Page 45 of Shattered Hearts

Laynie stares at me, mouth open and void of sound as I shift position.

“I don’t want you to hurt him,” she mumbles.

I do. “Well, he can’t just leave you like this,” I say, even though a part of me is happy. He’s not going to be here, which means Laynie won’t have some moron attached to her.

She won’t need to push me away again.

She shakes her head slightly. “I just want to forget about him. He’s not important, and he made it clear that I’m not either.”

My heart sinks a fraction in my chest as I hold onto her tighter, my eyes moving to the window that’s dark from the night light. “Maybe not, but you’re important to me, Laynie,” I whisper out in a rough tone. “I’m not letting you go through all of this alone.”

“I don’t really have a choice. He made it clear that he—”

“Screw him,” I grit out bitterly. I watch her nerves jolt. “I care about you. If you think that I won’t help you through this, then you’re dead wrong, Laynie.”

Her breath catches in her throat, and my jaw tightens as I stare back at her, steady and defensive.

“Remember what we said when we were younger?” I ask, and her eyes scour mine for the answer. “We said we would be there no matter what. This is a no matter what situation. Plus, if he’s choosing not to be part of his baby’s life, it’s because he’s a coward. It’s nothing to do with you.”

“I know,” she breathes.

My chest stings as she looks away, eyes filling with tears once again as her lips tremble. “I’m just scared, G.”

I hug her as tightly as I can, pressing a kiss to her temple as she sobs once again. “I know you are.”

Holding her in my arms feels perfect. Complete. She fits like a puzzle piece. Like the magnet mine was starving to pair with. Her hair is tucked under my chin, forehead pressed against my chest, arms wrapped around my waist tightly, and fingers pulling in my tee. She fits so perfectly, and I fear that I’ll never find anyone else who feels like this.

“Thank you for being patient with me,” she murmurs after a long minute of silence.

“Of course, Biscuit.” I feel the flutter in my chest. “I’m not going to leave you alone. I promise.”

I feel her hesitation, the small hitch in her throat. “You’re my best friend in the entire world.”

There it is again. Best friend. Drawing that line in the sand and making it obvious that this is all we’ll be. Toes curling, the hope that simmers deep in my bone marrow fizzles out as Laynie cries against my neck, tears falling down my skin.

“You’re my best friend too.” The words taste like copper on my tongue.

Sniffing, Laynie moves away to drag her hands through her hair. I hear the patter of rain starting on the roof.

“Do you want to sleep here tonight?” I ask as she wipes under her eyes. “The spare room is made up, and I don’t want you to drive home when it’s slippery.”

Running her tongue along her bottom lip, Laynie nods slowly, tucking hair behind her ear. My fingers itch as she does it, and I give her a small smile before switching off the lights and heading upstairs.

Reid’s old bedroom is barer now, which I didn’t think was possible. Letting Laynie in, I duck into my bedroom to grab her some clothes to change into for the night, and my spare phone charger.

“Here.”

“Thank you. I let Mum know that I’m staying here so she doesn’t freak out.”

My eyebrows twitch. “Your parents are back?”

She nods. “Yeah, they got back on Saturday after I called them with the news.”

Right, the news.

“Well, I’m glad they’re here for you,” I say gently, moving an inch closer to her.

Laynie gives me a soft smile. “Yeah, me too. I really needed her.”