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Issac sighs, putting the blunt out in the ashtray.
"Because if he isn't in love with Love then he cares about her more than he wants to admit. He wants her. She wants you. It's very simple here, Dexter." Issac frowns, shaking his head at me.
"Baby doesn't fucking want me," I growl, jabbing a finger at his chest. "She made that real clear."
"You two are fucking hopeless." Issac shakes his head, staring at the ceiling. "She loves the shit out of you, Dexter. She never said she didn't. I'd bet my goddamn life on it. What she said was that she couldn't trust you not to break her heart. Look at how you've been acting since then…" He glares at me. "She asked you to step up and prove your feelings for her were real. Look what you did. Went right back to flirting with anything that moves. I'd bet you were trying to make her jealous. That shit isn'tthe way to make things work with Love, and I've told you that before."
"She'd never stand around and watch you flirt with someone else," I hiss.
"No, she wouldn't," Issac says flatly. "That's because we're in a committed relationship. If you want that, then you have to ask for it and you have to respect it when you get it."
"I did," I say, completely fucking bewildered.
"This is why I goddamn stay out of shit between you two," Issac grumbles.
"What do you mean?" I ask, studying his face.
"May I?" Walker asks. He steps out onto the patio and nods to the empty chair.
"Sure, try your fucking luck. I'm about to bang my head against the goddamn wall," Issac says, rubbing a hand over his face.
"I think you and Love had a major communication breakdown," Walker says. He stretches back on the cushioned chair. "You told Love you were in love with her. Am I right so far?"
"Yeah," I agree.
"She got scared. She was likely afraid to admit she had fallen in love with you. Instead she, and correct me if I'm wrong, told you she needed you to be sure?"
"No." I shake my head. "She told me it was better to stay friends. Then she tried to backtrack and said something like 'you know I love you', but I don't want her to love me like a friend. It's not enough for her to love me like Kitten or Saint." I point to Issac. "I want her to love me as much as she loves that asshole."
"Why do you think she doesn't?" Walker asks, scratching his jaw.
"Because after that she never once made a scene. I've hit on all sorts of guys, trying to get a reaction," I hiss.
Why are they not understanding what I'm saying?
"You said she was worried about women in bikinis. I've never once hit on a chick. I don't even flirt with women anymore." I spit the words at Issac. He's smirking at me with that condescending look… I hate that fucking look. "I want her to claim me, not for her to be self-conscious because she's pregnant—"
"See?" Issac says, cutting me off. He gestures to me with both hands. "This is what I'm working with."
Jude chuckles, swiping a palm over his face. He nods, like he's just decided something, and finally he speaks. "Okay, so before you told Love you wanted more you were faithful to her?"
"Yeah," I agree. "I hadn't fucked anyone else since the second mini-heat we rode out with Saint and Kitten, but we were all there for that."
Jude grimaces. "Got it." He sighs. "Did Love know that?"
I frown. "Listen when I speak, dude. Baby was there. She participated."
"God, no," Walker says, frowning. "Did she know you hadn't been with anyone else in X amount of time?"
I frown at the ground. Shaking my head I flip through memories, trying to determine if we ever explicitly talked about it. My eyes fly up to Issac's, but he shrugs.
"I don't know."
"Is it possible you two misunderstood each other that night?" Jude asks, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "This is just my opinion based on what I've overheard, but I believe she was asking you for a commitment. For assurance that you'd be satisfied with just her. I don't think she was comfortable putting herself out there. Love needed to hear that you thought you'd be happy being exclusive. She wanted you to reassure her that you wouldn't flutter off to the next shiny new person you came across."
Jude gives me a meaningful look. "From the sounds of it," he sighs, "that's exactly what you did. You were hoping to force her hand, but your actions only solidified her fears that she wasn't enough. Try to imagine the conversation you had with Love from her point of view, as a person with her own thoughts and insecurities guiding her words and actions."
"Jesus fucking Christ," I hiss, glaring at Issac. "You couldn't have said that shit plainly, like, two months ago?"
