Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
‘Oh no,’ I hear Maddie breathe. ‘He’s going to trample the cake.’
I roll my eyes and blow out the candles while everyone has a laugh at my expense. Sam slaps me on the back and grins.
‘Don’t say a word,’ I warn before my friend can hit me with some sarcastic wisecrack. ‘You’re no spring chicken yourself.’
He laughs and cocks his head. I wish I could be as complacent about my age. ‘I’m a few years behind you, my man. Don’t tar me with the same old brush.’
‘Fuck you.’
‘Jesse Ward!’ Ava’s mother cries, placing her hands over Maddie’s ears while sharply nodding at her husband, Joseph, to take care of Jacob’s. My father-in-law doesn’t even bother, and instead ruffles my boy’s hair on a smile filled with pride. Maddie shrugs her nan off and starts picking off the candles on my cake, counting them as she does, just to rub salt into my wounds. She gets to thirteen before a heavily pregnant Kate intervenes.
Ava’s best friend smiles down at my girl, who’s now looking up at her in question. ‘Let’s not upset your dad any more,’ Kate says quietly, but not too quietly that I miss it. She flicks her eyes to mine, and the smile I had pointed at her swollen belly drops when I catch her smirking at me.
‘This is the worst party ever.’ I huff my way to the kitchen to get a Bud, considering the benefits of getting blind drunk. And then I immediately scold myself for thinking such thoughts. Never. I pull the fridge open and make fast work of knocking the cap off a bottle.
‘I’d ask you if you want something stronger, but I know you’re not up for it,’ Sam says, wandering into the kitchen as I slam the fridge door.
‘Don’t tempt me.’ I knock back another glug as Drew joins us. His suit is so pristine, he couldn’t have sat, bent, or even moved in it since he put it on. ‘Bit over the top for a BBQ, isn’t it?’ I ask.
‘I have somewhere special to be after I’ve finished relishing in your misery.’ He moves past me to the fridge and helps himself to a beer, ignoring the look of surprise on my face. I glimpse at Sam, finding his expression matches mine.
Somewhere special? ‘What’s more special than being with your mate on his fiftieth?’ I bring my bottle to my lips as I watch Drew flip the cap off his beer.
‘I’m going to ask Raya to marry me.’ He barely whispers the words.
My snort of surprise sends my beer spraying so far, it hits every wall in my expansive kitchen. And Drew doesn’t dodge it. I cough, choke and sniff, while Sam laughs and Drew looks at me like he wants to rip my head off. He undoubtedly does. I’ve messed up his suit. He slams his bottle on the counter, nostrils flaring, though his face remains stoic. Married? Drew? There’s no question he’s found his girl in the beautiful Raya; I’ve never seen him so happy and settled, but . . . marriage? I just never imagined he’d venture down that road.
‘Jesse,’ Drew snaps, brushing down his suit jacket. ‘For fuck’s sake. Look!’
‘I’m sorry.’ I snatch a tea towel off the side and chuck it at him.
‘What’s going on?’ Kate waddles into the kitchen with some empty plates, Ava in tow.
‘Drew’s asking Raya to marry him,’ Sam and I declare in unison, making the girls pull to an abrupt stop before they both gasp, hands at their mouths, and then swoon all over Drew.
‘Will you keep it down, she’ll hear you,’ he mutters, throwing the tea towel with force at me before fighting the girls away. It smacks me in the face before I catch it.
‘Hear what?’ Raya asks, appearing in the kitchen with a dish balancing on one hand, a glass of wine in the other.
‘Nothing!’ we all sing, all grinning.
Drew rolls his eyes and collects his girl. ‘We’re going.’
‘We are?’ Raya slides the dish onto the counter, looking a bit bewildered as Drew takes her glass from her hand and leads her to the door. ‘What about Georgia?’
Drew tosses a smirk over his shoulder at me. ‘Uncle Jesse said she could stay.’
‘I did?’
‘We did,’ Ava pipes up. ‘Have fun!’ she calls, before moving into Kate’s side. ‘Do you think he still has his cock pierced?’ she whispers in Kate’s ear.
What the fuck? I swing an incredulous look at my wife, whose mouth snaps shut quickly, her back going all straight as she looks at me, her lips pressed together. I give her an expectant look, and she shrugs, looking away guiltily. ‘Just what I’ve heard.’ She bites her lip, glancing at Kate, who chuckles, clutching her belly.
‘Stop. I’ll pee myself.’
I glare at Ava. ‘How’d you know Drew has his cock pierced?’