Page 43 of Shattered Hearts

“Yeah, I am.”

His shoulders sag as he slows his pace beside me. We’ve never really had close chats before until recently. Not until he and Macie got together and I found out. It definitely brought us closer, with the two of us finally getting everything off our chests after years of bottling everything up. It felt good, and I’m glad I have my big brother on my side again, no matter how pretentious he comes across sometimes.

I’ll still tease him about his glasses and books, don’t you worry.

“You’re allowed to worry about her. She’s your best friend,” Reid points out,

Chewing on my bottom lip, I look away briefly before putting my arm on his shoulder, halting his stride. “If I tell you something, will you promise to keep it between us?” I ask in a low tone.

Reid nods solemnly.

I exhale slowly, mustering up all the courage I can. “I think Laynie is more than just my best friend.”

My brother stares at me, unblinking, for a long minute.

I wave my hand in front of his face, trying to break him out of his trance. He pushes my arm away. “You don’t think that I know that, moron?”

“Well, I don’t know. You didn’t seem to realise Macie was in love with you.”

“Neither did you,” he retorts.

My eyes roll. “I know I’m not good at reading other people. It’s not my strength.”

“But it’s one of mine, and I’ve known for a long time that you’re had feelings for her.”

“So you see why I’m a bit taken aback by this, right?” His brows pinch. “I always thought something would happen between us, but then she went and slept with a different guy. A guy she didn’t even like.”

“And you wanted it to be you?” Reid asks, stealing the thought right out of my brain. My shoulders slump forward. His hand cups my back. “Maybe it was a one-time thing?”

“But what if it wasn’t?” I mumble, my gaze dropping to my muddy boot. “What if he sticks around?”

“Won’t that be better for the baby?” Reid asks.

I scoff, pushing his arm off me and trampling towards the house. “You don’t get it.”

“No, I don’t, so explain it to me.”

His grip on me forces me to stop and stare at him, blocking my way.

“I don’t want him to come here. I don’t want him to be a part of this,” I grit out.

Reid’s head tips forward, his hands on his hips. “I know, man. You know I want you two to be together, but he’s the dad.”

I scoff again.

“It’s their baby, and if he chooses to be a part of it, then you’re going to have to live with that, because you’re her friend. You need to be supportive with what she decides.”

Biting down on the inside of my cheek, I can’t bring myself to argue with him anymore, because he’s right. How could I stand in the way of her happiness?

“She doesn’t need to push me away, though,” I grumble.

Reid sighs, aware of how much I despise being pushed away. It’s one of the reasons we butted heads for so long. “I’m sure she has a reason for it. She’s figuring all of this out. I don’t think she’d do it to mess with you, but it might be easier for her right now.”

“I know. It just sucks, though.”

He nods. “Yeah, but just be patient with her, Gray. She’s navigating all of this on her own. It must be really difficult.”

Stepping inside the house, I’m hit with the warmth of the fireplace. My body gives a small involuntary shiver as we grab some water and fill up bottles to take to Holden and Cole. Reid takes a banana from the bowl and munches it down. I sneak a cookie, demolishing it in two bites. Mum rounds the corner. Reid and I freeze as she stares at us, her skin paler than usual and blue bags hanging beneath her eyes.