This makes Mona laugh. “Normal gift. Normal and Nick don’t go hand in hand.”
We walk out and decide to just take my car, and after we get in the car, Mona continues. “Remember that one year he got me pole dancing lessons?”
“That is good exercise,” Nick says, trying to plead his case. “Those girls hold their bodies up by their thighs.”
“He also installed a pole in our bedroom,” Mona says.
“To help you practice,” Nick points out.
“And put a chair right in front of it and had a disco ball also put in,” Mona says. “And came home with singles.”
I look in my mirror as Nick looks at her. “You loved it.”
“No”—she shakes her head—“you loved it.”
He smiles big, nodding his head. “I did love it. She still sometimes wears the outfits I bought her,” he says, and Mona punches his arm.
“Some things are private,” she hisses at him, and he puts his arm around her.
“It’s not my fault you’re a hot babe.” He kisses her lips. “Aiden, you’re super lucky you got the best uncle and hottest aunt in all the land.”
“Can I play on the pole?” Aiden asks him, and I groan inwardly.
“No, that is only for Auntie Mona. She hates to share,” Nick says, and Mona groans. “But we can kick around the soccer ball I bought for you.”
“I love soccer,” Aiden says when we pull up, and the valet takes the car away.
“This looks fancy,” Eliahn says, walking in, and she isn’t wrong.
The staircase leading to upstairs is the first thing that your eyes find when you walk in. To the right side of the restaurant against the back wall is the long bar with two bartenders behind it, running right and left. The piano playing makes me turn my head to the left where a baby grand piano sits on a stage in the corner with a man playing and another one playing the bass fills the room. All the tables around the room are filled as a hostess comes up to us. “How may I help you?”
“Four plus a child,” I tell her, and she looks down at her seating chart.
“Do you have reservations?” She looks up at me, and I shake my head when I hear Eliahn’s name being called. We all look over at a man who looks like he’s a supermodel with a perfect smile. His blond hair is perfectly flipped over to the right while his white pants are rolled up at the ankle, and he wears boat shoes. The blue T-shirt and dress coat make the outfit.
“Troy,” she says, going to him. “What are you doing here?”
“We were checking out this place. It’s supposed to be to die for,” he says, and she points back at us.
“We thought the same thing, but it looks like there isn’t any room.” Eliahn smiles.
He flicks his wrist. “No way. Suzie!” he yells over to us. “Can you put them at our table in the back?”
“Sure thing, Troy.” She smiles at him. “That’s Todd’s little sister,” he tells her and comes to us.
“I got us a table,” she says and then introduces us. “This is Troy, he and I share a cubicle at work.” Troy just nods; this is the guy she went home with. I stand tall, trying to puff out my chest even though he’s gay.
“Troy, this is my son, Aiden, his dad, Luca, and these are Luca’s best friends, Nick and Mona.” Nick is the one who leans forward and grabs his hand in a handshake.
“Nice to meet you,” Nick says, and then Troy holds out his hand to me, and I take it and smile.
“If you will follow me,” Suzie says. “Your table is ready.”
Troy walks in front with Eliahn and Aiden while Nick, Mona, and I walk behind them. “Dude, that guy is so pretty,” Nick says.
“Yeah,” I say when we walk through the doors in the back and come out to the back terrace. A low concrete wall is in the middle of the room with benches against them. Big white and blue striped cushions are against the wall and light blue ones on the concrete chair. Little bistro tables pushed together are everywhere.
“I found someone,” Troy says to a man who gets up, and I turn to Nick.
“They must be vampires,” he says. “No one is that pretty, let alone two of them.”
“Would you just shut up and try to be normal?” Mona whispers and hisses at the same time, and then smiles when Troy introduces us to his husband, Todd.
“So this is the dad,” Todd says, smiling at me and putting out his hand to greet me. “I’ve heard great things about you,” he says, smiling, and I have no doubt that it’s a bit of a lie.
Todd and Troy sit next to each other on the corner bench while Eliahn sits next to Troy, and Aiden sits in the middle of Eliahn and me. Mona and Nick sit facing the five of us.