“You told him how you feel about him?” Mason asks like he wants to make sure.
“Yes. I was all ready to lay everything out for him and tell him how I feel, but he told me he loves me before I could do it.”
“What?” Mason asks, his face breaking into a grin that probably matches mine. “He beat you to the punch?”
“Yes. You guys will be happy to know you were right. He wasn’t embarrassed—he was worried and actually wanted to know how to help.” I shake my head, still in disbelief that someone like Reed wants to be with me.
“I was honest and apologized for flipping out on him, and he was so amazing about the whole thing.” I know I’m gushing like a schoolgirl, but I can’t seem to help it, and I don’t really care. I’ll take all the teasing in the world. It’s all worth it to have Reed in my life.
“He’s… um…” I hesitate for a moment. “He’s really, really amazing.”
“Oh, be still my beating heart…” Sam says in a falsetto voice, putting his hand on his chest.
I roll my eyes, and the two of them exchange a glance and high-five each other.
“We knew you’d get there!” Mason laughs. “But Jax is gonna be pissed—he owes me now!”
“What do you mean Jax owes you?” I ask, confused.
Looking a little sheepish, an expression of his I’ve learned to identify mostly because he has to use it a lot, he explains. “Well, Sam and I bet Jax and Grace that you guys would work your shit out before the end of this week. Those two would only bet you’d have it all squared away before Christmas. Cowards.” He laughs.
I feel like my family betting on my love life is something I should maybe be annoyed about, but I’m so damn happy today I don’t even care. Reed and I are together, and I finally feel like I’ve found my person, something I never dreamed I could find. And it feels fucking amazing.
“Okay, so tell us what happened. Did you just walk in his front door and he fell at your feet or what?” Sam asks.
They’re both sitting there waiting for details like my dogs wait for dinner. The puppy dog eyes are the same.
“You guys, I’m not going to share all the nitty-gritty details.” They both make noises of protest, demanding the juicy information, but I hold up my hand and talk over them. “Nope, no way, you animals. Just be happy knowing it all worked out, and I’m happy. Like really,reallyhappy.” I arch an eyebrow at the two of them, and they both burst into laughter.
Once we’ve checked in on work stuff, they both get up to leave. Instead of heading to the door though, Mason comes around my desk and hauls me out of my chair for a hug. When I look at his face, I’m shocked to see his eyes are shiny, like he’s about to cry.
“Dyl, I am so happy for you,” he whispers, hugging me tightly. “I was worried you might never put yourself out there to find someone. I’m so glad you did.”
He lets me go and takes a step back. I brace myself for Sam to hug me as well, but instead, he just claps me on the shoulder, grinning. “Yup.” He points at Mason. “What he said.” We all chuckle, and then Sam says, “Seriously though, Dyl, I gotta say—love looks good on you, man. You look happier than I’ve ever seen you.”
“Thanks, guys,” I say, touched. “You guys gave me good advice and helped me find the balls to actually talk to him. Thank you for that.”
“I love you, brother,” Mason says, and Sam nods.
“Me too, Dyl. Congratulations, dude. I’m super happy for you,” he says.
“I love you too.”
After they leave, I spend some time going through paperwork, and a couple of hours later, my phone rings, my face breaking into a smile when I see the caller ID.
“Hello, this is Dylan,” I answer with my standard greeting—even though I know who it is. I don’t know, it’s just what I do.
“Hey, baby,” Reed says, and the little term of endearment sparks a warm feeling in my chest.
“Hi, Reed. What’s going on over there?”
“Oh, not much. Things are fine. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that I agreed to work a thirty-six-hour shift starting at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow.”
“Whoa, thirty-six hours? For real?” I ask, and he chuckles ruefully.
“All too real, unfortunately. But I told them I’d do it because I know it will be harder on everyone else if I say no, plus I’ll get a few extra days off that I can use over Christmas.”
“Isn’t it dangerous to work that many hours?” I ask. “For you and for your patients?”