Hayley beamed at him, her heart swelling with pride. “First real fire?”
“Aye.” He knelt to undo the laces on his filthy boots. “It’s good to be back on the team.”
Hayley still wasn’t tired of seeing him bend his left knee casually, without even the memory of pain. She also wasn’t yet tired of seeing him in his firefighter’s uniform. And, she secretly had to admit, it was even sexier when he was all rumpled and disheveled from a hard day saving lives.
Griff glanced at her, grinning as he read her thoughts. “And I was worried that you were going to be worried.” His sweeping gesture indicated the evidence of the dangerous nature of his work. “When you realized what this job actually involves, I mean.”
Hayley ducked down to kiss him, an illicit thrill going through her at the taste of smoke on his lips. “I’m not worried. You are the Griffin, after all.”
His hand captured the back of her neck, holding her close a moment longer. “Amazing woman,” he murmured against her mouth. “My lion-hearted love.”
He let her go again, straightening. “I’d better go shower before Reiner gets here. Oh, John volunteered to chaperone him for us this evening. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, of course not.” Something about Griff’s overly casual tone snagged Hayley’s attention. “Why?”
“Just thought it would be nice for us to have an evening to ourselves,” Griff said, much too innocently. “I thought we might go out.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you up to, Griff?”
Danny chortled, his small face alight with glee. “It’s a secret, Mommy. A big secret.”
Griff mock-growled at him. Danny slapped both hands over his own mouth, his shoulders shaking with muffled giggles. Before he could spill any more hints, Griff scooped him up under one arm, carrying him firmly off upstairs.
Hayley shook her head in bemusement, watching them go. What was all that about?
John, when he arrived, only added to the mystery. The sea dragon turned up with an overnight bag, his sword, and an air of great, secret delight.
“I simply thought it might be wise to bring a few essentials with me, my lady,” was all he would say. He held up his bag, which made an odd clinking noise, as if whatever John considered essential for a sleepover was made of solid gold. “So that I could guard your territory and your son overnight, if necessary. Just in case you found yourself…delayed.”
Hayley couldn’t get anything more out of him. His enigmatic silence just fanned the flames of her curiosity. By the time Reiner finally rang the doorbell, she was practically burning up.
What are they all up to?
“Hi,” she greeted Reiner. For once, she was too preoccupied to feel her usual flutter of apprehension at the sight of him. “Are you in on this too?”
He stared at her blankly. “In on what?”
“Evidently not,” Hayley stood aside to let him in. “Never mind. Griff and I are going out. John is going to stay here with you and Danny, okay?”
He nodded distractedly, as if he barely heard her words. He’d been oddly subdued over the last week, ever since he’d returned from his trip home to Valtyra. Now he too seemed preoccupied with something.
“Hayley,” he burst out. He drew himself up, setting his shoulders as if bracing himself for a fight. “I have somethi
ng I need to say.”
Hayley eyed him warily. “Griff!” she called over her shoulder. “Reiner’s here. He wants to talk to us.”
“What about?” Griff had changed into his kilt, and Hayley momentarily lost her entire train of thought. He moved to stand protectively at her side, fixing Reiner with a piercing stare.
Reiner cleared his throat, fidgeting a little. “It…that is…well. You know how I’m paying maintenance for Danny now?”
“Yes, and don’t think you’re going to weasel out of it,” Hayley snapped. “The judge set a very fair level. Don’t tell me you can’t afford it.”
“No! I mean, that is, I can. It’s just…I realized that I should have been paying before. All these years, I mean.” He pulled a check out of his pocket. “So…I wanted to give you this.”
Hayley blinked at him in complete disbelief. “You want to give us more money?”
The piece of paper trembled, as if Reiner’s hand was shaking. “Yes. Please. If you’ll accept.”