But now I’m back, and I agreed to do this shitty thing, all because I still crave their acceptance. I thought maybe this would be it, maybe if I did this really hard and crazy thing they’d finally forgive me for being whatever kind of failure they think I am. Maybe it would prove that I’m worthwhile.
Instead, so far it hasn’t done a thing. They still sneer at me and look down on me. In fact, the only times I feel happy and accepted right now are when I’m over at Griffin’s.
That thought surprises me. I flop down on my bed and groan a little bit. Griffin makes me feel good, and that’s so, so dangerous. Or maybe it isn’t, maybe it’s not so bad. Maybe I can let him make me feel good while still trying to win over my bastard family.
My father was just drunk. He’ll sober up and feel bad about the way he spoke to me. And forget about Ward, he’s just stressed. I can do this, I can make this work. I can let Griffin make me feel good and I can get what I need to make my family happy.
I can do everything. I just need to work harder.
5
Griffin
I’m later than I thought I would be as I head back home after a long day at work. It’s around nine at night. I called Erin earlier in the evening and let her know I’d be later, and she said that would be okay. It was a huge relief hearing that.
I head in the front door, trying to be quiet. Erin is sitting in the living room, her legs folded underneath her.
“Hey,” I say to her. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem.” She stands and smiles. “Lacey is in bed and asleep, but you can wake her up if you want to see her.”
I grin and shake my head. “I’m a single father. I know better than to wake my kid up.”
She laughs a little bit and drifts over toward me. I head into the kitchen and grab a bottle of wine and two glasses while she sits down at the counter.
“How about that drink now?” I ask her. “Or is it too late?”
She shakes her head a little bit. “Not too late. I’m young, remember?”
“That’s right, you are young.” I smirk at her. “A little too young, maybe.”
“You think so? I’m surprised to hear you say that.”
“Why?” I pour two glasses of wine.
“Well, I heard that you like them young.”
I stop and stare at her for a second before bursting out laughing. She grins at me and I hand her a glass. “Okay, fair enough,” I say. “So you’ve heard some things.”
“Just a few small things,” she says, sipping her drink.
I’m surprised she had the balls to make that joke, but I had to admit, I like it. She looks so gorgeous tonight, with her thick dark hair brushed over one shoulder, her full red lips parted slightly to drink her wine.
“What else have you heard?” I ask.
“Oh, nothing important.”
I grin. “Go ahead, tell me. I haven’t heard anything about you, so we’re not on an even playing field here.”
“That’s a good point.” She fingers her glass a little bit, nervously touching the stem. For a second, I imagine that same gesture along the length of my hard cock. “Back before Lacey, you used to party a lot. But you changed a lot since she came along.”
I laugh and nod. “That’s right. Can’t spend all night in a club anymore. Did James tell you this?”
She smirks a little. “Maybe.”
“He’s just jealous that I can’t get drunk with him every night.”
“And yet here you are, getting drunk with me.”
I laugh again. “Not drunk. And I made sure my daughter was taken care of first.”
“Good point.” She smiles a little. “Okay, so what do you want to know about me?”
“That’s a dangerous question,” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
She glances down at the counter. “Maybe. I can handle it.”
“Okay then. Since you know so much about my love life, tell me about yours. When was your last boyfriend?”
She raises an eyebrow. “How do you know I don’t have one right now?”
“Because I don’t think you’d look at me the way you do now if you were in a relationship.”
She blushes a little bit and I feel a thrill run down my spine. “Okay, fine. My last boyfriend was three years ago,” she admits.
“Really?” I ask, surprised. “That long?” I can’t imagine this girl staying on the market for very long.
She nods, a little shy. I love that about her. So fucking modest. “And… well, he was the only one.”
“What do you mean?” I stare at her in disbelief.
“He was my first boyfriend.”