Anne Haven - Her Baby's Father

Molly and Heather think Ross is gorgeous. But I’ve seen pictures of him all over the Griffin house and I don’t see what all the fuss is about. Sure, he could pass for that British actor, what’s-his-name, but so what? Drew’s better looking. Plus he’s laid-back and fun, while Ross is probably an uptight prig.

We’re sitting on the deck, Brian and Heather and Drew and I, when Ross gets home from a shopping trip with Mr. and Mrs. Griffin. He flew back from Cambridge a couple of days ago, but I haven’t run into him yet.

They come out onto the deck to say hello and I try to stand up because I’ve been sitting on Drew’s lap, which seems a little trashy in front of his family, especially when I see his mom’s gaze go to his arms around my waist. But Drew tightens his grasp, so I’m stuck there, embarrassed, when I meet his big brother.

Ross greets Brian and Heather and then turns his attention to me. “Jennifer, right? Nice to meet you.” He actually offers me his hand.

I don’t know if college kids go around shaking each other’s hands when they meet, but I’m not used to that, at least not from anyone under thirty. Which is probably why I get such a funny, off-balance feeling inside, as if I just miscalculated where the ground was when I stepped off a ladder.

His hand is big and warm, his grip firm. He doesn’t hold mine any longer than necessary or seem particularly stirred by the experience of meeting me.

“How are you?” I say, trying to look as comfortable as I can while I sit on his brother’s lap.

We all chat for a moment. I ask a few polite questions about his trip back from college and he asks where I lived before Portland, and then Mrs. Griffin reminds Drew to keep the screen door closed so insects don’t get into the house—he’d left it open this afternoon—and she and her husband go back inside.

Ross sits down on one of the dark-metal deck chairs his mom special-ordered from Europe last month. Drew and Brian start to talk about their new game systems and nobody’s talking to me anymore, so I just stare at Mr. Perfect, curious to see if he’s as arrogant as I had expected.

“So, how was your semester?” Heather asks him.

From her voice and expression it’s obvious she’s got a crush on the guy. I hope he’s too self-absorbed to notice, because otherwise I’m going to feel embarrassed for her.

Heather gushes at him and he answers all her questions about Cambridge and Harvard and what his dorm was like. He’s perfectly nice about it, but I start to get the feeling he thinks she’s a ditz. That’s not really fair. Heather may not be a super-brain, but she’s not stupid. Plus, she’s nice.

Finally I open my mouth to get into the conversation, just because I’m feeling left out. “What’s your major?”

Heather answers before he can. “He’s going to be a doctor,” she says, as though he’s already asked her to marry him or something.

Ross frowns, and I’m not really sure why. He’s hard to figure out. I can’t tell if he’s annoyed with Heather and me or just distracted.

A couple of minutes later he catches Drew’s attention. “Sorry to break this up, but we should be ready to go in about ten minutes.”

Drew gives him a blank stare.

“Grandma,” Ross prompts.

“Oh, man. I totally forgot.”

I give Drew a “huh?” look over my shoulder—I’m still sitting on his lap—and he says, “We have to go visit my grandma. Mom promised her we’d both come by this afternoon. I completely forgot about it.”

Ross says, “Can you be ready?” His gaze takes in Drew’s swimming trunks and faded Martha’s Vineyard T-shirt with the black dog on it. He’s already dressed appropriately, of course, in gray pants and a crisp white shirt.

Drew grimaces. “I’ve got to run Jenny home.”

His brother doesn’t seem to like this, and now I feel as if he’s annoyed directly at me. I’m going to make him late for his visit to his grandmother.

“I could ride the bus,” I say, scooting off Drew when he lets go of me to check his watch. I stand up.

Drew looks relieved, but I’m a little bummed. It’s less than ten minutes to my apartment by car, but a lot longer than that on the bus, especially since the stop is several blocks away. But I don’t want him to get in trouble.

Ross shakes his head, sighing. “Drive her home,” he tells Drew. “It’s not that big a deal. I’ll just call Grandma and let her know we’ll be late.”

“Thanks,” I say. But I don’t feel he’s being all that nice and I can tell he really is annoyed with me. “I’m ready to go right now.”

Drew grabs his keys and we take off, walking out to the cars with Brian and Heather, and I’m happy to see the last of his brother for a while.

The present

DREW HAD A BAD FEELING as he drove from his home in Vancouver across the Columbia River, down I-5, across the Willamette and up to Ross’s house—a feeling this wasn’t going to be a social call.

He pulled into the driveway and parked behind a battered station wagon with California plates and a San Francisco neighborhood parking permit. It took him a second, then he remembered seeing it at Jennifer Burns’s apartment and wondering how anyone could drive such a hunk of junk.

Glancing in the windows, he saw what appeared to be all her worldly possessions. Jesus. Was she moving here or simply stopping by on her way somewhere else?

She’d better not be the reason for this little visit. He’d expected her to figure out their night together was a one-time thing. Not that he would object to a repeat, but that started to smack of complications. And he didn’t like complications.

He knocked on the door, realizing that if this was about her, it would hardly be about starting up a relationship. Ross wasn’t exactly the type to act as a broker for his brother’s extramarital affairs. Hell, if he even realized there were affairs he’d go ballistic.

Ross opened the door, his features tense, his eyes cool. Drew realized instantly that he knew about San Francisco.

Shit, Drew thought. Just what he needed today—to be called on the carpet by his saintly older brother.

Ross stepped back to let him enter. A small brown dog shot into the front hall on three legs. The crazed-looking Chihuahua spent more time moving in circles than going straight forward.

“Yours?” he asked. It would be just like his brother to take on a crippled dog.

“Kyle and Melissa’s.”

Drew didn’t spend a lot of time socializing with Ross’s friends. No time at all, in fact. But he’d heard Ross talk about these particular friends and their daughter. They seemed to have a perfect life. Drew wouldn’t be surprised, though, if one of them walked into his law office someday seeking a divorce. Love was fun, but life was real. He didn’t have a lot of illusions left about human nature, his included.

“So what’s this all about?” he asked, pretending he didn’t know.

“Jennifer Burns.”

“Yeah? I saw her car. How is she?”

“She’s in the study. Why don’t you go see for yourself.”

JENNIFER WATCHED DREW saunter into the study with his cocky, self-assured stride, and wondered what she’d ever seen in him. As a teenager or as an adult.

He rescued you, she told herself. And he charmed you. And he made you feel special when you couldn’t do it for yourself.

And look where it got you.

Ross stood in the doorway. He met her gaze and she read his expression.

I’ll be fine, she tried to telegraph. I can handle this. And she could. She knew she could. Because she knew from Drew’s demeanor exactly what would happen.

Ross stepped back and closed the door.

The study was simple, with a wall of medical books and a wide wooden desk. Jennifer sat behind it in Ross’s large padded chair. His laptop computer rested, lid down, to her right. A single window looked out into the side yard. She liked the room’s masculine feel—and the idea that Ross spent time in here gave her a kind of strength, though she didn’t want to question that fact too deeply.