Perfect Partners Read Online Free Page B

cola in hand. “And me. Get out. I can handle things from here. I’m used to being up all night on assignment, and I’ve had my caffeine fix.” He waved the can in the air. “You need the sleep. No way you’ll function in court if you’re sleeping through the proceedings.”
    “Appreciate it, buddy. I owe you.”
    “Yeah. Ain’t life grand?” Ryan grinned.
    “It’s been better.”
    “Haven’t you gotten one decent night’s sleep since the squirt moved in?”
    “No.”
    Ryan snorted in disbelief. “Pretty quick answer. Are you sure you wouldn’t like to reconsider?”
    “You’re a pain in the butt, Jackson.”
    “Maybe. But how about some honesty? I seem to remember your mentioning one particular night when you thought you had the problem beat.”
    “If you know so much, then why ask the damned question?”
    “Because friends make you face things you don’t want to own up to.” Ryan kicked off his shoes and propped his feet up on the sofa. “So?”
    “So, yes. One night last week, Alix slept. I didn’t.” Since the day Chelsie had run from his home in tears, he had lived with a steady and conflicting diet of guilt and desire. His fluctuating feelings regarding Chelsie Russell kept him up nights, so the one evening Alix chose to sleep, Griff tossed and turned.
    The battle had been hell on him, physically, as well as emotionally. A fair exchange, given how badly he’d treated Chelsie. Yet given a second chance, he’d do the same thing all over again. Self-preservation at its finest.
    “Aha,” Ryan muttered.
    “Don’t aha me. I’m going to bed.”
    “If you ask me, both you and Alix need her.”
    “We have each other, Ryan. We don’t need anyone else.” Especially a woman capable of turning his life upside down. He’d seen firsthand the lengths to which Chelsie would go to get something she wanted. No different than Deidre or his so-called mother. Regardless of Chelsie’s effect on him—and he couldn’t deny he felt something each time he even thought of Chelsie Russell—he didn’t want to add her to his already convoluted life.
    “Strand yourself on a deserted island, and you’ll wind up alone.” Ryan flicked on the television set.
    “Excuse me if I don’t stick around and listen to you spout philosophy. I’ve got some sleep to catch up on.” Griff turned and headed for the door.
    “Pleasant dreams.”
    Griff ignored Ryan’s jibe and low chuckle. His friend’s poor sense of humor was a small thing to overlook in favor of a good night’s sleep.
    He entered his bedroom and stripped off his clothing, collapsing onto the cool sheets in exhaustion. He expected sleep to come immediately, but he lay awake with one thing on his mind. Chelsie Russell.
    Until now, he had refused to contemplate the connection between Alix’s well-being and her aunt, the complex lady lawyer who tormented his dreams.
    Chelsie’s parents were no longer interested in Alix. Since the hearing a month ago, they had stopped by only once. Because the judge’s ruling had reiterated the importance of family ties and deep down Griff agreed, he’d been willing to allow the Russells supervised family visits. Apparently, having discovered that the judge’s decision hadn’t affected their status with the country club set, their granddaughter no longer fit into their plans. No need to burden themselves with a child if their shallow friends accepted them anyway.
    A part of him acknowledged the possibility that Chelsie’s parents were grief-stricken and upset over losing custody on top of losing a daughter. That didn’t justify ignoring the same child whose life they had tried to turn upside down. Regardless of the reason for their absence, Griff wasn’t surprised, merely relieved.
    Thankfully, Alix didn’t know the difference. Her restless nights were constant with or without her grandparents’ presence in her life. Chelsie was a different story. Whether Griff liked it or not, and he definitely did not,