“Sorry, got a little caught up with some stuff. Did you guys cut the cake? Where is the not really birthday boy?”
Once everyone had arrived a waiter came and took our orders and poured us wine.
“We actually kind of lied. We aren’t here to celebrate Rocky,” Adrian said, after clinking a fork on his glass to quiet us. We all stared down at him curiously.
“He did turn seven months old, but you all can rest assured we aren’t going to do this every month,” Chase chuckled. He was all smiles tonight. He was usually a pretty chipper person, but tonight he was just beaming.
“Okay, so why are we here then?” Derek snapped, his brow furrowing. Why did he care? If we weren’t here, he would most likely be sitting on my couch playing video games all night. My attention turned back to the head of the table. Chase looked at Adrian and they reached for each other's hands.
“Do you want to tell them, or should I?” Adrian said low to his husband. They were so adorable together. Chase tightened his lips and his eyes went glossy.
“Maybe you should,” he said, his voice raising slightly. Adrian smiled and stood up.
“As of this Thursday, Chase is tumor free. The radiation worked.”
The room fell completely silent for only a split second before erupting in cheers and applause.
Cleo jumped up and ran to hug Chase from behind. She squeezed him tightly. When she let him go the rest of the table stood up and he accepted hugs and pats on the backs from everyone.
“This is seriously the best thing we could be celebrating!” Cleo exclaimed when we returned to our seats.
“Yeah, no offense but we all thought you were being obnoxious having us come out for a seven-month-old party,” Ethan added, glancing at his own baby sitting next to him. Both Wilson men laughed.
“We know. We just needed a reason to get you all together for something nice. We knew if we just said who wants to go out, half of you wouldn’t show,” Adrian explained. We all more or less muttered agreements. After the day I had today, there’s a chance I would have canceled to spend the evening soaking in a hot bath and relaxing in bed.
The food, wine, and company made for a great evening.
“Does this mean that I no longer get to watch Rocky?” I asked.
Chase thought for a moment and then answered.
“I’m not sure yet. The good news is still pretty fresh, so we haven’t made any definite plans yet. I was hoping to go back to work eventually. But I kind of want to wait until Rocky’s at least a year. We’ll discuss it and get back to you soon,” he promised.
When the twins and the two babies started to yawn and close their eyes, we decided to pay the bill and have a little afterparty at the Andrews’ house.
“Since this is a special night for you guys, let us take care of the bill,” Ethan said.
“Oh wow, thanks Ethan,” Chase said, and Adrian and Derek agreed. Ethan shot Derek and then Mark and I looks.
“I meant, let me pay for those two. You,” staring hard at Derek, “Can pay for your food and drinks.” Derek frowned but said nothing back. Cleo grabbed Blue and asked if someone could help with the twins. Before I could offer my help, Adrian told her he would.
I turned to Mark as everyone was standing to leave.
“I have to use the restroom before we leave. Wait for me?”
He kissed my forehead quickly as I left out of the room. Knowing we were probably the only ones left I didn’t doddle.
Stepping out, I started looking for my husband. I scanned the dining area and found him standing with Derek, mouth hanging open and staring hard at something. My eyes followed his look and my heart stopped. Ethan was standing toe to toe with Christopher.
Breaking my stare, I hurried over to Mark and grabbed his hand. His fingers curled over mine and squeezed a little tighter than comfortable. I let out a yelp and that seemed to break the spell. He looked over at me and apologized.
“Sorry, I just need to stay and see how this plays out. You can go to the car if you want.”
I shook my head and stayed with him and watched.
Ethan’s fists were clenched and even though we could only see the back of him, you could see how angry he was. Christopher on the other hand looked amused. He was talking to him, a happy glint in his eye. He looked relaxed, joyful even, that he happened to see Cleo’s new husband.
“Hey what’s the hold up? Adrian’s waiting in my car and they are ready to go.” Cleo’s voice made me jump from behind me. I turned quickly and opened my mouth to say something but came up blank. She came forward and gasped.
