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