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Dax puts his finger up and says, “Ejaculation with another person in the room.”

“Now, what if they come?” I tent my fingers in front of my face.

Law points at me. “You made her come? That counts.”

“Nope,” I say, holding both hands up. “And I don’t think it should count if I don’t come.”

Hayden grabs his phone and stands, bouncing around the room. I’m sure he’s headed to a yoga class of some sort. Not sure where his energy comes from.

“The idea is you can’t date. If she comes and you see her again, that’s a second date.”

They all grunt in agreement. Colt returns Dax’s phone to him as mine dings from the silver bowl, and everyone looks.

It’s a picture of the sunrise with our feet on the edge of the image. Fuck yeah. I’ve got her number now. I gave her mine and let her decide if she wants to stay in touch. Everyone stares at me.

“You can’t see her again,” Hayden says.

I stand on my chair, raise my glass, and put my hand on my heart. “Good brothers, all. I, Anthony Ladd, did not, on my honor, her honor, and let’s say, Colt’s,”—they all laugh because he’s the most honorable of all of us—“I did not sleep with that bewitching woman. We both walked away unsatisfied, unsated, and unencumbered.”

They all yell, “Hear! Hear!”

“The rules state I can see her as long as we’re not dating or sleeping together.”

Robbie says, “But you can fuck her once if you like.”

“I will take that under advisement.”

Dax smirks. I step down from the chair and point to him. “What?”

“Good luck.”

Another picture comes in, and it’s of Maggie, Makenzie, and Colt. He’s in the middle, but glancing at Maggie instead of the camera. That’s loaded. We all yell, staring at the picture.

Then we settle our gaze on Colt. Shit, he’s the most upstanding of all of us.

Law throws a napkin at him. “Wait. Dude! We need to discuss your unholy behavior. You closed your eyes.”

“I didn’t.” He shakes his head, but I see it too.

I pop in, “Um, you did. Just now and last night. You wanted to shake her hand. She hugged you instead, and you closed your eyes while she hugged you.”

Hayden raises a bottle of water and hitches his mat under his arm. “And you smelled her. I saw you.”

Robbie says, “You’re a mess if you think she doesn’t still own a piece of you.”

Colt puts his hands up. “Ok. Fine. I closed my eyes and smelled the girl of my former dreams. But it was nostalgia, nothing more. I’m a settled family man.”

I say, gesturing with a considerable piece of pancake, “Looked pretty current.”

“She’s married and I’m married with kids. I’m not that man. She’s happy and I’m happy for her.” He’s not. But he wouldn't jeopardize his girls. Considering what he did and still does for them, I believe him.

There’s a long pause, and Colt seems relieved we’ve let the subject go.

Then Robbie barrels in and adds, “But you didn’t say you are happy.”

We all howl, and Colt flips us off.

Best birthday ever.