Page 91 of Shattered Hearts

I sigh. “I can’t bring him into this, because…”

“Because?” she pushes.

“What if he leaves me like Scott?”

Macie’s warm features droop, her shoulders sinking. I wriggle my toes, keeping my anxiety at bay as best as I can.

“Do you really think he would do that to you?” she asks warily. “Because the Grayson I know wouldn’t. He adores you, L.”

“But adoring isn’t always enough,” I breathe, wiping my eyes again. “My biological father adored Mum. He was obsessed with her. Asking her out weekly until she agreed to go on a date with him, and the moment she fell pregnant with me, what did he do? He asked if she needed to keep me, and then he skipped town, leaving Mum to go through all of that alone.”

Macie shakes her head. “Grayson isn’t your dad, and he’s not Scott. He’s his own person, and he’s good. You know that.”

A sob escapes my throat as my lips tremble. “I want to think that, but all I can think about is what if he leaves? I wouldn’t be able to deal with that.”

She is silent for a long minute, her fingers stroking my hair. “What if he never leaves?” My ears perk up. “What if Grayson is who you are meant to be with, but it just came in a different order?”

“Do you really think that?”

She shrugs. “It’s up to you, Laynie. I’m not here to tell you what to think or do, but in my opinion, Grayson is exactly who you need. He’s hard-working, he takes care of you, and he will take care of your baby, even if it’s not blood related. I mean, look at Levi. He loved your mum and took you under his wing like his own child, and you see him as your dad. Why can’t Grayson be like that for your baby?”

I sniff again and nod. Macie always knows how to talk sense into me while I’m spiraling.

“You should talk with him about this. Lay it all out there. What have you got to lose?”

“My best friend,” I whisper roughly.

Macie smiles and shakes her head. “I don’t think so. I think your anxiety is holding you back from being completely happy, and Grayson is who will. Make. You. Happy,” she punches out, her finger poking my thigh with each syllable.

I swallow and nod again, hands digging through Freddie’s fur to ground myself.

“You’re not going to lose him, and do you know how I know that?”

“How?”

Her smile deepens. “Because he has asked me every single morning and evening about you since he found out about your baby, Laynie. He wants to know everything. He wants to be a part of its life.”

I choke on another sob as her arms curl around my neck. “I didn’t know that.”

“He didn’t want me to tell you. I think he wanted to give you some space to figure all of this out, but he loves you, Laynie. And he loves your baby—”

She’s cut off by her phone ringing. Sighing, she tugs it out of her jacket pocket before declining. “It’s just Reid. He can—”

The calling starts again and she frowns at the screen.

“Maybe you should get it.”

She shakes her head. “If it’s important, he’ll call again or he will text me. I want to—”

Her phone lights up a third time, and I watch Macie freeze.

The Lawsons have only a few rules in their household. One is no shoes inside. The second is to always respect each other’s space. The third, and possibly the most important, is phone calls. If you’re calling to chat, only call once. A second time is for something urgent or business related. But a third time is reserved for emergencies.

My throat bobs as Macie answers, “Reid?”

I can hear him on the other end of the line, but I can’t make out the words, but from the look on Macie’s face, I can tell that something bad has happened.

“Where is she?” Macie asks, shuffling to her feet and grabbing her bag off the floor. Her wide eyes meet mine. “Laynie and I are on our way. We’ll be there in thirty minutes.”