married.
“You’re right about that. Even in high school, you were the ice queen. You could destroy guys with just that cold, frosty look of yours. Did you know that? Everyone was afraid to approach you.” His voice dropped a little. “Me more than anyone. It took a lot of guts to do what I did that night.”
“I don’t believe you.” Was that why she had so few dates in high school? She’d deliberately kept everyone at bay, unwilling to be painted with the same brush as her sister. Still, there hadn’t been anyone who’d interested her enough to make her drop her guard.
“Shut up and let me finish” His words were sharp and clipped. “I meant every word I said to you those two nights. Everything. I was more than ready to stop running with that crowd. I thought, when you came back from your trip, maybe we’d see what kind of relationship we could build.”
Cassie could still remember the shock when her mother broke the news of Griffin and Diane’s marriage. Afraid she’d fall apart on the spot, she’d greeted the news with a stiff smile, then locked herself in her room. Unwilling to face anyone and listen to the painful details, she’d endured hammer blows to her heart and shut out the world.
“You must have run out of patience because, when I came back, there you and Diane were, the happy couple. No doubt having a good laugh at my expense.”
Griffin grabbed her so hard, his fingers bit into her flesh so hard they hurt. He shook her until her head snapped back and forth. “Did you think I wanted you to walk out of my life?” Deep grooves etched his face. “Do you think I wanted to marry Diane? Is that what you thought I had in mind? We might have had our fling, but Diane had a fling with just about everyone. You didn’t marry girls like her. You only took them to bed.”
“I didn’t know what to think,” she whispered, shaken by his fury. “I-I thought you’d just amused yourself with me, for some reason.” And burned me in the process.
His eyes blazed into hers, like twin lasers. His fingers pressed her flesh even harder. “She was pregnant.” He spit the words out as if they tasted bad. “Diane was pregnant.”
“What?” Cassie felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. “She was what?”
“You heard me. She was pregnant. She swore it was mine.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I’m a lot of things, Cassie. I know what my reputation is, and I’ve sure done everything to deserve it. But this was my responsibility, and I wasn’t going to opt out of it.”
“You didn’t have to marry her.” But she knew those were empty words. Griff was right. He’d accepted responsibility for his father, and he would have done no less for the supposed mother of his child.
“Is that how little you think of me?” He shook his head. “I know you always looked at me as just another piece of trash, like everyone else in this town did. But believe it or not, I have some sense of accountability for what I do. Especially when it involves another person. A child.” He continued gripping her arms, holding her in place. “Besides, I didn’t think a child should have to suffer for an irresponsible act.”
“My folks must have had a fit.”
“They didn’t know. No one did but me. I thought they’d have a hemorrhage over the runaway marriage, but Diane was twenty-two, so there wasn’t much they could do about it. Besides, no matter what she did, they were always accepting of it. I never could figure that out.”
“Diane drew people like moths to a flame,” Cassie said, her voice bitter. “She had our folks wrapped around her little finger. And everyone else, too, it seems.”
“I tried to see you when you got back,” he went on, “but you were here one day and gone the next. I didn’t know how to find you, and I couldn’t very well ask your parents.”
“I got out of town as fast as I could.” She tried to shift to get more comfortable, but Griff’s position
“You’re right about that. Even in high school, you were the ice queen. You could destroy guys with just that cold, frosty look of yours. Did you know that? Everyone was afraid to approach you.” His voice dropped a little. “Me more than anyone. It took a lot of guts to do what I did that night.”
“I don’t believe you.” Was that why she had so few dates in high school? She’d deliberately kept everyone at bay, unwilling to be painted with the same brush as her sister. Still, there hadn’t been anyone who’d interested her enough to make her drop her guard.
“Shut up and let me finish” His words were sharp and clipped. “I meant every word I said to you those two nights. Everything. I was more than ready to stop running with that crowd. I thought, when you came back from your trip, maybe we’d see what kind of relationship we could build.”
Cassie could still remember the shock when her mother broke the news of Griffin and Diane’s marriage. Afraid she’d fall apart on the spot, she’d greeted the news with a stiff smile, then locked herself in her room. Unwilling to face anyone and listen to the painful details, she’d endured hammer blows to her heart and shut out the world.
“You must have run out of patience because, when I came back, there you and Diane were, the happy couple. No doubt having a good laugh at my expense.”
Griffin grabbed her so hard, his fingers bit into her flesh so hard they hurt. He shook her until her head snapped back and forth. “Did you think I wanted you to walk out of my life?” Deep grooves etched his face. “Do you think I wanted to marry Diane? Is that what you thought I had in mind? We might have had our fling, but Diane had a fling with just about everyone. You didn’t marry girls like her. You only took them to bed.”
“I didn’t know what to think,” she whispered, shaken by his fury. “I-I thought you’d just amused yourself with me, for some reason.” And burned me in the process.
His eyes blazed into hers, like twin lasers. His fingers pressed her flesh even harder. “She was pregnant.” He spit the words out as if they tasted bad. “Diane was pregnant.”
“What?” Cassie felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. “She was what?”
“You heard me. She was pregnant. She swore it was mine.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I’m a lot of things, Cassie. I know what my reputation is, and I’ve sure done everything to deserve it. But this was my responsibility, and I wasn’t going to opt out of it.”
“You didn’t have to marry her.” But she knew those were empty words. Griff was right. He’d accepted responsibility for his father, and he would have done no less for the supposed mother of his child.
“Is that how little you think of me?” He shook his head. “I know you always looked at me as just another piece of trash, like everyone else in this town did. But believe it or not, I have some sense of accountability for what I do. Especially when it involves another person. A child.” He continued gripping her arms, holding her in place. “Besides, I didn’t think a child should have to suffer for an irresponsible act.”
“My folks must have had a fit.”
“They didn’t know. No one did but me. I thought they’d have a hemorrhage over the runaway marriage, but Diane was twenty-two, so there wasn’t much they could do about it. Besides, no matter what she did, they were always accepting of it. I never could figure that out.”
“Diane drew people like moths to a flame,” Cassie said, her voice bitter. “She had our folks wrapped around her little finger. And everyone else, too, it seems.”
“I tried to see you when you got back,” he went on, “but you were here one day and gone the next. I didn’t know how to find you, and I couldn’t very well ask your parents.”
“I got out of town as fast as I could.” She tried to shift to get more comfortable, but Griff’s position
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