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“You can’t make shit up just to kill him, Lattimore.”
Joel grunted a response.
“Let me tell you something you might not want to hear.” Gage aimed a finger at the left side of his chest. “Ayesha? She’s making her way in there, mate, and although I’m not sure you can do anything to stop it, you’re not ready for her to be there. You can’t offer Ayesha what she needs right now.”
“I’m telling you, it’s not like that.”
It couldn’t be. Ayesha was the last person he could have “it” with. For one, he’d poured half his life into loving one woman and still failed. In what world could he make Ayesha happy, especially since he didn’t have another sixteen years to try, only to fail again? Also, if he lost her, it wouldn’t be only losing a wife. He’d lose his entire family. Then, if he fucked around and got himself killed, that would be twice she’d have her heart shattered. He agreed that she deserved better than him, but Isaac sure as fuck wasn’t it.
“Lattimore, itislike that,” Gage insisted. “But you need time. A lot of time. If you disagree and think you’re ready, let go of Sydney, then.”
Scratching the back of his head, he peeled his eyes away from Isaac and Ayesha. Sydney and Kofi were still dancing, but as if Sydney felt him looking, she turned his way. Hope sprung in his chest, twirling and twisting, and it made no sense; how could hope still be there when—he journeyed back to Ayesha—something else was starting to take root?
It was also possible that he was wrong about what the twisting in his chest signified.
He wanted Sydney to want him.
He wanted her to regret leaving him.
WithJoel Pettybrewing inside him, he wanted her to hope they would get back together and beg him the way he’d begged her. He wanted her to look at him and realize that how she ended their relationship could have been handled better, and it would forever be one of the biggest mistakes she’d ever made when it came to their history together.
“Do you think if Theo and Josiah weren’t in the picture, you’d feel differently toward Ayesha?” Gage asked.
Isaac twirled Ayesha, and the man’s twirls were shit. Ayesha floated when she danced. With Isaac, she didn’t so much as glide, and the eye contact she gave him was about as passionate as she would look at an empty cardboard box.
“Do you mean if I’m getting emotionally attached because she, Josiah, and Theo are basically a ready-made family?” he asked.
“It’s what you want.”
“Honestly, Gage?” It wasn’t the answer that would help his current predicament, but it was the truth. “It’s an excellent question, and I don’t have an answer for you, but I do see what you’re getting at.”
“You need time,” Gage reiterated. “And I won’t let you rush into anything, not with her. You would never hurt Eesh intentionally, but it doesn’t matter. Hurt her, and I’ll fuck you all the way up. I promise you.”
Joel grinned. “You know who you sounded exactly like just now? Mrs. Tayler Wolfe. I know I’ve told you a thousand times, but congratulations, brother. You’re a lucky man.”
“Don’t I know it.”
They bumped fists.
“And, again, it’s not like that with Ayesha,” he continued. “I just don’t wantIsaactrying to make dinner for her and the boys. And do you thinkIsaacwill know what to do when Theo gets an ear infection? Do you think he’ll know when Theo’s about to throw up, or that cuddles and belly rubs help make his tummy feel better?”
“No,” Gage said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“And what about when Josiah needs help going over his homework? Or when he wants someone to read one of his books to him at bedtime? Who’ll do that if Ayesha’s not around?”
“Not Isaac.”
“Right. Plus, what the fuck wouldIsaacmake Ayesha for dinner when she has to work late? Nothing. He probably wouldn’t even wait up for her to talk or because he wants to see her face before he goes to sleep.”
Gage snorted. “Isaac probably can’t even cook. Ham and cheese sandwich making motherfucker.”
“Exactly.” Joel smacked his palm with a fist. “I’m the only one who makes breakfast, lunch, and dinner for Ayesha, Theo, and Josiah. I take care of them. I love taking care of them.Isaacprobably doesn’t even know her ‘check engine’ light’s on right now.”
Isaac’s pelvis grazed the curve of Ayesha’s ass. Joel pushed up off the wall, but a hand shoved him back against it before he could blink.
Two hands.
He groaned. “Really, Giorgio? You’re siding with Gage?”
