18. Rory

18

Rory

R ory was home with the kids the next day. After breakfast, they shifted and went for a long walk in the woods.

“Let’s race, Daddy,” Cat said.

“You race. I’ll watch you guys and make sure that you keep it fair,” he said.

They each won a race and both times they were neck in neck. The pups were getting faster and stronger. It seemed like only yesterday that they were born.

It was so peaceful. The sun was shining fiercely, but the shade from the trees and the cool breeze made the day perfect.

Drake and Cat chased each other around the trees, always staying close to him as he had instructed them since they could walk and shift. He smiled at their laughter, which always warmed his soul. Rory could be having the worst day ever, but his kids would make him happy and force all the negative feelings away.

His thoughts drifted toward Savvy. She had looked into his eyes several times last night in such a way that his insides melted. He had ached for her so badly that it overwhelmed his determination to keep his hands off of her.

I haven’t even taken her out on a proper date, but we’ve had sex three times. What does that say about me?

They had no relationship except that of an employer and nanny, which made the sexual encounters even more taboo. Yet, she gave herself willingly to him. Savvy hadn’t made any demands on him.

Although it was technically Savvy’s day off, she sat upstairs with them and colored in their coloring books. She had a Scooby Doo coloring book so Drake and Cat had to have one, too. Luckily, there were six of them, so they each could have one.

He watched them cuddle with her while they read together, and they demanded that she play tag with them outside. She gladly obliged them.

Rory thought about Eva and how she wouldn’t have bothered with the kids. She would have told Amy to watch them and went shopping. He reminded himself that was the old Eva and people could change, although, deep down inside, he had his doubts. Savvy was hanging out with them, thinking that she wasn’t getting paid to do it. He would add the money to her paycheck without telling her.

The day went by quickly. They all played games after dinner and after the kids had their showers, Rory read to the kids and put them to bed.

There was a little bit of awkwardness in the playroom when he and Savvy met in the middle after tucking the kids in.

Finally, Rory said, “I have some paperwork to take care of.”

She smiled. “I have a book to finish.”

After an hour, he couldn’t help himself. He went down to the library, hoping she was there. She wasn’t. Savvy also wasn’t out back. Rory figured that she was in her suite, relaxing or putting distance between them. He went to his room and watched some television before going to bed.

Rory was out the door the next morning as the kids were getting up. He really did have some work he needed to get done. Hollie showed up about an hour after Rory got to the office.

“Mom. This is a surprise. You never come to my office. Did you get another speeding ticket?”

“No.” She laughed, setting down a coffee and box of donuts in front of him. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Uh-oh. What did I do now?” Rory asked.

Hollie took a sip of her coffee and looked at him as though she were analyzing him.

“Your father and I really like Savvy. She is a wonderful young woman, and it is clear that the kids love her, and she loves them back.”

“Yes,” Rory said.

“That being said, I saw the way that she looked at you at the gala. Are you aware that she is falling in love with you?”

Rory shook his head. “I hadn’t realized.”

“How do you feel about her?” Hollie asked. “I know you feel something because I saw the way that you looked at her.”

“To be honest, I’m trying to figure that out. I really like her a lot. Her scent haunts me and there is something about her that is familiar.”

Hollie grinned. “That means that she is your fated mate. She seems familiar to you because she was your mate in a past life.”

“If that’s the case, then why did I fall in love with Eva?”

“I don’t think that you were really in love. But even if you were, that relationship had to be for Drake and Cat to be born.”

“That’s what Sebastian said.”

“He always was the smart son,” Hollie teased.

“And I got all the good looks.” Rory laughed. “But seriously, Sebastian said that the purpose for us getting together was because of the kids and then she left to make room for Savvy.”

“Smart man. Sometimes life takes us down certain paths to fulfill certain destinies.”

“You mean predestiny and all that.”

She nodded.

“I don’t buy into that. That would mean that Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims were born for the sole purpose of being tortured and eaten by that deranged monster.”

“That does sound awful, but how else would you explain the fact that those two people happened to meet at just the right time?”

Rory shook his head and said, “I don’t know. Coincidence. If it hadn’t been for person A meeting with him, it would have been person B. Dahmer had made up his mind to choose a victim, which makes it a free choice. The victim coincidentally chose to go to the same spot that Dahmer did. They talk and the rest is history.”

Hollie shook her head. “Well, I don’t know about Dahmer and serial killers, but I do know about you and Savvy. She loves you.”

Just then, Mary Ann buzzed his phone. “Your appointment is here.”

Hollie grinned and hugged Rory. “Be careful with her heart.”

I need to be careful with my own heart.

Rory met with his client and then headed to the courthouse. The judge had decreed that Vanessa, the teenager who had gotten into a fight with a bully, was charged as a juvenile. She pled guilty to aggravated battery. The judge sentenced her to a year in juvenile detention, although she would likely be released before that because of good behavior. She was also given a thousand-dollar fine and sentenced to a hundred hours of community service once she was released.

“Thank you,” her mother said, wiping tears from her eyes. “She really is a good kid. She just got caught up in a bad situation. As soon as she is released, we’re going to move. She needs a fresh start.”

“I understand. I don’t blame you,” Rory said.

About an hour later, the sheriff came into Rory’s office.

“Whatever it is, I didn’t do it. I have an alibi,” Rory protested.

Sheriff Greene laughed and said, “I’m not here for you, this time. It’s actually about a fellow you know – Mark Rogers.”

Rory groaned. “What trouble did he manage to get himself into?”

“My deputies have been investigating the drug issue we have and uncovered a meth lab on some private property on the mountain,” he said. “It’s Mark’s. He’s nowhere to be found. Do you have any idea where he might be?”

“No. If he’s not at his mom’s. I know that he stays with her sometimes. She has some health issues, and he helps her out.”

“We’ve checked there. Miss Darlene says that she hasn’t heard from him or seen him, but she would let us know if she does.”

“She will, too,” Rory assured her. “If I see him, I’ll let you know. I’ll spread the word to the other Griffins as well.”

“I appreciate it,” the sheriff said. “I won’t keep you. I know you are a busy man getting all those people we arrest off the hook.”

“Someone has to put a bee in your bonnet.” Rory laughed. “But be very careful around Mark. He’s a grizzly bear shifter.”

“That’s probably why we can’t find him. Thanks for the warning. See you later.”

After he left, Rory sent a mass text to the Griffins, giving them a head’s up and telling them that they were to let the sheriff know if they spotted Mark. They agreed that he was no longer a Griffin.

It was a long day, and Rory was exhausted by the time he got back to the house just in time for dinner. The pups talked him into taking them for a walk after they ate and then they gathered in the living room to watch a few episodes of Scooby Doo.

“We need a talking dog,” Cat said.

“You are a talking dog,” Savvy replied.

Cat thought about it for a minute and laughed. “I don’t solve mysteries, though.”

“When you get older. Right now, it’s time for shower and bed,” Savvy said.

Rory helped get them settled. He read to them and then he and Savvy tucked them in. Then, Rory headed to his office to get a little more work done.

A couple of hours later, his stomach rumbled and he decided he needed a snack, so he headed down to the kitchen. His heart thudded in his chest when he saw the sexy vision leaning against the counter, eating ice cream from the carton. Savvy was wearing a long white T-shirt that reached her mid-thigh with a pair of tight black shorts under it.

She looked at him and gasped. Her face flushed red, and she said, “I didn’t think that there would be anyone awake.”

“I have the munchies. I don’t suppose you want to share that ice cream,” he said.

Savvy grabbed a spoon from the drawer and handed it to him.

As he dipped the spoon into the carton, he said, “Rosa would have a fit if she saw this because it’s unsanitary.”

Grinning, Savvy said, “It’s my own personal stash, so it’s okay. Besides, what Rosa doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

“True enough. I never took you to be the devious sort,” Rory teased.

“I have my moments every once in a while. She’s on a need-to-know basis, and she doesn’t need to know about this,” Savvy said.

She grinned and Rory laughed. “You have some ice cream in the tip of your nose.”

He grabbed a paper towel and wiped it off. Rory stared down into her bright blue eyes and said, “You know what else she doesn’t need to know about?”

“What’s that?”

“This,” he said, and lowered his head, pressing his lips to hers.