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Aithan crossed his arms. “My STD tests all came back negative.”
Drew’s face lit up and Aithan couldn’t help but mirror the man’s shit-eating grin. “Oh, it’s on tonight, brother,” Drew said beneath his breath. “It. Is.On.” He greeted Tobias and Candace like he’d been thinking about rainbows, rather than blow jobs. The guy had perfected cool.
Sometimes Drew pivoted on a dime and gave Aithan whiplash. Zelda said she felt the same way. But he was just about the most generous person Aithan had ever met. He was funny and enthusiastic and didn’t give two shits what other people thought of him. He employed a dozen people and oversaw ten million dollars’ worth of publishing ventures, the ongoing creation of his own novels, as well as collaborations with half-a-dozen other authors, audiobooks, foreign publishing sales, and merchandise. And he never seemed to sweat any of it.
Aithan struggled with his feelings about Drew. The guy was great for Zel. He was incredibly kind-hearted, funny, and creative. He was also irritatingly oblivious of how throwing around his immense income made Aith feel like a kid playing at being a grownup.
He wanted to be friends with the guy but wasn’t sure how. Zel called them brothers, and that felt alright, especially since Aithan’s own brother Sebastian had the same cavalier attitude as Drew. These were Aithan’s hang-ups, he knew that and didn’t let them get in the way of his relationship with Zelda or the pleasure they all shared in bed, but it kept him from feeling totally comfortable hanging out with Drew. It was a problem to overcome, if he was gonna make this relationship work.
And Aithan definitely wanted his romance with Zelda Gordon to last. He was in this for the long haul. He pictured a lifetime with her, kids and retirement, and wheelchair races down a retirement home’s hallways.
He glanced at Drew. From a few things Zelda had said he knew the guy’s childhood was pretty horrendous, but he got the feeling that few people really knew how bad. Whatever had happened to him as a kid, it had taught Drew Katterman to embrace every opportunity without hesitation and to relish each moment with complete gusto.
Another thing to admire.
Aithan resented Drew’s wealth, envied his ease but not his messed-up childhood, and worried he’d never be able to compete with the guy.
Candace reached the second floor and Aithan returned her hug. “Looking healthy, Mr. Mazur,” she said.
“A little better every day.”
“Damn straight,” Tobias said. He bumped fists with Aithan.
As much as he wanted to share his news, and himself, with Zelda, Aithan was happy to hang out with Tobias and Candace. Time spent with his closest friends was never time wasted.
As for Zelda and her magic mouth? Well, he’d waited this long. A few more hours wouldn’t kill him.
6
A MAN WHO HAS HIS PRIORITIES STRAIGHT
Tobias carrieda grocery bag into the kitchen. “Where do you want this, girl?”
I pointed to the breakfast bar. “We’ll do a buffet.”
He hoisted it onto the counter.
“Kurde,” Aithan muttered.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He pressed a finger to his forehead. “Just got smacked between the eyes by a memory.”
“Huh?” Candace asked.
“It’s ’cause his brain’s healing from the concussion,” Drew said as he gathered his computer and headphones from the couch.
Aithan nodded. “The deposition.” He was talking to Tobias. “I was in the hospital and you never said anything. What happened?”
Tobias was in the middle of a nasty custody dispute with his ex-wife, Maeve, over his daughter, Amara. Maeve wanted partial custody so she could get alimony, not because she gave two squirts of piss about Mari. The girl was Tobias’s daughter from his first marriage, the only part of his dead wife Juliette that he had.
“Nah, man, nothing to worry about,” Tobias replied. “You had healing and all your own shit to deal with. The judge postponed the hearing. We’ll go back after the first of the year.”
Aithan blew out a slow breath. “Bet Maeve whined about that.”
“Yeah, the judge was pretty frosted with her bitching.” He shrugged.
“Doesn’t know how to shut her trap,” Candace added.
