Page 122 of Their Fairy Princess (Office Intrigue Duet 7)
Yet, like tonight, he was always willing.
So fucking willing.
“I love you, Dante,” I whispered into the dark room.
I had to hope that over time, it would eventually be enough.
For all of us.
THIRTY
ISAAC
Sunday, June 16, 2019
I sat at my desk, the only light coming from my laptop screen, casting a soft glow over me and pitching shadows through the rest of the basement.
I’d been down here for a couple of hours, seeking solitude, trying to figure out what the fuck had happened. The weekend had gone by, slowly, miserably. Everly had spent most of her time in the library, Dante in his bedroom, while Ian had buried himself in work, claiming to be solidifying a lead that could very well take down Vernon Hathaway once and for all.
I hadn’t asked what it was, leaving him to it because I recognized his need for distraction. Not once had he mentioned what was bothering him, nor did I ask. I’d tried it already, gotten his wrath in response. Which I took to mean he didn’t want to discuss it.
That bothered me, and being that I hated to see my brother in pain, I’d decided to do a little detective work of my own.
My phone buzzed and I glanced at the screen.
Heaven: Hey, big guy! How’s it going?
Isaac: Good. You?
Heaven: Better than good. I went on a date last night.
Isaac: With Prince Charming?”
Heaven: LOL How’d you know?
Isaac: I have my ways.
Heaven: Eavesdropping on Dante and Everly, I see. So, what’s up? How’s everyone? How’s Ian?
Isaac: He won’t talk to me.
I didn’t know why I was admitting something so personal to a woman I’d spent so little time with, but for the moment, she was the only person I figured would tell me something.
Heaven: Have you tried talking to him?
Isaac: No. Not really.
Heaven: That’s your first mistake. If you stop long enough, look hard enough, you’ll see what’s been there all along. Questions won’t even be necessary.
Isaac: Which is?
She sent back a smiley face emoticon and I sighed.
Figuring that was all she was going to give me, I set my phone down, dropped my head back on the chair, and tried to figure out the fucking riddle that had caused such an uproar in my house.
When my phone buzzed again, I glanced at it, frowned.
Heaven: Everly.
What the hell was she talking about? Was she asking if Everly was all right? Or had she meant to text her?
Isaac: She’s fine.
Heaven: Not even a little, but I can see how you’d think that.
Isaac: What are you talking about?
A minute passed as I stared at the screen, watching the three dots that danced as she typed.
Heaven: You love her to distraction. She completes you in a way you never expected. That’s what people say when they fall ass over tea kettle, right? Well, it’s true. But not only for you, Isaac. It’s true for Ian. He loves her, too. Exactly the same way you do. Only you can’t see that, and he’s tried to pretend it’s not true. But it’s there. Has been all along. If you stop and think about it, it makes perfect sense. That the two of you would fall so hard, so fast for the same woman. After all, you’re two halves of one whole.
My gaze shifted to the top of the stairs.
Was that true?
Heaven: I enjoyed the time I was there, Isaac. And though I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the dynamic, I realized something. Not everyone’s cut out for that. But Everly and Dante are. And they love you both. Equally. Do you get what I’m saying? Everything you and Ian have ever needed is right there with you. You only have to open your eyes a little wider, see past your own heart.
The one thing I admired about Heaven was that she always told it like it was. I didn’t suspect she was sugarcoating it to make me feel better. That wasn’t her nature.
Isaac: If you ever need anything, Heaven…
Heaven: I know. Same goes. Now quit playing on your phone. It’s your move on the chessboard, Isaac. Make it.
I set my phone down again, grinned. The woman and her fucking riddles.
I let the past couple of weeks play back in my mind. Not the scenes, the sex, the erotic encounters. I focused on the other moments. From my perspective, everything was exactly as it was meant to be. Or was it? Was I the only one who had everything I’d ever wanted? Everly. Dante. The fierceness I felt, the savage love that overwhelmed me when I was with them. Did Ian feel that, too? I knew what he felt for Dante because he hadn’t hidden his feelings. Not from any of us.
So what was I missing?
Flashes of memories came back, moments I’d seen Ian watching Everly, pain and anguish in his eyes. I’d attributed that to fear, thinking he was worried about what the crazy, sadistic bastard had threatened to do to her. But that hadn’t been it. Not entirely.
