Free Not Wanted in Hollywood by Leonie Gant Page B

He
doesn’t need his father interfering in his life. I just don’t want
to see him get hurt.”
    I got up from my seat and gave him a hug.
“You are an amazing dad.”
    Lee nodded quickly and left but not before I
saw the tears in his eyes. I sat down in my chair and thought about
the last couple of days. I also thought about Griffin and exactly
what I was willing to risk for him.
    “ Dammit,” I
yelled to the empty walls and grabbed my purse. I texted Alistair
that I would be taking some time off and headed home.
    Standing in
the street outside the restaurant Lee had told me Griffin was
meeting his mother, when I’d called him while getting ready, I
hoped that I had made the right decision. I saw Griffin striding
along the footpath towards the restaurant. He faltered when he saw
me standing at the front of the building.
    Griffin walked up to me and I awkwardly
fidgeted with my clutch.
    “What are you doing here?” he asked.
    “Lee told me that you were meeting with your
mom. I know that’s a big deal for you so I’m here. If you want me
with you I’ll go in with you. If you want me to go home, I can do
that too. I just wanted you to know that you’re not alone in
this.”
    I had no idea how this was going to play out
and I had mentally prepared myself for the blow to my pride if he
told me he didn’t want me there. That being said, if he sent me
away, I wasn’t sure if there was enough ice cream in the state to
deal with the emotional meltdown I was going to go through.
    Griffin
studied me. “I’ve said some pretty rough things to you the last
couple of days,” he said softly.
    I nodded. “Yes you did, and believe me when
this is all sorted out, you and I are going to have some words, but
for right now we deal with this, then after we’ll discuss what a
jerk you’ve been. Now what do you want me to do?”
    Griffin hesitated and I prepared myself for a
taste of humiliating rejection.
    “ I want you
with me,” he said , holding out his
hand.
    “ Then I’m
with you,” I said , grasping his hand with
mine, relief coursing through me.
    He folded me into his side and put his arm
around me.
    “ You look
beautiful,” he said softly.
    “ You can
thank the girls at the bar for that ,” I
said tartly. “Swinging on a pole wasn’t the only thing they were
teaching me. They threw in hair and makeup lessons as
well.”
    Griffin smiled tightly.
    “Can you do this?” I asked gently. Most of
the time Griffin was one of the strongest men I knew, but the mom
issue seemed to be a big one for him.
    He shrugged. “The woman wants to meet me. A
part of me is curious to see what she is like. I know what she
looks like, I’ve known who she is for a long time now. I just never
thought I’d actually meet her. I guess this is the one chance I’ll
get.” He looked down at me. “I know what it took for you to be
here, especially the way things have been between us. It means a
lot.”
    I nodded. I didn’t know what to say really.
Once Lee told me what was happening, I didn’t really have a choice.
You do what you have to for those you love.
    The restaurant was one of those expensive
places which is completely wasted on someone like me. I do not have
the sophisticated palate required to discern the amount of skill
which goes into both the food and the decor. Griffin led me to the
table where his mother was waiting for us. She smiled up at him.
The smile died when she saw me with him.
    “ I did not
realize you were bringing a guest,” she said with a slightly
accusing tone.
    Griffin shrugged in that way that he had and
I smiled apologetically.
    Within several moments a third placing was
added to the table and Griffin and I were seated. I had to admit I
was curious to see how this was going to play out. Was she going to
explain why she left Griffin and his father? Was she going to
apologize? There was no way this lunch was going to be anything
other than awkward.
    Angela cleared her throat and you could tell
that