Life's Too Short (The Friend Zone #3)(59)

She turned to my companion. “Adrian, it’s good to see you again.”

He kissed her on the cheek.

I’d seen the pictures of her. The magazine covers and the black-and-white photo on the front of Sloan In-Between, the album her husband had dedicated to her. But Sloan was even prettier in person. She had long blond hair and an arm of colorful tattoos. She’d used some sort of shimmery eye shadow that made her brown eyes pop. I didn’t get a chance to ask her what it was because the rest of the guests were funneling out behind her. Adrian’s cousin Josh, his wife, Kristen, and Sloan’s husband, Jason, aka famous Grammy Award–winning musician Jaxon Waters.

I was breathing into my hands. “I can’t believe you did this,” I whispered.

Adrian smiled at me. “Sloan’s making you dinner. Her osso buco recipe from her cookbook. They all came down from Ely just for you. I got the house for the night. A client owes me a favor.”

I looked up at him, and tears filled my eyes.

This might be my last birthday. In fact, if family history was any indication, it probably was.

And he’d gone and made it the best one of my life.

*



Three hours later we’d had dinner and cake and I was sitting in the living room in front of an enormous crackling wood-burning fireplace with Kristen and Sloan. The guys were standing over by the bar talking. I’d sent Malcolm home after they sang happy birthday to me. I appreciated that Adrian had thought to have him here, but I wouldn’t be sharing the video.

Adrian had told me once after I had to take a picture with someone at Trader Joe’s a few days ago that he didn’t know how I dealt with all the lack of anonymity. I dealt with it because it’s what made my fight against ALS possible. But Adrian had no such skin in the game.

My following was no small thing. If I shared that video, he would be instantly famous. He’d never be anonymous again. It was one thing for me to talk about a man named Jesus’s Abs, but it was something else entirely to put a face on him. He’d be recognized in public, viewers would hunt him down online, they might even show up at his work. Everyone else here was probably used to that. Sloan and Jason for sure, and Josh and Kristen by association. But Adrian still had his privacy. When I explained this to him, he said he was still fine with me sharing the video—but I could tell he’d rather I not. So it was a not. But I loved that Malcolm had gotten the footage. That way I could always remember this day.

I loved Adrian’s friends. I loved that they came here simply because he asked them to. I loved that they were all so grounded and nice and went completely out of their way to make today special for me. It sort of made me jealous that they were so normal and he had to deal with the shit show that was my posse.

I was slightly drunk. Jason had been making martinis.

Sloan ate the olive out of her drink. “God, it’s been so long since I had one of these. I’m still nursing.”

“A boy or a girl?” I asked.

She smiled. “Girl. Emma. She’s a year now.”

I looked at Kristen. “And you guys have, like, what? Four?”

“Yup. Oliver is five. Kimmie and Sarah are ten and twelve, and the baby’s one.”

I tucked a leg under me. “Wow, who’s watching all of them?”

Kristen snorted. “Jason’s mom. The woman’s a saint.” She put her drink on the coffee table and leaned in. “Okay, you have to tell me. How’s the penis? Is it big?”

Sloan groaned and sat back in her chair. “Oh God, the penis thing again.”

I looked back and forth between them. “What? What’s the penis thing?”

Sloan shook her head at her best friend. “They’re just friends. She hasn’t seen it. Leave her alone.”

I put up a hand. “Uh, no, wait, I’m here for this. What’s the penis thing?”

“She’s here for it, Sloan. Stay out of it.” Kristen smiled, sitting on the edge of the sofa.

Sloan rolled her eyes at her.

“Josh has this enormous penis and I have a theory it’s hereditary,” Kristen said.

My eyes darted to Adrian across the room. “Really?” I whispered.

Kristen nodded. “Yup.” Then she made a space between her hands to show me, and Sloan started choking on her drink.

Sloan shook her head at her best friend, coughing. “This is so not appropriate.”

Kristen blinked at her. “This is important research, Sloan.”

I nodded quickly. “I agree, further study is needed.”

Kristen laughed, and Sloan looked slightly horrified. I got the feeling flustering Sloan was one of Kristen’s hobbies. She seemed very good at it.

I sat back against the sofa. “I would love to explore the possibility of Adrian’s magic peen. But unfortunately he’s not into me.”

Kristen and Sloan shared a look.

I glanced back and forth between them. “What?”

Kristen leveled her eyes on me. “I don’t know what he tells you, but that dude’s whipped.”

Sloan was giving me a slow, wide-eyed nod.

I scrunched my forehead. “What? No.”

Kristen looked up over me. “He’s literally staring at the back of your head right now. He’s been staring at you all night.”