For Our Son: A BWWM Parenting Romance For Adults (19 page)

At that point, Erica took a step forward as if fascinated by the sight of
the child. However, it didn't take long for her to get ahold of herself.
"She’s beautiful,” she said to Griffin. “You must be fighting little boys
off at the playground.”

Griffin laughed and mumbled an awkward ‘thank you’ at the exact same time
Avery said it. Lucky for him, it was just the icebreaker that was needed.

"And she’s smart too," Erica observed with a smile.

Griffin nodded. "That she is.”

Avery, obviously bored with the adults’ conversation, turned her head to
watch the comings and goings of the people who were picnicking across the
street at Golden Gate Park.

Looking at Erica, Griffin asked, "So, are you visiting? Or…” he
trailed off and allowed the question to hang in the air for a moment before
continuing, “Because I heard you moved to D.C.”

Erica nodded. “I was there for a while, but…” she paused to consider just
how much she wanted to tell him. Ultimately, she decided to be brief. “Life got
complicated and I ended up moving home."

"Ah…" was all Griffin could think of saying.

After an uncomfortable silence, Erica continued, "So, is this your
daughter?" It felt like an obvious question, but she felt the need to ask it
nonetheless.

Griffin nodded and responded, "Her name’s Avery."

Upon hearing her name, Avery’s head snapped back to look at Erica. She
smiled a huge smile, and Erica swore she could feel her steely-heart turning to
mush. Lucky for her, Griffin’s next question put an abrupt end to her baby
fever before it could spread.

"So, did you ever have any kids? I mean besides…you know?"
Griffin knew full well that he was rambling, and it didn't help that his cheeks
were suddenly furiously red.

Erica looked him square in the eye and shook her head. “No. I never had
anymore children." After looking at Avery again with longing in her eyes,
she sighed and prepared to leave. "Well I have to run, but it was great
seeing you again."

Spinning on her heels, Erica quickly walked down the block to her car.
Griffin watched her go and was suddenly overcome by an intense yearning to stop
her, but he didn't have a chance to act on that thought before Avery broke his
reverie by sticking her face in his and proclaiming that she was bored. With
that, he placed her back down on the ground and the two made the short walk
back home hand in hand.

Chapter four

Erica met up with Lori and Sabrina as planned that Saturday night. All
three friends greeted each other warmly and made their way inside the
restaurant they’d chosen to have dinner at: a trendy burger joint that catered
to the young and hip. After finishing their meals, the trio chose a healthy
dessert to share and sat back to relax.

It was then that Erica made the decision to tell them about how she’d
bumped into Griffin.

"Well?” Lori asked once she’d overcome her shock. “What
happened?"

Erica looked at both her friends and took a moment to gather her thoughts
before filling them in on all the not-so-juicy details of her brief encounter
with Griffin. It wasn't until she realized that Lori and Sabrina had guilty
looks on their faces that she finally stopped talking.

"What?" Erica inquired with suspicion. She looked back and
fourth between the two women and frowned. “Is there something you guys aren't
telling me?”

Sabrina nodded. “We, um…we kinda already knew that Griffin had a
daughter," Sabrina admitted. "We’ve been going to all her birthday
parties since she was born."

Bewildered, Erica looked toward Lori. “Seriously?”

Lori nodded. “Don’t be mad," she pleaded. "We weren’t sure how
to tell you, you know, all things considered..."

Obviously regretful to have kept something so crucial from one of her
oldest friends, Lori looked down at her half eaten serving of pistachio gelato
while Sabrina squirmed in her seat.

Lucky for them, Erica didn't seem too upset. Not outwardly anyway.
Quickly recovering from her shock, she grabbed each woman’s hand and forced a
smile. "It’s fine,” she assured them. “You guys were just trying to spare
my feelings. I get it."

Sabrina expelled the breath she’d been holding in and replied, "Oh
thank God! We were so nervous that you’d be upset!”

Lori bobbed her head in agreement and cut in with, "Yeah, you have
no idea what keeping   this secret was doing to us. We were so happy
when you decided to move home. We just…we didn’t want anything to spoil it for
you."

Erica nodded to indicate that she understood their reasoning.
"Forget about it," she stated with a nonchalant wave of her hand.
"Anyway, what do you say we get out of here and hit up Monarch for some
real action? I’m in the mood for a cocktail…or ten."

Liking the sound of this, both Lori and Sabrina cheered. After their bill
was settled, the trio hit the street and headed toward Monarch nightclub for a
night of fun. Lucky for Erica, no one would have guessed just by looking at her
that she was hurt by her friends’ decision not to inform her about Griffin’s
daughter. She put up a good front the entire night. It wasn’t until she was
safely at home nursing a cup of peppermint tea to fight off her impending
hangover that she finally allowed herself to break down.

Two weeks later, Erica had all but gotten over her encounter with
Griffin, but Griffin himself was at odds. He was currently in the process of
trying to sort out a few caveats with his professional life, and it was
siphoning a lot of his time and energy as a result – time and energy he
normally would have spent reminiscing about Erica.

Though Red Street had wrapped up production and was now on a four-month
hiatus, that didn't mean Griffin was off the hook. He still had a wrap party to
plan for the cast and crew, and their expectations were
always
big –
especially this year due to the shows phenomenal success. They expected
something lavish, but Griffin just couldn't seem to find any excess money in
the budget to fulfill their vision. Thus, a compromise was made.

In the midst of planning a party that fit within the constraints of the
cast and crews revised expectations, Griffin tried his best to stay on top of
his home life. For starters, he took the following Monday off to register Avery
for the half-day junior kindergarten class she’d soon be taking at Sherman
Elementary. Then, he interviewed a few nannies and eventually hired one to take
care of her everyday after school.

Being on top of everything in his life was something Griffin had always
struggled with, but when Toni left him, he was forced to grow up. His life now
revolved around taking care of Avery and ensuring she had everything she
needed. He didn’t need any distractions.

Walking down the grocery isle with Avery inside the cart, Griffin shook
his head. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought this was how his
life would pan out. Upon returning from Europe, Griffin’s only intention was to
get a bachelor pad situated for himself where he could entertain as many women
as he pleased. He never thought he’d be one of those father’s who did all their
grocery shopping at night.

Thinking of Avery, Griffin looked down to see her clutching a box of
Cheerios to her chest and singing ‘Mary had a little lamb’. Bending toward her,
Griffin gave her a kiss on the forehead and turned to read the label on a box
of cookies. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a woman who he immediately
recognized as Erica and felt his heart rate spike a few decibels.

As if sensing Griffin’s presence, Erica turned around just in time to see
him looking in her direction. Forcing a smile, she pushed her cart up beside
his. "Hi," she said to him, but her eyes were riveted to Avery in the
cart.

"Uh, hey," Griffin responded.

Erica dragged her eyes back to Griffin’s face. Taking a moment to soak up
his features, she realized that his eyes were different somehow. She couldn’t
quite put her finger on it, but they made him look much older than his age.

"So…shopping tonight?" Erica knew full well that her question
was a lame one, but she didn’t know how to converse with Griffin the way that
she used to. Lucky for her, Griffin seemed to be having the same problem.

"Yup," was all he said.

Rolling her eyes, Erica prepared to leave, but she stopped when she heard
Avery yell out an excited, "Hey! I remember you!"

Erica smiled and extended a hand to brush away the hair that was in the
child’s eyes. Catching herself, she pulled back and cleared her throat. 
"Hi Avery,” she said rather softly. “How are you?"

"Fine. I’m shopping with daddy. I’m getting this!" Lifting her
hands high above her head, Avery proudly showed off her box of cereal.

"That’s nice," Erica said. "I love Cheerios as well."

"My daddy and I are going to the beach tomorrow. Are you coming
too?" Avery asked Erica very seriously.

Still smiling, Erica shook her head and said, "I’m afraid not,
sweetheart. Maybe next time."

Erica looked up to see Griffin staring at her with puzzled eyes. Suddenly
self-conscious, she cleared her throat and asked, "What?"

Griffin shrugged. "Nothing, it’s just…you’re pretty good with
her."

Erica looked visibly flattered by the compliment, and yet, all she could
think to say was, "Oh…thanks.” Griffin kept staring at her long after she
spoke. Feeling uncomfortable, she frowned and asked, "Was that all?"

As if angered by his thoughts, Griffin sighed heavily. "No,” he
whispered. Clearing his throat, he admitted, “You’re even more beautiful now
than when we were in high school."

Chapter five

Wandering through the many aisles of her favorite bookstore was one of
the things Erica enjoyed most at the end of a long day. Rounding a corner in
search of a cookbook she’d spotted on her way in, she ran into a giggling child
and was momentarily taken off guard.

Sure enough, it was Avery. No matter what Erica did, she just couldn’t
seem to escape the child – or her father, for that matter.

Erica looked down just in time to see Avery dart between her legs and
head for a cluster of tables where a group of patrons were seated flipping
through books. Acting on instinct, she started to follow the child, but she
didn't have a chance to before she was shoved aside by her father.

"Sorry," mumbled a frazzled Griffin. He quickly executed a
double take as recognition set in. Saying an absentminded ‘hi’ to Erica over
his shoulder, he darted off in search of Avery.

Shrugging, Erica decided to follow Griffin and his wayward daughter. She
caught up with the pair at a group of tables near the back of the room, and she
watched as Griffin lifted Avery from under a chair. She was laughing very
loudly to his obvious distress, and none of the other patrons around them
looked very impressed.

Squirming to escape her father’s tight grip, Avery started to fret.
"Daddy, I wanna go home!” the child wailed.

Griffin was more than a little embarrassed at this point and preceded to
hustle Avery out of the store.

Forgetting about the book she wanted, Erica followed them out to the
parking lot. There, she noticed that Griffin was having a hard time quieting
Avery as he buckled her into her car seat. As Erica approached, she could hear
him trying to comfort the obviously distraught little girl.

Wasn’t she just laughing like, not even two seconds ago?
Erica wondered.
That’s some rebound rate…

"What’s wrong with her?" Erica asked Griffin cautiously.

Turning at the sound of her voice, Griffin looked at Erica and replied,
"She’s just tired. We’ve been out and about since about eight this morning
and she missed her nap."