SIX REID

S IX

R EID

As much as she hated to admit it, Reid despised being at home or work without Grayson. It didn't help that they lived in the same apartment complex, a little fact they'd figured out the first day they'd met. Since then, they had fallen into an easy routine. Each morning, she'd text him she was leaving, and he'd meet her at the elevator. They'd walk to the train station, stopping to get coffee on the way. They had a work-life balance that worked for them. Reid liked routine, and right now, hers was off.

Almost a month had passed, with no end in sight. Reid kept her phone by her side, with the ringer full volume, in case Sydney called. Every day after work, Reid went to the hospital and sat by Grayson's side, reading to him, while Sydney went home and showered and saw her husband before coming back to sleep next to her son. Sydney was an optimist, and each day she said to Reid, "Today's the day, I can feel it."

Reid also detested hearing her say those words because it meant someone would need to lose a loved one for Grayson to live. In this day and age, science should've figured things out by now and created some way for people to live without a heart. As soon as she thought about it, she realized how ridiculous it would be. Science and technology were keeping Grayson alive for the time being.

During the day, when her thoughts ran wild, she spent far too much time on the web, looking up Grayson's illness and prognosis. The first night, she'd gone right to his place and rummaged through his drawers and cabinets until she'd found the pills Sydney had asked about. They were under his bathroom sink, hiding in the back. He'd refilled the bottle over six months earlier but hadn't taken any of the pills. She counted them. More than once. And each time, she'd grown angrier with him because all this was preventable. Reid pictured herself waking him up and shaking the ever-loving shit out of him for what he'd done to his mom and her.

Reid had read that heart transplant patients might experience some changes after the fact. Like going from loving something to hating it. She hoped Grayson wouldn't start hating basketball. He loved the game and loved playing it. That wasn't it, though. What if, after the transplant, he no longer wanted to be her friend? She felt guilty about him being there. Maybe if she hadn't brought up dating, he'd be at work right now. No, she knew this wasn't true. Grayson was lucky she was there when he had the heart attack.

Her phone rang, startling her. The screen showed Melanie's photo. After her heart went back to a normal rhythm, she put her earbud in and answered. "Hey."

"You busy?"

"Nah, just sort of going through the motions. I pretend I'm busy, though, so they don't fire me."

"Would they?"

"I hope not. Honestly, being here sucks."

"I get it. You're probably spending all your time reading obituaries."

Reid said nothing.

"Don't tell me you are! I was kidding."

"No, I'm not. I hadn't thought about doing that. I think it would be weird to know someone died and then Grayson's awake."

"Awkward."

Reid groaned. "What are you doing? Why aren't you working?" Melanie sold high-end real estate in Baltimore. She'd graduated from American with a degree in business and had fallen into the real estate market shortly after graduation.

"Waiting for my next showing."

"What football player are you selling a mega-house to now?"

Melanie laughed. "Nothing like that. I was thinking I'd come up after my showing, though. Spend the weekend."

As much as she wanted to see her best friend, she didn't want to miss time with Grayson. "I ... uh."

"I know, you want to sit in the hospital with Grayson. I'm good with that, but we'll also hang with Pearce, get something to eat, sit on your couch, and eat Dibs. I'm not taking no for an answer."

Reid sighed as she gave in. "Fine."

"And because I love you so much, I'll come right to the hospital. Make sure I'm on Grayson's list."

"I will. Call me when you get there."

"Love you." Melanie disconnected the call.

Reid took her earbud out, then picked up the receiver of her desk phone and dialed Pearce's extension. "Can you come to my office?" she asked when he picked up.

"Am I coming to HR because I'm in trouble, or is this a social visit?"

"Social," she told him. Anytime HR had to talk to Grayson or Pearce, Reid made sure it was one of the other staffers. She never wanted to give any employees an excuse to accuse her of favoritism.

Moments later, Pearce strolled into the office, which had a large receptionist's desk and four cubicles, one for each staffer. Only the director had a private, behind-closed-doors office.

"Hey, just here to see Reid," she heard Pearce say. She leaned over her chair, her head hanging past her partition.

"Hey," she said when he came into view.

"What's up?" Pearce sat in the extra chair in her office. Both he and Grayson sat there often when they came to "shoot the shit" with her. Part of her hated that they treated her like one of the guys, but if they didn't, she wouldn't spend nearly as much time with Grayson. Maybe that was her problem—she was one of the guys, when she wanted to be the only woman in Grayson's life. Aside from his mom.

"Mel's coming to town tonight. She wants to hang out this weekend. Do you have plans tomorrow?"

Pearce waggled his eyebrows.

Reid swatted his legs. "Uh, did you forget you're getting married?"

His face scrunched. "Yeah, about that."

"What?"

"Remember when I went to lunch with Emelia's father?"

The day Grayson had his heart attack.

Reid would rather not remember that day. She nodded.

"Well, lunch was a test, and I failed. Emelia wants a ring, wants to buy a house and have three children, all two years apart, unless she has twins on the first try." Pearce covered his face with his hands and groaned. "Here's the kicker—I don't need to buy the house or even impregnate her, but I do need to be her husband because she's not getting any younger and the clock is ticking."

"Wait," Reid said. "I thought she was twenty-five?"

"She is."

Reid's mouth made an O, and then she quickly shut it. "I'm sorry, Pearce."

"Me too. I suppose there are more fish out there."

"There is. Once you stop thinking about us women being fish. We're not fish."

Pearce's cheeks flushed. "You're right. Anyway, I'm down for hanging out. What are we doing?"

"Mel's going to meet me at the hospital later. She said dinner, eating ice cream, that sort of thing. I know she's trying to keep my mind off Grayson."

"Are we hanging at the hospital?"

Reid shook her head. "No, I'll stay until Sydney comes back. Then Mel and I will head to my place. Tomorrow, Gilbert will be around, so I don't necessarily need to go to the hospital."

"You will, though."

Pearce wasn't wrong.

"You're very kind to do that for him, all things considered."

Pearce didn't have to elaborate. Reid knew. Her feelings toward Grayson were obvious to anyone in their path. Most people who saw them together thought they were a couple.

"I don't do it for him," Reid said. "I do it for Sydney."

Pearce nodded. Reid didn't care if he believed her or not. If Reid didn't volunteer to stay with Grayson a few hours each day, Sydney would never leave. That wasn't healthy. Gilbert did his part on the weekends, but with Sydney taking a leave of absence from work, he couldn't be there every day. The way Reid saw it, Grayson was her best friend—despite her being in love with him. After he made it through this, she'd start to ease herself out of his life. No matter how badly it hurt.

"He loves you. You know that, right?"

Reid inhaled quickly, the statement catching her off guard. She didn't know anything. Not when it came to Grayson.

"The wheels are turning, Reid. I can see them. Look, I don't know why he lied about this thing with his heart or why he wasn't taking his meds. I've known for a while, but he said everything was under control. Guys don't hound each other about this kind of shit. I wish I had, though. Six months ago, he mentioned being a better person. This was something I did push him on, and he said he wanted to pursue a relationship. Another push and he finally admitted it was you he wanted to be with. Saying he was in love with you but feared he'd ruined everything. Whatever that meant."

Reid absorbed Pearce's words, unsure what she should believe, him or Grayson's actions, because actions often spoke louder than words. Over the past six months, Grayson had not shown her he was interested at any given time. Unless she hadn't been paying attention.

"Anyway." Pearce stood and stretched. "I'm in for this weekend. Call me with the details."

"I will. See you later."

Later, she found herself sitting in a chair next to Grayson's bed while she waited for Melanie to arrive. Reid flipped through the most recent issue of her favorite magazine. She took the love quiz and found out the strong, manly type with a soft side was the type of man she was destined for. Scoffing, she glanced over at Grayson. He was the strong, manly type for sure, and he had a soft side, but he rarely showed it to anyone. On occasion, when they were alone watching a movie, he'd do something like hold her hand or rub her feet, but then he'd make some wisecrack comment about how they smelled or how she needed a pedicure, and the moment would be ruined. The more she thought, the more their life together replayed in her mind. They'd had a lot of moments together, too many to count, but each time they got close or she had the "dreamy eyes," as Grayson would say, he'd do a one-eighty.

Reid stood and leaned against his bed. She studied him for a long moment, jealous of how long his eyelashes were and envious because if she ever wanted hers that long, she needed a special mascara or falsies.

"Grayson Caballero, I am mad at you. The doctors say this could've been prevented, but your stubborn ass hasn't been taking your meds. And now look at ya. To make things more complicated, Pearce tells me that you love me. Do you?" She waited for a response that wouldn't come. "You know how I feel about you. I've been in love with you since the day we met." Reid chuckled slightly. "Okay, yeah. We know that's not true. Instant attraction for sure, but the feelings were there rather quickly. At least for me."

Reid held Grayson's hand. It was warm, thanks to the machines keeping him alive. "And then we ..." She couldn't bring herself to say the words as her body heated from the memory of the night they had spent together.

The Wold Collective holiday party was one for the record books. Dinner, dancing, and an endless flow of champagne and an open bar. The owners really knew how to treat their employees. Music thumped, the DJ in the corner playing all the top hits, mixing it up occasionally with some holiday jingles.

Reid's red dress was tight fitting, accentuating every curve she had and pushing her girls up for attention. She only wanted Grayson's attention. After months and months of flirting and innuendoes, it was the right time for her to do something about it. She finished off the last bit of champagne in her flute.

"It's now or never," Reid said to herself.

She sauntered over to him, making sure to move her hips seductively. Grayson leaned against the bar, talking to Pearce and some new guy who'd recently started. Reid couldn't recall his name. None of that mattered. She was solely focused on Grayson.

"Sexy" was not a word she used to describe herself. "Plain," "average," "run-of-the-mill" were more her speed. The champagne gave her courage to loosen up, to be sexier. When she approached, Grayson angled himself to greet her. His smirk told her he liked what he saw.

Reid trailed her finger up his black tie, then wrapped her hands around it and tugged him forward. "Welp, guys, duty calls," she heard him say as he followed her. Grayson closed the distance between them and brought her hips flush against his groin. She could feel him, pressing into her backside.

She took him to the dance floor. To her surprise, he laced his fingers with hers and gave her a twirl. She laughed, loving the feeling of this new flirtatiousness. Reid stepped away from Grayson and started moving her hips to the music. It was a fast song, and she had regrets about making her move then instead of during a slow one.

Grayson wasn't having it. He linked his arm around her back and pulled her close to him. She gasped and slowly looked into his eyes. Later, she'd wonder how long she'd stared into his brown orbs before she realized the song was over and they were leaving.

Outside, Grayson hailed a cab and held her close in the back seat. They never took their eyes off each other, and she never stopped his hand from sliding up her dress. Reid wanted him.

The moment they stepped into his apartment, he had Reid pressed against the wall. His lips were on hers. They were all hands, tongues, and need. He gathered her dress in his hands and hiked it over her hips, and then he picked her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her fingers fumbling with his tie and the buttons on his shirt when she felt him tease her. Reid lifted herself slightly and then pushed down on him.

Grayson groaned.

"I need you out of this dress," he said when his knees hit the edge of his bed. He set her down, stepped back, and began ripping his shirt off. Reid watched, lost in the moment. They'd waited so long to get to this part of their relationship, and it was finally happening. After Grayson undid his belt and the button on his slacks, he pulled the zipper down slowly, showing her his bulge.

Reid swallowed hard and licked her lips in anticipation. She got onto her knees and slowly bunched her dress up until she'd pulled it over her head. She was there, naked except for the black lace thong she wore. Reid couldn't look at him. She didn't want to see his expression.

"Look at me," he said as he slowly lifted her chin with his finger. "You're so fucking beautiful. Don't hide from me."

Reid did what he asked and saw nothing but adoration and yearning.

He pushed his pants and boxers to the ground. His cock sprung free, slapping against his stomach. Reid wanted to see him, all of him, every part of him, and didn't know where to look. Instead, she watched him as he opened his bedside table to get a condom.

Reid moved toward him, their height difference working to her advantage. She peppered his chest with open-mouthed kisses until she'd reached his lips. He smiled down at her, his eyes glittering with keenness and desire. His fingertips traced the outline of her lips, causing her heart to flutter wildly in her chest.

The smell of him, a heady mix of familiar musk and the comforting scent of his cologne, stirred something deep within her. She traced the curve of his lips with hers, the sweetness of their connection blooming into an intoxicating warmth. Being there with him, naked and vulnerable, knowing they were about to cross a line, was overwhelming yet comfortingly real.

His hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer until their bodies were melded together. The air between them sizzled with electricity, the tension palpable. His breath hitched as their bare skin met.

"I want you, Reid," he whispered against her lips.

"You have no idea—"

Grayson didn't wait for her to finish her statement. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and slipped his finger under her thong and between her folds. Grayson swallowed her wanton cry and deftly pushed his hand in an upward motion. If she hadn't been kneeling, she would've crumpled to the floor. Being touched by him felt like no man had ever touched her before.

She called his name when his thumb grazed her sensitive bud. He smiled against her lips and slowly maneuvered Reid onto her back. Grayson removed his fingers and sat back on his knees, kissing a path along her thigh until he'd reached her core. He nuzzled her and kissed her lace panties before taking them off.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do this, Reid," Grayson said against her skin, his scruff tickling her. She ran her fingers through his hair, tugging on the ends.

"Hopefully as long as I have."

Grayson ripped open the condom and settled between her legs. He leaned forward, hovering over her, and then lowered his mouth to hers. She felt him there, at her entrance. Her hips bucked in an attempt to guide him where she wanted him. Where she needed him.

He smiled and let out a small chuckle. "Eager?"

"God, yes," she said between breaths. "And horny."

"Me too," he said as he kissed his way down her neck until he'd reached her breast, taking her taut nipple into his mouth.

"Shit," she muttered as her body squirmed.

Grayson chuckled again. "Ah, she likes this. Duly noted." He paid attention to her other breast and then worked his way back up her body. "Look at me, Reid. I want to see you when ..."

She met his gaze, and he didn't need to finish his sentence.

Reid wiped an errant tear from her cheek. She'd thought that was going to be their turning point. She looked back at Grayson. "I thought things were going to be different for us, and they sort of were. You were always there, but never close enough. You let me in, and you keep me there, but always on the edge. I feel like you're always waiting for the next shoe to drop, and I guess it has. This was the shoe. It's finally dropped, and there isn't anything either of us can do about it unless you get a new heart. And if you don't ..." Reid trailed off.

She was in love with Grayson, but she was ready to settle down and start a family. Reid wanted kids, a house, a husband to love her. At this point, she wanted a boyfriend. Someone to adore her, worship her, make her feel like no one else mattered in their world.

Grayson wouldn't give her what she needed, and it was foolish to think she could have everything she desired with him as her friend. Anyone looking at them would assume they were a couple or at least messing around with each other. Their closeness went way beyond friendship. No one would believe her if she told them they were just friends.

Friends were all they'd ever be unless ...

Thinking about the alternative made her stomach twist into knots. She didn't want her last conversation with Grayson to be about her dating. They'd argued, and she'd accused him of faking the heart attack. It was like him to prank her. He'd pulled silly little jokes on her before. This time, there was a hint of panic in his voice that had made her go to him.

Reid sighed and went back to her chair. She was out of things to talk to him about. The spring weather only went so far in conversation, and she had no idea what was happening in his department at work. Pearce would have to fill him in there.

She reached for the blanket Sydney kept at the end of the bed and wrapped herself in it. Reid nestled into the chair, getting as comfortable as she could before closing her eyes. She'd grown accustomed to the beeping and whooshing from the machines and oddly found it pacifying. As much as she hated what those noises stood for, she'd learned to accept them. Grayson would recover. He had to. Reid wasn't ready for him to leave her. She refused to give up on loving him or him loving her. If what Pearce said was true, then maybe Grayson and Reid had a future together. Of course, once he was out of the hospital. He needed a miracle, and she was confident one would come.

When she woke, it was dark out. She combed through her purse, looking for her phone. Melanie should be in town, and Sydney should've been back by now. Reid stood, stretched, and glanced at Grayson, and while he hadn't moved a muscle, she secretly hoped he'd be awake. She was about to head to the door when Sydney burst into the room, startling Reid. The two women looked at each other, eyes wide and hearts beating fast.

"There's a heart, and it's a match."