Chapter Thirty-Five
Grayson
It’s been a week since Mum was taken to emergency, and she’s already back to her upbeat self, mixing up cookies in the kitchen.
Grabbing a drink of water after morning duties, I lean against the bench and watch as she turns on the stand mixer and continues with the batter, humming to herself. With her air of easiness, you’d hardly think that she just came out of hospital after a seizure.
I’m just glad she’s feeling herself again. It was a scary few days there when she was recovering and feeling lethargic.
“How are you feeling, Mum?” I ask, sipping on my glass.
She spins, giving me one of her famous wide smiles that are infectious. I feel my own mouth twitch. “I’m feeling okay. Just working on a new batch for the weekend. Aspen has a friend coming over,” she says in her bubbly tone.
I snort a laugh. “Aspen’s already bringing friends over? She must be a little social butterfly.”
“Oh, she is. They all love her at childcare, although Holden hates dropping her off. I think he’s the attached one.”
My head shakes. “Nah, Aspen wouldn’t last a day without him. They’re like two peas.”
“Well, he is her dad. Of course she’s attached to him.” Mum smiles, her eyes trailing out the kitchen window at the countryside beyond. “I always wanted to have a daughter.”
“Well, sorry to disappoint,” I chide.
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.”
“Right.”
“And I wanted to help Knox’s family after…”
Reid quirks a brow.
I exhale. “Their dad left a few years ago, and their mum is struggling a bit.”
My brother’s face scrunches, and I know he understands how hard it is for kids without parents. Macie lost both of hers, and it added so much extra stress to her life.
“Okay. Let’s help her, after she secures the building. We can help with renovations,” Reid agrees.
My grin grows. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I want to help Knox and Paisley. I like them.”
I sniff a laugh, patting my palms on the desk. “We probably shouldn’t tell Cole we’re helping them, should we?”
“Oh, no. He’ll be out there tomorrow with a bulldozer for his racetrack.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I swiftly pull it out.
BISCUIT: Mum is asking if you want to come over for dinner tonight?
BISCUIT: I will also need your help with building the cot :)
“I’m sorry, is there something more important than this meeting?” Reid interrupts before I can send my response.
“Yeah, Laynie. She’s most important.”
He laughs. “And to think that months ago you were mad about Macie and I falling in love. Now look at you.”
I feel heat flush up my neck as Reid shakes his head, smothering a grin. “Yeah, well, I get it now.”
He smiles and holds out his hand across the table. “Good, and welcome to the whipped boyfriends club.”
My eyes roll, but I shake his hand because it’s probably true. But I don’t think I’d mind being whipped by Laynie.
“I think that bolt goes in there,” I say as Levi struggles to attach the base to the sides.
He groans, twisting the screwdriver with all his might before dropping it, the bolt falling through the slot. Huffing, he picks up a bigger one and tries again.
Laynie sticks her head through the doorway. “How’s it going in here?”
“I wish I could say good,” I grit out as I hold three wooden pieces in place as Levi takes his time connecting them. “But we’re still figuring out the bolts and screws.”
“Oh,” she breathes, stepping into the room, arms resting on her bulging stomach that makes me smile. It’s getting bigger every day, which seems positive. We’ll find out Wednesday if I’m right. “I just wanted to see because dinner will be done in ten minutes.”
“So will we,” Levi promises, grabbing another screw.
I sigh. “I should have brought my drill with me.”
“We don’t need a drill. I have hands,” Levi insists.
Laynie sniffs a laugh as I roll my eyes.
“It would take us a third of the time,” I retort, slightly amused.
Levi tsks. “Nonsense, we’re almost done.”
“If you say so…” Laynie drawls before heading back out into the kitchen where Sadie and her mum are busy preparing everything.
Levi and I manage to finish off the cot, and I put the mattress in, my stomach melting at how small it is before popping out to see the table set and covered with plates.
“Just in time,” Laynie says, grabbing my hand and leading me over to the table where Sadie is waiting patiently. Levi and Violet take their seats in the mismatched chairs, and we dig in before everything gets cold.
“How come the blow-up mattress is gone?” I ask Laynie between mouthfuls.
Violet answers for her, “Sadie will be sleeping on the couch before she finds her own place.”
Sadie nods slowly.
I frown. “On the couch?”
“Yeah,” Laynie lets out, equally unenthused as her cousin.
“It’s the best we can offer. We don’t have a massive house,” Levi explains, “and there’s not much in the area that’s in Sadie’s price range.”
My frown deepens as I swallow another mouthful, my brain ticking. “Why don’t you stay at the ranch until you find something?”
Sadie’s gaze flicks between Laynie and I. “I don’t mind the couch.”
“Are you sure?” Laynie asks.
Her cousin shakes her head. “I will be fine here.”
I slump a little, before turning to look at Laynie. “How about you?”
She swallows loudly, meeting my eyes. “What about me?”
“How about you move onto the ranch and Sadie can stay here.”
“Do you think it’s best?” Levi questions.
Violet smacks his hand before throwing me a smile. “As much as I would love to have another baby in the house, I think you two should be living under the same roof. It’ll be easier for the baby.”
“But Austin and Hazel live there,” Laynie points out.
Violet’s smile falters. “Well, I can always call and ask them what they think is best.” She looks between Sadie and Laynie. “Either Sadie moves in, or Laynie with the baby when it’s born.”
Levi nods, and I bite into another slice of potato. “We’ll talk with them after dinner. Let’s just enjoy ourselves. Why don’t you tell us about your work, Sadie?”
She nods, her lips curling upward before she dives into a story about one of the other teachers at the dance school that seems to have it out for her. My knee jiggles beneath the table, and I feel Laynie’s hand on my thigh. It’s small and warm on my skin, making my nerves stop.
She gives me a look to say, so what do you think? I smile.
Leaning over, I whisper into her ear, “I think we should do what makes you more comfortable, Biscuit. If it’s here, then I’ll move here. If it’s at the ranch, then we can move your stuff there.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“I’d rip off my arm if you needed it," I admit softly.
Her smile grows, teeth showing. It’s infectious.
“You’re so sweet,” Laynie murmurs.
I snort a laugh. “Good to know that handing you my arm is sweet.”
“Always so morbid...” she drawls, repeating my earlier words, and I chuckle roughly. She holds onto her stomach, brows bunched as she lets out a surprised laugh.
My back straightens. I stare at her, a little confused.
Violet grins. “Oh, let me feel.” Her mum covers Laynie’s stomach with her hand, and I wait to see what happens. She giggles. “Gosh, it has a good kick on it.”
Laynie nods before looking at me. “Do you want to feel? It’s kicking.”
Smiling, she takes my hand and places it over her long sleeve top. I wait for one heartbeat. Two heartbeats. Kick.
A huff bubbles out when I feel it again. “He’s strong.”
Laynie’s eyes widen. Violet frowns. “We don’t know if it’s a boy yet.”
I chew on my lip when it kicks again, stealing my attention.
This is totally freaking awesome.