Slow Burn(61)

    Beth stiffened.

    Oh. She wouldn’t have reacted that way if there wasn’t something between them. It was true. It had to be true. I swallowed. I walked across the room and sat down. It was easier than trying to say something.

    “You okay?” he asked me.

    “Fine,” I managed. My voice was a croak.

    Beth popped the bowls into the microwave. She turned to me. “So, um, what are your plans?”

    “My plans?” I said, still sounding like a frog.

    “Yeah,” she said. “I mean, you can’t expect Griffin to watch out for you forever.”

    “No. I guess I can’t.” I couldn’t look at him.

    Griffin raised his eyebrows at Beth. “Why can’t she?”

    Beth pressed her lips together in a firm line. “Well, it’s not a life, is it? Eventually, you’ve got to stop running. You’ve got to... settle down.”

    “Maybe eventually,” said Griffin.

    Beth put the casserole dish back in the refrigerator, banging it. She slammed the fridge door.

    He went to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. I know it’s tough for you. I know that having Dixie means you can’t run all the time.”

    She gazed up into his eyes.

    “But you’re alive,” he said. “You’re alive, and that’s what’s important.”

    “Is it?” she said. She sounded bitter. She reached for the baby, and Dixie practically crawled out of Griffin’s arms into Beth’s.

    He looked out of sorts suddenly, as if he didn’t know what to do with himself now that his arms were empty.

    The microwave beeped.

    He looked at Beth, her arms full, and then he opened the cabinet and took out two bowls. He set them on the table, one in front of me, the other on the opposite side of the table. “Where are the forks?”

    She pointed at a drawer.

    He opened it. He handed me one. He faced her. “Look, if you don’t want us here, we’ll go somewhere else.”

    “I didn’t say that,” she said. “Of course you’re welcome to stay. You’re always welcome here.” She touched his cheek. “You’re the reason I got free from that place.” She rounded on me. “Did he tell you that? Did he tell you that I was the reason he left Op Wraith?”

    I shook my head slowly. “He really didn’t mention you.”

    Her features hardened. She sat down next to me at the table. “When Op Wraith found out I was pregnant, they told me I had to terminate the pregnancy. I didn’t want to. So, I refused. They decided I wasn’t much use to them, and they ordered Griffin to kill me.”

    I recoiled. “That’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard.”

    “I wouldn’t do it,” said Griffin, sitting down. He took a bite of his mac and cheese. “I helped her get out. I got out too.” He turned to her. “And we never would have made it without Frank.”

    She rolled her eyes.

    “Thanks for this.” He gestured with his fork. “It’s really good.”

    “No problem,” she said.

    I took a bite myself. He was right. It was good. I’d almost wanted her to be a terrible cook or something.

    No. That was awful. I didn’t wish her pain. Obviously, she had enough of that. But I was devastated, and it was hard not to want to blame her instead of Griffin.

    When he was clearly the bastard here. How could he have abandoned her like this? No wonder she was so angry.

    It was quiet except for the sound of Griffin’s and my chewing. I ate the macaroni greedily. It was delicious, and I was hungry.

    Was there any other way to see this? Griffin and Beth had history. There was no denying that. She hated me. That was obvious. The baby looked like Griffin. But...

    Would he really have kept that from me? There had to be something I wasn’t seeing here.

    Dixie started to wail in her mother’s arms.

    Beth stood up. “She probably needs changed.”

    Griffin stood up. “You know what? Let me do it. It’s the least I could do after everything.”