Page 65 of Once Upon a Beast

“Believe me, I completely understand.” I looked over at Layla and Dax looked at Ella. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the love that he felt for Ella as he looked at her.

“They are pretty incredible women, aren’t they?” Dax asked as he kept looking at Ella.

“The best. I’ve known Layla for years. I remember when she came back from camp after she had met Ella and Ara. They were all she could talk about. They were thick as thieves from the beginning. I must admit I was a little jealous of how close they were.”

“It’s lovely but not easy to get into. They were a bit standoffish with me when I first started dating Ella. They’ll come around.”

“Well, I have a bit more history with Layla than you did with Ella.”

“True, Ella told me a bit about it. You had a lot on your plate and did the best you could. It looks like you’re making up for your mistakes and the lost time.”

“It’s my biggest regret, not having more time with Layla. I’m not going to make it again.”

“Take some advice, my friend. If you find a woman who can put up with you, never let her go. I have a lot of plans for Ella and me.”

“Does she know them?” I asked.

Dax laughed. “Hell. I think she already planned most of them.”

I laughed with him and the women turned to look at us. “What are you two giggling about over here?” Ara asked.

“We are not giggling,” Dax said.

“You could have fooled me,” Ella said and gave Dax a loud kiss on the mouth.

Ara ordered another round of drinks and it was hours later that we left the bar. It was a good night. I didn’t get to talk to Dax privately any more. I could tell he was a good guy. I didn’t have many friends in the city and it would be good to have one. If he and Ella were getting married, he would be involved in Layla’s life and he could be someone I should get to know, both professionally and personally.

It was good to get to know Ella and Ara better. I remembered the stories that Layla had relayed to me when they were younger and had a general idea of who they were. It was different seeing them in person, but the closeness the three women shared was evident.

Ara and Ella asked me some pointed questions throughout the night and I knew they were grilling me to make sure I was right for their friend. I didn’t mind and would have expected nothing less. I knew I had done a good job or at least passed some sort of test when Ara came up to me at the end of the night and hugged me.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“Because I’m a little tipsy and I get sentimental when I’m tipsy.”

Tipsy?” I teased. She was more than tipsy.

“Okay, I might be drunk. Do I need to be drunk to hug my friends good-bye?” she asked.

“Does that mean you and I are friends?”

“Aren’t we?” Ara looked offended that I would think otherwise.

“Considering you were plotting my demise and where you could hide my body not that long ago, I’m not sure.”

“Oh, I was never going to hide your body. I was going to put little pieces of you all along the Hudson.”

Ara looked so sincere I wasn’t sure if she was joking or not. I laughed nonetheless. “See how times have changed.”

“You have changed. You’re making my friend very happy, and if you do that, you will keep your body intact.”

“And not in the Hudson?” I asked.

“Exactly. You understand.” Ara patted me on the shoulder and then her eyes got serious. “Layla is an incredible woman. She needs to be with an incredible man. She thinks you are, so I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

“But?” I asked.

“I’m not getting rid of my bone saw just yet.” She patted my shoulder a little harder than needed.