Page 87 of Shattered Hearts

“Yeah but think about it. She told the dad and he didn’t want anything to do with her or the baby.” I stare at him, trying to understand where he’s going with this train of thought. “Maybe Laynie is scared that you’ll do that same thing?”

I shake my head. “But I told her I wanted to be a part of this.”

“Yeah, but what happens if you decide not to? What if something comes up? If you find someone else.”

My chin drops. “You think she’s too scared to let me be a part of this because of what Scott did?”

Knox shrugs. “It’s possible. I mean, look at my mum. Dad left three years ago, and she won’t even look at another man who isn’t her friend because she’s scared of being left again.”

I run my hand down my face. “You’re making sense, kid.”

He shrugs. “I’m just trying to help, like I do with my Mum.”

“Is she okay?”

Knox lifts his shoulders again. “She will be. Eventually… Probably when she has her bookstore up and running.”

My teeth bite at my bottom lip as I pull out my phone from my pocket.

GRAYSON: I have an idea for the ranch. It’s a bit different, but how would you feel about sponsoring a bookstore that needs to be built?

“What are you doing?” Knox asks as I get to my feet, brushing dust off my jeans.

“Just texting my brother. Are you ready to head back? Paisley will be here soon.”

I slip on my helmet and lead Knox back down the mountain onto our property. There are some slippery patches and puddles still lingering from the rain overnight, but we get back to the ranch in one piece.

“I’ll see you next weekend?”

“You bet.”

We fist pump, and Knox scampers off to Paisley’s car as I put the bikes away.

Heading into the main house, it’s unusually quiet for a Sunday afternoon, but nonetheless, I’m quite happy. I have some things to think about.

Walking into my bedroom, I find Mum fussing over my bed sheets, which are buried under a pile of unfolded clothes. My bad. I’ve never been the tidy one of the family, but to me, it’s organised chaos. Sometimes I forget if the floor is carpet or floorboards. They’re floorboards, and I only know that because of Reid and Holden’s rooms being polar opposite to mine. There’s a variation of things scattered on the floor, bed, and cupboard; clothes, hats, various charging cords, a pack of cards, a belt, and… a book? Hmm, I forgot to return that one to the library during the week. Crap.

“Hey, Mum,” I say gently, not wanting to startle her.

Turning, Mum gives me a flat smile, and I frown at her lack of energy. “Morning, sweetie. Just trying to…clean up here. You really need to tidy all of this.”

“Yeah, I’ll send Reid up here,” I say nonchalantly, waving a hand. “Are you feeling okay?”

She scoffs lightly, but it does nothing to settle the burning in the pit of my gut. “Yeah, just a headache. It’s wearing off now.”

My head tips back as I rest my hands on my hips. “You really need to get them checked out. This isn’t normal.”

Her head shakes, short blonde-grey hair swishing around her collarbone. “I’ll be fine. It just happens when you’re older.”

“Mum.”

“I’m fine, Grayson,” she argues lightheartedly, but I’m not pushing this aside anymore. It’s been going on for almost four years now.

My head shakes. “This isn’t fine. I think you need to see someone.”

“It’s just a headache.”

“But what if it’s not just headaches? What if it is something more serious?” I bite out.