The next morning, I woke Cadence up early, hoping maybe she would go down for her morning nap. Lately, it’s hit or miss whether or not she will take two naps. On the days when she does take two, she’s often in a better mood. I’m hoping, for Griffin’s sake, that if she takes two naps, their meeting today will go smoother.
Thankfully, Cadence fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago for her first nap, and I’ve just finished changing into a pair of gray leggings and a cropped white T-shirt when the doorbell rings.
Not really thinking it’s going to be Griffin at the door, I swing it open and am surprised to find him there. Griff is wearing jeans and an olive green hoodie that compliments his skin tone and brown eyes. His dark hair is longer, something I didn’t pay much attention to last night. It curls at his neck, flaring out from under his backward baseball hat. I’m a sucker for a guy in a backward hat.
“Sorry, I know we said I’d come over at eleven-thirty, but I just couldn’t wait around any longer.”
“That’s okay. Cadence just went down for her first nap. You can come in, though, and we can talk while she naps.”
“Thanks, that’d be great.”
“No problem. A word of advice?”
“I’ll take all the advice you’ve got for me.” He looks genuinely curious for any tips.
“Don’t ever ring the doorbell to a house where there could be a sleeping baby. Like, ever. Just don’t do it.”
He chuckles. “Noted. I will never ring the doorbell again. Is it safe to text?”
“Depends. If I were still rocking her to sleep, definitely not.”
“We’ll just communicate telepathically.”
“Deal.” I deadpan, keeping a straight face for a moment before my cheeks turn up in a smile.
Griffin’s responding chuckle sends goosebumps down my arms.
It’s so strange to be here with him, smiling and laughing as if there hadn’t been two years where we didn’t speak to one another. Resentment stings my throat when I think of all the time that was wasted because of miscommunication and misunderstanding.
I clear my throat. “Do you mind if we talk in the kitchen? I was just about to start prepping lunch.”
“Yeah, that’s fine with me. This is a nice place. How long have you lived here?”
“Carson closed on it this summer. It’s only been about two months now.”
“Woah, he must’ve got a hell of a signing bonus.”
“I guess. He said between that and the trust we got access to when we turned twenty-one, he had more money than he knew what to do with. I think he felt obligated to get something bigger than he needed so Cadence and I would move in with him. He knew it was hard for me to live with my parents.”
“That sounds like Carson. How are Liz and Teddy doing?”
“They’re doing really well. Dad is getting ready to retire in the next year, hopefully. Mom is absolutely obsessed with Cadence. I always thought they’d become snowbirds once my dad finally retired, but Mom refuses to live away from Cadence for the entire winter.’’
“Your dad didn’t look too pleased to see me at the game.”
“The circumstances could’ve been better.”
I start taking ingredients out of the fridge for a Greek salad and grilled chicken I had planned to make for lunch.
As I grab a knife and cutting board, Griff asks, “Are you bringing Cadence trick-or-treating?”
“Yeah, Carson and I brought her trick-or-treating around my parent’s neighborhood last year.”
“What did you dress her up as?”
Shaking my head, I laugh at the memories from last year. “You know how Carson gets with Halloween—always so over the top. He got her a little shark costume, then I was the lifeguard, and he was a shark attack victim.”
“Oh my god. Are you serious?”
