El smiled at Reuben affectionately. “Enough wedding talk before you drive us all insane! I can barely think straight!”
“That’s all right, my love,” he said, kissing her fingers. “I have it all in hand.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. As much as I’m pleased for you, no more midnight phone calls!”
“I had an idea!”
“Save it until morning!”
El sniggered. “And that applies to me, too.”
Reuben gave Olivia a sly smile. “Yes, but if it’s a killer idea, I can’t wait, right?”
He was sweet for including her in this, and she smiled. “Maybe you should, though, just to keep your friends happy? After all, a few more hours won’t hurt.”
Reuben clutched his hand over his heart dramatically. “And I thought I had an ally!”
“You’ve missed your calling, mate,” Nahum said, laughing. “Maybe you should swap surfing and your garden business for wedding planning.”
Briar threw a piece of her bread roll at him. “No! Stop encouraging him.”
“If anyone would be into this, I would have thought it was you, Briar,” Eli said, teasing her.
A glint was in her eye. “Because I’m a woman?”
“Because you’re excited. I see it every day! You can’t fool me.”
Of course, Olivia had forgotten that Eli worked with the earth witch.
“And the stack of wedding magazines on the table,” Eli continued, “makes your enthusiasm very clear.”
Alex snorted. “Not there, too! We have a forest of them at our place.”
Avery batted his arm. “Shut up! Men!”
Looking lofty, Reuben ignored them all. “Just wait until it’s your turn.” He frowned at Olivia, and for one heart-stopping moment, she thought he was about to ask what was happening with her and Nahum. But no, all he said was, “Did we invite you to the wedding?”
“Er,” she looked awkwardly around the table, “no, but that’s okay. I mean, I barely know you!”
He waved her reassurances away. “Consider yourself invited. You’re family now! I mean, you’re carrying a little Nahum package, and they’re all going to be uncles! I consider myself one, too—for the record!”
Nahum spat his pint out, showering his thankfully empty plate with beer.
Zee threw his head back and roared with laughter. “A Nahum package! Oh, that’s priceless.” He caught Olivia’s eye, tried to stop laughing, and failed. “Sorry, but it is.”
The whole table was laughing now, but Avery squeezed Olivia’s arm. “So sorry. Reuben’s mouth runs away with him sometimes.”
Despite her blushes, Olivia laughed. “It’s fine. It is a Nahum package. Mine too, though.”
Reuben, clearly enjoying himself now, and with a big twinkle in his eye, suggested, “You should have a joint name. Like celebrities do. For example, me and El could be Reuspeth, or Elben. I think Reuspeth is better. Avery and Alex would either have to be Avex, which sounds like a car rental company, or Alery, and that’s not much better. You two, though, could be Navia. Or Olivum.” He grimaced. “Olivum sounds gross. Navia, however, is great! You could name your daughter Navia!”
Nahum was still struggling to get his breath after almost choking, his face flushed. He glared at Reuben, who ignored him completely.
Olivia tried to remain composed. “I don’t think we’ve decided anything yet, but obviously we will consider it carefully!” What she didn’t say was that mashed names denoted a couple, and that was one thing she and Nahum were not. She focussed only on the baby’s name. “But thank you for the interesting suggestion! And the invitation, of course. I must admit, I do love a good wedding, as long as I’m not intruding.” And by that she meant on Nahum’s friendships. He might not want her there. She would discuss it with him later, and if he looked like he hated the idea, she would back out.
“Anytime. I’ll send you an official invitation. Or I could just add a plus one to Nahum’s invite.” He cocked an eyebrow, amused, and now she knew he was shit-stirring, and so did Nahum, who looked ready to throw something at him.
“Perhaps,” Nahum said, finally finding his voice, and shooting an apologetic glance at Olivia, “we should talk about our issues with Belial.”
“Excellent idea,” Alex agreed.
Reuben smirked. “If you insist.”
“I do.”
The conversation turned to Alex’s theory about Shadow being impervious to Belial’s power, and how to use that to their advantage. Olivia breathed easier. With no idea how their relationship was going to progress, the subject always felt awkward with others. Never when they were alone, though. Well, not once they had got past their initial awkwardness, at least.
Avery, however, the pretty red-haired witch who sat next to her, had other things to talk about, and she lowered her voice. “Sorry, Olivia, Reuben is a dreadful tease, and I hope he didn’t embarrass you. I could hex him sometimes.”
“No, of course not. It’s a weird situation, isn’t it? I can’t deny it.” She glanced around the table, relieved that no one was listening to them. “I’m sure everyone is wondering what will happen with us, but the truth is, I don’t know. Other than of course being parents, and we’ll make it work. Somehow.”
“Of course you don’t know. It just happened, as some things do. I’m a big believer in fate though, especially after our tangle with Wyrd last year. You two, and your baby, were clearly meant to be. Of course, it’s impossible to say what will happen in the long-term, but you know,” she hesitated and then rushed on anyway, “he watches you. In a nice way, obviously. And discreetly, of course. I think that says a lot.”
“Like what the hell have I done, and how do I get myself out of this mess?”
“No! Like how do I make this thing work without scaring you off? Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything, because I’m interfering, but well…” Avery smiled. “I thought you should know. The men won’t say anything. Maybe Zee would, but they wouldn’t want to interfere directly. Reuben—obviously—is a massive tease. I, on the other hand…”
Olivia laughed, still feeling awkward, but she knew Avery meant it for the best. “Well, thank you, I’ll bear that in mind.”
