air the prairies and
mountains had to offer. By the time she made it to her parents’ home in the
quiet affluent neighborhood in which she’d grown up in, she was clear headed,
blissfully tired, and ready to start anew.

Erica spent a relaxing few days with her parents before she ventured out
to start looking for a place to live. Her tastes had changed as she matured,
and she now had an eye for color and interior design. In the end, she ended up
buying a luxury townhouse on the corner of Washington St. and Davis in the
heart of San Francisco’s financial district. It was also within walking
distance of a bunch of theaters, museums, restaurants, and coffee shops.

This was urban living at its finest, and Erica reveled in it. Her new
place was spacious and sun filled, and within two weeks she had it filled to
the brim with high-end furniture and decorated beautifully. This was her home
for the foreseeable future, and she fully intended on enjoying it to the
fullest.

Erica started her new job shortly after closing on her mortgage, and
things fell into place rather quickly after that. She made a few close friends
at work right off the bat, and she got together with them a few times a month
for drinks and dinner. She also regained contact with Sabrina and Lori, her
high school best friends who were both more than elated to learn that she’d
made the decision to move home.

To keep herself busy in her off time, Erica also joined a local book club
that convened twice a month at an independent bookstore in her neighborhood.
For the most part, her life was great. She had loving parents, an impressive
career, and an overabundance of friends. The only thing that was missing was
love, and not just any love – the passionate kind that could only be found in
the arms of a man.

Locking her front door, Erica left her office tired that Friday
afternoon. Leaning against the elevator wall as it scaled down the building she
worked in, she thought the success that her team was currently enjoying was
well deserved. The last two months of her professional life had been filled to
the brim with endless meetings, frequent cross-country trips to convene with
corporate, and too many dinner and lunch dates to even count.

It wasn't without reason though. Always a hard worker, Erica’s main goal
was to schmooze a large cereal company that was considering her firm to
represent their company for a promotion. The only caveat was that the contract
was difficult to attain, as many of their competitive firms had already began
placing a bids for the account. Even so, Erica’s added efforts proved
worthwhile, and her firm ended up beating them all out in the end.

Smiling to herself, Erica got off the elevator and headed to her assigned
parking spot in the underground parking garage. After adjusting her seatbelt
and turning on the radio to her favorite station, she pulled out of the lot and
made a spur of the moment decision to treat herself. It was, after all, well
deserved. Though she’d given her staff a half-day off as a reward for all the
long hours they’d been putting in the past few weeks, that meant she had to
stay behind to tie up all their loose ends. Thus, she figured a little TLC was
in order.

First, Erica pulled up to her favorite salon and booked herself a full
body message and a mani/pedi combo for the following day. She had plans with
Sabrina and Lori later on that night, and she figured a little self-pampering
would help relax her mind and body before she immersed herself in a night of
hard partying and heavy drinking. After that, her next stop was a local gourmet
grocery store, where she purchased some of their wonderful basil roasted potatoes,
slow cooked roast beef, and summer veggies for her upcoming Sunday dinner with
her parents.

Happy with her purchases, Erica walked out of the grocery store in good
spirits, but she came to an abrupt halt when her eyes landed on a familiar face
off in the distance. Blinking as if to make sure her eyes weren't playing
tricks on her, she continued walking with the hope of getting a clearer look at
him.

Sure enough, it was Griffin.

He looks the same,
Erica thought with unease.
How
can that be?

Griffin’s hair was still dark and slightly shaggy, but his style of
clothing had definitely improved in the years since he’d graduated high school.
He was looking in a store window speaking to someone, but to whom, Erica
couldn’t be sure.

It wasn't until she neared in on him further that she noticed the small
child perched in front of him – a child who shared so many of his features that
there was no possible way she wasn't his.

Suddenly frantic, Erica tried to dart off in the other direction before
Griffin saw her spying on him, but she didn't have a chance to before his
daughter looked her way and shouted, “Look daddy! A pretty lady!”

Griffin followed his daughter’s gaze over to Erica and inhaled a shallow
breath as they locked eyes. In a matter of seconds, his expression panned from
one of bewilderment to shock.

"Erica?" he choked out. “Is that really you?”

Erica didn't respond. Instead she stood their frozen with her small bag
of groceries clutched to her chest like a lifeline. What followed was a silent
standoff between the two adults, both of who, were suddenly overcome by
memories of the past. Time seemed suspended for awhile, but the spell was
broken when Avery squealed for attention. Dazed, Griffin looked down at his
daughter as if for the very first time.

"Sorry honey," he murmured to the child.

Knowing she had the upper hand in the situation, Avery immediately
extended her arms to her father. Sighing, Griffin lifted her onto his hip
despite the lengthy discussion they had the previous night about her getting
too big to be carried.