Welcoming the Bad Boy: A Hero's Welcome Novel (16 page)

Griffin watched Val leave, unsure of what had just happened. He was sure, however, that it was his fault. His first mistake had been coming here unannounced. His second had been assuming that Val had wanted to see him as much as he wanted to see her. He dropped by his townhouse to get Trooper and drove to the nursing home, halfway hoping to run into Val again so that he could apologize for all his assumptions. No such luck. It was just him and his mother, who also didn’t appear happy to see him. She was, however, happy to see his canine companion.

“Hey, there,” Helen said in a small voice that made Griffin’s chest ache. “You’re a good boy.”

Griffin placed a dog treat by her hand for her to pick up and offer Trooper.

“Make him work for it. Tell him to sit,” he told her.

His mother’s gaze lifted. “Okay.” She looked at Trooper. “Sit,” she said quietly.

“You have to order him to sit. Like a Marine.”

Her brow lowered. “Are you a Marine?” she asked.

Griffin swallowed. The ache was deep and ran through his whole body. “Yeah.”

“Oh.” She studied him for a long moment. “My son was a Marine, too. I think.”

“Yeah?” He glanced down at his feet, barring up all the emotion inside him. “I bet you hated that, huh?”

Her brow hung heavily over her confused eyes. “I never liked guns. My husband had guns. Have you met him?”

Griffin shook his head. “No. I haven’t.”
Not in a long time, at least.

She gave the smallest of nods and redirected her attention at Trooper. “Sit,” she said more firmly, taking his advice.

Trooper dutifully sat and snatched the dog treat she offered him in reward.

“Hey. Good job. You’re a natural at that.” Griffin smiled. Maybe there was still hope for them. If she remembered she had a son, maybe she’d one day remember him, too. Maybe she’d forgive him.

He led Trooper through a few more tricks and then continued walking down the hallway to see the other residents. Trooper enjoyed it, and so did he. When he was done at Seaside Harbor, he went to check on Jaws at the kennel and they took a short walk together with Trooper. It was four o’clock by the time he took Trooper back home. He showered and decided he’d given Val enough time to blow off steam. He pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans and drove his motorcycle to her house.

He’d considered calling her, but sometimes the element of surprise worked in a guy’s favor. Her car was home when he pulled in, cursing himself. There was no element of surprise when you drove a big bike. He took his time walking to her door. She opened it before he rang the bell.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, arms folded, chin up.

Okay, so maybe she hadn’t cooled off completely yet.

“I’m here to apologize.”

“What exactly are you apologizing for?”

He anchored his hands in his pockets to keep from running them over her, pulling her in, and melting that stony posture of hers. “Anything you want me to apologize for,” he said in a low voice, leaning in closer to her.

She smiled, but her jaw was still bunched. “You’re apologizing for pretending like you know what’s best for me. You don’t even really know me.”

He reached out and touched her now. “I know enough to know I like you.” And he liked more than just what he saw with his eyes.

She lifted her chin higher, looking at him. “Fine, you’re forgiven. But only if you do me a favor.”

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist now. “I’ll do favors for you all night long, if that’s what you need.”

She tsked. “That’s what I wanted last night. Tonight I just want someone to come with me to look at baby clothes.”

His spine stiffened. “Something I don’t know?”

“Relax. It’s just an errand for the church. I have to make a baby gift basket for some new parents in our congregation.”

He stepped backward just a little.

“I thought you wanted to make things up to me.”

“I don’t even know what I’m making up to you,” he argued.

“Uh-huh. That’s what I thought.” Val feigned annoyance, but he could tell she was teasing him. That was good. He was glad whatever was bothering her earlier seemed to have faded into the background.

“Fine,” he said, feeling his man card shrivel and disintegrate in the wind that was blowing Val’s hair softly around her pretty face. “I’ll go baby shopping with you.”

On Monday morning Val awoke with the keys of her laptop computer pressing into the side of her cheek. She pulled back, worried that she’d drooled on the keyboard. She hadn’t, even though she most definitely had been dreaming about one dark, mysterious, surprisingly sweet Marine who’d gone shopping with her last night. She caught herself sighing dreamily.

“Stop that,” she said out loud, talking to herself like a crazy person. Sweet Cheeks came darting toward her, aware that she was awake now. Val pointed. “Sit,” she said in a stern voice like Griffin had taught her. Sweet Cheeks obeyed. “Good girl.” Val’s voice sweetened again and she pet the little dog’s head. “You’re a good dog. I’m going to miss you so much when you go home with Alma.” She was surprised at the sudden emotion riding through her at the thought of handing Sweet Cheeks back.

She tapped a button and her laptop came to life. She’d written almost an entire chapter after Griffin had gone home last night. He was her magic sauce. She wondered, when the summer was over, how she was going to ever let him go. Her gaze wandered to the blow-up man staring at her creepily from the corner of the room. He was about as inspiring as one of those guys at the church that her father would prefer she go out with. Okay, Blow-Up Man was slightly more inspiring, and he had more of a personality than most of the single guys there that she’d been subjected to. Not that churchgoing men couldn’t be attractive. Griffin had been very attractive when she’d found him sitting in the back pew yesterday.

Val sighed again, then turned to look at the calendar. It was the last week of July. Her book was due two weeks from today. It would mean late nights until then, but she could pull this off. And then she’d let Griffin go, the same way she was letting Sweet Cheeks go on Wednesday. She’d make it quick, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

It’d be easy.

Sweet Cheeks whined like she was reading Val’s mind.

“I know,” she said. “I love you, too.” But just because she adored the little dog didn’t mean she should open up her life to it. Some things were just meant to be fun while they lasted. They weren’t meant to last forever, though.

Slipping her feet into a pair of flip-flops, she took Sweet Cheeks for a walk. When she returned, her phone was blinking with a message from Nikki. It was no doubt a check-in call to see if Val had made any headway on her newest book.

“Call me,” Nikki’s voice said as Val listened to her voicemail.

Val redialed and waited for her agent’s cheer-filled voice to answer. “Hi, Nikki. You summoned?”

“Progress report, please,” Nikki said, cutting to the chase.

“In the homestretch.” Val laughed nervously, pacing, with Sweet Cheeks at her heel.

“Deadline is in two weeks, Val. And we really can’t ask for another push-back on the schedule.”

“I’m on track. I’ll be done,” Val promised, praying to God she was promising something she could actually deliver on.

Nikki hesitated on the other line. “Great. So I guess that means your mystery guy is worth his weight in gold.”

Griffin was worth so much more than that. He was sexy. Intense. Funny. Her body ached for him when they were apart, and they’d only had sex once. Or, three times in one night. He was a drug that she should “just say no” to. Except all she wanted to do was say,
Yes, yes, oh, God, yes.

“Yes,” Val said, pressing a hand to her now racing heart—racing just at the thought of him. “He is definitely inspiring me.”

Griffin’s week had flown by. It was cliché, but he felt like he was walking on air. Like he could breathe a little more easily. Since Val had come darting into his lane and his life, reckless and passionate, sweet and saucy. So damn sexy…

“Uh-oh.”

Griffin turned toward the familiar Southern drawl as he stood in line for a sandwich at the community shopping center on base. It was his lunch hour, not that he ever got a full hour. His time was the Corps’, on and off base, 365 days of the year.

Griffin offered a hand for Lawson to shake, then yanked himself backward as Lawson tried to pull him into a hug. “Hey, man. We’re Marines. We don’t hug. What did those yogi people do to you this summer?”

Lawson laughed loudly. “It’s what Julie did to me, bro. It’s called love. And if the rumor mill is correct, you, my friend, reek of it.” He dug an elbow into Griffin’s side. “I may have been in Hawaii for the last few weeks, but news travels fast. I hear you’re seeing Val Hunt.”

“It’s none of your business.”

Lawson feigned being offended. “I’m one of your best friends. A fellow Marine…You two are at least screwing, right? Do I need to return the favor and help you pick out a box of condoms? The ones labeled ‘for her pleasure’ seem to work well.”

Griffin shook his head. “I see yoga and Hawaii didn’t change you a bit.” He was one person away from ordering his food, paying, and getting the hell out of there. He didn’t want to talk about his love or sex life. This was why he preferred his dogs.

“Okay, fine.” Lawson held up his hands. “Let’s talk about me then. I went to see my mama in Texas before coming home from vacation with Julie.”

“Yeah?” Griffin swallowed, wishing he had a chance to have a real visit with his mother. One where she didn’t try to order him out of her room. “How’s Mama Phillips doing?”

“Overjoyed.”

Griffin noticed the spark in his friend’s eyes now. It wasn’t just the Hawaiian tan that had Lawson glowing. Before Griffin could ask, he was prompted to step up to the counter and order his sandwich, which would never meet his sandwich standards, but he was starving.

“I’ll have the same and I’m paying,” Lawson said, coming up beside him.

“You don’t have to do that,” Griffin argued.

“We’re celebrating. Mama Phillips gave me her ring and I’m going to ask Julie if she’ll put it on her finger.”

Griffin grinned now. “Fine. We’ll hug.” He laughed and pulled Lawson into a hug this time. “Congrats, man. That’s awesome news.”

“She hasn’t said yes yet.” Lawson drew back and pulled out his wallet, laying a twenty on the counter to cover both of their lunches.

“She will. She’s crazy about you. God help her.”

Lawson nodded. “We should all hang out. Me and Julie, you and Val.”

Griffin shrugged. “It’s not like that between us.” As he said it, though, it felt like a lie. It
was
like that between them. He wanted Val at his side as much as possible.

“I see.” Lawson shoved Griffin’s bagged sandwich into his stomach. “If you say so. Good seeing you. Don’t be a stranger.” He started walking toward the door.

“Let me know what she says,” Griffin yelled after him as they split up in the parking lot.

“Won’t have to. You’ll hear me whooping from a couple miles away,” Lawson yelled back.

Griffin got back in his Explorer, smiling to himself. He was happy for his friend. In the last two years, he’d watched his two closest buddies find love, the long-lasting kind that stood the test of time. He cranked his engine and took back to the roads, wishing he were on his bike instead. He liked to feel the road through his body, every bump and pebble. It vibrated through him, as did Val these days.

Lawson was right. There was something up between him and Val. Griffin just wasn’t sure exactly what it was. And until he knew, he wasn’t talking about it with anyone.

Pulling his sandwich on his lap, he ate while he drove. There was a strict no-cellphone rule while driving on base, but no rule against eating sandwiches and driving. Or mentally stripping a woman bare. Both equally or more distracting in his opinion.

From the back he heard Jaws panting loudly. He’d stop and give his partner some water in a minute. Not much else to do, anyway. It’d been a slow week. Aside from a few speeders and an almost-brawl between two Marines, things had been eerily calm.

Too calm. That was the realist in him talking, because good things never lasted. That’s why it was best to enjoy everything in the moment. Like Val. Although some part of him wanted more than just a moment with her, a lot more.

Wow. That realization surprised him and scared the sandwich in his lap to the passenger seat beside him. His appetite was gone. He chose to tread softly around love and commitment. The whole field was rigged with IEDs, ready to explode with one bad move. And he tended to make a lot of bad moves when it came to the people he loved.

A call came over the receiver. Griffin turned up the volume and listened. A white male with a gun was having a bad day at the commissary down the road. Yeah, the perp was no doubt a Marine, but there was no need for guns in a grocery store.

Griffin turned on his lights and pressed his foot into the gas pedal, heading to the location of the call. Two minutes later he got out, unloaded Jaws, and started walking. Jaws pulled against his leash just slightly, and Griffin ordered him back.

The entrance’s automatic doors opened and a blast of cold air hit him as he continued inside, assessing the scene only a hundred feet away. The perp had his gun drawn, holding it loosely in his hand. The people around him were frozen, waiting for his next move. Griffin assessed the potential victims: Marines on lunch, women and children running daily errands. Griffin spotted two other police officers standing off to his right, hands on their own guns, ready to draw.

Okay. The next move went to the perp, whose only crime so far was that he was a threat to the surrounding people’s safety. No one was hurt, not yet, and Griffin planned on keeping it that way.

“This is all a joke,” the perp yelled out.

From the corner of Griffin’s eye he saw Jaws’s ears prick. The dog’s chest was stretched over ready legs. Griffin tugged imperceptibly on Jaws’s leash. Maybe Griffin should’ve left him in the Explorer.

“What’s a joke?” Griffin asked, gaining the man’s attention. “Lunch? They didn’t make what you wanted today?”