THIRTY-THREE REID

T HIRTY -T HREE

R EID

As soon as she hung up with Grayson, she looked at flights and cringed at what one would cost tomorrow. Still, she put her credit card information in and processed the charge, and then got out of bed to pack. She could take a couple of sick days and not have to worry about anything. Besides, she wanted to be with Grayson, and she sensed that he needed her there. He was nervous about telling Nadia the real reason he'd reached out, and Reid wanted to be there to support him. Maybe to even prove Grayson was a stand-up guy, although Nadia should already know that. Reid just wanted to be with him.

She got very little sleep and was at the airport by three in the morning to catch her five o'clock flight to Boston. If she'd planned everything perfectly, she'd be at Grayson's hotel by the time he woke up, surprising him. Of course, for everything to happen as she'd planned, her flight and rideshare would need to be on time. One could hope.

As soon as her flight touched down, she got off the plane as fast as the people in front of her would allow and rushed through Logan, following the signs to the rideshare lot. She dodged people, bumped shoulders, and apologized profusely for being rude. When she finally made it outside, she saw a line of cars waiting for passengers. She got in, gave the address, and then watched the clock like a hawk. Grayson would call her when he woke up, and she wanted to be anywhere but in the back seat of the car.

Reid ran from the car, through the lobby, and into the elevator. She got to his floor and speed-walked until she came to his room number. With her hand poised to knock, the door opened, and Grayson stood there, in shock. Slowly, his face morphed. He didn't ask any questions as he reached for her and brought her into his room.

Grayson spun her around, cupped her face, and pressed his lips to hers. She dropped her bag and pushed her hands under his shirt. He tugged her sweatshirt and shirt over her head and unclasped her bra, freeing her breasts. He pressed his warm hands against her lower back and lifted her off the floor. She hooked her legs around his waist and pulled them even closer together. Grayson cupped her ass in his hands and squeezed. She moaned against his lips.

"I'm so happy you're here," he said in between kisses as he set her down on the bed.

"Me too."

He ran his hands over her smooth body and then sat back on his knees, pulled his shirt over his head, pushed his shorts down his legs, and tugged her favorite yoga pants down her legs, then took off her shoes and tossed everything onto the floor. Reid laughed at his urgency but welcomed it too. He hovered over her, looking into her eyes.

"Best surprise ever," he told her.

"The best." She smiled.

Grayson pressed his lips to hers and then to her neck, stopping to suck on the skin of her neck. She shivered at the sensation. He continued his way down, between her breasts, and then circled each of her nipples with his tongue.

Reid groaned and arched her back, pressing her breasts against his mouth. Grayson took one breast into his mouth, and then the other. He sucked on her nipples until she begged for more, and then he kissed his way back up to her lips. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

"So beautiful," he whispered as he kissed a line down to her belly button. Reid moaned out loud, shifting once again. She tangled her fingers in his dark, soft hair.

He positioned himself at the entrance to her body with one hand while he used the other to hold himself steady against her as he slowly pushed inside her. Grayson swore as he moved his hips, creating a steady rhythm for them, drawing out a slight moan from her as she arched into his movements.

Grayson smirked, which only turned her on more.

"You're so full of yourself," she managed to say in between thrusts.

"No, honey. You're full of me."

She intended to roll her eyes, but instead they fluttered, which resulted in a chuckle from the man doing things to her body that only he could do. He could make her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world when he looked at her, but also make her feel like a vixen when they were together like this. He knew how to make her body do things she'd only read about in books.

They peaked, and as they came down from their euphoric high, sunlight blasted through their window. Reid looked toward the beam of light and gasped. "The curtains were open this entire time!" She scrambled to pull the comforter over her body.

Grayson looked over his shoulder and chuckled. "Oops."

She slapped his chest. "Oops?"

He shrugged and pulled her to his body. "I'm sure no one saw anything, and if they did, they're definitely jealous."

"Of you or me?" Her eyebrow raised.

"Definitely me." Grayson kissed her and seemed ready for another round until his phone rang. He groaned and covered her body with his while he searched the floor for his phone.

"Who is it?"

"Kiran," he told her as he silenced the call. He moved back to his side and tucked her in next to him.

"That's the best friend, right?"

"Yeah, nice guy. I like him. I'm helping him do some stuff around the house—fixing some loose boards, cleaning out the gutters, and doing basic maintenance. Things her brother should've done but hasn't. Which I honestly don't get."

"Maybe he's not handy."

"Maybe, but figure it out." Grayson shrugged. "I can't wait for you to see the neighborhood they live in. It's cute and something I'd like us to work toward."

"You want to move out of the city?"

He nodded. "Eventually. We want to start a family, and while I enjoy what we have, I think kids need a place to play. Yes, there are parks, but yards are nice to have as well."

Reid ran her fingers through his hair. "We should get going."

Grayson groaned again. "Honestly, I'd rather be a tourist today."

"Tomorrow," she said as she kissed him.

"Tomorrow it is, then."

They dressed, grabbed breakfast, and then headed to Nadia's with a dozen doughnuts. Reid was nervous to meet the girls. Grayson was all about the kids and had stressed how important they were to him, which also posed a problem because he still hadn't told Nadia why he was truly there.

Grayson parked along a curb but didn't turn the car off.

"Are we here?"

"No, their house is up the street," he told Reid. "I've been thinking about what you've said and how I need to tell Nadia. I agree with you: she needs to know, but I'm not sure if I can do it alone."

Reid reached for his hand. "You're not alone, Grayson. I'm here, and we can do it together. But it has to be done. No more secrets; no more hiding. Remember what you said to me last year, how you felt like you have a second chance?"

Grayson nodded.

"Don't be upset with what I'm about to say, but you're only taking the ‘second chance' part to heart when it conveniences you. That's the same thing the old Grayson did. That guy, he used to hide his feelings and push me away under the guise that he was protecting me. And then you had this miraculous gift given to you, and you wanted to make a change. This part needs to change, Grayson. If you tell me how much those girls mean to you, then be the type of man their father was. Be someone who's open and honest with the people he loves, and accept that they can handle the truth."

Grayson gripped the steering wheel and looked forward.

"Can I ask you something?"

He nodded.

"Besides fearing she'll tell you to take a hike, what are you afraid of?"

Grayson turned and stared at Reid for a long moment. His mouth opened and closed. He went to speak, but his voice cracked. Another minute passed, but it felt like an eternity while Reid waited.

"Rejection," he finally said. "I remember when we first met, I thought you were out of my league." He laughed. "Strike that: you are out of my league. But you liked me, and yet, I was a ticking time bomb. You know there was never the right moment to tell you about my heart. It's not something you bring up when you first meet someone or after you've fallen madly in love with them. I couldn't ever tell you, so I hid it. It was easier that way.

"Now, here I am, hiding it again, because I'm afraid they're going to reject me or find me unworthy of their love or not want mine in return."

Reid brushed her fingers through Grayson's hair. "Want to know something?"

"What's that?"

"They love you without knowing how you came to be in their lives, and something tells me they're going to love you after you tell them. The bond you share will only strengthen."

"You think so?"

"Grayson, deep down, you're a good man. You just take the wrong path to get to the right road."

Grayson sighed. "In hindsight, I wish I'd done things differently. I didn't expect—"

"For this to be what you thought it was?"

He nodded. "Yep. I thought I'd come here and feel nothing. Sometimes, I wish that were the case. Now, I'm attached. I've known them for weeks, and it feels like I've known them their entire lives."

"It'll be hard all around. The best we can do is be honest and go from there."

"Yeah," he said with another sigh. He pulled back onto the street and drove around the corner, then parked in front of a house. Reid stared out the window, noticing not the home but the two girls who lit up as soon as the car parked. They raced down the stairs and ran to the fence.

"Gemma's a bit shy."

"Not Lynnea, though," Reid said.

Grayson nodded. "Don't be jealous of her," he joked. "She really likes me."

Reid laughed. "I'll try to rein it in."

They got out of the car, with Grayson carrying the box of doughnuts. He reached for Reid's hand when he met her on the sidewalk and guided her over to the girls.

"Weid!" Lynnea screamed her name and jumped up and down. She fumbled with the latch on the gate and finally got it open but didn't pass the threshold until Grayson was there. She launched herself at Reid.

Grayson's mouth dropped open, and Reid smirked.

"Hi, Lynnea," Reid said as she gave her a hug. "It's nice to meet you in person."

"Me too. Come on." Lynnea grabbed her hand and started to tug, but Reid told her to wait up a bit.

"Hi, Gemma, it's nice to meet you as well." Reid held out her hand.

Gemma stared at it for a moment and then looked at Grayson. She beckoned him forward and cupped her hand over his ear, and then he nodded. Gemma smiled and then wrapped her arms around Reid's waist, catching her off guard.

Reid hugged her back.

"Grayson talks about you a lot," she told her.

"He talks about you girls as well."

"Oh no," Lynnea moaned.

Everyone laughed.

They took the girls inside, where Grayson made introductions to Nadia and Kiran. No one else offered any hugs, which Reid was okay with. Hugging kids was one thing. Adults were a whole other thing. They joined everyone at the dining room table for breakfast, and as soon as Grayson sat down next to her, she leaned into him.

"You have a type."

"A what?"

Reid motioned toward Nadia, who was busy putting plates in front of the girls. "We have the same color hair."

Grayson looked from Reid to Nadia, and then at Gemma. "I have nothing to say for myself," he told her, laughing.

"Were all the girls you dated in college red haired?"

He shook his head. "Nope. You and Nadia are the only ones."

"Ah, I see. Start with red, end with red."

"Is there anything better?"

Reid smiled and said, "Nope. We're literally the best."

"Reid." Nadia said her name to get her attention. "Grayson says you work together?"

"We do. I work in Human Resources."

"We fear our HR department at work," Kiran said. "Anytime we get an email from them, I think we lose a year off our lives."

"Oh no, it shouldn't be like that," Reid said. "Where we work, we try to make HR approachable and part of the team. Everyone but our director is an employee advocate. We each have teams. Our director speaks for the company; we speak for the employees."

"I'm surprised you're not unionized," Kiran said to Grayson.

"The setup at Wold is different," Reid said as she looked at Grayson. "The owners really value their employees and make sure we receive an annual cost of living increase and bonuses, and we always give out merit awards for productivity, closing sales, things like that."

"I'll be honest, I'd never heard of someone designing tables until Grayson told me what he does," Nadia said. "Now I look at this table differently."

"Same," Kiran said. "I went into a board meeting the other day and looked at the inlay." He shook his head. "Grayson's ruined me." He laughed.

"What can I say?" Grayson held his hands up. "Anytime you want to come tour the facility, let us know. Everything happens on-site. Nothing is outsourced. From start to finish, the product is made at Wold."

"Maybe we can take a visit this summer," Kiran said to Nadia.

Reid didn't miss the exchange between them and agreed with Grayson that Kiran definitely had a crush on Nadia. She tried to put herself in Nadia's shoes, having two young kids and losing her husband. Would she move on after a year? It was hard to say. The heart made people feel things differently. The situation Grayson was in was the perfect example. He'd loved two strangers from the moment he'd met them and couldn't imagine his life without them. Maybe that was the same for Nadia, with Kiran being Rafe's best friend. They'd known each other for years, and falling in love could've been a natural progression. And then Reid imagined herself with Pearce and quickly changed her mind. He was nice and she liked him, but she knew far too much about him and his ways to think he'd ever be a good fit for her. But then, if you lost someone you loved, grief could really change you.

When Kiran and Grayson declared it was time to work, Nadia asked if Reid wanted to go to the mall. Before she could answer, Lynnea stated yes: Reid absolutely wanted to go to the mall with them. If Reid thought things would be awkward, she was mistaken. Within minutes of being with the Karlssons, she could easily see why Grayson was so smitten with the girls. They were nice and kind and treated Reid like she was part of the family.

Throughout the day, Lynnea never left Reid's side, and Gemma asked for her opinion on clothes or jewelry she liked.

"Grayson speaks very highly of you," Nadia said when they stopped for a caffeine pick-me-up. They took their coffee and the girls to the indoor play place and sat down. "I'll be honest, when he first showed up, I thought he was there in an attempt to rekindle things. You read about long-lost love and all that, and I came home one day and there he was. But as soon as I asked about his life, he showed me pictures of you. When he says your name, there are stars in his eyes, and you can tell how much he loves you."

"I've loved him for a long time," Reid said. "We've only been together for a year."

"When you know, you know, right?"

Reid looked down at her ring and nodded. "He couldn't commit ..." She trailed off, wishing she could take the words back and fearing the conversation was headed toward a path it shouldn't.

"Because of his heart?"

Reid looked at Nadia, who kept her eyes focused on the girls.

"He got sick a couple of times in high school, and I remember his mom really freaking out. I saw the pills in the bathroom, and she used to harp on him about germs, taking the meds, and being careful. Grayson would never come out and say something was wrong, but I saw the names of the meds and figured it out."

"Nadia—"

"My girls love him," she continued. "Lynnea, she's struggled a lot since Rafe died. My dad and Reuben have been there a lot for the girls, but it's not the same. Then Grayson shows up a couple of weeks ago, and my angry little girl who lost her father has light in her eyes again. I try to warn her, to tell her he's got his own life, but she tells me he reminds her of Rafe. Gemma says the same thing. And then I see it: the way Lynnea sits with Grayson, always pressing herself up against his chest, and I wonder."

Reid was at a loss. She had no idea what to say or if she should say something at all. Was it her place?

No, it wasn't.

"I think you should talk to Grayson."

"I'm afraid," Nadia told her. "I'm scared to know if what I think is true."

Reid reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Let's go back to the house."

Nadia nodded and told the girls it was time to go home. The drive back should've been silent, but Lynnea and Gemma sang along to the radio, with Reid and Nadia following them. As she turned toward the back and sang with the girls, Reid surmised that if someone had told her yesterday that this was where she'd be, she would've laughed. She didn't want this—not for Grayson, for herself, or for this family—but there they were, weaving lives together in the most chaotic and yet beautiful way possible.

When they got home, they found the men hammering away on the porch. Nadia paused, looked at Grayson and Kiran, and asked them to meet her in the dining room. Grayson eyed Reid, who nodded, hoping that was enough to tell him Nadia had her own suspicions.

The three of them went into the dining room, while Nadia got the girls situated with a movie in the catchall room. She returned with a folder, set it down on the table, and then took a seat.

"On April eighth, my husband set out to run a ten-mile road race from Heartbreak Hill to Harvard Square. Something he'd done for years. Last year, he was determined to win. It would take him fifty minutes from start to finish. Blocks away from the finish, a car somehow made it through the crowd after losing its brakes. There was a runner who wore those big over-the-ear headphones and didn't hear the honking. Rafe pushed her out of the way, but he was unable to get himself to safety.

"When I was waiting for him at the finish line, I heard the screaming and the horn honking but didn't think anything of it until I saw the ambulance blocking everyone's view. I knew my husband was there. I could see his location. So, I went there, but I couldn't find him. One spectator said the man in the ambulance wasn't going to make it. I watched on my phone as my husband's blue dot moved farther and farther away from me. Deep down, I knew the spectator was talking about Rafe, but I didn't want to believe it.

"One of the police officers drove me to the hospital, where reality set in. Unfortunately, Rafe was brain dead and put on life support until they could notify next of kin. My Rafe, my strong, healthy husband, was gone. He died a hero. In more ways than one. I made the decision to donate his organs." Nadia opened the folder. She kept her eyes on the paper.

"I asked that the people who received Rafe's organs were people who had something to live for, someone who took care of themselves, and weren't someone taking an organ from someone who truly needed it. I wanted whoever it was to receive this gift from my husband to be someone who could thrive." Nadia picked up a piece of paper and cleared her throat. "On April ninth, my husband's organs, some tissues, and blood stem cells were harvested. On or around April ninth, my husband's heart was transplanted into a viable male." Nadia read the rest of the donations Rafe had made. When she finished, she set the paper down.

Reid reached for Grayson's hand. He squeezed it.

"In the early hours of April tenth, I had a heart transplant," Grayson said quietly. "A month prior, I'd collapsed after a basketball game." He looked at Reid. "We were leaving the gym, and she'd given me some news I didn't care for. She saved my life by being there. I was in bad shape. My heart had quit. Time had essentially run out."

Grayson looked at Nadia. "A year later, I started feeling this ache. It's a feeling I can't describe. I tell my cardiologist, we run all these tests, do the scans, and everything comes back clean. I tell my therapist, who tells me I might be experiencing cellular memory. Of course, very few people believe in this. Reid and I discussed it, and she encouraged me to reach out to UNOS. But before I can do that, I come across this documentary on transplants and things people have experienced. It got me thinking, and I started doing a deep dive. I'm reading obituaries from people in my area, and nothing seems to be fitting. I expanded my search, and that's when I saw an article about your parents losing their son-in-law."

He adjusted in his seat and cleared his throat.

"The timeline fit. I began to wonder, ya know, all while praying the ache would stop because I feared something was wrong with me. That's when I asked my friend Pearce to come to Boston with me, because I had this ridiculous hunch, and waiting for UNOS, not knowing if the family of my donor would even want to meet me, could take a year. I thought if I saw you, I'd get my answer. I did."

Nadia met his gaze.

"The ache stayed until I heard the girls. The relief was instant, and then I saw them, and everything changed. The ache turned into something I can only describe as pure happiness. Elation. Love. And then sadness. It hurt me to sit there and talk to you while the girls were in the yard. That's why I had to go sit with them. I needed to be in their space, to feel their presence. They calmed me," he told her. "They made me feel complete in a way I can't explain."

Grayson put his fist over his heart as tears streamed from his eyes. "I am deeply and truly sorry I wasn't honest about why I came here the first time. I wasn't sure how to say ‘Hey, I think I have your dead husband's heart' without making things sound outlandish."

"Do you still believe you have Rafe's heart?" Nadia asked.

Grayson nodded.

"After you left, the girls told me you reminded them of their father. I didn't see it, as you're nothing alike. And then the other night, when Lynnea called you, she said something that made me wonder but still didn't make sense. She said you smelled like Rafe—and you don't. I would know because I smell his cologne every day. I see her with you, clinging to you like you're a life source for her. It doesn't matter how you're sitting: when she sits with you, her ear is pressed to your chest. It's like she knows, and logically that doesn't make any sense."

"What if you don't have his heart?" Kiran asked.

"There's always that possibility," Reid said. "But that doesn't explain why Grayson has bonded with the girls so quickly. For me, when I found out about Nadia being his ex, I thought for sure I'd be the one losing Grayson, but he doesn't feel anything for her, other than friendship. If he did, I wouldn't be here right now."

Kiran looked at Grayson and then Nadia. He shook his head, making Reid wonder what was going through his mind. A door opened, and the four adults sat up straighter. The patter of feet came down the hall and into the dining room.

It was as if she knew.

Lynnea went to Grayson and crawled onto his lap. She held his head between her tiny hands. "Why are you sad?"

"I'm not," he told her.

She wiped his tears and then rested her head against his chest. The contented sigh she let out was enough for everyone to believe what Lynnea already knew.

Rafe's heart had found its way back to them.