“Hi.” With that single word, Jax could see the differences in the twins’ personalities. While Winter felt soft and light, Ash had a heaviness to him, and it wasn’t apparent unless you could recognize it, but Jax had just come out of that cave, so he knew where it was.
“Welcome to The Pointe. It’s nice to meet you.” They shook, and Ash’s hands were surprisingly cold.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Ash echoed in a tone that mirrored Jax’s. “I hope you have a killer birthday.” With a nod at Jax, he turned to Winter. “Sorry, but I have to go clean my station.”
Winter cringed as Ash walked away, but they had no reason to; Ash had been polite enough.
“It’s fine, he’s fine,” Jax laughed. “We’re acting like I wasn’t a total dick when I started here.”
“What? No!” Winter laughed, patting him on the shoulder. “Eat your food.”
Following orders, Jax studied the deconstructed ravioli in front of him, appreciating the nod to his favorite dish, and the courses only went up from there. The lobster risotto entrée actually brought tears to Jax’s eyes; it was spectacular in its simplicity, making him feel like he was back at year one, but that wasn’t a bad feeling. It inspired him to learn even more.
Emma and Kate took care of dessert, which featured a two-tiered black forest cake, pastries, and a selection of teas that Jax had chosen himself. After cutting the cake and posing for pictures that Mason and Rain directed,Jax spent the rest of that course gushing to Angelo about the dinner, telling him that if cooking was magic, then he was a wizard. By the time they were clearing the dishes, Jax had moved on to Stefan and the table full of his new friends, who were all excited about the official location for his cooking class.
But Ollie eventually pulled him away.
“Jaxaphone, I know it’s your day, but there’s an emergency Squad meeting going on.” Ollie seemed halfway serious, so Jax played along.
“Okay, I’m in.” Following Ollie upstairs to his tiny office, he found Liam in one of the two chairs that fit in there, and Rain sat on the desk, his legs dangling.
“Now that Jax is here, say what you said before.” Ollie gestured at Liam as Jax leaned against the wall.
Liam paused, collecting his thoughts. “I want to marry Owen.”
“Okay?” Rain blinked, looking at Jax, who shrugged. Was this supposed to be news?
“No,” Liam shook himself. “I mean, I want to marry Owen sooner than I thought.”
“Like, tomorrow? Or…” Ollie sat in the empty chair.
“Kinda?” Jax had never seen Liam look so unsure. “When he proposed, I told him that I wanted to wait until I had my bachelor’s degree, but I don’t want to wait anymore.”
“Did anything happen?” Ollie pressed, but Liam only shook his head.
“How long do you have until you graduate?” Jax shifted, adjusting his stance.
“I have another year and a half if I want to do it in three,” Liam frowned. “But I also have to start studying for the LSATs.”
“And you want to plan a wedding during that?” Ollie’s eyebrows wrinkled in concern. “It sounds like a lot.”
“It is, that’s why I’m so unsure.” With a sigh, Liam slumped in his chair.
“You could always go into town and just get married.” Rain made a face that said,why not?“Mason and I will probably do that.”
“But I want this squad and the rest of our Pointe family there. It might get crowded in the courthouse.” Liam gave him a wan smile.
“Can you talk to Owen about this?” Jax ventured.
“I want to.” Liam’s smile grew bigger. “He might already know. I’ve been dropping hints.”
“Listen, Li-Li,” Ollie patted his shoulder. “You do what feels right, and if you need any help withanything, I volunteer as tribute.”
“Thanks, Ollie. And I’m glad you said that because I’ll definitely need help from my best man.” Despite his earlier doubt, Liam’s smile shone, although it did falter as Ollie squealed.
“Best man! Oh em gee, Liam, I am super honored. I swear, I’ll be thebestbest man you’ve ever had!” He stopped, thinking for a moment. “Not that you’ve had a best man before.”
Rain laughed so hard he fell sideways on the desk.
