“She’s turning twenty-three, man.”
“Yeah, I know. Trust me, she’ll like it,” he tells me with an exaggerated wink.
“There are f**kin’ rats in tutus.”
“They’re mice,” he corrects as I look back down at the cake that’s fit for a five-year-old. “It came with a free ‘Angelina the Ballerina’ ring,” he laughs as he holds up his hand to show me the pink plastic ring he’s wearing on his pinky.
I shake my head and laugh with them as I grab a beer and join them in the living room.
“You gonna give that to her?”
He smirks, saying, “No way, man. This is mine.”
We hang out and watch TV for a few minutes until Candace walks through the door. She gives Mark and Jase each a hug and kiss before I call her over and pull her onto my lap.
“I missed you,” I whisper as I run my nose up her neck and then tease, “Mmmm . . . coffee.”
She always smells like she’s bathed in a latte when she gets off work.
“I’m gonna take a quick shower. I’ll be back,” she says as she hops off of my lap.
I watch as she goes up the stairs, and as if we had planned it, my phone buzzes with a text from my mom letting me know she’s about fifteen minutes out.
“Did Candace find out about her audition yet?” Mark asks.
“Not yet. She should know tomorrow.”
“So what are you guys gonna do this weekend?” Jase asks as he takes a sip of his beer.
“My mom is only able to stay through tomorrow afternoon, so we will probably just lay low.”
We continue to talk about nothing in particular for a while when the doorbell rings.
“Hey, Mom,” I greet as I open the door.
She steps in and gives me a big hug, saying, “It’s good to see you, dear.”
“Donna?” I hear Candace call out from behind me, and when I turn to see her walking down the stairs, the surprised look on her face makes me smile.
“Candace,” Mom says, excited to see her.
“What are you doing here?” She is completely caught off guard, wearing her pajamas with her hair pulled on top of her head, as she gives my mom an excited hug.
“I wasn’t going to miss your birthday. But I’m a little disappointed that I had to hear about it from Ryan when you and I talk every week.”
I step beside Candace, shoot her a wink, and kiss her on the cheek.
“Sorry, I . . . I don’t normally do anything for my birthday, but I’m so happy you’re here,” she says and then hugs Mom again. “I can’t believe you drove all this way.”
“It’s a few hours, dear. Hardly a chore.” I watch as my mom takes Candace’s hand and walks over to Mark and Jase.
Candace introduces them, and I make my way into the kitchen.
“Mom, what do you want to drink?”
“A glass of wine will be good.”
“Me too,” Candace tells me, and I laugh at the memory of her drunk the last time she had wine with Jase, so I just have to tease her, asking, “You’re not gonna get drunk, slap my ass, and tell me how sexy I am, are you?”
“Ryan!” she scolds, completely embarrassed, and shoots a look towards my mom.
I laugh at her, knowing that she has nothing to be concerned about when it comes to my mom. She adores Candace, and the two of them have become quite close in the past couple of months.
I take a seat on the couch next to Candace as the three of us chat. I wanted to do something more for tonight, but this was probably the best idea. As we spend the evening relaxing and visiting over pizza, wine, and beer, I take in the fact that I have never had this before. At least not here in Seattle. I’m close with my family back home, but never felt that connection here, until now—until her. I’ve always known from the start that Jase, Candace, and Mark were tight. Just the three of them. And before I realized it, I’d become a part of that.
I’ve never had friendships and connections like I have with these people. I never wanted to. Even though they are all younger than me, when I saw the level of closeness and trust between the three of them, I saw what I had been missing. Candace made me want that—the connect. The commonality between us was something that was lacking in my previous friendships. For the first time since I moved here, the first time in the past ten years, I have people that I trust and care about.
It’s unfortunate when I think about it, but in a way, it’s Candace’s trauma that has bonded the four of us. I know we all love her in our own unique way, and at the root, there’s never been jealousy. Only three men that love this girl. And knowing that she has all of us gives me a level of security that I never expected to feel.
So we take this night, and like any family would, we laugh and eat cheap birthday cake straight from the box. Mom helps me clean up in the kitchen while Candace sits on the floor, cuddled into Jase, bantering back and forth with Mark, determined to get that plastic ring from him.
“I love her.”
I look at my mom when she says this to me as we load the dishwasher.
“She’s really something special,” she adds.
“Yeah, she is,” I agree as I watch her from across the room.
We finish up and wipe the counters down, and Candace asks as we walk back in, “Hey, you guys wanna watch a movie?”
“You all go ahead. I’m going to get some sleep so I’m rested for tomorrow,” my mom says.