Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
They sat there until the lights came on, needing the small reprieve to get their emotions in check.
“Every time,” Reid said.
“I don’t think I’ve watched it since the first couple of times you made me. I certainly never cried before.”
No, he hadn’t. He’d been a tough guy, saying movies didn’t make him cry. She looked quickly at his chest and then to him, refusing to say what was on her mind. Had his new heart changed his feelings on sappy movies? Reid had read up on transplant patients, specifically with the heart. There was a strong chance Grayson would love new things and dismiss things he used to love. She was fine with that, as long as it wasn’t her.
They made their way back to their complex. It was a nice night out. Reid was able to ward off the chill in the air with her cardigan, and oddly enough, she felt warmth coming from Grayson.
They walked past an Italian restaurant. The windows were open, and they could hear the jazz music playing from inside. Instead of going in, Grayson took Reid’s hand and twirled her out in front of him. She giggled as he pulled her to his chest. Her hand rested over his heart, feeling it thump rapidly against her palm.
Slowly, she looked up at him and found him staring down at her. “I’m afraid.”
“I know,” he said as he began swaying them to the music. “You have every right to question my motives and intentions, Sully.”
She looked away, feeling her heart tug in a direction she wasn’t familiar with. Grayson caressed her face and then brought her chin toward him so he could look into her eyes.
“I want you to know,” he softly began, his voice barely louder than the low melodies from the jazz bar filtering through the night air, “I’m not here to play games or hurt you, Sully. I’m all in. Whatever you want.”
“There are things I want.”
“Give me the honey-do list.” Despite the seriousness of their conversation, he tried to make the situation lighthearted. She appreciated his efforts.
“Marriage,” she said, skipping the dating part. They’d spent enough time together. There wasn’t anything, at least not anymore, that they didn’t know about each other.
Grayson smiled. “Okay.”
“Kids.”
“Tell me when, and I’m there,” he said, smiling.
His words gave her pause. She looked into his eyes, seeking answers to questions she was afraid to ask. If she didn’t, though, Reid would always wonder. “Why now, Grayson?”
A glimmer of realization washed over his face. It was as if he’d waited for her to ask those two words, needing an explanation. He looked away briefly and then back at her.
“You know, I don’t remember much from the day I collapsed, but I remember some guy talking to you, and I was angry. At him. At you. When the only person I could be angry at was me. I made the decision to keep you at arm’s length because I thought I was protecting you. Protecting myself, in a way. It’s been the worst decision of my life. All it did was make me miserable, living each day worrying that it could be my last. Our last. Wondering when you’d come to me, telling me you’ve met someone, that you were finally done with my shit and leaving Wold or moving away.
“Everything you want, the house, the kids, I want that, too, and I want it with you. I hate being in the friend zone, but I did it because I didn’t want you to see me as broken and I didn’t want you to feel like you had to take care of me or have our relationship be about my care.” Grayson looked away for a moment and shook his head. “Reid, I’m probably not the brightest guy on the planet for what I’ve done, and you have every right to kick my ass to the curb, but I’m asking for one chance to show you, to prove to you that I’m in.”
Reid inhaled deeply and nodded. “No more back-and-forth,” she told him. “I can’t do the friends thing with you anymore.”
His gaze was gentle, understanding, and filled with a raw honesty that made her breath hitch. She felt an undeniable pull toward him that she couldn’t ignore. His fingers remained under her chin, delicately holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world.
“If you want me, want us, then I’m here.” He delicately brushed a strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Each second she spent in his presence felt like a warm embrace, making her nerve endings tingle. She watched as his eyes traced over her features and the grin that came when their eyes met. Reid had wanted him for a long time, and now that he was here, in front of her, all she had to do was take a leap.