“I’ll catch a car back to my place and then get a ride with Emmett to yours.”

“Are you sure? It’s your car, and I can—”

“I’m sure.” He bends down and gives me a quick kiss. “I’ll see you soon.”

A wide, silly smile stretches across my face. It lingers the whole drive back to my house and is still firmly in place when I walk in the front door. Sloane is flitting around, straightening magazines and arranging flowers. She cut back on her hours at the law firm and is now working part-time at an interior decorating company as well. It shows in our house, and I’m definitely not complaining.

“Hey!” I greet.

Sloane studies me. “Are you drunk?”

“What? No. I just left work.”

“You’re never this cheery when you get home from work.”

“Well, I’m excited about the party,” I lie.

She buys that excuse. It’s not a total fib, just a small stretch of the truth. I’m especially excited now that I know we’ll have an unexpected guest.

“They’ll be here soon. Better go get changed.”

I hang my bag up on one of the empty hooks by the door. “Okay. You need help with anything first?”

“Nope. Everything’s ready.”

“Okay.”

I shower, then head into my bedroom to get ready. I take longer with my appearance than usual, sorting through several outfits, applying more than just mascara, and taking extra care in selecting my underwear.

The whole process takes a while. I realize how long when I leave my room, walk out onto the patio, and discover that Noah, Emmett, Harrison, and Gray have all arrived.

I hug Noah, wish him a happy birthday and then greet the rest of the guys. My voice comes out higher than usual when I express surprise at Gray’s appearance, but no one seems to notice.

I can’t stop stealing looks at Gray. He was wearing his uniform when he showed up at the hospital, but he’s showered and changed since. I greedily absorb every detail I can, knowing what a limited time I’ll have to stare before he’s gone again. He’s so handsome; it hurts. I don’t know how to act around him. What we are. It doesn’t help that we’re surrounded by friends who know us only as separate people. Who don’t know how well we know each other.

When the bowl of hummus empties, I stand and offer to refill it, mostly under the guise of getting my libido under control. It’s not even that warm out tonight, yet I can feel my skin radiating with heat. I can’t look at him without imagining all the things I’d like to be doing right now instead of making small talk in front of my brother.