“Gremlin,” Rowan says.
“Demon.”
Somehow his grin widens. “I liked your macarons by the way.”
“Shut up.”
He chuckles. “It was a compliment.”
“Was it? Or is it going to be followed by criticism?”
“No criticism today.”
He never criticizes anyway. I’m convinced he’ll eat anything I bake. “How chivalrous.”
The candles are lit and I hit record just before everyone starts singing. I’m singing along and smiling until the six-foot-three man stands directly in front of me.
I growl and lightly kick the back of his knee, making him nearly fall. “Move.”
He smirks over his shoulder and whispers, “I can’t see.”
“You’re a fucking giant!”
He turns to gaze down into my eyes. “Your arms were in my way.”
I gape at him. “Because I’m short!”
“That sounds like ayouproblem.”
I smack his phone out of his hand and it falls onto the grass. He gasps and gapes at me before he does the same thing. “I swear—if it’s cracked, you’re buying me a new phone.”
“You did it to my phone first!”
“Are you two done?” Christian asks, arms crossed and glaring at his friend.
Rowan clears his throat and runs his fingers through his hair, his muscles flexing under his sweater and his tanned, muscled forearms on display.I peel my eyes away from him and toward our friends who all glare disappointedly.
“Sorry, Isa,” I say, ashamed, and pick up our phones.
Isabelle shrugs, tapping her fingers against each other with her usual whimsy smile. “That’s okay. Now just the two of you sing.”
Rowan and I blink at her. “Isa?—”
“I saidsing,” she says with a scary calmness.
Everyone else in our group smiles and waits, especially Lana who’s smirking like this is what I deserve. I look up at Rowan, finding his eyes are already on me, then back at Isabelle.
And then we sing “Happy Birthday,” just the two of us, as cruel punishment.
“We share a birthday,” Luca grumbles.
“We’re adults,” Isabelle retorts. “I get my own party if I want my own party. You celebrated yesterday with the guys!”
Luca rolls his eyes and waves it off while Lana and I snicker beside the twins.
“Thank you for hosting.” Isa hugs Lana in the foyer of her and Christian’s lavish, new home.
“Of course,” Lana says, hugging tightly. “We have all the space.”
