Page 178 of Jude

Judah scoffed. ‘They don’t have the koalafications?’

‘That’s garbage, Bluey,’ Kian yelled back from his lawn chair, tossing a crumpled napkin at the fire. ‘Tell the one about the kangaroo in the Melbourne pub!’

‘Right, so this roo walks into a bar and orders a fifteen-dollar pint. The bartender says, ‘We don’t get many kangaroos in here.’

Bluey maintained a straight face without missing a beat, his thick accent cutting through the air.

‘The roo looks at the bill and states, ‘At these bloody prices, mate, you won’t be seeing many more either!’’

The entire deck exploded into groans, laughs, and shouts.

The party kept pumping, our guests stuffing themselves with creamy arancini, roasted pasta salad, prosciutto-stuffed tigelle, and warm, buttery garlic focaccia until they groaned.

For dessert, the crew introduced a mountain of roasted marshmallows, sandwiched between graham crackers and chocolate blocks for gourmet s’mores that left all of us with sticky fingers.

When it came time for the cake, I presented Jude with a stunning white-and-black gateau in the shape of Grace, his beloved guitar, to the cheers of his loved ones.

‘No way,’ he rasped, shaking his head in disbelief.

‘Yes way,’ I told him, pressing a kiss into the corner of his mouth. ‘Happy birthday, tesoro.’

After we sang ‘Happy Birthday,’ he cut into the frosting with a huge grin.

We destroyed the cake as we all crowded around the extensive wooden trestle, the night air turning crisp, the band sharing old road stories and trading barbs as dusk fell.

Later that evening, as the house lit up from within like a warm gold lantern set against the shadowy Forest Hills ridge, Jude caught my hand beneath the table.

He gave me a lingering, meaningful look, pulling me away from the happy chaos.

We walked hand in hand through the grove of ancient oaks, towards the lake.

Small twigs snapped underfoot until we reached our petite beach.

We turned to glance back at our home, at the silhouettes of our friends and family moving past the glowing iron-wrought windows and sitting around the outdoor hearth.

The sound of their distant laughter drifted over the grass.

Jude stepped behind me, wrapping his sinewed arms about my waist and pulling me to his chest, locking out the cold.

He leaned close to my ear, whispering in it.

‘If I had to burn through every damn fire in this universe just to live this moment, I’d do it -.’

‘Because infinity belongs to us.’

I finished the line for him, reaching back to stroke his face.

‘You know I’ve listened to that song daily since you sent it to me?’

He arched a brow, lips quirking. ‘Is that right?’

‘Cross my heart, you need to release it hon, it’d be an instant hit.’

He shook his head, his eyes solemn.

‘No, it’s ours, just for us two.’

‘My rockstar is so sentimental.’