“Again, you’re going to throw that in my face?”

  “No, I’m reminding you. I can’t be at all your events making sure you stay hydrated and eat.”

  Gio lifted his chin, his haughty expression getting Joker’s hackles up. He’d never looked at Joker that way. “From your display last night, it’s obvious you can’t even make it through one.”

  The words were like a punch to the gut, and Joker stared at Gio, regret written all over Gio’s expression. His eyes were wide, his face flushed. When he spoke, his words were a whisper.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Joker shook his head. “No, it’s the truth. Let’s face it. You don’t want me. You never did.”

  “How can you say that?” Gio took a step forward, and Joker took one back.

  “You had an idea of me. You clearly know what you want, and I can tell you right now, I don’t fit that mold. I’m not Ace. I’m not the guy who hangs on your arm and makes polite conversation over finger foods. Even if I was, I won’t stand on the sidelines and watch you work yourself into the ground. We were kidding ourselves.”

  “Stop,” Gio snapped. He shook his head. “Don’t do this.”

  “Do what? Speak the truth?” Joker shook his head. “We were just kidding ourselves, Gio, and you know it as much as I do. We don’t fit. Better to walk away now than down the line.”

  “I can’t believe you’re not even going to give us a chance.” Gio shook his head in disbelief. “There are so many things I’ve thought about where you’re concerned, but the one thing I never thought was that you were a coward.”

  Joker flinched. “Fuck you, Gio.” He grabbed his laptop and shoved it into his backpack. Then he called Chip and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

  Fuck this, and fuck Giovanni Galanos. He threw his shit into the back of the Jeep, then opened the door for Chip, who whined. He sat on his haunches, his big brown eyes staring worriedly up at Joker.

  “Get in the fucking car!”

  Chip’s ears flattened, and Joker cursed under his breath. Great. Now he was being an asshole to his dog. He leaned in and kissed the top of Chip’s head. He scratched him behind the ears, murmuring at him.

  “I’m sorry.” He patted the passenger seat, and Chip jumped in. Joker got in behind the wheel, then closed the door and hesitated. Glancing up at the house, his heart splintered into hundreds of tiny pieces. He wasn’t a coward; he was a realist. The truth had come out. As sorry as Gio was, or as much as he regretted his words, the truth had been there. Joker couldn’t be what Gio needed him to be, and neither could change who they were deep down.

  After turning the engine on, Joker hesitated for another heartbeat, then drove off. He wrinkled his nose, refusing to give in to his emotions. Yeah, it hurt like a son of a bitch, but somewhere between Gio returning home for good and now, Joker had invested far more of his heart than he’d planned to in them. He hadn’t meant for his heart to get involved. It was supposed to have been a little fun, some hot sex, fooling around, and an eventual progression to being friends. It wasn’t supposed to hurt.

  Chip whined again, and Joker shook his head. “We’re gonna be fine. Just you and me, buddy. We don’t need him.” Chip gave him the side-eye, and Joker couldn’t help his chuckle. “Yeah, I know.”

  This was better for both of them, and maybe in time, they could be friends. When he got home, Chip sensed something was off, and he was having none of it. He howled and barked at Joker until Joker was forced to tell him to lie down, which Chip did, with his back to Joker.

  “Oh, so now you’re going to be pissed at me too?”

  Chip huffed but didn’t so much as look at him—little shit.

  The doorbell rang, and with a grunt, Joker got up, his heart pounding with stupid hope. He opened the door, his heart sinking when he found a package instead. Picking it up, he frowned at the label. An auction? He hadn’t bought anything—

  Oh, wait.

  Heading back inside, he locked the door behind him and hurried into the kitchen. The box was extremely well packaged, and inside was another box, this one made of wood and old-looking. There was a little card on top of it dated the night of the auction. The night they’d first kissed. Joker opened the note and read.

  It doesn’t matter what it cost. You’re both worth every penny.

  Love, Gio.

  Opening the box, Joker let out a watery laugh, tears in his eyes. “That fucker.”

  What had Gio spent an obscene amount of money on at the auction? Jewelry? No. An old firearm or celebrity trinket? No. Furniture? Nope. A fucking dog food bowl from the late 1920s that belonged to Rin Tin Tin, the famous German shepherd. Fucking Gio had paid who knew how many thousands of dollars on a food bowl for Joker’s dog.

  “You bastard.”

  He was not going to be one of those assholes who cried after a breakup. No fucking way. Son of a bitch, he was one of those assholes. The tears sprung free, and Joker quickly wiped them away. He returned the stainless-steel bowl to its box and carried it into his bedroom. Chip followed him in, whining at him, and Joker dropped onto the end of the bed.

  “You and I both knew we’d end up here one way or another,” Joker told Chip. “His life isn’t our life.”

  Chip disappeared under the bed, and a heartbeat later, crawled back out, Jack’s baseball cap in his mouth.

  “Guess we know who’s the real brains around here,” Joker muttered. “Come on. Let’s go see Uncle Jack.”

  A few minutes later, they stood outside Jack and Fitz’s door. When had he turned into such a sucker? Fuck it. He hated this. Hated feeling like shit, hated the fact he missed Gio already, that he didn’t want to go home to his empty bed tonight. He laughed without humor. When had he become such a clingy, needy fuck?

  The door swung open, and Jack stood there, a huge grin on his face and his mouth open, ready to say something teasing until he took in the sight of Joker. His smile fell away.

  “What happened?”

  “It’s over,” Joker replied quietly just as Fitz appeared beside Jack.

  Fitz gasped softly and grabbed him, pulling him into a tight hug. As much as Joker wanted to fight Fitz on this, he didn’t have the energy, so he just wrapped his arms around Fitz and sighed heavily.

  “What happened?” Fitz asked softly, leading Joker inside toward the living room. He pulled Joker down with him as he folded himself onto the couch.

  “What was always going to happen. He wanted me to be something I wasn’t.”

  “I don’t understand.” Jack took a seat in the armchair.

  Was he really going to sit here bitching and moaning about his failed relationship? Not like it hadn’t happened before. Of course, it never hurt this fucking much before.

  “He asked me to be his date to one of his fancy galas. It was fucking excruciating. I got into an argument with some asshole. I’ve never felt so shit in all my life. Then today, his updated schedule came through, and he’d added all these events. He promised me he’d take better care of himself, but obviously, that was bullshit, or he was just placating me. We got into an argument over it, and we both said some shitty things. I can’t be what he wants me to be.”

  “What did he say he wanted you to be?”

  Joker blinked at Jack. “What do you mean?”

  “What exactly did he say he wanted from you?”

  “Well, he didn’t literally say he wanted me to be anything, but he did. He said I couldn’t even make it through one event. It obviously bothered him since he threw it in my face. Why else would he ask me to go with him?”

  Fitz shrugged. “There are a million reasons he might have asked you. Maybe he thought you’d feel left out if he didn’t invite you, or that you’d think he was embarrassed by you, or that you’d want to go because you were dating, or that you might enjoy a party since you work entertainment events, or—”

  “Okay, yeah, smarty-pants, I get it.” Fuck. Was it possible Gio had asked him for a completely different reason than Joker had thought? What if he’d told Gio he didn’t want to go to his events?

  “What exactly did you think he wanted from you?” Jack asked.

  “I thought he wanted what Colton has. You know, how Ace goes with him to all his parties and events, charms the pants off the guests, shows his support.”

  “And you thought the only way to show your support was to force yourself to be Ace?” Fitz patted his arm. “Oh, honey, think about that. No one in their right mind expects anyone to be Ace. I’m pretty sure Ace doesn’t expect half the shit he does or says.”

  Joker snickered. “You’re not wrong.” Was it possible he’d gotten it all wrong? “Maybe he doesn’t expect me to be Ace or go to all his events; I’ll give you that. But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s not serious about taking care of his health, and I can’t be at every event to make sure he does. He’s not taking his health seriously despite the fact he’s on medication now and has a fucking service dog.”

  “He got a service dog?” Fitz asked, a hand going to his chest.

  “I, uh, well, I got him a service dog. Cookie. He was trained for Gio’s type of condition but lost his owner a while back. He’s a two-year-old golden retriever.” Joker couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “The two of them are a couple of big dorks together. They really hit it off.”

  Jack stared at him. “You got Gio a service dog?”

  Heat crawled into Joker’s cheeks, and he nodded.

  Jack’s expression softened, his words quiet when he spoke. “You’re in love with him.”

  No fucking way. Joker was ready to deny everything. He opened his mouth to tell his best friend to fuck off, but instead something else came out.

  “Yeah, I think I am.”

  Fuck. He was in love with Gio.

  Joker met his friend’s gaze, his heart in his throat. “I love him.”

  TEN

  This couldn’t be happening.

  Gio sat on his couch with Cookie, his head on Gio’s lap as he stared up at Gio with big brown eyes.

  “I’m a fucking idiot,” Gio said to no one in particular. A glass of water appeared before him, and Gio blinked up at Saint. He’d forgotten Saint was there. Good God, he’d witnessed the whole awful ordeal. Taking the glass from Saint, he thanked him and took several sips. His phone rang, and his pulse sped up. He answered without checking the ID.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey,” Colton said cheerfully.

  “Oh, hi.”

  “Um, okay. I’m sorry to disappoint you. Clearly, you were hoping it was someone else.”

  “I’m sorry,” Gio replied with a sigh. “You know I’m always happy to hear from you.”

  “Right. I was calling to see if you and Joker wanted to join me and Ace for lunch, but it sounds like you’ve got something else going on.”

  The back of Gio’s eyes stung, and he cleared his throat. He petted the soft fur on Cookie’s head. “Sacha’s not here. He… um, likely won’t be coming back.”

  There was a long silence before Colton spoke up. “We’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  “Colt—”

  “We’ll be there in ten minutes,” Colton repeated.

  “Okay.” Gio hung up and slumped back against the couch. He took another couple of sips before placing the glass on the coffee table next to him. “Colton and Ace are dropping by,” he told Saint, who merely nodded.

  When the doorbell rang exactly ten minutes later, Saint went to open the door. He greeted Colton and Ace. The three of them entered the living room, and Cookie lifted his head, his tail wagging happily at their guests.

  “Oh my goodness, who is this?” Colton asked excitedly.

  “This is Cookie. He’s my new best boy.”

  Colton’s eyes all but sparkled. “Can I pet him?”

  “Go ahead.”

  Ace’s smile for his husband as he cooed and loved all over Cookie squeezed at Gio’s heart. The love between those two was palpable, and it reminded Gio of what he might have just possibly lost. How could he have been so foolish?

  “You got a dog?” Ace asked, taking a seat on the couch next to Saint and playfully smacking his leg in greeting.

  “Sort of. Sacha got him for me. He’s a service dog.”

  Ace’s mouth dropped open. “Joker got you a dog?”

  Why was that such a surprise? “Yes. He thought with my condition I could use someone to look after me.”

  Ace promptly shut his mouth and didn’t say another word, which was very unlike him. Instead, he glanced around the room. “Where’s Joker?”

  “We had an argument,” Gio said, his voice coming out rough. “He left. For good.”

  Colton and Ace exchanged glances before Colton took a seat on the couch next to Gio. “What happened?”

  “Everything was going great, and then that stupid party happened. I know that’s what started all this.” He ran his fingers through his hair. The signs had been there. Why hadn’t he pressed Sacha to open up and talk to him? Something had clearly been bothering him, and Gio knew it, no matter how much Sacha denied it. Something had happened. Fuck, it was probably Lawrence. Gio shouldn’t have left Sacha alone with him. What had he been thinking?

  “What party?”

  Colton’s words brought Gio out of his thoughts.

  “I asked him to go with me to a charity gala as my date. He agreed.”

  Ace held up a hand. “Wait. Joker wore a tux and went to one of your charity galas with you, as your date?”

  “Yes. Isn’t that what I said?” It wasn’t like Sacha had never worn a suit or tuxedo before. Sometimes his job required it based on the assignment, so it couldn’t have been that much of a big deal.

  “You do realize I can count on one hand the number of times that man has worn a tuxedo for something that wasn’t a work requirement.”

  “Then why agree? If he was going to be so damned miserable, why say yes?”

  Ace arched an eyebrow at him like he was indeed the biggest dork on the planet. “Really? You don’t know why he would put himself through that? Why he’d get dressed up in fancy clothes that make him uncomfortable, attend a huge glitzy party filled with rich strangers, and force himself to have awkward conversations?”

  “I would have never asked him if I thought he’d be uncomfortable. I’d never want to make him feel uncomfortable. I thought maybe he might be upset if I never asked him. Like maybe I didn’t want him there or something.”

  “Did you tell him that?” Colton asked gently.

  “No, but he could have just told me he’d rather not do that again, that he was uncomfortable, and I would have happily accepted. Then my updated schedule was sent to him, and he lost his shit over that. Granted, I might have packed in a little more than I should, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. He threw my health issues in my face and accused me of not really wanting him. How can he think I never wanted him when he’s all I’ve wanted from the moment I heard his voice? But how can I give up my events? That’s part of what I do. I love my job; I love helping people. I won’t give that up for anyone, and I can’t believe he expects that of me.”

  Ace peered at him. “Joker told you he wanted you to give up your charity work?”

  “Well, not in so many words, no. He demanded to know why I had to go to so many events.”

  “So he didn’t say, ‘I want you to give up your charity events’?”

  “No.”

  “How many charity events have you had in the last month? How many meals with clients and colleagues, how many meetings, video conferences, phone calls?” Ace gave him a pointed look. “Here’s an easier question. How much free time have you had in the last month, and with everything new you’ve added, how much free time do you have coming up?”

  Gio swallowed hard. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

  “Really? Because you were in the hospital, Gio. You have a service dog because of your condition. Things aren’t the same as they’ve always been.”

  “I know that,” Gio muttered, picking at some invisible lint on his pants.

  “Weren’t you the one who said you were going to slow down?” Colton asked. “Weren’t you also the one who promised to take better care of himself?”

  Gio frowned but didn’t reply. That was pretty much what Sacha had asked him.

  Colton folded his arms over his chest. “So what you’re saying is, you planned to keep going, working yourself to death, expecting Joker to just stand by and watch as someone he clearly cares a lot about ends up in a hospital or worse.”

  Gio opened his mouth, then closed it, his best friend’s words taking hold of something inside him. If the roles were reversed, would Gio have stood by while Sacha needlessly put himself in danger, risking his health and his life?

  “He came to me for advice, you know,” Ace said.

  Gio met Ace’s gaze, his heart skipping a beat. “He did?”

  “Yeah. He wanted to ask me how I did it. How I navigated Colton’s world. Why do you think he wanted to know that? My guess is he thought you wanted him to be for you what I am for Colton.”

  “I never asked him to be that. I don’t need him to be that for me. In fact, he distracts me when he’s there because I’d rather be with him than working.”

  “Did you tell him that?” Colton asked.

  Gio stared at him. “No.” He’d never asked Sacha to be anything he wasn’t, and he never would.

  With a heavy sigh, Ace motioned to Cookie. “Gio, the guy got you a dog. Not just any dog, a service dog trained for your condition. None of us got a dog from him. I didn’t get a dog. Red didn’t get a dog. Shit, not even Jack got a dog. Do you have any idea what that means? For him to share that part of himself with you after what happened with Echo?”

  The name was familiar. “Echo. That was his dog back in Special Forces, right?”

  “Yep. Echo was his best girl. When she wasn’t strapped to him or he wasn’t carrying her on his shoulders, she was at his feet. She was his pillow, his confidant, his best friend. Facing the shit we faced, having each other made all the difference, but having that dog…” Ace shook his head. “She didn’t just keep us safe; she kept us sane.”