Page 11 of Alive At Night

Grayson grew up with a congenital heart defect—some funny word that had to do with his aorta being too small. I didn’t know the details; all I knew was that it wasn’t good. Freshman year of college, he suffered a stroke, significant enough that he sat out sophomore season, which was also our last chance to play together.

When his son was born a few years later, doctors said his heart was healthy. My friend had been elated that Gabriel wouldn’t have to go through what he did. And now…

“Oh, hell. I’m sorry, man.”

Grayson lifted his head, shaking it. “I made his previous team pull up his old images from when he was born and—”

He clenched his teeth together, and I figured out the rest.

“And it showed the same?”

He nodded, drawing a deep breath before taking a sip of his drink.

“He’s had the defect since he was born, Jules. And they didn’t catch it. What if something had happened? What if he—” Grayson inhaled slowly, forcing a bit of calm into his voice. “He’s already had the surgery to correct it. It went well, and he’s recovering back home.”

I relaxed slightly, nodding to the waitress as she dropped off a drink for me.

“Well, that’s good news, at least.”

“Yeah.” Grayson didn’t seem the least bit settled, and I knew there was more. “But Nessa…God.”

As soon as his wife’s name left his mouth, Grayson whipped off his hat and scrubbed both hands over his face before dragging fingers through his short hair. Then he shoved his cap back on top of his head.

“You’re freaking me out, Gray.” I gripped my drink tightly. Nessa was the reason I knew Cameron’s sister, Collins. They’d lived together in college, and I became friends with both of them when Nessa started dating Grayson. “I don’t know what’s going on, but this kind of stress can’t be good for you andyourheart.”

He chuckled, but it was mostly humorless. “You sound like Nessa.”

“Always did like her.”

And I needed to know she was okay.

Mentioning Nessa appeared to settle Grayson’s nerves. He relaxed back into the booth.

“This just isn’t how I wanted to deliver the news.” His lips stretched then, pulling into a smile. The first genuine one I’d seen today. “Nessa’s pregnant again.”

“Ohhellyeah.” I leaned back in my seat, too, matching his grin. Relief drenched my nervous system. “I’d be calling for shots if you weren’t, you know,you.”

He laughed openly at that, and it was good to see that twinkle in his eyes. “I’m so fucking happy,” he said. “You have no idea.”

And then everything dimmed.

“But if I’d known…” He pressed his lips together momentarily. “I don’t know if I would have chosen this. They told us there was a risk our kids could inherit the defect, but now we know it’s so much more than a possibility. And yeah, I want Gabriel to have siblings more than anything.Anything, Jules. But not at the risk of their health.”

I struggled to find words, but Grayson said them for me, sounding broken.

“I’m pissed, man. We should have known about Gabriel a long time ago. We should have been able to make an informed decision.”

My insides clenched. He was more than pissed; the burning in his gaze gave it away. Grayson Everett had always been incredibly even-tempered, and I’d never pegged him as vengeful. But he was a family man, through and through. God save anyone who threatened Nessa or his kids.

So I wasn’t surprised when he added, “And I want to take action.”

“Legal action?”

He nodded. “Shit, I know it’s a lot to ask, but…”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

The relief on Grayson’s face was palpable. “I don’t even know where to start.”

---