Protecting Love (LarssonSiblingSeries #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY

Betty

I'm not paying attention when I walk into the restaurant, too hung up on thinking about Finn. I say my name to the head of house, following him towards the table I booked. I'm in two minds whether to rush back outside to catch the car before Finn leaves when mama's voice steals my attention.

"My Betty," she squeals, struggling to get out of her seat to dash over to me. "Surprise, my love."

I run forward, stumbling a step or two when we meet in the middle. "You're here?"

"Yes, oh, I've missed you. It's not the same with you so far away," she grabs me back into her arms and buries her nose in my hair. "Even your smell."

I laugh closing my eyes at her love, absorbing every morsel. "I miss you too."

"You do?" she says.

"You know I do," I reply, squeezing her extra tight.

Mama giggles. "Yes, I do. I better let you say hello to the others. They'll tell me off in a minute."

"Others?" I say in a faint voice, glancing up to see Dad, Noah and Bailey all sitting around the table.

"Hey," they say in unison, and I'm jumping on the spot like I have springs stuck to my feet.

"You guys," I shout, making an idiot of myself by running through the restaurant, arms in the air.

Dad's the first one to stand up, picking me up, so my feet leave the ground. "Surprise, honey. I said we wanted to be more involved and I meant it."

"I didn't expect for you to fly all the way out here," I reply.

"It's no hardship, is it. We're booked into the penthouse next to yours, so we can swap rooms when we want. I hope you've tried the ice cream here."

We pull back, and I get a better look at his face. I wink. "I was waiting for you to help me sample the flavours."

"That's a job I'm willing to do. You free tomorrow?"

I laugh at his enthusiasm. "All day."

"Perfect," he plants a kiss on my forehead. "Missed you, darling."

My parents are a pair of soppy sods, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Come here," Noah says, crushing his arms around me so hard I struggle to breathe. "How're things?"

I hug back just as hard, knowing how low he and Bailey must be feeling about the fertility troubles. "Good. And, you? Have you heard any more from the doctors?"

"No, we go to see the specialist next week. It's looking like the only option is surgery."

I just hope he isn't blaming himself again. "What about the tablets you told me about?"

"They aren't sure If the cysts in her tubes is actually a growth. We need to go for more tests. There are abnormalities on her ovaries too."

I glance over at Bailey and see her laughing with Laine. "Oh, dear. What kind of growth?"

"Tissue, which would lead us to believe it's endometriosis."

I feel my face fall. "I'm sorry, Noah."

He sighs. "It is what it is. There isn't much point in worrying now. We know there are other avenues we can go down regarding having a baby. I just want Bailey feeling good again. The pain she's in is horrendous at times. We ended up staying in the hotel room for the first week of our honeymoon because her period was so bad. It's no fun for her at all."