“Fuck yes.Thanks to you — and you as well, Captain — I’ll really celebrate tonight.Ah, Mum,” he turns to Chris, “you too, go on.”
“Chris?”
“I got a bit carried away with it,” she says.
Jamie laughs beside me.I can’t decide whether to go along with the craziness or be annoyed.
“Don’t look at us like that, Doctor,” Ryan protests.“And you, Jamie — what the fuck?You could’ve at least waited until you were outside my door before giving in.”
“Um… Nick?”Casey’s voice slips between the others.She holds out her hand to him in a silent request.Nick snorts, pulls a note from his pocket, and drops it into Casey’s outstretched palm.
“You too?”I ask, surprised.
“I had nothing to do with it.”Evan raises his hands.
“We bet on Riley and Ian,” Casey announces.
“What?”Ian sputters.
“Oh, please.How long did you think you could keep this secret?I knew right away, but Nick insisted you would tell him if that was the case.Poor, deluded man.”
Nick snorts in annoyance.
“What a shitty family,” my son says, making everyone burst out laughing.
I laugh too — what else can I do?Jamie puts a hand on my shoulder, quietly asking me to let him go.I watch him walk over to Riley, lift her into his arms, and hug her.She can’t hide her feelings, and honestly, it gets to me a little too.Not because I’m overly sensitive, but because my Captain has just taken another step forward, and I hope there will be many more.
“Willyou take me home with you?”Jamie asks when everyone is ready to go.
“Two minutes.Actually, less,” I reply without thinking.
He laughs and shakes his head.“We can wait a little longer.”
I slip my hand into my jeans pocket and pull out my car keys.“Wait for me outside.I’ll be right there.”
Jamie takes the keys from me and heads out to say goodbye to the others.I walk over to Evan to let him know I’m leaving.
“Thanks for letting me win,” Evan says.
“Am I your father or not?”
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
“Well, thank you.You could at least pretend to be sad.”
“I’m just waiting for someone to finally leave this house so I can get out.You know, I’ve got a thing…”
“You’re impossible.”
“I’m cool, what can I do?”
I shake my head, certain this is Ryan’s influence.
“Now I have to try to convince Nick to leave.”
