Considering how much I’d talked about Jack at lunch, it shouldn’t have been a big surprise when a horrific nightmare woke me from my sleep that night. After a scream tore from my lips, I shot straight up in my bed. With my body trembling, I brought my hand up to cover my racing heart.

Dreams about Jack were never easy. The ones where he was alive and we were going about our daily lives so happy and carefree caused particular pain. But the nightmares…they crippled me. Jack came to me angry and bitter that his life had been cut short. My husband who was sweet and gentle in real life became vicious and violent in my nightmares.

A voice outside my roost caused me to jump. “Sonny? Are you all right?”

“Not exactly.” I pulled back the curtain to see Eli right in front of me while Gabe hovered a few feet behind him. “Oh my God! I’m so, so sorry I woke you guys up.”

“It’s not a problem. We just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“I had a nightmare.” I shuddered as a few lingering flashbacks flickered through my mind.

“Do you need anything? A glass of water? A bottle of hundred-proof alcohol?” Gabe asked.

I gave him an appreciative smile. “That’s very sweet, but I’m fine.”

“If you’re sure you don’t need anything, I’m going to head back to bed,” he replied.

“I’m good. Thank you.”

“Try to get some rest,” Gabe instructed. He then nodded at Eli before ducking back into his roost.

After crossing his arms over his chest, Eli asked, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“No. But I will be. It usually takes a little while to calm back down.”

Eli frowned. “Do these nightmares happen a lot?”

“At first, they happened every night. Lately, they’ve been more sporadic.” After shaking my head, I added, “Thank God.”

“Do you want me to lie down with you to help you get back to sleep?” Eli offered.

Tears stung my eyes. “You’d really do that?”

“Of course, I would.” I could hear his eye roll. Of course, he would. He would do anything in the world for me.

I probably should have pulled on my big girl panties and refused Eli, but his offer was just too tempting. After I scooted over in the bed to make room, he dipped down onto the mattress beside me. We both lay on our backs staring up at the ceiling of the roost, which I had decorated with pictures.

Eli brought his hand up to touch the picture of the two of us at the Selena tribute. As his finger traced along the faces, he asked, “Do you remember the first day we met?”

“How could I ever forget it? If I close my eyes, I can still see you standing there in your khaki shorts, Polo type shirt, and converse. While Gabe stood with his head down and his hands in his pockets, you were craning your neck to check everyone out.” I smiled up at him. “That was also the day you gave me my nickname.”

“I knew that first day I wanted to be your friend.”

“Why was that?”

“Because you were pretty.”

I laughed. “I didn’t know that was an attribute you looked for in picking friends.”

He winked. “It was more about how I saw you were pretty on the inside that day.”

“You did?”

“Mmm, hmm.”

“But how?”

“You let me have the last popsicle.”

“That’s it? Our entire foundation of friendship is based on me giving you the last popsicle.”

“They were your favorite popsicles, and it was hot as hell outside.”

“Yeah, I’m still not seeing how a simple popsicle would elevate me to sainthood status,” I teased.

“It doesn’t mean much now, but it did to me then. None of the adults were around, so you could have told me to screw off about the popsicle, but you didn’t. You looked at the popsicle and then at me. Without a moment’s hesitation, you handed it over.”

I stared into Eli’s eyes. “I had no idea. I don’t remember any of that.”

“It also didn’t hurt as I ate the popsicle, I heard you sing for the very first time.”

“Ah, so my vocal stylings helped sweeten the pot, huh?”

“Yep.”

“Sometimes I’ve wondered why you’ve wanted to be my friend all these years. Now I know I owe it all to a popsicle.”

Eli propped up on his elbow to stare intently at me. “You don’t seriously wonder why I want to be your friend, do you?”

I shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, you’re a rich, handsome guy who could hang out with some of the most famous people in the world who can take you to the coolest places. I can’t compete.”

“That’s ridiculous. You know I don’t care about any of that materialist bullshit.”

“I know.”

“Besides anyone who took five seconds to get to know you would want you as a friend.”

I smiled up at him. “You really are too good to me. You’re going to spoil me for all other men. What man could ever live up to a husband like Jack and a friend like you?”

Eli laughed. “Maybe that’s why I’m still single. You’ve ruined me for every other woman.”

“We’re just a couple of sad saps, huh?”

“Yep. Pretty pathetic.”

I leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for staying with me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Night, Eli.”

“Night, Sonny.”

The next morning, I woke up to find I’d slept the rest of the night in absolute peace. No more nightmares. No more being haunted by Jack. Of course, I also found I wasn’t alone in my roost. I guess Eli had fallen asleep before he could go back to his own bed.

It wasn’t the first time we’d shared a bed. We’d slept like sardines crammed in sleeping bags back when we were kids. He’d also slept with me after Jack died. After all of those times together, I wasn’t sure why this morning felt different.

As I stared into his sleeping face, I could see the boy within it who I had first known. He’d been adorable then, but man, was he handsome. He was probably the best-looking man I’d ever been around. Jack was good-looking, but I’d been more attracted to his personality and his talent than I had his appearance.

My eyes trailed down his face and onto his muscular chest. There was the familiar tattoo over his heart that said Family in Hebrew. I’d been along on that trip to Israel when he and his brothers had gotten the tattoo. They’d talked me into getting one myself—the Hebrew symbol for hope on the base of my neck.

In my still dreamy state, I allowed my mind to wander to what it might be like to date Eli. It was obvious he was a total package—looks, personality, talent, and heart. I could easily recognize that even if I didn’t have a lot of experience when it came to men. When I thought about dating again, I wanted to find someone just like him, which was also just like Jack.

With their love of family and friends, as well as their passion for music, Jack and Eli shared a lot of similar traits. It was one of the reasons why they got along so well when we would hang out. Of course, they had a lot of differences. Besides Jack being quieter and more reserved, he never played the field like Eli had. He didn’t care for the party scene either. He much preferred staying at home, cooking a nice meal, and watching television.

I might have been biased, but they were both exceptional men in their own ways. It amazed me how I could love two very different men. Of course, my love for Eli was completely different than my love for Jack.

The next thing I knew Eli had rolled over, draping his thigh over my own. I gasped in horror at the feel of his morning wood pressing into my thigh. Oh, my God. There were some things friends just didn’t need to know about their friends, and I certainly didn’t need to know Eli had some impressive length. I smacked my hand to my forehead. Had I seriously just noticed his penis size?

Eli nestled his head into my collarbone. After inhaling deeply, he sighed. Just as I was about to try to pry myself away, his hand snaked up to cup my breast. That was the moment I couldn’t stay silent anymore. At my shriek, Eli’s eyes flew open.

“What’s wrong?” he demanded. He followed my gaze down to my breast. “Oh, fuck!” He snatched his hand away before scrambling away from me. He was so freaked out he ended up falling out of the roost. “Ouch!”

I crawled across the length of the bed and peeked out. “Are you all right?”

He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, while one hand cupped his still tented shorts. “I’m not really sure how to answer that question.” He stared at me. “While it’s painful to fall out of bed on your ass, it’s far more excruciating to realize you were feeling up your best friend.”

“Well, you were asleep. I guess it was kind of like a reflex.”

“Totally a reflex. I’m not used to having women in my bed unless it’s for sex,” he said matter-of-factly.

Ouch. Even though it shouldn’t have, his words stung a little. “Good to know.”

“And for the record, it’s kinda been awhile for me, so I guess all my sensors went off. It’s probably not a good idea for me to sleep with you until I get laid.”

“Yeah, you can stop now. Totally TMI.”

He propped up on his elbows before peering apologetically up at me. “I’m really sorry, Sonny.”

I smiled down at him. With his red-tinged cheeks and sheepish expression, he was really endearing. “I know you are. Regardless of what happened this morning, I appreciate you comforting me last night.”

“I’m always here for you.” He grinned. “Even when things get weird.”

“Yes. That was probably the weirdest thing that has ever happened between us.”

After cocking his head in thought, Eli replied, “I think you’re right.” He pulled himself into a sitting position. “It’s probably a good idea if we just forget this ever happened.”

“I totally agree.”

“Good.” He jerked his chin back at Gabe’s roost. “And he never needs to know either.”

“Yep. Totally between us and totally forgotten.”

Call me crazy, but I hoped rather than believed it.