Page 101 of Shattered Hearts

My back straightens. I stare at her, a little confused.

Violet grins. “Oh, let me feel.” Her mum covers Laynie’s stomach with her hand, and I wait to see what happens. She giggles. “Gosh, it has a good kick on it.”

Laynie nods before looking at me. “Do you want to feel? It’s kicking.”

Smiling, she takes my hand and places it over her long sleeve top. I wait for one heartbeat. Two heartbeats. Kick.

A huff bubbles out when I feel it again. “He’s strong.”

Laynie’s eyes widen. Violet frowns. “We don’t know if it’s a boy yet.”

I chew on my lip when it kicks again, stealing my attention.

This is totally freaking awesome.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Grayson

“Are you nervous?” I ask as Laynie gets settled into the passenger seat. Peeling out onto the main road, I rest a hand on the wheel, the other on the window as we make our way to Rafter’s Falls.

“A little bit,” she admits quietly.

Glancing sideways at her, the seatbelt is curved around her stomach. She’s still fitting into her overalls, which I know she has multiple pairs of. Apart from my birthday party, all she wears are denim overalls and sweatpants, and I like it.

I did like her in that dress, though. Maybe a little too much…

“Can you see it clearly on the screen?” I ask curiously.

Her gaze meets mine and she nods excitedly. “I’ve been reading some books on it that Paisley’s mum dropped off at my place. My baby should be around the size of a banana.”

My lips pull into a grin as she bites her lip, cheeks blooming with heat. Her head tilts forward a little and she focuses on her fingernails, picking at nail polish like she does when she’s anxious.

I cover her hand with my own and give a small reassuring squeeze. “There’s nothing to worry about, Biscuit. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“I know,” Laynie whispers, but I can hear the faint anguish in her tone. “I just worry, that’s all. There could be thi—”

“Laynie, you don’t need to think about that. You don’t need to be anxious about something that most likely won’t be true,” I let out gently, flicking my gaze onto her. Her eyes are wide and stiff, much like the rest of her. I rub my thumb over the back of her hand to give her something tangible to grab onto to. “If something happens, then we’ll worry about it, but right now, you should just relax and be happy that you’re going in.”

Her throat works, and I look back at the road. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.” She blows out a slow breath, her fingers tangling through mine.

Laynie flicks on the radio, switching channels to her favourite low-fi beats. Leaning back, she peers out the window, watching rain drops fall and run as we get closer to the clinic. As soon as we pull up, her fingernails dig into my skin, and I have to keep myself from wincing.

“Ready?” I ask, my voice a little rougher than usual.

She nods, her throat bobbing, but she makes no move to get out.

Slipping out, I walk to her side and open the passenger door. She takes her time, possibly mentally preparing herself as she does when she’s on the verge of panicking, so I let her take her time.

It’s a good thing we got here earlier than the appointment time.

Holding out my hand, she takes it, and I help her out of the car, grabbing her bag off the floor before locking up the ute. Hand securely on her back, I walk with her into the clinic. As soon as we pass through the doors, there’s people moving about, noises sounding and a lot of white. White doors. White walls. White scrubs.

I don’t like hospitals, but I have to remind myself I’m here for Laynie.

Guiding her towards the reception desk, the nurse checks us in and tells us which examination room we’ll be in. Following her down the bleak hallway, the nurse holds open the door to an empty room.

“Fiona will be in shortly. She’s just finishing up something else. You’re welcome to get settled.”