"It's okay, Gio," King said to Gio who suddenly looked very nervous. I didn't blame him. I had no doubt that he wasn't used to strangers just showing up. King left my side to approach the boy. King was so much larger than Gio that he practically blocked the boy from view as he leaned in to whisper something to him. The teenager nodded his head a few times. When King went to put his arm around Gio to herd him forward, the teen didn't hesitate.
Con and Lex were still embracing, but at Gio’s approach, Con stepped back. The man finally took notice of Lex's cane and sunglasses. His face fell and then he jerked his eyes to King. There was no missing the look of accusation that Con shot his older brother. I was glad that Lex couldn't see it, because there was obviously some kind of strife going on between the two brothers. If it was because of Lex and the secret that King had been keeping for him, it wasn't something Lex needed to know.
"Gio, do you remember your Uncle Lex?" King asked as he drew Gio forward to Lex's side. Gio didn't seem to be overly fazed by the sunglasses and cane.
“I, uh, think I do,” he said nervously.
"Gio," Lex said softly and then he was reaching his hand out. Gio seemed relieved and I couldn't help but wonder if it was because Lex wasn't trying to hug him. I kept that in mind when King introduced me to Gio next. The teenager was visibly more anxious when he turned his attention to me, so I merely waved at him.
"Gio, can you go tell your father to come in here?" Con asked.
I knew enough about Con to know that he was the easygoing brother, but there was nothing easygoing about him at the moment. He looked like he wanted to commit murder.
"Yeah, okay," Gio said. As soon as he left the room, Con ran his fingers through his hair. He was furious but trying to control himself. I wanted to kick his ass for his behavior, especially because I could tell Lex was getting more and more nervous at the prolonged silence around him.
"Lex," the man I now knew to be Vaughn said as he stepped forward.
"Vaughn," Lex said with a smile and then he was lost in Vaughn's big arms. I only half listened as the two exchanged a few words and then Vaughn was introducing Lex to his young lover, Aleks. Lex didn't hesitate to embrace the young man. Then he was back in Vaughn's arms and whatever they were saying to each other was beyond my hearing. It didn't matter because I had eyes only for Con and King. The pair looked like they were going to start throwing punches at each other at any moment. King was completely unapologetic as his brother stared him down.
I was listening enough to Lex to know when he was introducing me to Vaughn and Aleks. The tension between King and Con hung like a thick cloud in the air between us even as I made small talk with the other couple.
"Con," Lex called when there was a lull in the conversation. When Con didn't immediately respond to Lex, I found myself fisting my hands. But it wasn't my place to tell the guy to stop being a dick.
"Con," Lex repeated and then he was stepping forward. I was glad when no one tried to assist him. With the cane, he was able to make his way around without help and I knew how important that was to him. Somehow, he knew what direction to head in. Con's aggressive stance eased somewhat when Lex reached him. "You still do that thing with grinding your teeth when you’re pissed," Lex said.
I actually saw Con work his jaw as if trying to loosen it. "Why, Lex?" he asked. Some of my anger toward Con dissipated when I heard the hurt in his voice.
Lex stepped closer to his brother. "You always want to fix things for me, Con. You both do," Lex said as he nodded in King's direction. "You're the fighter, Con. Every time you step into that ring, you know there's no giving up. You fight to win."
Lex reached out his hand and Con immediately took it. "There was no winning this," Lex whispered. "It was always going to be a knockout punch. I'm still here, Con. I'm not down for the count. You guys picked me up every time I fell. This time, I needed to pick myself up." Lex looked over his shoulder at me and smiled. "I did have a little help, though."
Before Con could say anything, several sets of footsteps came our way. Another older man and a younger blond guy appeared with Gio. It was easy to identify them as Luca and Remy.
I watched as Luca went through the same stages of greeting Lex that Con had. Once the shock had worn off, the questions began.
"Gideon," Lex called to me and I immediately went to his side and took his hand. I knew what he wanted. It was easy to see how tired he was and there was no doubt that answering all the questions would be a long process.
I led Lex to the couch. Once we were seated, I kept his hand in mine as he began explaining his condition to his brothers. Not surprisingly, there was a mix of outrage and guilt when they learned that his blindness had been preventable. After that had come a new round of denials as Con in particular began asking questions about alternative and experimental treatments. It became clear to me why Lex hadn't told Con about his condition, choosing instead to confide in King. Con was like a dog with a bone and while I had no doubt that served him well in other aspects of his life, it wasn't something that would've helped Lex. From everything he’d told me, Lex had pursued those particular avenues on his own, even though he'd already known they most likely wouldn't work. It hadn’t surprised me in the least to learn that he’d wanted to spare his brothers from the helplessness of having to stand by as one experimental therapy or procedure after another failed.
It took a good hour for Lex to answer all the questions, but he remained patient and understanding as he did so. When even Con was forced to accept that nothing would change the outcome, he'd fallen silent. There was a brief, light moment when Gio and Lex talked and Lex began sharing stories about the brothers and all the trouble they’d gotten into when they'd been younger. After another hour had gone by, I knew Lex was done, so I gave his hand a squeeze and said, "I'm going to check on the girls."
Lex nodded. "Tell them we’ll be back soon."
I stepped out of the room long enough to call Emma. Satisfied that both girls were okay, I hung up the phone and prepared to return to the living room. King met me just outside the entryway.
He held his hand out and I immediately took it.
"Take care of him," he said softly.
"I will," I responded. "Are you and Con going to be okay?"
King leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. "We all have our secrets," he said. "Con knows that better than anyone."
The cryptic statement didn't really answer my question, but I knew better than to ask King to clarify what he meant. I’d learned enough about him to know that he was the kind of guy who talked only when he had something to say.
And he clearly didn't have anything to say about whether or not Con would forgive him.
King pushed off the wall and headed for the front door. Just as he was leaving, I saw him look over his shoulder. But he wasn't looking at me. He was looking beyond me at a set of stairs. Standing on them was Gio. I thought maybe he was waiting to talk to his uncle, but he only stared at King for several long seconds before he turned and hurried up the stairs. By the time I looked again, the front door was clicking shut.
I returned to the living room and found Con and Lex embracing as they said their goodbyes. When Con pulled back, he touched Lex's face affectionately.