but she also was oddly familiar. High cheekbones, wide mouth, large, dark-lashed eyes. Then he met her gaze.
Shock ripped through him. He almost staggered under the impact.
His first thought—damn. His first thought was ridiculous. What the hell was wrong with him?
He tore his gaze away from the violet eyes staring back at him and looked questioningly, fearfully, at Sunny. “What’s going on?” He heard the note of panic that was fast stealing his breath.
Sunny’s tear-streaked face beamed like an angel. “Griff. Mia is Marianne. Your sister.”
“No!” Stunned, he held up his hands to ward off the cruel joke. He squeezed his eyes shut. “What the hell are you saying?”
“Griff. It’s true. Believe me.”
Sunny’s lilting voice floated around him. He wanted to swing his fists at it. To stop it.
He steeled himself, then met Mia’s gaze again. She was still looking at him as if he were some insanely famous rock star or something. Her jewel-like gaze never wavered.
Suddenly, he couldn’t see. His own eyes were full of tears.
He’d never cried, not even when he’d lost her. Not when he’d thought he’d failed Sunny. Never.
He put out a shaking hand and Mia stepped toward him. Her face was wet with tears, her outstretched fingers trembling.
Their fingers touched, and Griff’s breath caught in a sob. He pulled her to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly.
And he cried.
SUNNY WAITED NERVOUSLY for Griff in their hotel room. He’d called about ten minutes before to ask if it was okay if he came by to shower and change.
Mia had insisted on staying at the hospital with her mother, and Griff had stayed with her.
In her carrier, Emily emitted a quiet sigh. She’d had a long day. Sunny had held her until she squirmed and whined. Then she’d reluctantly put her in her carrier, where Emily had immediately gone to sleep.
Now Sunny paced. She’d tried to lie down, but she hadn’t even been able to close her eyes. She was too keyed up.
She was worried about Griff. She’d watched him when he’d realized Mia truly was his sister. He’d turned pale as a ghost. His eyes had streamed tears, and his face had nearly crumpled.
Nearly.
Something was wrong and she knew it. He’d been quiet and withdrawn afterward, as he and Mia talked.
Feeling as if she was intruding, Sunny had insisted on taking a taxi from the hospital to the hotel. Once she’d closed the door to her room, she’d hugged Emily and wept, spilling out all the tension of the past six days, until she’d ended up too tired to cry any longer.
She heard the unmistakable sound of a plastic key card tripping an electronic lock. Griff was here.
She stopped pacing and stared at the door as it opened slowly.
His hair was still a mess. His face under a day’s worth of stubble was drawn and pale. His eyes shone darkly. He closed the door, and slowly raised his head. But he never quite met her gaze. His face appeared haunted.
“Griff? Are you okay?”
He didn’t answer. He shrugged out of the wrinkled sport coat he’d worn all day, and began to unbutton his shirt, heading for the bathroom.
“Griff?”
“I’m going to shower now.” His voice was hoarse. He closed the door to the bathroom and she heard the shower come on.
Behind her, she heard Emily whimper, then start to cry. Sunny hurried over to the infant carrier and picked up her baby. “Hi, sweetie. I didn’t mean to wake you.” She bounced her gently in her arms. “It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?” She touched her lips to Emily’s downy head and breathed deeply of her sweet, baby-powder scent.
In almost no time, Griff came out of the bathroom dressed in his jeans with his shirt open. His chest and abdomen glistened with dampness, and his hair was spiked where he’d toweled it dry. His eyes were rimmed with red as his gaze roamed over her and lingered on Emily. His brows drew down.
“Thanks.”
“This is your room.”
Emily whimpered.
“How is she?”
Sunny smiled. “She’s fine. Griff, I never got a chance to thank you.”
He stepped closer and peered down at the baby. He touched her tiny hand with one finger, and gently ran his thumb along her downy hairline. His shoulders bowed and he hung his head.
A drop of water, or a tear, splashed on Sunny’s forearm.
“Griff, what’s the matter?” Sunny asked, apprehension clogging the back of her throat. He was acting so odd.
He didn’t answer.
“How—how did it go with Mia?”
He shook his