join us more often,” Colton said, taking a seat on the couch across from them with his own margarita. Even dressed casually in a navy polo shirt and cargo shorts, Colton Connolly exuded elegance. He was handsome and tall, with a lean swimmer’s build. Behind his warm smile and blue-gray eyes was a shrewd businessman and heir to a shipping empire. Fitz had known Colton as long as he’d known Laz, what with Colton and Laz’s older brother, Gio, having been friends since college.
When they’d first met, Fitz had been intimidated. He’d never met anyone wealthy, much less someone who was part of a family worth billions. Fitz wasn’t ashamed to admit he’d judged Colton before knowing him, thinking the guy would believe himself better than everyone, or that he’d enjoy flaunting his money. Colton had done none of those things. He’d been kind and funny from the beginning. A bit of a diva, but considering Fitz was one himself, he could hardly fault Colton for that. They’d bonded over a love of shoes. It sounded cliché, but Fitz couldn’t care less. He loved a man who truly appreciated fabulous footwear. It was probably why Fitz and Lucky got along so well.
“I’m sorry I turned down so many of your invites,” Fitz said sincerely. He would have loved to join Laz and Colton for all the barbecues, family dinners, and game nights, but he’d been drowning in getting his business launched, not to mention trying to get his life back together after the disaster that had followed the end of a ten-year relationship. “The last year was crazy. I was getting the salon ready to open, training staff, dealing with suppliers and vendors, putting together a client list, then the grand opening. I’ve been working almost every weekend up until a couple of months ago.”
“Well, I hope we’ll be seeing a lot more of you,” Colton said. “Now, about calling Jack.”
“Damn. I hoped you’d forgotten about that,” Fitz muttered. At this rate he was going to need several more margaritas. The only reason he’d accepted Colton’s invite to come tonight was because Laz assured him Jack wouldn’t be joining them. It sounded ridiculous, but Fitz wasn’t sure he was ready to face Jack. What the hell would he say?
“Babe.” Laz brushed a lock of hair away from Fitz’s brow. “I have never seen you look at anyone the way you looked at Jack. Not even your ex, the hairless nut sac.”
The low growl that escaped Fitz was an instinctive reaction to the mere mention of his asshole ex. “That’s an insult to nut sacs everywhere.”
Colton chuckled. “Jack will understand.”
“I don’t know.” It wasn’t that Fitz didn’t want to call Jack. Hell, he’d thought about it at least once a day for months. He’d thought about Jack far more than he was willing to admit to his friends, especially after leaving his ex, but that wouldn’t have been fair to either of them. Fitz had needed to get his life together. But even after he’d moved on from the humiliating disaster that had been the longest relationship of his life, he couldn’t bring himself to call Jack.
“What’s holding you back?” Colton asked gently.
This conversation called for more alcohol. Fitz finished off the rest of his margarita in an effort to fortify himself. The slushy goodness was delicious, and he might have asked Colton to slip in a couple of extra shots earlier. “Jack isn’t like all those other jerks I’ve dated. He…”
“Is an adult?” Laz offered with a sly grin.
“Oh, I know! Pick me!” Colton waved his hand in the air. “Knows how to spell misdemeanor?” Colton snickered when Fitz chucked a pillow at him. He held his margarita glass away with one hand and swatted the pillow away with the other.
“Hasn’t had Botox!” Laz pitched in.
Colton waggled his eyebrows. “Has never been arrested?”
“You know what? You two bitches can kiss my gorgeously perky ass.” Fitz joined in the fun, reminding Laz of some of his hilariously bad exes, one of whom included a PA who’d been in the middle of professing his love to Laz during a photo shoot right before a spotlight fell from the ceiling. Nothing says love like using your man as a shield after mistaking the bursting light for an explosion. Colton pitched in with his own stories of bad exes. They were all in tears, they were laughing so hard. With their margaritas finished, they moved to the huge kitchen in search of snacks and