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Tabi laughs. “No, a hot piece.”
“You don’t say,” Josie says rolling her eyes. “So are you doing this, or what?”
“I’ll try.”
“Laurence will give you a boost,” Mal offers, winking at his friend.
I’ve known Laurence long enough to tell he’s not into the idea but he’s too much of a gent to say otherwise.
But then Mal, playing the disruptive and antagonistic card he loves so much says, “Or Ellis will.”
Almost imperceptibly Ellis’s eyes flick to Josie who looks like her dog just died.
Thankfully, the wait staff arrives with more champagne, everyone helping themselves to a glass and gathering into a tight circle.
I glance at my sister, then my other sister—Tilly—a half-sister. I smile at my brother-in-law, Nate, who’s dependable and switched on and gets my obsessiveness where Ava’s concerned. She will always be a priority of his too.
Wrapping my arm around Ava’s waist, I gather everyone’s attention. “A toast,” I begin. “To friends; to family, old and new. And to love.” My eyes settle on my wife, her expression expectant and serene. Happy. “Whether it’s the memory of it, the chance of it, or the recognition and proof of it; to my beautiful wife and her courageous heart. To Ava.”
“To Ava,” the others repeat as we smash our classes together, rejoicing. “To Ava and Max.”
The End
