"I waited too long, Gideon," he said softly.
I pressed my head against the side of his. "There's no such thing when it comes to family," I reminded him.
He nodded and then leaned in and kissed me. It was a soft, sweet kiss with the promise of more to come. Despite the chaos of our lives, the one thing that had never been in any doubt were the feelings we had for one another. Yes, we argued at times and we didn't always see eye to eye, but we never went to bed angry with each other and the first thing we did when we woke up every morning was just hold on to each other for a while.
I took Lex's hand and helped him out of the car and then waited until he'd put on his sunglasses and unfolded his cane. I could feel the tension in his frame as we made our way up the stairs. It was King who opened the door for us before we even reached it.
"It’s King," I said to Lex.
King was the only one who knew that we were coming, and he'd made sure that all the brothers were together before letting us know when we should come over. We were at Luca's beach house in the Hamptons. Luca and his boyfriend, Remy, had brought Gio back to New York for a visit. Gio had made considerable progress in the last few months, according to King. It wasn't clear if Luca intended to move his small family out to Seattle permanently or if they would be returning to New York full time, though.
Lex reached out his hand, which King immediately took, and then they were embracing. The asshole then had the nerve to look at me and say, "Pick any locks lately?"
"Bite me," I responded. "Oh wait, my dog already did that…"
King chuckled good-naturedly and held out his hand to shake mine. I'd long since forgiven the man for everything, especially since his meddling had resulted in me getting Emma back. I was nervous about meeting Lex's other brothers, but I figured if I could handle King, dealing with the others would be a cakewalk.
When Lex reached his hand out for mine again, I took it and followed him into the house. I could hear several voices coming from a few rooms away. The closer we got, the more nervous Lex became. But he continued to put one foot in front of the other. The house we were in was huge, but I barely noticed any of it because I was so focused on Lex. We ended up following King to one side of the house.
"They’re in the living room," King said to Lex. Lex nodded. He tapped his cane back and forth across the floor in front of him. When we entered a large room that overlooked the expansive backyard and the ocean beyond, I searched out the owners of the voices. There were three men standing around a coffee table. One of them, a guy with long black hair that was tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck, was holding some kind of ugly green decorative rock in his hand. The two men with him were holding hands, but I wasn't sure if they were Luca and Remy or Lex's other brother, Vaughn, and his fiancé, Aleks.
Either way, it meant that the man standing with his back to us was Con.
The men who were an obvious couple stopped talking at the same time when they saw us, but it took Con a minute to figure out that something was happening behind him. I found myself holding my breath when he turned around because I knew, of all the brothers, Lex was most worried about Con's reaction. Although Lex had felt guilty for keeping his secret from all of his brothers, it was Con who he felt the most guilt over.
"Lex," I heard the older man with the heavy beard say in disbelief. Con, for his part, looked completely dumbfounded. But then he was moving. The rock thing he'd been holding in his hand hit the floor as he rushed forward. He was so eager to get to Lex, he didn't appear to notice the cane or the sunglasses.
Lex began saying something in a hushed voice that I couldn't understand because he was saying it in another language. Lex let out a soft sob and then he was wrapping his arms around his brother. I stepped away from Lex and Con to give them a moment together. I glanced over at the couple and saw that the older man had his arm around the younger man.
"Uncle Con, I couldn't find your phone—" a voice called from the other room. A young man with pale blond hair entered the living room. His eyes shifted from Lex and Con to King. I knew exactly who he was because Lex had described him perfectly. His hair was a dead giveaway.
"It's okay, Gio," King said to Gio who suddenly looked very nervous. I didn't blame him. I had no doubt that he wasn't used to strangers just showing up. King left my side to approach the boy. King was so much larger than Gio that he practically blocked the boy from view as he leaned in to whisper something to him. The teenager nodded his head a few times. When King went to put his arm around Gio to herd him forward, the teen didn't hesitate.
Con and Lex were still embracing, but at Gio’s approach, Con stepped back. The man finally took notice of Lex's cane and sunglasses. His face fell and then he jerked his eyes to King. There was no missing the look of accusation that Con shot his older brother. I was glad that Lex couldn't see it, because there was obviously some kind of strife going on between the two brothers. If it was because of Lex and the secret that King had been keeping for him, it wasn't something Lex needed to know.
"Gio, do you remember your Uncle Lex?" King asked as he drew Gio forward to Lex's side. Gio didn't seem to be overly fazed by the sunglasses and cane.
“I, uh, think I do,” he said nervously.
"Gio," Lex said softly and then he was reaching his hand out. Gio seemed relieved and I couldn't help but wonder if it was because Lex wasn't trying to hug him. I kept that in mind when King introduced me to Gio next. The teenager was visibly more anxious when he turned his attention to me, so I merely waved at him.
"Gio, can you go tell your father to come in here?" Con asked.
I knew enough about Con to know that he was the easygoing brother, but there was nothing easygoing about him at the moment. He looked like he wanted to commit murder.
"Yeah, okay," Gio said. As soon as he left the room, Con ran his fingers through his hair. He was furious but trying to control himself. I wanted to kick his ass for his behavior, especially because I could tell Lex was getting more and more nervous at the prolonged silence around him.
"Lex," the man I now knew to be Vaughn said as he stepped forward.
"Vaughn," Lex said with a smile and then he was lost in Vaughn's big arms. I only half listened as the two exchanged a few words and then Vaughn was introducing Lex to his young lover, Aleks. Lex didn't hesitate to embrace the young man. Then he was back in Vaughn's arms and whatever they were saying to each other was beyond my hearing. It didn't matter because I had eyes only for Con and King. The pair looked like they were going to start throwing punches at each other at any moment. King was completely unapologetic as his brother stared him down.
I was listening enough to Lex to know when he was introducing me to Vaughn and Aleks. The tension between King and Con hung like a thick cloud in the air between us even as I made small talk with the other couple.
"Con," Lex called when there was a lull in the conversation. When Con didn't immediately respond to Lex, I found myself fisting my hands. But it wasn't my place to tell the guy to stop being a dick.
"Con," Lex repeated and then he was stepping forward. I was glad when no one tried to assist him. With the cane, he was able to make his way around without help and I knew how important that was to him. Somehow, he knew what direction to head in. Con's aggressive stance eased somewhat when Lex reached him. "You still do that thing with grinding your teeth when you’re pissed," Lex said.
I actually saw Con work his jaw as if trying to loosen it. "Why, Lex?" he asked. Some of my anger toward Con dissipated when I heard the hurt in his voice.
Lex stepped closer to his brother. "You always want to fix things for me, Con. You both do," Lex said as he nodded in King's direction. "You're the fighter, Con. Every time you step into that ring, you know there's no giving up. You fight to win."
Lex reached out his hand and Con immediately took it. "There was no winning this," Lex whispered. "It was always going to be a knockout punch. I'm still here, Con. I'm not down for the count. You guys picked me up every t
ime I fell. This time, I needed to pick myself up." Lex looked over his shoulder at me and smiled. "I did have a little help, though."
Before Con could say anything, several sets of footsteps came our way. Another older man and a younger blond guy appeared with Gio. It was easy to identify them as Luca and Remy.
I watched as Luca went through the same stages of greeting Lex that Con had. Once the shock had worn off, the questions began.
"Gideon," Lex called to me and I immediately went to his side and took his hand. I knew what he wanted. It was easy to see how tired he was and there was no doubt that answering all the questions would be a long process.
I led Lex to the couch. Once we were seated, I kept his hand in mine as he began explaining his condition to his brothers. Not surprisingly, there was a mix of outrage and guilt when they learned that his blindness had been preventable. After that had come a new round of denials as Con in particular began asking questions about alternative and experimental treatments. It became clear to me why Lex hadn't told Con about his condition, choosing instead to confide in King. Con was like a dog with a bone and while I had no doubt that served him well in other aspects of his life, it wasn't something that would've helped Lex. From everything he’d told me, Lex had pursued those particular avenues on his own, even though he'd already known they most likely wouldn't work. It hadn’t surprised me in the least to learn that he’d wanted to spare his brothers from the helplessness of having to stand by as one experimental therapy or procedure after another failed.
It took a good hour for Lex to answer all the questions, but he remained patient and understanding as he did so. When even Con was forced to accept that nothing would change the outcome, he'd fallen silent. There was a brief, light moment when Gio and Lex talked and Lex began sharing stories about the brothers and all the trouble they’d gotten into when they'd been younger. After another hour had gone by, I knew Lex was done, so I gave his hand a squeeze and said, "I'm going to check on the girls."
Lex nodded. "Tell them we’ll be back soon."
I stepped out of the room long enough to call Emma. Satisfied that both girls were okay, I hung up the phone and prepared to return to the living room. King met me just outside the entryway.
He held his hand out and I immediately took it.
"Take care of him," he said softly.
"I will," I responded. "Are you and Con going to be okay?"
King leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. "We all have our secrets," he said. "Con knows that better than anyone."
The cryptic statement didn't really answer my question, but I knew better than to ask King to clarify what he meant. I’d learned enough about him to know that he was the kind of guy who talked only when he had something to say.
And he clearly didn't have anything to say about whether or not Con would forgive him.
King pushed off the wall and headed for the front door. Just as he was leaving, I saw him look over his shoulder. But he wasn't looking at me. He was looking beyond me at a set of stairs. Standing on them was Gio. I thought maybe he was waiting to talk to his uncle, but he only stared at King for several long seconds before he turned and hurried up the stairs. By the time I looked again, the front door was clicking shut.
I returned to the living room and found Con and Lex embracing as they said their goodbyes. When Con pulled back, he touched Lex's face affectionately.
"So, we'll see you tomorrow morning at the hotel?" Lex asked.
"I'll be there," Con said. He gave Lex another hug and then he cast me a glance before he headed in the direction of what I now knew was the kitchen.
"You ready to go?" I asked Lex.
Lex nodded and made his way toward me. He took my hand when I held it out to him and then we walked to the car. "How are the girls?" he asked.
"I don't know, they were too busy doing their nails and braiding each other’s hair to talk to me."
Lex laughed and gave me a hard shove. I chuckled and put my arm around him. "How is Con?" I asked.
"I think he's okay. Or he will be, at least."
"How do you think he'll take the news that we’re going to be staying in Argentina for a while?" I asked.
"I think he already suspects. He said he just wants me to be happy, no matter where I end up."
It was a decision Lex and I had reached in the past few weeks. Even once I got custody of Emma, the last thing I wanted to do was rip her away from the place she’d called home for the past couple of years. She’d simply been through too much at a young age and I wanted her to focus on just being a kid. But while there wasn't anything waiting for me in the States, the situation wasn't the same for Lex. I’d said as much when we’d discussed what the future would bring. Lex had been pretty clear in his response.
"My home is wherever you are. And now, it's wherever Emma is too."
As hard as it would be for Lex to leave his brothers behind, the fact was that the brothers were leading different lives. Vaughn was living in Seattle with Aleks and there was a good chance that Luca would end up there as well. From what Lex had told me, Con called Las Vegas home and King really didn't have any one place that he stayed in for any extended amount of time. As for Lex's company, he’d accepted that he no longer wanted to run the business day-to-day. In fact, he seemed more interested in my career plans than his own.
"Were you serious about what we talked about last night?" I asked as we made our way down the stairs and to the waiting car.
"I can't stop thinking about it," Lex admitted.
"Traveling the world so I can take pictures once Emma is in college?" I clarified. I shook my head because it just seemed like too much to ask for to be able to live my dream so late in my life. And to live it with him, of all people? It was a dream within a dream. How many people got to have that? "You said you wanted to have kids someday."
Once we reached the car, the driver, who’d left the door open for us, discreetly returned to the front of the vehicle and got inside, giving us some privacy. I pulled Lex into my arms because it seemed like he'd been gone from them for too long.
"I think as long as you don't stick them in the overhead bins, kids travel pretty well."
Before I could even respond, Lex was reaching up to touch my face. "Yep, there it is… the eyebrow."
"I don't do a thing with my eyebrow," I said.
"That actor has nothing on your eyebrow," Lex returned.
"Dwayne Johnson," I said. "Don't act like you don't know exactly who he is. You're blind, not dead. And Dwayne is the master of the raised eyebrow."
Lex lowered his hand until he had both of them pressing against my chest. "I want to see the world with you, Gideon. I want to see it through your eyes, and I want to see it through my own. And I want that for our kids. For Emma and for any others we decide to bring into our lives, whether they're our blood or not. My dream hasn't changed. I still want to wake up next to my husband every morning for the rest of my life, but I don't care where I do it. Argentina or Fisher Cove or the Serengeti or the Arctic—"
I covered his mouth with mine to silence him because he’d said more than enough. When he was breathless, I pulled back and said, "I think there are a couple things we need to take care of first."
"My brothers will be okay with it," Lex said.
"Yes, they will, but that's not what I'm talking about." I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to one corner of his mouth. "First off, we’re going to need a lot bigger bed for all those kids you want climbing into it with us every morning."
Lex smiled beneath my mouth. "Okay, what else?"
"If you have your heart set on waking up next to your husband every morning, then I guess you're just going to have to marry me."
Another smile. "Is that you proposing?" Lex asked softly. He moved his hands up to twine them around my neck. "Because that was either the corniest or the sweetest thing I've ever heard."
"What are you talking about? That was gold," I said.
Lex laughed and
then he was stealing a real kiss. "Let's go home, Gideon," he murmured. "Maybe you can use the car ride back to the hotel to convince me that you're the husband I want to wake up next to every morning."
"Lex—" I growled.
"You're doing the eyebrow thing now, aren't you?" Lex asked with a laugh and then he was folding himself into the car. I followed him in and hit the button to put up the partition that would separate us from the driver. The hotel was only a ten-minute ride away and I intended to make use of every one of those minutes.
But it turned out I didn't need them because the second I pulled Lex onto my lap and dragged him down for a scorching kiss, he gave me his answer.
"Yes, Gideon. Absolutely yes."
LEX
I hated Con’s silence.
Hated it with a passion.
Of all of us, Con had always been the most boisterous and fun-loving and, while I knew that his love of life was genuine, he felt just as deeply as my other brothers. While he and King seemed like night and day from the outside, they really weren’t so different. Con might have been better at playing the charming, personable, easygoing brother, but deep down, he was just as scarred as King.
And he was just as good about hiding what exactly had caused those scars.
In the past, I’d at least been able to read my brother’s expressions and know where a conversation might be headed, but that was no longer an option.
The most I could tell was that he was still sitting kitty-corner from me in the living area of the hotel suite Gideon and I were sharing with Emma and Natalia. My fiancé (and yeah, I still couldn’t believe I got to call him that now) had taken the girls out to an early lunch so Con and I could talk.
But Con wasn’t doing much talking.
Or any, for that matter.
“Con,” I said softly.
My brother let out a heavy breath of air and then I heard him get up. The mere fact that he couldn’t sit still was further proof of how upset he was.
Foreseen: Lex (The Four Book 2) Page 27
