Page 98 of Shattered Hearts

She scoffs, hitting me lightly with the tea towel. “I didn’t mean it that way. You all know I love you all, but there’s just something different about having a daughter.” Her hands wring the towel slowly. “Does Laynie know what she’s having?”

I shake my head. “She wants to be surprised.”

“As she should. It’s the best surprise in the world.” She steps closer, patting me on the shoulder. “You’re being a good man, Grayson. Your father and I were best friends before we got together, and I think there’s something beautiful in that.”

Dad managed to spill the news of Laynie and I getting caught making out before we pulled up at the ranch. To say that they were happy for me would be an understatement. I’m surprised there weren’t party poppers at the ready for when I walked through the door. Mum was informed the following morning when we went to visit her in hospital.

Sucking in a breath, I smile down at her kind, wrinkled eyes. “There is something nice about it. I can’t explain what…”

“It’s history and chemistry,” Mum answers, moving to turn off the mixer. “You’ve stuck together this long, so you know you can handle each other through anything. Even with the baby situation, you could have easily said you wanted to stay out of it, or not help her, but you didn’t. That shows how much you care about her.”

“I do care about her,” I admit, voice low. “I care about her a lot.”

“See. You’ll be great together. I called it when you were only seven.”

My eyes widen. “Seven?”

She snickers. “Yeah. You two were outside bickering over whose rope knot was better for at least ten minutes. Your dad and I were watching the two of you making up and running towards the creek. I looked at your dad, and he nodded in agreement, and we both knew that something would happen. Sometimes you can just see it.”

“I didn’t see it.”

Looking over her shoulder, Mum rolls her eyes. My tongue pokes the inside of my cheek as she points out, “Usually the two in love won’t see it. Love is blind, as they say, both when you know it and when you don’t.”

I hum quietly, walking over and dipping my fingers in the bowl. She smacks them away and pushes me out of the kitchen. “Ugh, this is why I wanted a daughter. She would have kicked some sense and manners into all of you.”

That makes me chuckle. “We are gentlemen, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Not when you poke your fingers in my food. I hope you don’t do this to Laynie when she’s baking.”

“Never,” I breathe out, then laugh. “I just break her eggs instead.”

The back door slides open, and Holden, Cole, and Reid trample in. Toeing off their boots, they crowd the kitchen, making coffees and grabbing snacks as Mum swats them all away from her cookies.

“You lot are like seagulls.”

Reid snorts as Cole claps back, “Yeah, but loveable seagulls who are hard-working boys.”

Her eyes tumble again, and I chuckle loudly.

Reid pours himself a coffee and looks at me. “Want one?”

I nod.

He makes it the way I like it before asking me to sit with him in the small office below the stairs. As soon as we are seated with the door closed, Reid gets right into it like the blunt person he is. “I want to know more about this bookshop idea.”

A smile gleans my features as I lean my elbows on the desk between us. “I was talking with Knox. His mum is wanting to buy the old wine store and turn it into a bookstore, but she’s a little behind with money. I know we have some to work with here, so I thought we could help her out by sponsoring the store.”

Reid leans back in his chair, considering my proposition. “Do ranches normally sponsor stores?”

I shrug, folding my arms. “Why can’t we? If it’ll help her.”

He hums quietly, his teeth chewing on the inside of his cheek. I know he’s thinking it over, hard. “Macie has talked about her opening the bookshop. She wants to work there.”

“She works at Golden Hour,” I interject.

Reid shrugs. “Maybe she’ll do both? I don’t know.” He sighs. “I’m surprised you aren’t asking for us to sponsor Golden Hour.”

I shake my head. “The bakery is doing very well on its own.”