Neurosis || Grayson Dolan - Book Two

II

Your POV

The medical hospital was drowned in the endless white, making your red sweatshirt pop with color.

"She's in here" Grayson says with a hint of excitement in his voice. He points to the nursery where tens of other babies were cuddled up in pink and blue blankets. He reads the name tags on the ends of their cribs, his eyes lighting up when he sees 'Bailey Dolan' on a pink card.

"Right there" he pulls you close with his right arm, pointing to her crib with his left. "Isn't she beautiful" he asks, joyful tears collecting in his eyes. Your left hand wraps around the base of his back and your head nestles into his chest.

"She is" you agree.

Grayson lets out a proud sigh, "i can't wait to take her home." His face held a large grin as he took in the beauty of his pride and joy. His daughter. The one thing he could be proud of in his lifetime. "We should go shopping for some baby stuff, huh" he asks you, glancing down into your eyes.

"Yeah, maybe" you giggle, looking through the thick glass at Bailey. She was adorable.

Grayson puts his hand on the glass, speaking softly to his daughter, "i love you so much, Princess. Daddy will be back."

It was the cutest thing you'd ever seen in your life. Such a dominant, scary man - caught off guard by a baby that's barely a few days old. He was so gentle and loving.

Grayson's hand takes yours and he leads you out of the hospital, a large smile on his face as you two reach his car. "Where should we head first?" He asks, opening your door for you.

You stall for a second, "Maybe Babies R Us?"

(A/N: pretend it didn't go out of business. When i wrote this, it was still a functioning store)

He nods his head and waits for you to get into the car, closing the door for you after you're in. He circles the Bronco, getting into the passenger seat with a bright-eyed outlook "Fuck, i'm excited for the next eighteen years of my life."

You giggle at how wrong he is about that, but let it go. The teen years will be hell for him to handle. "Alright, Dad. Tone it down" his smile turned into a sinister smirk when he heard those words leave your mouth.

"I guess you can call me Daddy more often now, baby."

You rest your elbow on the ledge of the car window and place you head on it - looking at Grayson right after. "And why is that?"

He leans in a little, turning the key in the ignition, "because i am one."

-

The store wasn't too crowded, seeing as there was no special gift-giving holiday around the corner. There were a few parents with their children, picking out toys and outfits.

An older couple, maybe in their fifties were putting a cart away when you went to grab one, the nice lady beaming at you when she saw Grayson. "Are you two expecting?" She asks, a certain gleam in her eyes.

"Actually w-"

"Yes, we are." Grayson cuts you off, smiling at the nice lady. He probably figured that tell her he had a kid with someone else was too much.

She put her hand over her heart, glancing at her husband. "How sweet. We were shopping for our niece who will be born in December" she smiles widely. "Can never be too prepared."

You nod and smile in agreement as her husband escorts her out to their car. "Cute couple" Grayson blurts as you two go through the outfits.

"Yeah. Would've been cuter if she didn't think i was pregnant" you smile at him sarcastically, lightly slapping his bicep. Of course it did nothing.

"Who knows, baby" he says before placing his lips dangerously close to your ear, a whisper coming out of them, "you could be after last night."

His teeth lightly graze your earlobe while his hands trace your hips. You lean your head back into him and smile, closing your eyes. "Let's stick with one baby for now, yes?" you ask him.

He nods in agreement and you open your eyes again, searching for newborn outfits for a little girl. A bright pink onesie that said 'Daddy's Girl' on it caught your eye and you reached for it, showing Grayson.

He grimaced, "if you'll be calling me Daddy, i don't think my daughter should wear that." He says, picking it out of your hand to place it back on the rack. "But i'm sure we could find one in your size somewhere" he says.

"You're gross, Dolan."

Right after you said that, a man came around the shelving of toys, eyeing you two. "Grayson Dolan" he says in a threatening tone.

You cower beside Gray, clutching onto his arm for comfort. "Mr. Adams..."

You recognized that name-Adams-and his face but you couldn't pinpoint it.

"They really let you out of there" the man says in disbelief. He disapprovingly shook his head, eyeing you next. "Who's that? Your next victim?"

That's when you remembered. His face was familiar because he was at Grayson's trial. A cop, Officer Adams. As in Stacey Adams.

Her father.

"My girlfriend" Grayson corrects the man, clenching his fists at his sides. "I'd never hurt her."

Mr. Adams scoffed and became angry very quickly, "well my daughter was your fiancé and you killed her."

"She cheated on me" he defends.

You felt your stomach twist in disgust while he brought up Grayson's daunting past. Mr. Adams' eyes direct to the cart, seeing baby clothes inside. "What the hell is this? You got her pregnant?"

Grayson obnoxiously exhales, not wanting to justify himself to this man. "Have a nice day, Steve" Grayson says before turning the cart around to walk away.

You could tell he was mere seconds from exploding. The squeak of the cart was enough for you to blow your top, but he kept his cool. "Gray" you say in a soft tone, watching his chest rise and fall quickly while he tries to control his breathing.

He had teary eyes and his hands were shaking. He sniffled a little and gripped the cart, knuckles turning a ghostly white. "Grayson" you say in a steeper tone, caressing his bicep.

"I'm sorry, i just-"

You cut him off, knowing what just happened wasn't his fault. He didn't start it. "Shh, baby no. It's not your fault" you hug him, your face only reaching to his chest since the man was over six foot.

He wrapped his arms around the back of your neck, pulling you closer if possible. "I love you" he whispers softly.

Your heart stammered in your chest and you smiled, "i love you too, Dolan."

"Good." he says before pulling from the embrace, smiling at you while his red eyes did the same. "Now let's get some baby shit" he smirks, turning around in the aisle to look at the different clothes.

You laugh at the way he said it, like he wasn't at all trying to be funny... It just happened.

That never happened inside the facility he was in. He was constantly on-edge and felt under attack.

Hopefully it'll get better with time, seeing as this morning wasn't exactly a perfect wake for him.

You silently pushed the cart behind him, watching his tall built body move from side to side as he walked. His hazel eyes were caught in bright pink and purple outfits while you grabbed bottles, binkies, bibs, etc.

If your mom were here, she'd flip the hell out.

"Isn't this cute" Grayson asks, holding up a yellow onesie that said 'Mommy's twin' on it.

Your heart ached as you realized everything you were doing was wrong. You weren't Bailey's mom. You were her fill-in. And if she ever sees that you two don't look alike, she'll ask questions - assuming you and Grayson make it that far.

"Yeah" you say quietly, faking a smile for him. That was all you could do. Fake it until you make it.

Word count: 1353