Page 70 of The Long Game
“Yeah, he told me.”
“Why didn’t you, like, discourage him?”
“Because the dude sounded perfect for you.” Hayden held his arms out when Shane’s mouth dropped open. “What? I think you can do better!”
“For fuck’s sake. Thanks, Hayden.”
Hayden sat next to him, and nudged his arm with his elbow. “I’m kidding. Mostly. Besides.” He leaned in. “I know you and Ilya are married now, so...”
Shane closed his eyes. “Oh my god.”
“Jade told me it was a beautiful ceremony. I’m a little hurt that I wasn’t invited but, y’know. I’m happy for you kids.”
“Shut up.”
Hayden laughed, and eventually Shane joined him.
“You know,” Hayden said seriously, “even though I give you shit about him, I do hope that I’d be invited. If you ever did get married for real.”
Shane stared at him, simultaneously touched by Hayden’s support and baffled that he thought Shane wouldn’t invite him to this hypothetical wedding. “Of course you would be. Don’t be fucking stupid.”
Hayden grinned. “Good. Just making sure.”
“I kind of doubt we’d ever have, like, a traditional wedding with all the stuff, but if we have anything at all, you’re on the list, all right?”
“Cool. Is Rozanov on the list, or...”
“Fuck off,” Shane laughed. “You’re off the list now.”
“No way.”
“Yup. All the way off.”
“Nuh-uh. I’m your best man. And the MC.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Shit, I’ll get, like, annulled, or whatever. Marry you guys myself.”
“Do you meanordained?”
“Sure. Okay.”
“Annulled means ending a marriage, dumbass. Do you want to end your marriage and marry both of us? Because that’s how that sounded.”
“Fuck no! First of all, Jackie rules, and second of all, I would never marry Rozanov.”
“So you’d marry me?”
Hayden turned a little pink. “No! I’m not—no!”
Shane decided to go easy on him, because this was getting weird. “You’re my best man, Hayden. One hundred percent.”
“Fucking right.” Hayden held out his fist, and Shane bumped it. “I’ve gotta go film a FanMail.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“FanMail! It’s a website where fans pay money to have their favorite celebrities send them little video greetings. Or to send videos to other people, like their dads or whatever.”
