Eva dutifully raised her glass.
“To friendship,” Frankie continued. “Because true friendship transcends differences. I’d rather read a thriller, you’d rather read a romance. It’s okay. I forgive you for having weird taste.”
Eva raised her eyebrows. “Thanks.”
“To forever friendship.” Frankie stuck her glass in the air and Paige grinned.
“I think this had better be our last toast or you’ll have a headache in the morning and it’s Christmas.”
“One more.” Frankie reached for the bottle and topped off their glasses. “To having each other’s backs, no matter what.” She looked at Eva and her gaze softened. “To sisterhood.”
Eva felt her throat thicken. “To sisterhood.”
Paige lifted her glass. “Sisterhood.”
The door opened and Matt and Jake walked in, arguing about whether Jake had cheated or not.
“Just because you lost doesn’t mean I cheated.” Jake kicked the door shut. “You need to learn to be a better loser.”
“I’d be fine about losing if I’d actually lost, but I beat you and—” Matt broke off, staring at Eva’s face. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
His concern warmed her. “It’s nothing.”
“You don’t cry over nothing.”
“She cries over romantic movies.” Jake hung up his jacket. “Technically speaking, that’s nothing.”
Frankie rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Jake. Not everyone is as insensitive as you.”
“I’m not insensitive. I’ve cried over movies in a ‘get me out of here’ kind of way. And since when did you turn into Miss Sensitive?”
Matt ignored them both. “Eva?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Frankie said something nice, that’s all.” She wasn’t going to mope and she wasn’t going to moan. Lucas didn’t want love. There was nothing she could do about that. Nothing except move on.
It was Jake’s turn to raise his eyebrows. “Our Frankie? That doesn’t sound like her.”
Frankie gave him a look. “If you weren’t going to marry my friend, I’d fillet you.”
“In a fight, I’d win. You may have a black belt in karate but I fight dirty.”
“Enough! It’s Christmas. No one argues at Christmas, and no one fights.” Paige glanced toward the door. “Where is Daniel?”
“He’s gone home. It’s family time. Even Daniel takes time off from seducing women at Christmas.”
Eva sat, soaking up the healing warmth and banter.
Forever friendship, she thought. Not just with Frankie and Paige, but with Jake and Matt. She no longer felt as if she was alone on a desert island. She felt cocooned, connected, surrounded, loved.
“I have a toast,” she said, reaching for her glass. “To family. You can be born into one, or you can adopt one, but either way it’s the best thing. Thank you for being mine.”
There was a moment’s silence.
Jake spoke first. “Carry on like that and you’ll make even me cry.” He removed Paige’s glass from her fingers and raised it high in the air. “To family. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them.”
“To family,” Eva said.
“Family,” chorused Frankie and Matt.