Page 122 of Stolen Hearts
I pull my hand away and Kelly grabs it.
“I was going to wait until tomorrow, until Daniel was here, but we wanted to ask you?—”
“Yes. I’ll be the godfather,” I interrupt her, the words tripping over my tongue. I’ve wondered why it’s taken her so long to ask me. Kate had been asked last month.
“Oh no. It’s not that.” Kelly shakes her head dismissively.
The wind is instantly knocked from my chest, my dream of being a godfather with it.
Kelly squeezes my hand and continues.
“Daniel and I have been speaking about this, and if it’s okay with you, we’d really like to name our son Christopher, after you.”
Kelly grins at me as my eyes mist up.
“As in a mini-me?” I’m barely able to make out Kelly through my tears.
“Well, he’s a mini of me and Daniel, but yes,” Kelly laughs.
“I’d be honored.” My voice cracks as I lean in for a hug.
The tenderness of her squeeze is something I’ve missed so much.
“What are you two still doing in here?” We jump apart as mum appears at the kitchen door. “You’ve got guests outside.”
No shit, Sherlock.
I help Kelly up as our mum turns and heads back to the lounge. Kelly holds two fingers up to her head and pulls the trigger. I point my fingers at our mum instead, and mimic the gesture.
A few hours later, I’m sitting across from Stephen and Ryan, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my best friend and my ex-boyfriend are together. Ryan’s hand has discretely rested on Stephen’s leg all evening. Dated Christmas decorations hang from the walls and bar in the Junction Tavern pub. A fakeChristmas tree with garish decorations, the same ones they’ve used every year since Stephen and I started celebrating Christmas Eve here, sits in the corner by the fireplace.
Stephen returns from the bar with a tray of shots and three more drinks. He sits down and passes a tequila shot and lime to me before pouring salt on his hand.
“What’s he like then? Any juicy gossip you can share?”
“He’s just a normal guy, like we all are,” I say, trying to move the conversation along. I was hoping the break in conversation when he went to get another round would stop Stephen, who has a celebrity obsession, from digging for more information on Alexander.
“He is not a normal guy.”
Stephen reaches for his phone, the salt falling from his hand, and pulls up a photo of Alexander from theMen’s Healthshoot, holding it up for Ryan and me to see. “That is not a normal guy. I can’t believe you got to spend a whole week working with him! Did you get to see him topless?” His finger flicks through more images on his phone.
I feel bad for lying to Stephen, but his mouth is looser than his asshole. One slip up and I know he’ll be shouting from the rooftops that his best friend is hooking up with a celebrity.
“No,” I say, putting the shot down and reaching for my pint instead. I take a sip to wash down my guilt.
I want to turn my attention back to them, but I also don’t want to know about the ins and outs of their relationship.
The lack of discomfort on Ryan’s face tells me he doesn’t find this evening as weird as I do. Both of us know that a few years back it would have been his hand on my leg and Stephen playing the third wheel.
“Look at them,” Stephen slurs, showing Ryan the picture of Alexander, me, and the Brewed team at one of the Brewed activation events. Stephen zooms in on the photo. Alexander standsnext to me, his arm round my waist. “They would make a great couple, don’t you think?”
“I guess,” Ryan shrugs nonchalantly, clearly also over the conversation.
“He’s straight.” My tone is a little too forceful.
“Come on, when has that stopped you before?” Stephen’s hand whacks my arm.
Harsh. But true.
