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Rhys had been a bit of a surprise in the bedroom, though Tony wouldn’t admit that to his friend. He wasn’t sure why he’d expected Rhys to be more vanilla, more straightforward missionary, but nothing could be further from the truth.
“I’m in love with her, Tony,” Rhys admitted. “I’m committed to making this work between the three of us. I’ve never wanted anything more.”
“Me either. I’m crazy about her. And Jasper.”
Rhys smiled when Tony mentioned the little boy’s name, the expression proving Jasper had laid claim to their hearts just as much as his mother had. “We’d be fathers.”
Tony laughed. “God, how fucking cool would that be?”
“So tonight? We lay our cards on the table with Jess, tell her how we feel, what we want?”
Tony rose, opening his wallet to toss some cash on the table to cover the two coffees. “Yeah. Right now.”
They’d just reached the exit when the door opened and Matt Russo walked in.
Tony was in too much of a good mood for even Russo to ruin it.
“Moretti,” Matt muttered.
“Russo,” Tony said darkly, peripherally catching sight of Rhys rolling his eyes. While his roommate had heard the stories, Rhys didn’t feel the same passionate anger toward the Russos that Tony did. Hell, he didn’t even blink an eye when his kid sister, Penny, told them she’d gotten an IT job with Russo Enterprises.
Tony started to walk by without saying more, but Matt turned toward him. “Still a possessive prick, I see.”
Tony twisted to face him, confused. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Jess Monroe,” Matt said, as if that should answer anything.
Hearing Jess’s name coming from Matt had Tony’s fists clenching.
Rhys put a hand on his shoulder. “What about Jess?”
“You expect me to believe you didn’t play a part in her giving her two weeks’ notice this afternoon?” Matt addressed to Tony, arms crossed.
“Jess quit her job with you?” Rhys asked.
While his friend’s tone was calm, Tony could see the sudden concern in Rhys’s eyes. Jess wouldn’t just up and quit. She was still determined to make enough money to get her own place. The fact that she’d quit was…disquieting, and it left Tony with an uneasy feeling.
Matt nodded, his annoyance somewhat soothed when it became apparent neither he nor Rhys knew Jess had quit.
“Said she wouldn’t be able to work the late hours anymore. Childcare concerns,” Matt said to Rhys before shifting his attention back to Tony, his scowl shifting into something resembling a smirk. “I’ve figured out a way around that.”
Rhys sighed. “Maybe you should just let her quit.”
Matt shook his head. “She’s confided her financial difficulties to me and I know about the attack in the motel. I want to help her.”
Tony fought the urge to growl, unaware that Jess had shared so much with his sworn enemy.
“I’m going to change her hours, let her come in earlier, let her bring her son with her. I plan to call her tomorrow to discuss it with her.”
Tony took a small step closer, his temper flaring at the thought of Jasper being anywhere near Matt. It was hard enough knowing Jess saw the asshole more than he was comfortable with. “Stay the fuck away from Jess…and Jasper.”
“Yep. Still possessive.” Matt chuckled, clearly not intimidated.
Before things got out of hand, Debbie called out, “Mr. Russo. Your take-out order is ready.”
Matt shifted his gaze toward the waitress and the tension slowly faded. He nodded just once at Rhys. “Good evening, Dr. Beaumont,” he said, ignoring Tony as he walked away from them.
Rhys gave Tony a slight nudge with his shoulder and the two of them left the diner. On the sidewalk, Tony reached for his car keys. “Jess quit her job.”
Rhys already had his keys in hand. “Yeah. I don’t like that. Meet you back home. We need to figure out what’s going on.”
