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)
“How?”
“I dated their daughter Nadia in high school, up until we left for college.”
Any color Pearce had in his cheeks left with Grayson’s statement. “That’s a stretch, Grayson.”
He shook his head. “I read his obituary. He was an organ donor. None of the others I’d read up until then said anything of the sort.”
“Not everyone will make their decision public.”
“That’s what I thought, but then I searched different keywords and found numerous obituaries from years past and even weeks ago, all using the same line: ‘gift of life.’ It’s everywhere,” he told his friend. “UNOS, commercials, everywhere I turn, I see or hear it. You’ve even said it today.”
This time it was Pearce who went and retrieved the basketball. He didn’t dribble it or try to shoot. He carried it under his arm and walked toward Grayson.
“Did you tell any of this to Reid?”
Grayson shook his head slowly. “I will, but not yet.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“I want to know if I’m right.”
“About what, exactly?”
“About my heart. If I’m right, then when I see Nadia, my ache should go away.”
“Did you ask UNOS?”
Grayson shook his head. “It’ll take too long. She could say no.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Go see her.”
Pearce shook his head. “Your hunch is stupid.”
“Is it, though?” Grayson asked. “What if my heart misses her?”
“Then what? Do you leave Reid for what’s her name?”
“Nadia.”
“My question was rhetorical, Grayson.”
“I’m in love with Reid. That won’t change.”
“You don’t know that. Especially if you have history with this woman.” Pearce threw his hands up in the air. “I swear, you’re like one of those second-chance romance movies my mom is always watching, where a long-lost love returns home and magically falls in love with their first love because the person they have waiting for them back home is some ‘put work first’ type and doesn’t care about the holidays.”
“Take a breath,” Grayson tried to joke.
“Face reality,” Pearce fired back. “You’re playing with fire. Someone is going to get hurt. No, strike that. Multiple people are going to get hurt.”
“What if I need this to heal?”
“What if it damages you more?”
Grayson shook his head. He walked toward the bleachers and sat down. Pearce followed. “Look,” Pearce said. “I get that you’re confused, that you played a game of basketball and then woke up with a new heart. I can’t even imagine what your body and mind went through, and continues to go through, but this isn’t the way to do things. There’s too much at risk. Your friend lost her husband. You can’t just show up on her doorstep and expect her to be okay with this. Besides, do you even know where she lives?”
“In Boston. I paid a fee and got their, I mean her, address.”
“Jesus, Grayson.”
“I know,” he said. “I’m in deep, though, and if I don’t find out, I’ll sit here and wonder, and I’m scared I’ll ruin everything with Reid.”
“She has a right to know what’s going on. Hiding this from her isn’t healthy for your relationship.”
“Reid knows how I feel. She encouraged me to reach out through UNOS. But I don’t want to wait,” he said. “I don’t want the rejection letter to come in, saying they don’t want to meet me.”
“So you what, just show up and say, ‘Hey, long time no see, but I believe I have your dead husband’s heart in my chest; wanna feel?’”
Grayson gave Pearce a sideways glance.
“Well?”
Grayson sighed. “I thought I’d go there and just see if there’s a connection.”
“There will be, because you dated.”
He shook his head. “We haven’t spoken since we said goodbye. I wasn’t sad when she left. We just had fun in high school. That’s it. I never loved her. Not like I love Reid.” Grayson pushed loose gravel around with his foot. “I know this sounds ridiculous.”
“Understatement,” Pearce muttered.
“But if I don’t go and this ache doesn’t go away, I’ll always wonder.”
“And if you do go and the ache goes away?”
Grayson shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“I think you’re making a huge mistake.”
“I know,” he said. “Will you go with me?”
Pearce choked. “To babysit?”
Grayson eyed him and shook his head. “No, for support.”
It took him a moment, but Pearce finally nodded.
TWENTY-FIVE
NADIA
As much as Nadia didn’t want to admit it, she and the girls had found a routine that worked for them. What she didn’t like to admit was that her now nine-year-old was taking on more of a role in the house than Nadia wanted her to have. Now that a year had passed, she worked hard to make the upcoming months better. Nadia got up with her alarm at 5:00 a.m., turned on the TV in her room, and started the yoga program she’d found online. According to the schedule she’d made for herself, she’d do yoga for fifteen minutes, meditate for ten, and then hop into the shower. The goal was to be downstairs by six to make lunches and then get the girls up and ready.