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“Welcome!” I say, stepping aside. “Thanks so much for coming by.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Logan adds.
The slam of a truck door near the street has me spotting Thor treading up the driveway.
“Drinks are in the fridge, help yourself!” I say, still holding the door for the last guest.
Behind me, footsteps filter into the living room. Casper is greeting them just as Thor walks into the entryway. He passes me a bouquet of flowers. “These are mostly for you. Great work.”
“Aww, thank you. Honestly, you guys did the hard part. Thank you so much for spending your days off painting.”
Thor joins the rest of the group while I quickly put the flowers in a large pitcher because he doesn’t have a vase—I’ll have to remember that for next time.
When I meet everyone in the living room, Logan looks at me and points to the canvases on the wall. “These turned out even better than I thought they would.”
“Thank you! You gave me great options to pick from.” Watching Casper slowly turn in place, his gaze moving from one wall to the next, spotting the artwork—his artwork—was beautiful.
“I really did,” he says, admiring the artwork again.
Kelly snorts. “He’s been waiting all day for someone to tell him that.”
“Because I deserve it.”
“Sweetheart, you emailed graphics.”
Logan sweeps his hand around the room. “I elevated the space.”
“Jesus Christ,” Thor mutters.
Frankie hooks her arms through mine. “This place looks incredible.”
Kelly nods. “It’s so . . . him.”
Casper leans against the doorway between the kitchen and the living area, arms crossed and observing everyone, looking content and at home—which is exactly what I hoped for. His gaze lands on me and stays there for a second. Long enough for the butterflies to hit.
I head toward the kitchen, but he grabs me before I can take a step past him. “Thank you.”
“You deserve it,” I remind him. “Give them a tour while I finish getting dinner ready.”
He presses a kiss to my head and pushes off the wall.
While he shows off the other rooms, I hurry to the kitchen and slide out a few trays of food from the fridge and pop them in the oven. I needed a meal I could throw together quickly that everyone would enjoy and decided on a mac ’n’ cheese bar. While Casper was at work, I took the day off to cook at his place. I made the bougiest mac recipe I could find, then prepared a few toppings like pulled pork, lobster, and an assortment of mushrooms and vegetables. Something for everybody.
Thor shouts from one of the back bedrooms, “Anna, can you do my place next?”
“No!” Casper answers before I even open my mouth.
Everyone crowds the kitchen, piling up their plates in buffet-style fashion. Casper’s house is too small for me to pretend this was ever going to be some elegant sit-down affair. There’s enough food to feed twice this many people because, apparently, my biggest fear is hosting dinner and running out of food.
The small space is quickly filled with bodies and overlapping conversations.
Frankie stands next to me, tongs in hand, while she adds broccolini to her plate. “Tell the truth, did he cry?” she asks under her breath.
I chuckle. “Not on the outside.”
Logan barks out a laugh. “Knew it.”
“She sold you out,” Thor adds.
