Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“Do you love her?”
Galen jerked around, surprise rocking him back on his heels. “What the fuck kind of question is that?”
“One you might as well have shouted your answer to.” Theo gave a small smile. “Have you thought about leaving it all behind? I know you liked New York.”
What was he on about?
Theo answered the question he hadn’t voiced. He held up his phone, the screen displaying an airline ticket with Galen’s name on it. “You should go with her.”
“What?”
“I took you for granted.” Theo slipped his phone into his pocket. “You’ve always been there, and I never put much thought into a day when you might not. It’s not fucking right, Galen. The only reason you don’t leave my side is because you feel like you owe me. You don’t. There was never a debt, and if there had been, you would have repaid it a thousand times over. I owe you.” His blue eyes held something akin to grief. “You’ve given half your life to me, sacrificed every chance at happiness you had along the way.”
He was going to fucking kill Theo. Galen closed the distance between them. “I love you, you idiot. You make me happy.”
“I made you happy. Made—past tense. It’s not going to work. Fuck, you know that better than I do.” Theo gave him a sad smile. “You deserve more than to be someone’s dirty little secret.”
“Who’s going to watch your back if I’m not there to cover your ass?” The thought of Theo moving through the tangled politics of Thalania without Galen at his six left him sick to his stomach. Who could he trust with Theo, besides himself?
He stopped short.
What the fuck kind of question was that? He had no business even considering how Theo would function without him, because he had no intention of going anywhere.
“I see that look in your eyes.” If anything, Theo’s smile turned even more bittersweet. “You’re just like our Meg, so focused on the path in front of your feet that you’ve never stopped to wonder if it’s the right one.”
“I’m not leaving you.” It was unthinkable. His life and Theo’s were inextricably linked. They had been for nearly two decades.
Theo cupped his jaw and stroked his thumb across Galen’s bottom lip. “Yes, you are. Go with our girl. I can’t have her—I can’t have either of you—but I think you two could be happy if you both retract your spikes a little.” He dropped his hand. “Besides, she’s going to need someone to stop her from hopping the next flight back to kick my ass the second she checks her bank account.”
For fuck’s sake. “What did you do?”
“Go to New York with her and find out.” He half turned away. “Ah, here he is.”
Kozlov walked up with a bag in hand and passed it to Theo. “Packed to your specifications.”
“Thank you.” Theo turned back to Galen and shoved the suitcase into his hands. “You’re checked in. Here are enough clothes to keep you for a couple days while you get your feet under you. The apartment’s already been switched over to your name only.” He chuckled, the sound dry and unconvincing. “I considered putting Meg’s name on it as well, but then she really would fly back to Europe to kick my ass.”
“Why are you doing this?” It was already decided. One look at Theo’s face told him that. If Galen tried to follow him, Kozlov no doubt had orders to knock him out and toss him into the cargo hold or something equally underhanded. No matter what he said, Theo would make sure he got on that plane.
Theo’s smile dropped as if it’d never existed and he let Galen see through all the bullshit to the staggering loss beneath. It was like an abyss opened right in front of him, and one wrong move would send him tumbling in. Just like that, Theo’s grin was back and his mask firmly replaced. “Two out of three isn’t bad odds. Marry her. Have a small horde of Mikos babies. Figure out what you both want without all the bullshit of responsibility and plans involved. Be happy together.” Someone has to make it out of this happy.
The words he didn’t speak lay between them like a live thing.
Galen took a step back, the chasm in his chest growing deeper, more jagged. “You’re not giving me a goddamn choice.”
“Wrong. I’m giving you every choice.” Theo nodded at Kozlov and headed for the doors. “Be happy, Galen. Do it for me.”
You son of a bitch.
Galen spun on his heel and stalked to where Meg had just emerged from the ticket counter, her bag tucked under one arm. Her eyebrows shot up at the sight of his suitcase. “What’s going on?”
“Theo decided to play matchmaker.”
“Wait.” She caught his arm, and he dragged her a few steps before he finally slowed and turned to face her. Meg looked over her shoulder to where Theo had stood a few moments ago. “I’m going to need you to explain what the hell you’re talking about.”