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“Hopefully you’ll get to ask them. They’re on their way.”
Phoenix’s smile lit his face. “I’m glad. I’m dying to know who they are with you being so secretive about them all the time.” Cassie didn’t know what he was talking about, but Adelaide obviously did.
Her eyes widened before she blinked innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t.” He grinned, rolling his eyes.
“Yeah, I think we’re ready to tell our closest friends. It’ll be nice to be able to go some places together and act like it too.” Adelaide smiled wistfully. “We’ve had enough of hiding, but it’s been necessary. It still is.” She lifted her glass and added, “Anyway, I need a refill,” effectively heading Phoenix off at the pass before she ducked over to the kitchen sink filled with ice and bottles of wine.
Cassie left Jake and Phoenix together as she took the platter to Connor, Levi, and Katy. The two men were cuddled up together, and Katy sat across their knees. She and Levi were giggling conspicuously on the couch while Connor looked pained. Robyn, Mike, and Ezio sat opposite them on the other sofa with Nick, and Emma perched on the armrest of the chair deep in conversation.
“Beautiful place you have here,” Levi said, wiping a tear from his eye as she stopped by them.
“Thanks?”
“No, seriously. It’s great. We were laughing about something entirely different.” Connor flushed red and adjusted his perch on the couch. He was leaning over, his weight all on one side of his butt. He looked uncomfortable, shifting and sucking in a breath. Katy snorted with laughter again.
“You okay, Con?”
He cleared his throat and shook his head. “I’m fine,” he squeaked and shifted Katy’s leg higher on his lap. His eyes were dilated, and he was breathing in shallow breaths, his cheeks flushed pink.
“If you’re not feeling well—”
“Oh, he’s fine,” Levi drawled, snaking his hand around Connor’s waist. Connor sucked in a breath and stood abruptly, almost dumping Katy off his lap.
“Excuse me,” Con breathed before he rushed out of the room.
“Go. Stop teasing him, you shit,” Katy breathed, elbowing Levi, and stood. Turning to Cassie, she asked quietly enough that only she could hear, “Do you have somewhere where they can have a few minutes privacy?”
“Ah, yeah. Our office?”
Katy leaned in, lowering her voice further. “Adelaide gave Levi the toy he’d ordered for Con when she picked us up. They might need somewhere with a lock on the door.”
Cassie looked at her wide-eyed and laughed.Oh. Oh, lucky bugger.“Check out the apartment above the garage. The keys are by the front door.”
Levi dashed off, and Katy took a savoury pastry off the platter and gave Cassie a devious grin. “Let them work it out of their systems.” Cassie blinked, and Katy added, “He caused the problem. Now he can fix it—not that it’ll take longer than a minute or two.” She shrugged like it was no big deal and sat back down on the couch, sitting like a queen in the middle seat. “Then I’ll get the benefits of holding out for round two later.”
Cassie snorted out a laugh and shook her head, searching out her guys. She couldn’t help her smile. Phoenix was talking to Reef, his eyes locked on Jake and lips turned up in a shy smile. Phoenix’s face flushed, and he looked away, only to clash gazes with her. He laughed and bit down on his lip, and she focussed her attention on Katy again when she spoke. “He looks happy. You all do.”
“We are. We love having him with us again.”
Robyn slipped her arm around Cassie’s waist and squeezed her. “Cassie’s in love,” she teased. “Where’d your guys go?” she asked Katy.
“They’re checking out the apartment. Levi’s interested in exploring some real estate options,” Katy responded with a straight face, and Cassie unsuccessfully stifled her snort of laughter.
Robyn nodded, completely clueless as to what was really transpiring. “Good idea. The market’s insane, and Cassie’s definitely the one to help you out if you’re looking at renovating, and Jake was brilliant when we bought our place.” She motioned to where Jake had been standing, and Cassie followed her gaze. She watched as he pulled Phoenix into his arms and started slow dancing to the soft music playing in the background.
“He is pretty wonderful.” Cassie smiled like a lovesick fool. “They both are.”
“That they are,” Robyn responded, squeezing her waist again. Cassie looked at her and grinned. Of all the friends Cassie had, Robyn was her favourite. She was the kindest, wisest woman she knew, and both she and her guys deserved every piece of happiness they could steal.
Both Robyn and Ezio had been a godsend for Phoenix too. They’d talked to him for hours, Robyn reassuring him that walking away from a career that took more than it gave wasn’t a failure. It was strength. Ezio and Mike had been friendly ears, listening to Phoenix’s concerns about joining her and Jake’s relationship and talking it out with him. “You should be over there with them, not serving us food,” Robyn scolded, taking the platter out of Cassie’s hand and shooing her away. Cassie took the hint with a laugh.
Her guys spotted her coming and opened their embrace, slotting her between them, Jake pressed to her back, and Phoenix moved in front of her. With both men’s arms wrapped around her and Cassie hugging Phoenix, they moved slowly together.
“This is wonderful. But—” Cassie’s gut fell. Wasn’t he enjoying himself? She opened her mouth to ask Phoenix why, but he pressed a finger to her lips with a smile and added, “But now that I’m here with you, I want more.” He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. “I’ve finally found a place to call home—with you. You’ve become my best friends, and I love you more than life itself. Even though it’s quick, it also hasn’t been.”
Cassie nodded. He was their home too. The piece that made them all complete.
