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Well, I couldn’t argue that.
And I was relieved he wasn’t diving into another project. With Javi swiftly coming up to speed, now, Hale cooked for us nearly every night. He read instead of worked after dinner. Sometimes, we went to movies. And he’d joined Jadyn’s basketball team.
“What do you think of this?” he asked, indicating the photo.
I turned again to the photo. “I think it’s awesome.”
“I’m going to buy it for the living room,” he told me.
“I love that,” I replied.
He suddenly looked uncertain, which wasn’t a look I saw him wear very often (or,ever).
“Do you think it’ll work?” he asked.
“Does it matter?” I asked in return. “It’s kickass. Mika took it. And you love it. That’s all art needs to be to make it work.”
“I’ve never bought something like this,” he admitted.
I blinked up at him in surprise. “Really?”
He gave me a crooked smile. “I’ve been kinda busy, baby. It’s only recently I’ve had reason to start nesting.”
I liked that so much, I pressed into his side, and informed him, “Then this is the perfect piece to start.”
He dipped his head and kissed me.
Decision made.
Mika tried to give it to us. Hale refused.
He hung it himself on the wall by the elevator.
It went beautifully there.
* * *
“Oh Lord.”Chloe rolled her eyes.
“It’s true,” Sully said.
“Totes had a crush on you,” Gage admitted casually. “I mean, you’re gorgeous, no offense, Judge.”
“None taken,” Judge muttered through a grin.
“And I was nineteen when I met you and you weren’t my stepsister then, so…obvs,” Gage went on. “I’m over it now,” he promised Judge.
“That’s good,” Judge said on a chuckle.
“Happy birthday to you…” I started the song, and everyone crushed around our dining room table turned to look at me as I brought in the cake. Then they joined in.
And the crush was acrush. So crushed, even though we had a dining room table that seated twelve, all of the stools from around the island had been pulled over and some people still had to stand.
Fliss and Carole. Gemma and Jadyn. Mom (alone) and Dad (with his girlfriend, Kristine). Oskar (the kids were with Anoushka, who had also moved to New York, something she had to do, or she wouldn’t see her children since Oskar set out to eviscerate her, and she stupidly gave him the ammunition to do that) and Emilie (alone, Scott totally dumped her, sad for her, but not a surprise). Mika, Tom and Cadence. Judge and Chloe. Sasha. Jamie, Nora and Dru. Blake. Ned. Gage and Sullivan (these last two because Sully was being headhunted by a local firm, so he was in NYC for an interview, and Gage took that opportunity to visit since Chloe, Judge and Sasha were coming out for Hale’s birthday).
Matt was still neck deep in his vet internship and couldn’t get the time off and Genny and Duncan were in LA because she was shooting. Hale had FaceTimed them earlier.
Also there was Samantha.
