“She’s awesome,” Jake says with honest affection in his voice. “But man, can she be intimidating.”
“I like to think of her as badass,” I reply. “But don’t tell her I said that. We’ll never be able to live with her.”
“Your secret is safe with me, man.” He sets the steaks on the grill. “I’ll add the salmon when the steaks are half-done. It cooks faster.”
“Was that also a Mia instruction?”
“I think she said it about six hundred times.”
I shake my head and lean against a cement pillar, looking out over the pool that’s covered for the winter.
“How are things with Addie?” I ask.
He closes the grill and pulls two beers out of a small fridge next to the grill, hands me one. “I don’t remember my life without her now.”
“In case you need a refresher, you were an international rock star and you’ve won Grammys for your songs, Jake. FYI.”
“I know it sounds dumb,” he says with a shrug. “I don’t care if I’m sappy or whatever. In less than a year, she became the center of my universe. Of course I work, and she works, and we have lives to run, but at the heart of it, it all comes back to her. And I didn’t think that I’d ever say that about anyone.”
I nod, thinking about Cami and how much she’s come to mean to me in less than a month’s time.
“What’s going on with you and Cami?”
I raise a brow.
“Come on, you knew that question was coming.”
“What’s going on? We’re seeing each other.” I take a sip of my beer. “I’ve known Cami for a long time.”
“As a friend,” Jake says reasonably. “That’s not the same thing.”
“That’s what I’m learning,” I reply. “I thought I knew her so well, but she’s proving that to be wrong every day.”
“Cami’s sweet.” Jake turns the steaks, then laughs when he sees Mia with her nose practically pressed to the window watching him. “Go away!”
“You should put the salmon on now!” she yells, but Jake shoos her away and turns his back on her.
“I’m going to wait an extra two minutes to put the salmon on now.”
“I knew I liked you,” I reply with a smile. “And yes, Cami’s sweet. Are you going to warn me too?”
“‘Too’?”
“Mia and Kat have already pretty much said they’ll cut my balls off if I hurt her.”
“Nah. I’m not going to do that. You’re both adults, and you know what’s what. Besides, they all warned me off of Addie. I’ll never divorce her just to preserve my manhood.”
“If you hurt Blondie,” I reply, perfectly serious, “you won’t have to worry about your manhood. I’ll simply kill you and make it look like an accident.”
“Point taken.” Jake laughs and pulls the meat off the grill. “Come on, let’s listen to Mia tell me all about how I did this wrong.”
“I just don’t want any wine,” Addie says, and looks to Jake for help when we step inside. “Seriously, babe, they won’t leave me alone.”
“You know, peer pressure is bad,” I say slowly. “Just in case you forgot from when you were teenagers.”
“Addie loves wine,” Kat insists, but Cami’s watching with a thoughtful gaze. She’s rubbing her lips with her fingertip. She glances over at me and gives a slight nod, and I know what she’s thinking.
I know what’s happening here. Just wait and see.
“So tell them,” Jake says with a shrug. “I told you to tell them a month ago.”
“Holy Mary, Mother of God!” Mia shrieks. “You knocked her up!”
Cami grins. Everyone gasps and stares at Addie wide-eyed as tears gather in her pretty blue eyes.
“He totally knocked me up,” she says, getting choked up. “Isn’t it just the sweetest thing ever?”
The girls squeal and rush over to Addie to give hugs and kisses and belly rubs.
“How long?” Riley asks.
“Do you throw up all the time?” Cici asks.
“I want to throw the baby shower!” Cami says.
“I feel great,” Addie says, and smiles brightly at Jake as he walks over and kisses her cheek, then hugs her from behind. “I’m about three months along. I wanted to make sure everything was okay before we announced it. I know, that seems silly because it’s you guys, but—”
“We get it,” Riley says, patting Addie’s hand.
When the girls are all finished fussing over Addie, I saunter over and pull her in for a big hug. “I’m so happy for you, Blondie.”
“Thank you, handsome.”
“You should stop wearing those shoes. You don’t want to fall and hurt yourself.” The room goes absolutely quiet at my statement, and then all of the girls bust up laughing.
“You’re so sweet,” Addie says, patting my cheek like I’m a little boy who just said something funny. “But you’ll get my sexy shoes off my cold, dead feet.”
“Addie and Cami are very serious about their shoes,” Kat says.
“And you’re not?” Cami asks Kat, looking pointedly down at her cherry-red high heels.
“Not like you guys. You make shoe shopping into an Olympic sport. Have you seen Cami’s shoe-closet dream board on Pinterest?” Kat asks me.