Welcoming the Bad Boy: A Hero's Welcome Novel (25 page)

Griffin thanked him again and then hung up. At least that was one worry dissolved. All the others would melt away at Heroes with the guys tonight. One beer at a time.

On Saturday morning Val turned from side to side in the mirror. She’d never looked good in black. She preferred to wear shades of color. Today, though, was about honoring Alma, and paying her respects.

Sweet Cheeks whined at her feet. None of Alma’s family had stepped up to take the little pup, so Val was Sweet Cheeks’s new owner. Just as well. A dog would never leave her, no matter what she did. A dog was faithful, unlike her bad boy muse this summer. Griffin had proved to be exactly what she’d thought he was from the start—fading.

Val stepped into her two-inch heels and walked into the kitchen, getting the feel for the height so she wouldn’t kill herself in the church in an hour. She grabbed her keys and left her home. Val was almost always late for her father’s sermons, but she wouldn’t be late for his service for Alma.

The church was nearly empty when she arrived. Val walked to the front pew where she always sat alone and took her seat, taking a few deep breaths to prepare herself. She was saying goodbye to a friend today, which would be hard. She was also quite sure she’d be running into Griffin here, which would also be hard. She’d tried like hell to get the memory of him out of her mind over the last few days—to rid her body of its yearnings for him—but it was useless.

Val saw her father approaching her from the corner of her eye. They hadn’t spoken since he’d seen Griffin leaving her home the other morning. A cringe-worthy moment for her that she’d also tried to get out of her mind. And for all she knew her father had also now heard about her career as a romance writer.

“Good morning, Valerie,” he said, standing in front of her in his best black suit. He was wearing his emerald-colored tie, which she was glad for. Alma had always complimented him when he’d worn that tie.

Val forced herself to lift her gaze to meet her father’s. She was done hiding who she was. “Hey, Dad.”

“How are you holding up?” he asked, true concern shining in his blue eyes.

A lump rode up in Val’s throat. Today might be even harder than she suspected. “I’m okay. Alma will be missed. I hear you, uh, read her our book club selection.”

His lips curved a touch. “I’ve never been one to deny someone a dying wish. It was good.” He held her gaze. “
Very
good.”

Val swallowed, still unsure of what her father knew.

“I was wondering if you could do something for the church later,” he said, clearing his throat.

Right. She couldn’t have a conversation with her father without being assigned an errand. “Cooking for a family? Cleaning up after the service? What did you have in mind, Dad?” Didn’t he understand that she was grieving this morning, too? She’d loved Alma.

His eyes warmed. “Well, news travels fast in Seaside. A few of the ladies have asked me if I can get you to sign their books.”

Val looked up. “And you’re condoning that?”

He shrugged. “I’m your father. It’s my job to support you, whatever you do.” He sat down in the empty space beside her, filling it for the first time since she was nine. “You are more and more like your mother every day. When I see you…” His eyes welled. It’d been a long time since Val had seen her father cry. “Sometimes it hurts when I see you, Val, because you look and act so much like her. I’m sorry if you felt like you couldn’t share this part of yourself with me.”

She touched his arm. It wasn’t a pass for all the cold years when she’d felt like her father’s servant, but she loved him. She’d forgive him anything.

“Your mother would be so proud of you, sweetheart,” he said, turning to her. His gaze lowered to the pearls around her neck. “
I
am so proud of you.”

Her heart squeezed. She’d known she was going to cry this morning, but not before the funeral had even started. Leaning over, she wrapped her arms around her father’s neck and held on tight. “Thank you, Dad. Hearing you say that means so much to me.”

After a long moment they pulled back. The church was beginning to fill with people there to pay their respects. Val watched her father retreat to the bench behind the podium. She dug through her purse and found some Kleenex and started dabbing under her eyes.

As much as she wanted to, she didn’t turn to look back at who had come. To see if Griffin had come. They were over, she reminded herself.

It was a beautiful service, celebrating Alma’s life. She’d lived a long, full eighty-eight years and had done so much for the people around her. After her father’s closing words, the crowd departed to meet back at the cemetery. Val, on the other hand, stayed to help put together the buffet-style meal that the church always served the family after the burial. Her father hadn’t asked her to this time—she’d offered freely. She needed to do something to help the family.

“Val?” a man’s voice said behind her as she stood from the pew. There was no denying who the voice belonged to. She turned, hoping there wasn’t mascara gooped under her eyes.

“Griffin.” Just saying his name lit up every cell in her body.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

It was all she could do not to step forward and bury herself in his arms. “I miss Alma already.”

He was wearing a nice blue button-down shirt with a tie. Not a look she’d seen on Griffin before. The last time she’d seen him here he’d stuck out like a sore thumb, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. This look suited him, too. It surprised her that he fit so well here.

But he didn’t fit with her. Not anymore.

“How is your mom?” she asked.

He braced his hands on the back of the pew in front of him. “She’s okay. I tried to tell her about Alma, but she doesn’t remember her. Or me most days…She asked about you.”

“She did?” Val fidgeted with her hands, struggling to keep them from touching Griffin the way she wanted to. “I haven’t gone to see her in a few days. I need to get over there.”

He nodded. “My mother adores you. You’ve been great with her this summer.”

“The feeling is mutual. I’ll, uh, stop by and see her tomorrow afternoon,” Val promised, moving her gaze around the room, anywhere but on him. Because he didn’t love her back. He’d made that loud and clear the other night.

“She’d like that…Val?”

She looked at him, hoping her feelings wouldn’t show. If he’d fallen in love with her, too, he wouldn’t have turned his back on her so easily. Yeah, maybe she’d been wrong to keep parts of herself hidden from him. She’d been scared, though. Of rejection, of being laughed at, of not being taken seriously. She wasn’t sure of her exact reasons. They didn’t matter now, though, because things were over between them.

She shook her head, already overwhelmed by the day. “It was great seeing you, Griffin. I have to go. I’m helping prepare the food for the family to have after the burial.”

His gaze held hers and for a moment she prayed he’d say the things she longed to hear. If he had something to say, he could say it right now. He looked down at his hands instead. “Right. It was good to see you, too…Goodbye, Val.”

She pressed her lips together and held back her tears. For Alma. For Griffin.

His goodbye said everything.

“Goodbye, Griffin,” she said. Then she turned and walked away.

Louise was at the front desk of Seaside Harbor as Griffin walked in after the funeral. “Don’t you ever go home?” he asked.

The head nurse shook her head. “I came right back here after the service. This place is my home away from home. You’ll be happy to know your mother is having a good morning. The nurse assigned to her room today said she’s been humming again.”

“Oh, yeah? Maybe she’ll be up for a visit.”

“I hear she’s been asking for Val, but I’m sure you’ll do,” Louise teased.

Just the mention of Val’s name put him at unease. He hadn’t liked the awkwardness between them at the church earlier. He’d wanted to wrap his arms around her. It was obvious she was hurting over Alma’s passing, which killed him. Not being with Val killed him. What they had was more than just fun. Sure, maybe it’d started that way, but somewhere in their time together things had evolved to something deeper. Somewhere along the way he’d fallen in love with her. Maybe that was the real reason he’d jumped at the first opportunity to push her away. He didn’t like to think of himself as a coward, but falling in love was terrifying. It felt like a loaded gun pointed directly at him. Ever since he’d found out he was adopted, he’d looked at every relationship as something that was going to turn his life upside down. He liked to be in control of his feelings, but Val had shot that to pieces. He felt out of control when he was with her. And as much as he wanted to walk away from her now, he didn’t think he could.

“Griffin.” His mother looked up as he stood in the doorway to her room.

She knew his name again. He could get used to this. “Hi, Mom. How are you?”

She was seated at a chair beside her bedroom window. “I’m thinking it’s a beautiful day outside,” she said.

He stepped closer. “I’ll take you for a walk. Would you like that?”

She smiled, looking every bit like the mother he’d grown up with. She was different now, but pieces of her shone through sometimes, like sunlight breaking through the storm clouds.

“Let’s go.”

They circled around the nursing home’s courtyard, where his landscaper friend, Micah, had placed beautiful flowering trees and bushes. It was a serene place to be.

“I’m glad you’re here with me, Mom,” Griffin said, knowing his mother’s clarity would be short-lived. “Can I ask you something?”

They sat on a bench along the tall, white picket fence. “Why did you adopt me? I mean, there are millions of kids in the world who need homes. Why me?” He’d never asked her that question before. He’d barely given her time to explain before he’d joined the military and left home for good.

“Because when I saw you I knew that you were made for me. We belonged together.” She placed a warm hand on his. “I used to imagine telling you about your adoption story. I always wanted you to know that it was never a choice. When I saw you, I just knew.”

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, understanding exactly what she meant. Loving Val wasn’t a choice, either. It just was, and he was never walking away from someone he loved again, no matter what. There was no time to leave things unsaid. Whether she loved him or not, Val needed to know how he felt.

He loved her, didn’t want to live another day denying that, didn’t want to live another day without her in his life. This summer she had inspired hope inside him when he’d had very little. She’d ignited a flame that he suspected would always burn. She’d written herself on his memory; he didn’t need a tattoo to remind him of her. She was always on his mind, with every breath he took, and he wouldn’t be able to shake her, no matter how hard he tried.

So it was time to stop trying and go find her.

“Thank you, Mom,” he said, sitting with her for a little longer. Her memory slowly began to retreat, but she didn’t become agitated. She let him sit and hold her hand. Then he led her back to her room and kissed her forehead. “Thanks for choosing me,” he whispered, hitting the nurse’s call bell.

Then he headed to go find Val.

Val removed the cucumbers from her eyes and sat up from the couch. She hoped they’d helped with the swelling from today’s multiple crying sessions, like the beauty column in
Cosmo
had claimed they would.

She slipped on a fitted blue dress and strappy high heels, then headed to the mirror to work on hair and makeup. When Julie had called earlier, she’d hesitated, but decided her friend was right. A girls’ night out was exactly what she needed. Kat was staying home with her stepson, Ben, so it was just Val and Julie tonight, two girls ready for a fun-filled night of drinking and dancing.

And forgetting, because Val did not plan on thinking about he-who-should-not-be-named. Nope. She wasn’t going to mope over Griffin.

Heading to her door, she grabbed her purse and walked out into the clear, warm night. A short drive later she pulled up to Julie’s house. There were two other cars in the driveway that she thought she recognized. When she rang the doorbell she realized who they belonged to.

“Look who’s joining us!” Julie said, gesturing at Lawson’s sister, Beth, and the director of the local Veterans’ Center, Allison Carmichael.

“Great!” Val’s less-than-sincere smile stretched her face uncomfortably. Not that she wasn’t thrilled to be hanging out with Beth and Allison, but she really was in no mood for any of this. Maybe agreeing to come out tonight had been a mistake. Maybe continuing to cry about Alma, and Griffin, and over sappy Hallmark movies on TV was a better idea.

“No backing out now,” Julie said, pointing a finger. “I can see it all over your face. You need this tonight. Breakups mandate at least one night of drinking with the girls.”

Beth and Allison turned to Val with a gasp.

“You and Griffin broke up?” they asked in unison.

Val shook her head. “We were never really together.” She swiped a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Beth said.

“And me.” Allison raised her hand. “I’ve seen you two out and about over the last few weeks. You looked like the real thing.”

Could’ve fooled Val, too. “Well, we’re not.” She forced another uncomfortable smile. “So let’s go have some fun, shall we?” Because the quicker she got this night started, the quicker it would be over with.

Heroes was packed as they walked in. The music and the smell of wood and spirits hit Val as soon as she entered the room. The atmosphere always seemed to make her feel better. She hoped the same was true tonight.

“Beth and I will grab drinks and you two go find a table,” Julie told Val and Allison.

Val gestured toward Allison. “Follow me. I know this place by heart.”

Allison shook her head. “I don’t come out much. I feel your pain being dragged here against your will tonight.”

Val sat at her favorite corner table and frowned at Allison. “What makes you so sure that I don’t want to be here?”

“You’ve been crying all day,” Allison said matter-of-factly. “I know the look. Did you try cucumbers?”