I grin. “Twin souls? BFFs?”
“Not the time, smart-ass.”
“Okay, okay.” I hold up my arms in mocking surrender, and he smiles. A tiny dimple appears, and I realize that Isaia smiling isn’t something I’ve seen a lot of. It’s a good look for him, a shade of light cracking through his dark, hardened exterior.
But his smile fades as quickly as it appears. “I need to know that you’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” I assure him.
He shakes his head. “You answered that too fast. I’m serious.”
“So am I. I’m fine, Isaia. Really.”
He reaches out and touches his thumb on my jaw, and there’s a flash of something kind and tender in his eyes. “You’re a bad liar, you know that?”
My eyes start to prickle, and I look away, biting my bottom lip to keep myself from crying.
He steps back. “Just know that I’ll always be here for you. And when it comes to my asshole brother, I will always be there to defend you.”
Isaia’s words offer some comfort, and it’s a reminder that he’s been there for me all along. Always stepping in when I needed him. But doing so has also affected his relationship with Alexius, and it’s a difficult pill for me to swallow.
I turn my back on him, staring down at the silver-clawed feet of the tub. The last thing I want right now is to lose the battle against the tears threatening to break through the facade I’m desperately trying to keep. “I don’t need you to defend me when it comes to your brother.”
“After what happened today, I’m not so sure about that.”
“Alexius is.” I crane my neck, staring up at the ceiling, searching for the right words. “He’s slightly possessive when it comes to me.”
“Slightly? My brother almost crossed a line today.”
“Newsflash.” I turn to face him again. “Your brother has been crossing and cutting lines with me like he’s hitting cocaine.”
“Do you want to leave?”
His question takes me by surprise, and I gnaw the inside of my cheek.
“If you want to leave, I’ll help you.”
“Isaia—”
“I’m serious. If you want to leave this place, leave this family, I’ll help you.”
I let out a deep sigh. “I’m not gonna lie, there are times I want nothing more than to leave and forget about everything that’s happened here.” I place my hand on my belly. “But leaving is not that simple anymore.”
“I hate that my brother is hurting you.”
“Me too.”
“Asshole,” Isaia mutters, placing his hands on his sides.
“Yeah. He is an asshole. But I love him. I love him more than I know how to deal with, and whenever he does something so fucking stupid or selfish, a part of me hopes I’ll just wake up one morning and realize I don’t love him anymore.” I glance down at my hands, the hole in my heart a throbbing ache. “God knows it would be much easier if I’d stop loving him.”
“You and me both.”
Our eyes meet, and we both snicker, the moment giving us a slight reprieve from the weight that’s been bearing down on our conversation. Out of the four Del Rossa brothers, Isaia always comes across as the dark horse. The tortured soul. But right now, at this moment, I’m catching a glimpse of a different Isaia—one who carries a light inside him, a light he hides so damn well. It makes it easy for me to want to confide in him. Almost too easy.
“I should probably go,” Isaia says, brushing his hand through his disheveled hair. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I smile. “I’m okay.”