His smile reached his eyes. “Me too. And it’s good to see where you’re living now.”
I read between the lines. “He’s good for me, Blake. I haven’t felt this happy and at peace for a long time.”
He nodded slowly, like he didn’t quite believe me. Blake wasn’t the kind of person to make quick judgments; he would need to observe for himself and make up his own mind over time. “You certainly do seem happier and less angry. But I’m not entirely convinced, baby girl. I don’t want you to get hurt again so just let me see for myself okay. I need to know you’re going to be alright because you were fucking broken the last time he hurt you.”
It was a good thing we were a little way away from where J was because if he heard what Blake had just said he wouldn’t take too kindly to it. I reached out and squeezed Blake’s hand. “I get it. And you will see, I promise.” We sat in silence for a moment as we both processed what the other had said. Our friendship was deep and I knew that he was only doing what a good friend would do. His concern touched my heart; I felt blessed to have a friend that cared that much.
“How long are you and Serena staying for?” I finally asked.
“It’s just a flying visit this time. I need to get back to the restaurant for tomorrow night so we’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning.” His disappointment was evident.
“We really need to make more of an effort next year, don’t we?” I reflected. Since I’d moved back to Brisbane time had gotten away from me and I knew that Blake was really busy with his business too. But friends and family had to come first and I needed the reminder.
He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we do.”
We were interrupted by Serena who placed coffees in front of us. “I made yours with the strongest pod, Blake. Figured you’d need it after the small amount of sleep you’ve had,” she said.
J brought the rest of the coffees over and sat next to me. “What time did you leave this morning?” he asked Blake.
Blake met J’s eyes. “Just after two am,” he answered him, and then looked to Serena, “Thanks for the coffee. I do need it, babe.”
Well, this was a civilised conversation and it warmed me to see J and Blake conversing like this. I just hoped it would continue.
We drank our coffees and caught up a little before Serena asked, “So, what’s the plan for today?”
I broke out in a huge smile because I had been looking forward to today for weeks. Christmas was one of my favourite times of the year and I’d been planning our get together for a long time. I ran my hand over J’s arm excitedly and he chuckled as we made eye contact. He’d put up with my plotting and planning but I think I’d nearly driven him insane this last week with my mad frenzy to get everything finalised.
“What hasn’t she got planned, more to the point,” J murmured.
“Oh, hush,” I said, as I leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips, still grinning like a mad woman.
“Madison is like a woman possessed at Christmas time,” Blake commented, obviously remembering my crazy demands on my friends at this time of year.
“Tell me about it,” J said, “ She’s been shopping, cooking and hanging shit for weeks, and I’m not only talking about in this house. You should see Scott’s house. That poor fucker never saw her coming. He arrived home one night and it was like Santa had purged his fucking warehouse in there.”
Blake almost choked on his coffee as he started laughing. “Fuck, Madison, you could have come and decorated my restaurant.”
J saw my eyes light up at the thought of that job. “Jesus, don’t fucking get her started.”
I slapped him playfully on the arm. “Don’t be mean! You secretly love it. I can tell.”
He grinned at me and snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me close so that our lips brushed. “Baby, I love that you love it. And watching you get up that ladder to hang the fucking tinsel...yeah, I love that and that’s no secret.”
“Anyway, moving along,” I suggested, because otherwise I could see J and Blake making fun of me for awhile, “We’re spending the day at Scott’s house because he has a pool. Mum and Dad, and some of the boys from the club will be there. It’ll be lunch and then kicking back with a drink for the afternoon.”
“Sounds great, honey,” Serena said, “Are any of these biker boys hot?”
Now it was J’s turn to almost choke. “I wouldn’t let any of those guys near you so don’t even go there.” His protective streak surprised the shit out of me but at the same time I was really happy about it because it told me that Serena meant something to him.
“Pfft,” Serena waved her hand at him, “I think I can look out for myself, J. And besides, I’m not looking for a long term thing, just a bit of fun.”
J pushed his chair back and stood up. “Is there ever such a thing as a bit of fun for a chick?” he asked her.