TWELVE GRAYSON

T WELVE

G RAYSON

Grayson sat on the edge of the bed in the doctor's office. While he waited for the cardiologist to come in, he played on his phone. More so, he thought this was the time to look random things up on his phone, like if the bed he sat on was really called a "space saver cabinet treatment table." The next search was something he'd put off, thinking he was suave enough to figure it out on his own, but had failed miserably at, and that was romancing Reid. He'd been naive enough to think that asking her out on a date—which hadn't happened yet—would be enough to show her he was interested. Of course, he understood her hesitation. Hell, if the roles were reversed, he'd keep the cement wall up between them and throw away any tools she had for a possible teardown. Grayson had to find a way to let her know he was serious about the date and dating, because his subtle hints had continued to fall flat.

The doctor came in, followed by a nurse. Grayson tossed his phone onto the chair where he had left his shirt. He hated looking at his chest. The scar wasn't as gnarly as it had been, but it was still red in spots and sometimes itched like a bitch. Reid had bought him a cream to put on it, which seemed to work. Except she made him apply the cream instead of doing it herself. He didn't like that.

"Hello, Grayson. How are we feeling?" Dr. Wynn stood at the computer cart and clicked the mouse what felt like a million times. Grayson almost leaned over so the doctor would look at him but thought better of it. While he asked questions, his nurse took Grayson's temperature, checked his pulse and blood pressure, and asked him to stand on the scale. She relayed the numbers to the cardiologist.

"Good."

"How's the pain?"

Grayson shrugged. "Meh. Comes and goes. It's more like a shock or stabbing."

"That's going to be normal. How are the ribs?"

"They're good, I think. It's not like I do anything physical."

"What are you doing for exercise?"

"A lot of walking," Grayson told him. Between his mom and Reid, all they did was walk.

"Are you getting outside and enjoying the weather?"

Grayson nodded, even though the doctor wasn't looking at him. He also didn't seem to care, because he didn't ask him to repeat his answer. He came over and smiled at Grayson.

"Scar looks like it's healing nicely."

"Thanks. Reid gave me some cream she found. Seems to do the trick."

Dr. Wynn set his stethoscope to Grayson's chest. "Let's have a listen."

For the first two months after Grayson had received his new heart, he'd had to come to the doctor's every week for a biopsy to make sure his body wasn't rejecting his new heart. Knowing his body could quit his heart at any time had put the fear of God into him. He was determined to do right by the gift he'd been given. Even though he hated his new healthy eating, Reid had joined him on the change, and they ate dinner together every night. Grayson liked that it wasn't just him eating the bland diet; they were doing it as a couple ... well, a soon-to-be couple, if he had anything to say about it.

Dr. Wynn smiled as he moved the stethoscope around. "I love what I'm hearing."

"Thanks."

"Everything sounds as it should, but we're still going to follow up with an x-ray. I don't want to take any chances."

"Me neither, Doc."

Dr. Wynn sat down on his medical stool. "Any questions for me?"

Grayson nodded. "I'm curious about sex."

"Ah yes. Probably the most common question I get, and rarely covered during discharge. Generally speaking, twelve weeks is the standard, as long as you feel up to it. If you're not experiencing shortness of breath or fatigue, I'd say you're probably okay to engage in sexual activity."

For a moment, Grayson thought about asking his doctor if he could write that down, but then figured there was no point, at least not yet. He couldn't even get Reid to sit next to him on the couch like she used to—she was probably afraid she'd hurt him or something. Tonight, that would change. The old Grayson would emerge, the playful, fun-loving one Reid was used to.

And he'd tell her he was interested in her.

Somehow.

After he left, he went down to the lab to have his blood drawn, which he was tired of, and then went to radiology to have the x-rays done. Then, finished with his appointments, he texted his mom for a ride home and counted down the days to when he wouldn't need a babysitter. They'd given him the okay to do things on his own at six weeks, but his mother had insisted, and he didn't have the heart to tell her no.

Grayson sat outside on the bench and people-watched. Summer was in full bloom, and by the looks of things, it was surely going to be an amazing one. With a new lease on life, Grayson planned to embrace everything he could. Picnics in the park, romantic strolls, and anything else with Reid were at the top of his list.

When she came into view, he smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mom had some errands to run, and it's too nice to be at work."

For the first six weeks after his surgery, she'd been there every night with him. Reid had told Sydney it was easier for her to stay at Grayson's, since they lived in the same building, and besides, Sydney hadn't slept in her own bed in a long time.

When Grayson found out his mom had spent every night in his hospital room, he'd had mixed emotions. He loved his mother more than life itself, and he knew she would do anything for him and him her, but he hated knowing she'd slept on a cot or in an uncomfortable chair because of him. As soon as he was able, he'd asked Reid to buy his mom a weeklong getaway for her and Gilbert—a gift they hadn't yet taken advantage of.

On the Reid front, Grayson knew she'd also taken a lot of time off from work to be with him and had spent every evening in his room while Sydney ran home to eat and shower. After the way he'd treated her, in the sense of rebuffing her advances, Grayson knew he didn't deserve someone like Reid. Yet he wanted to change and prove to her that he did, or that he could be worthy of her love and affection, as a couple. The wall between them needed to crumble, and it would once he found a way to do it.

"Well, this is a beautiful surprise," he said as he reached for her hand. She gave it willingly for a second or two and then pulled away. Grayson stood, stretched, and slung his arm around her shoulders. This move wasn't out of the question for him, so the likelihood of her shrugging him off was slim.

"How was your appointment?"

"Great," he said enthusiastically. "Did the usual blood work and x-rays. The new ticker is doing its job. Doc says it sounds good, and I gotta tell you, Sully, I like the way it makes me feel."

"Sully" was the nickname he'd given her when they'd first met, and each time he called her "Sully," her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink, and she batted her eyelashes in response. Grayson was fairly sure she had no idea the latter happened, and he wasn't about to tell her.

"That's good," she said. "Anything else? Blood pressure good?"

"Perfect," he said. "Healthy as a horse."

"That's really great news, Grayson."

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. She stepped back and pulled him closer to her to clear the path for others. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Nothing at all, Sully." He pushed her hair off her shoulder and smiled. "Remember when I was in the hospital, and I asked if you wanted to go on a date?"

She gave him a noncommittal nod.

"I'm serious, Reid. That is, unless you don't want to explore this with me, which I'd totally understand."

"Grayson ..." She paused and bit her lower lip. "I don't think this is the place to have this conversation."

He looked up and down the street, and then across it. "Then we'll have it at the park or on the subway or at my apartment. It doesn't matter where, but we're having it unless you tell me you're not interested, because I'd get it if you weren't. I was a dick, and while I had my personal reasons for being such, that doesn't negate that I hurt you, and I want to fix things. Or make it up to you."

"Make it up to me or date me?"

"Both. One and then the other or at the same time. Whatever you'll allow."

Reid huffed and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. "Why now?"

"Because someone's given me the gift of life, a second chance at doing this the right way, and I don't want to waste a single second of it. And in all those seconds, I want them to be filled with you by my side. Not only as my best friend, but as a lover and partner as well."

She eyed him warily. He accepted the scrutiny. He deserved it and more. But he'd give her time, because he now had it in spades. As long as he maintained a healthy lifestyle, his new heart would give him another twenty years, and by then, advancements in medicine would afford him another twenty or so. Grayson wasn't worried.

They started walking again. At the street corner, when it was time for them to walk, he placed his hand in the middle of her back. He wanted to hold her hand but feared rejection. This was as good as it was going to get for the time being. If they were going to date or even have a relationship, he'd have to move at Reid's pace and not his. His pace of jumping right back into the sack wasn't going to work. They'd already been there, and his recollection of the night was nothing short of magical. He was the one who'd pumped the brakes on anything developing. Even a friends-with-benefits-type relationship. Those never turned out the way the parties thought they would. It was inevitable that someone would end up hurt.

Now all he had to do was not mess things up.

For the first time since his surgery, Grayson swiped his Metro card and boarded the subway. His healed incision allowed him more exposure to the elements and society. They found a two-seater and sat down. Normally, he would sit on the aisle. It was the right thing to do, but Reid insisted he sit near the window.

"There's always a chance someone comes by with a large bag or something and bumps you."

"My eyes still work," he told her jokingly.

She rolled hers for effect. "Humor me."

Grayson did, but not without some exaggeration.

For his part, he wouldn't have to change the way he approached her. He would still open the door for her, compliment her, and tease her, all the while turning on the romantic charm he'd kept hidden. He was ready to unleash the beast. To prove his point in a bold move, he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of hers. Despite the rumble of the train, there was no mistaking her intake of breath when his lips touched her skin.

"Don't do that," she told him.

"Do what?"

"Act like we were on our way to being this couple before you had surgery. We weren't." She didn't need to remind him. "There are things I want, Grayson. Things I need as a woman. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to do a lot better than telling me you want to date, that you want to be my partner, and kissing the back of my hand, for me to be all in."

He lifted his eyebrow, challenging her. "Okay."

"‘Okay'? That's the best you can come up with?" Reid rolled her eyes.

She was right. His response was lacking. He needed to shift his way of thinking. This wasn't Reid, his best friend. This was Reid, a woman he wanted to date. Grayson needed to approach the situation as if nothing had ever happened between them before. He was going to have to romance her. Wine and dine her.

Grayson was going to have to work. He nodded. "I see you, Reid Sullivan."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes again.

After transferring trains, and a few stops on the one that would take them to their apartment complex, they were out and walking up the street. Since his release, he hadn't walked much outside, mostly in the courtyard of the complex or from the car to the doctor's office.

Grayson kept his gait slow, savoring nature, the beauty of the city in which they lived, and being with Reid. An idea struck, and he stopped walking. She turned, and a look of horror washed over her.

"No, I'm okay," he told her before she could ask. "I just had an idea."

"And you couldn't say that before abruptly stopping and making me think something's wrong?"

"You're right, I'm sorry." Grayson cleared his throat. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Uh, making you dinner?"

Really? That's what her life had become—taking care of him? He had to change this because she didn't need to live like this. And neither did he.

"Tonight, we're going out," he told her, much to her surprise. Grayson took her hand in his. "Reid, would you like to go out with me tonight?"

She nodded. "Nothing crazy, though, okay?"

"I promise. Nothing outlandish." She'd kill him if he took her to a dance club. Not to mention, he wasn't sure his new heart was ready to get its groove on.

They climbed the stairs to their complex, and he held the door for her. Inside the elevator, he selected her floor, but not his, hoping she wouldn't question him. When they reached her floor, he walked her to her door. "I'll see you later."

"What time?"

He looked at his wrist, fully aware he didn't have a watch on, but he did so in hopes she'd call him out for being goofy. She didn't.

"I'll pick you up at five," he told her.

"We live in the same building," she reminded him. "I can come to your place."

He shook his head. "Absolutely not. This is a date. I'll pick you up." Grayson winked and strode toward the elevator. "Nothing fancy, Sully, but we'll have a good time."

At least he hoped.

In his apartment, he showered. Even though he'd done it before heading to the doctor, now he did it with a purpose. Tepid water splashed onto his scalp, wetting his dark hair and matting the ends to his face, and then it dripped down his back, buttocks, and legs and finally circled the drain.

Grayson watched the water swirl around the silver drain cap. He likened the motion to his life. His recycle phase. The ultimate second chance.

The water turned colder than he preferred, and Grayson adjusted the dial. He could easily spend all day in the water, something he'd learned to love during his teen years of being a lifeguard at the rec center near his childhood home. Being paid to swim whenever he wanted, flirt with all the good-looking girls, and blow his whistle when kids became too rowdy added up to the perfect summer job for him. Thankfully, he never had to use the lifesaving skills the organization had taught him.

Grayson washed and rinsed before shutting off the water. One of the dates he would plan with Reid would be a trip to the beach. She deserved a getaway. She'd gone way above what a friend or even best friend did for another person. Grayson needed to thank her in ways only he could do.

He shook his head, spraying water droplets onto the already damp walls. Only after he'd slid the door back did he realize he hadn't grabbed a towel—he was left with the choice of walking naked and wet to his linen closet or using the hand towel Reid insisted he keep in his bathroom.

"Hand towel it is," he muttered as he reached for the monogrammed cloth. He had a set of towels that matched—a gift from Reid last Christmas—but they weren't for everyday use, according to her. Household decorations were out of his realm. He didn't understand the need to put something in his apartment that he couldn't use. Reid and his mom had made his life hell when they'd shown up at his place with bags from HomeGoods.

Grayson rehung the dank towel on the towel bar, thought better of it, and took it, along with his clothes, to his hamper. If Reid used it to dry her hands after he'd used it to dry under ... Nope . He had far too much respect for her to allow that to happen.

In his bedroom, he stood in front of his closet, looking at his clothes. He'd lost a few pounds since his surgery, and most of his clothes were a bit baggy. Nothing a belt couldn't fix. He pulled a pair of jeans from the top shelf, reached for a white button-down, and set them on his unmade bed. He groaned at the sight of it.

Grayson pulled his sheet and comforter up. That was the best he'd do when it came to making his bed. At least for now. As much as he wanted Reid in his bed, he was going to have to move slowly on building this relationship, and rightly so.

He dressed in sweats while he made plans for the night. They'd start off with dinner at the new salad place that had opened up not far from their apartment. This would appease Reid in the quest to keep him healthy, and then they'd go to the movies. He thought that keeping it low key was the best way to start. Of course, he'd invite her over for another movie or just to chill on the couch. Whether she came in or not, he still planned to walk her to her door, and if the vibe was there, he'd kiss her good night. Just a peck. One that lingered. And possibly showed her some promise.