Page 106 of Indigo Ridge (The Edens 1)

He froze. Heartbeats passed.

Any minute, he’d walk out the door and out of my life. It hurt already, to lose him. God, it hurt.

Except he didn’t leave me. His frame sagged and he tore off his baseball cap, sending it sailing across the room. Then he dragged a hand through his dark hair. “You’re right.”

The relief was so profound I laughed. “I know.”

He planted his fists on his hips. “I’m pissed.”

“Deal with it.”

“I will.” Griff’s arm wrapped around my shoulders and he hauled me into his chest. “Sorry.”

Maybe I should have fought for more than a one-word apology, but two seconds against his warm, strong body and I let it go. After Pops and his heart attack, two sleepless nights and the discussion with Briggs, I didn’t have the strength to argue with Griffin. So I wrapped my arms around his narrow waist and pressed my cheek against his heart and just . . . breathed.

“You have me twisted up, woman. So fucking twisted up.”

“Want to unwind? Call it quits?”

He leaned away and his hands moved to my face, his fingers threading through the hair at my temples. “I don’t think I could quit you if I tried.”

“Even if we fight?”

“Especially when we fight.”

It wasn’t a declaration of love. It wasn’t a lifelong commitment. But that statement moved me so much that tears flooded my eyes.

My parents used to fight. Mom had called it normal fighting.

In high school, when all of my friends’ parents were getting divorced, I’d fret and convince myself that my parents would too. One night, I’d overheard them arguing about something. The details had faded with time, but when my mom had found me in my room later that night, crying, she’d sat down on my bed and promised that the argument was normal fighting.

She’d told me that one day, she hoped I’d find a man who’d fight with me. Who’d love me even when he wanted to strangle me. Who’d never quit fighting because what we had was worth a few angry words.

“I don’t want to quit either,” I whispered.

“Hey.” His thumbs caught the two tears that escaped. “You can’t cry, Winn. It destroys me. Don’t cry, baby.”

I sniffled away the sting in my nose. “It’s just been a long few days.”

“Lean on me.” He kissed my forehead, then hugged me again, squeezing so tight that if my knees buckled, I wouldn’t drop an inch.

I leaned on him.

And for the first time in a long time, I knew the man holding me tight wouldn’t let me fall.

Chapter Nineteen

Griffin

“What’s funny?” I asked.

Winn had been holding back giggles since we’d left the grocery store. “Nothing.”

The twitch at the corner of her mouth said otherwise. “Baby. Spill it.”

“I’ve just never ridden in your truck.”

“Okay,” I drawled, pulling to a stop in front of my house. “Why’s that funny?”