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“I’m not mad, Theo. I was more scared than anything. It would break my heart if anything ever happened to you.”
“To pieces?”
“A million pieces.”
“Because you love me?”
“Because I love you.”
“Like Unco Gage loves Grey, and Unco Mike loves Mikey?” Theo coughed again, the series of coughs followed by a snort. “And like Unco Julien loves Ty, and Unco Gio loves Aleksi?”
Joel smiled. “Yes. Exactly like that.”
“Like I’m your little boy?”
“Theo, you are my little boy.”
Ayesha met them in the water, took Theo, and held him against her chest. Josiah joined in on the hug, and Joel watched them, a mix of emotions tightening a rope around his neck. At that moment, he would have given anything for Theo to feel safe again. It was one thing for the terrors to plague his dreams. Now, they were putting Theo’s life at risk.
Ayesha’s dress clung to her partially naked form, so he remained close behind her as they headed inside. Tayler met them with a couple of towels, exchanged Theo for one, and took Theo with her to monitor him.
Ayesha went to her room to dry off and change.
He did the same.
Afterward, he sat, gripping the edge of the mattress and staring at the floor. The door slowly opened, and Ayesha walked in. She hadn’t shed a tear from the beach to the villa, so he opened his arms.
She crawled onto his lap, her knees straddling his middle, and he held her as tightly as she held him. Her tears warmed and dampened the shoulder and sleeve of his T-shirt, and her body shook with each cry.
It was too close.
They’d come too close.
He’d had guns in his face, had bullets come within inches of his head. He’d been shot, burned, and stabbed throughout his military and professional career. Yet, nothing had scared him like seeing Theo in the water.
The boys were supposed to outlive them. Whatever he could do to make that happen, to make sure he and Ayesha never mourned them, he would do, even if it required mourning him.
“He’ll stay in here with me for the rest of the vacation,” he whispered.
She nodded. “Okay.”
“How’s Josiah?”
“Quiet.”
“And you?”
“I’m grateful that he’s okay. I know it could have been worse, but I’m still scared out of my mind. We could have lost him today.” The tears started up again. “Joel, he’sfour.”
He kissed her hair, stroked her back. When the worst of his fears tried to take up space in his mind, he shoved them away.
“How about Thandie, though?” he said. “Girl’s a badass. I fucking love this family.”
“Me too.” She kissed his temple. “Me too.”
Tayler let them know that she would keep Theo with her, monitoring him for the next twenty-four hours. Mo took Ayesha, Josiah, and Thandie with her for a walk down to a small grocery store near the villa.
Adrenaline still coursing through him, Joel prowled through the villa and found Giorgio staring at a sheet of paper at the outdoor dining table.
