14. Gray #2
Avery moves fast. “Okay, who’s up for ice cream soon?”
Maddie’s head whips toward her, eyes lighting up. “Me! Me! Me!” She’s practically vibrating with excitement.
Avery nods. “Okay. Then leave that button alone.”
Maddie sighs dramatically, like it’s the greatest sacrifice of her life, and plops back into the chair, hands folded in her lap.
Jake stretches. “On that note, Grayson, I gotta get off. My bar won’t run itself. I’ll see you in a day or so.”
Before he even turns to leave, Maddie pipes up. “Uncle Jake, can I come with you?”
Three voices answer at the same time.
“NO!”
Jake raises an eyebrow, Maddie pouts, and Avery shakes her head with an amused sigh.
Meanwhile, I’m still stuck on the fact that Avery just dropped a nuclear bomb on me, and no one seems to realize I haven’t even reacted yet.
The next couple of hours fly by in a chaotic blur. Maddie, on a high with the sheer thrill of existing, is treating my hospital room like it’s her personal playground.
Avery spends most of the time trying—and failing—to rein her in. “Maddie, stop that,” and, “Maddie, put that down” is followed by, “Maddie, don't press that.”
It’s exhausting just watching it.
Finally, she grabs Maddie by the wrist and sighs. “Okay, enough. You wanted ice cream, right? Let’s go to the cafeteria.”
Maddie gasps like it’s the greatest idea anyone has ever had. “YES!” And then she sprints out the door, leaving Avery muttering about how she’s definitely going to regret this.
The moment they’re gone, the room is eerily silent.
A nurse comes in not long after, checking my vitals. As she adjusts the IV drip, I clear my throat. “I need to pee.”
She gives me a knowing look. “Mr. Hayes, you have a catheter in.”
I scowl. No one should ever say those words to me. Ever.
She sighs. “I’ll remove it.”
Well, it’s just as horrible as I expect.
By the time she’s done, my eyes are watering, my dignity is in ruins, and there’s a dull pain where the catheter used to be.
Still, I let the nurse assist me out of bed. I’m wobbling like a newborn deer, as she carefully steers me and my IV stand to the bathroom and leaves me to my business. My legs feel weak, and my head swims a little, but I push through.
As I relieve myself, the reality finally hits me.
I’m going to be a father. Avery’s baby. My baby.
The thought settles in my chest, and for the first time since she told me, it doesn’t feel terrifying. It feels… good. Warm. Like something I never knew I needed.
I finish up and the nurse gets me settled back in bed, Kat’s face flashes through my mind. This time, she’s smiling. I barely have time to process it before Maddie comes barreling back in, still vibrating from her sugar high.
Avery follows, looking one step away from losing her mind. “I’m gonna take this little one back now,” she breathes. “I’ll be back after that.”
I blink a small smile at her, and before she goes, Maddie marches over, puts her hands on her hips, and pokes me in the arm.
“You...DO know that when I came in with Uncle Jake yesterday, you just slept and ignored me? And THAT is not very nice.”
I sit up, grabbing her before she can storm off. I pull her in for a hug, her little body fitting perfectly against me. I whisper, “I’m sorry, Munchkin, and I love you. Now go on, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She pulls back, grinning. I can see the decision forming in her head—either throw a fit, start running laps, or behave like a decent human.
Miraculously, she chooses the latter.
“Love you, too,” she announces, then—with zero hesitation—she presses the emergency call button and runs out the door with Avery hot on her heels.
I stare after them, completely drained.
Sighing, I push the tray away—cold food isn’t worth the effort anymore—and shut my eyes.
I don’t even realize I’ve drifted off until I feel a hand in mine.
Blinking, I open my eyes. My tray is gone, and Avery is sitting next to me, looking flushed and slightly out of breath.
She must’ve just come in.
I lift a hand, gesturing for her to lean in. She hesitates, then slowly moves forward, avoiding the bandage on my cheek, until our lips meet in a soft, lingering kiss.
When we pull away, my voice is quiet. “Ms. Bennet, you’ve made me the happiest man alive. Me. A father.”
Avery’s breath hitches. Her eyes shine as she wraps her arms around me, her face pressing into my neck. I feel her tears—warm and damp against my skin.
“Gray…” Her voice shakes. “I didn’t know how you would react. I didn’t know whether to wait or… or what.”
I shut my eyes, feeling her against me, her hand still clasped in mine.
This moment—this insane, impossible moment—might just be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
***
Over the next week, I recovered bit by bit. The pain dulls, the dizziness fades, and I regain enough strength to move around without feeling like I’m about to collapse.
But the bandage stays—a reminder of why I did what I did. A reminder of what I would do again, without hesitation, if it meant keeping Maddie content and safe.
Avery is here through it all. She helps me sit up when I’m stiff, forces me to eat when I don’t feel like it, and bosses the nurses around when they take too long with my pain meds. She even sneaks in real food after I complain that hospital meals taste like shit.
Every moment with her, every look, every touch, every quiet moment between us, just solidifies what I already know—I want her. Not just for now. Forever.
And she’s carrying my child. Our child.
The thought destroys me in the best way possible.
***
Doctors say I can go home soon. Not soon enough for me. Night settles at the hospital into its usual nighttime quiet. The overhead lights are dimmed and the halls are hushed, except for the occasional sound of footsteps from the night staff.
Avery is sitting beside me, scrolling through her phone, comfortable, like she belongs here. Like she belongs with me.
I watch her for a second before tilting my head toward the door. “Lock it.”
She looks up. “What?”
I give her a small, slow smile. “Go on, lock the door.”
Her eyes flick toward the hallway, then back to me, something dark and knowing sparking behind them. She knows exactly what I mean.
She hesitates for half a second before standing, walking over, and quietly sliding the lock into place.
By the time she turns back to me, I’m already sitting up, careful with my movements. The second she’s within reach, I grab her wrist and pull her onto the bed.
“Huh,” she gasps, landing softly beside me, and I waste no time, cupping the back of her neck and bringing her mouth to mine.
At first, it’s slow. Soft. Deliberate. I kiss her like I have all the time in the world, like I want to memorize her lips, the way she breathes against me, the way her fingers press into my shoulders.
She shifts closer, and suddenly, slow isn’t enough.
I deepen the kiss, my hand slipping under her sweater, dragging my fingertips over the warm skin of her back. She shivers, her breath catching.
“Umm...” I groan against her mouth.
Her hands move to my chest, careful but wanting, exploring me like she’s afraid she’ll hurt me but desperate to touch me anyway.
I don’t want careful.
I grip her hips and pull her onto my lap.
She gasps, her fingers gripping my shoulders. “Gray—”
I cut her off with another kiss, claiming her, possessing her, and pouring everything I feel into it.
One thing leads to another, and suddenly, she’s tugging at my hospital gown, pulling it off my shoulders, exposing me.
I groan at the feeling of her hands on my bare skin. My fingers slip beneath her sweater, pushing it up, and when she lifts her arms, I strip it off her completely.
Her body. Jesus.
I run my hands down her sides, gripping her waist, pulling her tighter against me. “Gray...” she moans softly, rolling her hips, and I nearly lose it.
My bandage is still on, a reminder that I’m not at full strength, but nothing about this feels weak. Nothing about the way I want her is hesitant.