Page 157 of G.O.D.S Omnibus

I pick one up and smell it—sandalwood—just like him. He knows why I kept his shirt and I always wondered why it never lost its smell.

Chester is next, and he slides his gift across the table. It’s a framed, hand-drawn picture of us in bed, the sheet draped over my body and covering the fun parts. Chester is naked but angled, so his junk isn’t in the picture. I smile up at him. “You’re so damn talented.”

“Me next,” Davis says, as he gets up and brings my present. I unwrap it and laugh—it’s a jar of blue M&M’s. “Now you have no excuse to steal mine.” A tear runs down my face at the memory of the funeral. “Don’t cry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset”—I wipe the tear from my cheek—“just happy that you’re not dead. But you can bet your ass I’m still going to take the blue ones.”

Davis laughs and shakes his head. It’s nice to see him not so snappy and uptight. He has done a personality 180.

“Stop hogging her,” Laughn demands, reaching over the table and handing me my gift. I open the small box and see a heart necklace with a red liquid inside.

“It’s so beautiful,” I breathe in awe.

“It’s my blood,” he says matter-of-factly. “I like seeing it on you.”

“Thank you.” I’m not the least bit surprised by his gift. It wouldn’t be Laughn if there was no weird factor.

Boston is next to hand his gift to me. His box is larger than the rest so far. As I shake it, whatever it is thumps around inside—at least it’s not breakable. I hold it next to my ear. “No ticking, so it’s not a bomb.”

“Just open it,” he says, followed by a smirk.

As I tear into the paper, my eyes go wide. I rush to open the box, and a bright-red pair of Jordans identical to his and in my size stare back.

“Now I don’t need you to fuck me in yours—I can fuck you in mine.”

Kai laughs. “Pegging is all the rage these days.”

Boston’s eyes widen, and a look of disgust crosses his face. “You’re not sticking anything in my ass.”

“Come on, Boston, be a sport. Imagine me naked with just these on and a big dildo strapped to my front.”

Boston shakes his head vehemently and we all crack up laughing.

Creed is next to hand me his gift. “Tanjoubi omedetou.”

“Will you stop with the Japanese? You know we don’t speak that language,” Boston snaps.

“That’s exactly why I do it,” Creed throws back.

“It’s just a way to say happy birthday to a close friend. It’s nothing secretive,” I say. I don’t understand a lot of the language, but most of what he directs at me I know. One of the benefits of studying with Creed when I was younger. He was determined to learn a new language, but honestly, I always just thought he had a crush on the tutor.

I open his present and look over at him. “Are you serious?” He nods as I run my fingers over the tools. Some might find it weird, but Creed got me an autopsy instrument kit.

Case hands me his, and I open it—it’s a picture of stars.

I read the inscription. “You named a star after me?”

“I did. Once it gets dark enough, I’ll point it out. I have a telescope packed away in the basement somewhere.”

Brennan is next, and he hands me his gift. “Happy birthday, Jolie.

I open his carefully and my mouth falls agape. “It’s like the rose fromBeauty and the Beast.”

It’s so delicate. The entire piece looks like it’s been handcrafted from a conversation I had with Brennan years ago, even down to the carefully placed string lights wrapped around the rose.

“You remembered.”

“I literally can’t forget anything,” he says with a laugh, tapping on the side of his head. “I could tell you exactly when you told me you wanted a gift like this, right down to the second.”

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