Expecting (Grayson Dolan)

Chapter 5

Grayson's heart seemed to stop completely in his chest. He was going to be a dad? Grayson adored kids, and he most definitely wanted to have kids of his own one day. But, he didn't know that that day would be today. He gulped, trying to remember how to form words so he could reply to Lauren. "Y-You're sure?" His chest was tight with emotion, and his voice cracked when he spoke through his tears.

Lauren scoffed. "I mean, you have the proof in your hands right now. But, I'm pretty sure that I have to make a doctor's appointment and they'll let me know for sure." She watched Grayson warily, not sure how he would react. He wiped away his tears and sniffled.

After a minute, he sighed deeply, handing the tests back to her. Lauren didn't say anything, but she stuffed the tests back in her purse, standing up and slinging the bag over her shoulder. "Make sure you hold onto those." He told her quietly, and she stopped in her tracks.

"Why?" Her own voice was quiet in return, and she felt a lump of emotion forming in her throat.

"So, we can show our parents when we tell them the news." He said, and that's when the tears began to spill out of her eyes.

"You want to stay with me? And keep our baby?" She sobbed, sitting back down on the couch, one hand covering her eyes while the over was placed protectively over her still flat stomach.

"Lauren, of course I want to stay with you, and I'd never ask you to get rid of our baby. I love you and our little bean." He said, laying his large hand over hers, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. She snorted out a laugh.

"Bean?" She asked through her giggles, and Grayson had to chuckle in response. He wrapped his girlfriend up in his arms, kissing her face.

"Well, yeah, isn't he super tiny right now? A bean is pretty tiny." He defended himself, and Lauren's ears pricked up at the pronoun that he chose to use.

"You said he. You want a boy?" She asked, curling up into his side.

"I wouldn't mind having a boy. I could teach him how to throw a football, and how to wrestle, and how to talk to girls." Lauren smiled, imagining a tiny little Grayson Dolan running around. "Hey Laur?" He asked, and she hummed. "Can we tell Ethan?"

She hesitated, not knowing what to say. Ethan had a big mouth, she didn't know if she could trust him with a secret this important, but he was Grayson's twin and her best friend. "We can tell him tonight at dinner if you want. But let's get him a gift or something to surprise him with." She suggested, and Grayson grinned widely.

"Let's go pick it out now!" He cheered, standing up and gently pulling Lauren up alongside him. He didn't realize, but one of his large hands was still on Lauren's stomach, as if it could guard their tiny baby from the dangers of the outside world. He didn't realize that he was doing it, but Lauren did.

Grayson ordered pizza for dinner, not wanting to give Ethan his gift in public just in case he made a scene. "E! Pizza's here!" He shouted, sitting the two boxes on the counter after paying and tipping the delivery guy. Ethan came in a few moments later, dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie with messy hair. He grabbed a plate and two pieces of his pineapple pizza, nudging Lauren gently as he walked by her.

"Ethan, come eat with us in the kitchen instead of your bedroom. We have a little gift for you." Lauren said, and Ethan shrugged, dropping his body down into a chair.

"What kind of gift?" His voice was apprehensive, and Lauren could understand why. The number of pranks that the boys played on each other was unreal, so it was safer to stay on guard in this house. Lauren handed Ethan a small yellow gift bag, and he sat down his pizza and wiped his hands on a napkin to rid them of pizza grease. He slowly pulled out the paper that was stuffed inside, dropping it onto the floor. He pulled out a dark blue shirt, his eyebrows furrowed as his eyes focused on the wording.

"World's Greatest Uncle?" He read out loud, the confusion evident in his tone. The couple didn't say anything, they just grinned at Ethan, who stuck his hand back in the gift bag. His mouth went dry when he grabbed another cloth, and he pulled it out and stared at it. Lauren was recording the entire process, snapping a few photos on Grayson's phone as well.

"I Have the World's Greatest Uncle." He read off the tiny white baby onesie, this time his voice cracking slightly. "Are you guys going to have a baby?" He finally asked, and Grayson nodded, giving his older brother a grin.

"Surprise!" He said, and Ethan tackled his brother in a hug, clapping his large hand against his back.

"I'm going to be an uncle." Ethan choked out, and Lauren had to wipe away her own tears. When the two separated, Lauren snapped another photo, with the two boys staring at each other, tears evident on both of their cheeks. "Lauren! You're going to be a mommy!" He said, going to hug her tightly before hesitating. "Uh.." He murmured, gently wrapping his arms around her torso.

"Ethan, I'm fine. You won't hurt us." She reassured him, hugging him back and handing Grayson her phone. He took a picture of the best friends and sat the phone down on the counter with his. "So, you're excited for us?" She asked, grabbing herself a plate and picking up a piece of pepperoni pizza and a piece of pineapple pizza.

"Of course, I am, you two are gonna be bomb parents. That kid is going to be spoiled, that's for sure." Ethan chuckled, watching as Lauren took a piece of pineapple and wrapped it in a pepperoni before popping it in her mouth. When he looked at Grayson, he just shook his head with a smile, staring at his girlfriend adoringly. "When are you going to tell mom and dad?" Ethan asked.

"I think I want to wait to tell our parents after I go to the doctor. That way I can have an ultrasound picture to show them." Lauren told him, taking a large bite of her pizza and looking at Grayson for confirmation.

"That sounds good to me. Do you know when we can get an ultrasound done?" Grayson asked, and Lauren pursed her lips.

"I'll have to call my gynecologist and see what she says. I know that the vitamins are important, so I'm glad that we picked those up at the store earlier. I'll call the doctor tomorrow." Lauren assured Grayson, who nodded, finally grabbing some dinner for himself.

Lauren went to put the dishes in the dishwasher after they had finished eating, but Grayson grabbed them from her. "Let me do it, you go sit down and rest." He said, shooing her away from the sink.

"Grayson, I'm not that pregnant yet. Give me a few more months and then you can do all of my chores." She said, giving him a wink and a giggle. Grayson rinsed the dishes off in silence, before putting them in the dishwasher. He leaned against the door of the appliance after and dried his hands off when he was finished, and Lauren watched him in adoration. She knew that her boyfriend was beautiful, and that there were thousands of girls that would kill to be in her place.

"Lauren, are you even listening to me?" He asked, chuckling at her. She gave a cheeky grin in response.

"Just enjoying the view, babe. What were you saying?" She said, supporting her chin with her hand as she leaned against the table.

"Would you want to move in with us?"

Lauren raised her eyebrows in shock, not expecting his question. As she thought about it, it made sense to move in now before it was too difficult for her to do everyday tasks. "Seriously, you mean it?" She asked Grayson.

"Of course, baby. I want you and my bean as close to me as possible." He said, pulling her in close to his side.

"I'd love to move in with you, Gray. Are you sure Ethan won't mind?" The last thing that she wanted to do was cause any tension between the two.

"Nah, we've talked about you moving in before. He doesn't care." Grayson reassured her, but Lauren felt her stomach clench. A baby was going to be a lot of work, and they were messy and noisy. Ethan was very particular about his space and how he wanted things, and she was worried that a baby would interfere with his life. "Lauren, I mean it. He won't care. You can ask him if you want. We talked about it a few minutes ago when you went to the bathroom."

Tears built up in Lauren's eyes, and she knew that it was the hormones again.

"Can we put the nursery in Nolan's room?" She joked, and Grayson laughed loudly as he scooped his girlfriend up and carried her to the couch.

"Whatever you and bean want, baby girl."