In the span of three seconds, something happened with Griffin that I never would have expected. His face morphed into an expression I’d never seen on him before. It was soft, warm, almost…fond. “Daughter? We’re gonna have a girl?” he asked, his eyes shifting to Anna’s face, a small, accepting smile on his lips.

Anna’s eyes watered as she also saw the genuine tender emotion. She shook her head. “I don’t know yet. I just feel like…I feel like we made a girl.”

Griffin moved his hand to her stomach. It was like he’d suddenly become an entirely different person as he ran his thumb over where his child was resting, and in that instant…I could see it. I could see him as a father. I could see him caring for someone other than himself. And even weirder…I could see him being really good at it. Seeing it gave me hope. And damn if it didn’t make me love him.

Thank you for showing me I was wrong, Griffin. Thank you for not being a douche. Maybe now I won’t have to kill you.

I smiled when I heard Griffin murmur, “A girl…I’m gonna have a little girl?”

Anna’s response made my eyes snap to her. “I don’t know if I’m keeping her.” Really? Was she still considering adoption? Couldn’t she see how much he wanted this? I’d really thought his acceptance would change her mind.

Kiera’s mom stepped forward, but Martin held her back. Everyone but Kiera looked stunned by Anna’s statement, but no one was more stunned than Griffin. His gaze instantly returned to Anna’s tear-streaked face. “What? You can’t give away my kid,” he said, a surprising amount of anger in his voice.

There was panic on Griffin’s face as he started searching the bar for something…for me. His eyes locked on mine, and they were wide with fear; I’d never seen him look this way either, like something he cherished was about to be stolen from him. “She can’t do that, right, Kell? Don’t I have a say?”

I’d never wished more desperately to have an answer for him, but I had no fucking clue. I didn’t have any experience with this. I could tell he wanted comfort, but I didn’t have any to give him. I floundered for something to say, but thankfully, I didn’t have time to speak. Anna touched his cheek, returning his eyes to hers. Griffin trembled as she said, “I won’t…if you want to keep her…if you want to do this with me…I won’t give her up.”