Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
The next morning, Gio made breakfast for Sacha and brought it to him in the living room so he could be comfortable.
As soon as they finished eating, Gio got up to put the plates in the dishwasher and get Sacha his antibiotics, when the doorbell rang.
Probably more flowers. He checked their security app and the front door camera.
“Uh-oh.” Gio quickly grabbed the pills and a bottle of water.
“Uh-oh? No. No uh-oh,” Sacha said, his eyes going wide. “It can’t be. I’m not ready!”
Gio gave Sacha his pills and placed the bottle of water on the coffee table next to him, then went to the door and opened it to find Fitz, Colton, and Laz on the other side, big smiles on their faces and several tote bags hanging from each arm.
Duchess wagged her tail excitedly, and Gio made sure to give her lots of love and pets.
When her highness was finished, she trotted inside past Gio.
With a chuckle, he turned back to his family and opened his mouth when Fitz let out a shriek that caused Sacha to get up and lope toward them.
“What happened?” Sacha asked, breathless as he held onto his side.
“You proposed,” Fitz squealed, dropping his bags and wrapping his arms around Sacha.
“Damn it, Fitz, I thought you were being murdered or something!”
“Aw, and you came to save me,” Fitz cooed, hanging up his jacket and removing his phone from the pocket. He tapped away at his phone and put it in his back pocket before gently holding Sacha close. Gio did his best not to laugh, but he probably wasn’t very successful because Sacha glared at him.
Colton placed his hand on Fitz’s shoulder. “Love, he looks a little tired. Maybe he should sit down.”
“Oh! You’re right,” Fitz said through a gasp. “Poor baby. Come on. Let’s get you back to the couch.” He wrapped his arm around Sacha’s shoulders and led him toward the living room. Sacha glared at Gio over his shoulder, and Gio spun to face the others.
“Why don’t I help you with those?” He picked up the bags Fitz had put down and closed the door behind the others.
So much for one or two more days.
“Holy cow.” Laz stopped just inside the living room. He blinked at Gio. “You opening a flower shop?”
Gio chuckled. “Might have to if the flowers and plants keep coming. I’ll find a place for them. I’m not worried about the baskets. If Sacha doesn’t eat everything, I’m sure Ace will help.”
“He can have the fruit,” Sacha grumbled. “The good stuff’s mine.”
“Good luck with that. Now tell me eve-ry-thing,” Fitz demanded eagerly, sitting on the couch next to Sacha, his legs pulled up as he got comfortable.
Next to Jack, Fitz was Sacha’s closest friend, their bond having formed back when Fitz was still uncertain about Jack, and Gio had decided to return home after years away.
They were highly entertaining to watch, with Sacha being adorably grumpy and Fitz fussing over him cheerfully and affectionately.
Gio held back a smile. He knew exactly how this was going to go.
“I asked and he said yes,” Sacha replied.
Oh, sweet Sacha. Gio couldn’t help but chuckle. As expected, Fitz was not impressed.
“Yeah, no. I’m going to need more details than that, Sugar.”
Sacha huffed. “Gio can tell you.”
“I’ll be right there,” Gio called out, turning to Colton and taking his elbow. “How are things?”
Colton smiled warmly, which was a good sign. “We’re working through it. He’s been a little quieter. Well, quiet for Ace, but he made an appointment with his therapist, so things have started feeling a little more normal at home.”
“I’m glad.” Gio squeezed Colton’s arm. “If you need me, just call.”
“I will,” Colton promised. “Thank you.”
Gio left Colton and Laz to finish putting the last of the food-filled containers in the fridge and joined Sacha and Fitz on the couch.
“Chip had something in his mouth, and when I tried to take it from him, he led me outside. Sacha was there. That’s when Chip presented me with a small wooden box, and inside was the ring.”
Fitz put a hand to his chest and let out a dreamy sigh. “Aw. That’s so romantic.”
“When I turned around, Sacha was down on one knee, and he proposed. I said yes, and there may have been some tears. It was beautiful.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Laz said, returning with Colton, his eyes glassy as he smiled warmly at Gio. His baby brother had been so worried about Gio at first, afraid Sacha would break Gio’s heart. In the end, he admitted he’d never been happier to be proven wrong.
“Everyone is so excited,” Fitz said, clapping gleefully.
Wait. What? Gio stared at Fitz. Oh no.
“Everyone?” Sacha groaned as he held his side and stood up. He looked at Fitz. “When? How? Who did you tell?”
Fitz blinked up at him. “Um…”
“Fitz?”
“I might have sent a quick text to Jack when I hung up my jacket.” Fitz smiled sheepishly. He waved a hand dismissively. “But it’s fine. It’s not like he didn’t know.”
Sacha blinked at him. “How would he know?”
“Because…you told him.” Fitz’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god, you didn’t tell him?”
Sacha pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “No.”
Colton and Laz exchanged glances before taking a seat on the couch across from them.
“What?!” Fitz jumped to his feet and covered his mouth with his hands. He shook his head. “How does he not know? He’s your best friend!”
“Because it literally happened a few minutes before you got here!”
“But you’ve had the ring for months. Jack knew you were going to propose.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t know when. I was waiting for the right moment, and tonight was it.”
Fitz gasped. “I’m so sorry. I should have asked.” His eyes welled up, and Sacha looked panicked. He jabbed a finger at Fitz.
“No, absolutely not. You suck those tears back in.”
Fitz laughed and sniffed. “I’m sorry.” He wiped away the wetness and turned to Gio. “I’m so sorry.”
Gio stood and hugged Fitz. His dear friend had such a big heart, and no one meant more to Fitz than Jack and the rest of their family. Yes, sometimes Fitz could be a little…enthusiastic, but no one looked out for everyone the way he did.
“It’s okay,” Gio promised.
“Jack is going to be so hurt,” Fitz murmured. “And it’s all my fault.”
Sacha shook his head. “I’ll talk to him. It’ll be okay.”
The front door opened, closed, and suddenly Ace was there with Cocoa, who was so excited he didn’t know who to run to first. He darted to Colton first, of course, because for him it probably felt like days since he’d seen his dad and not just a few hours.
Then he went around, getting pets from everyone before joining his doggy cousins.
“Congratulations!” Ace threw his uninjured arm up, and it rained what looked like…
“Are those dog treats?” Gio asked as the tiny morsels hit the tiled floor and bounced, scattering everywhere.
Ace’s grin was huge. “Safer than confetti and easier to clean up. Find it,” he told the dogs, and they all darted over, sucking up the many tiny treats like furry vacuum cleaners. Yep, definitely easier to clean up than confetti.
“How…?” Sacha shook his head. “How are you here?”
“Not important. Congratulations!” He grabbed Gio and hugged him, squeezing him tight.
“Oof,” Gio huffed out. He laughed and patted Ace’s back. “Thank you.”
Ace turned to Sacha, who narrowed his eyes at Ace.
“I’ll hug you when you’re healed,” Ace said brightly.
Sacha eyed him. “Wait, who told you?”
“Lucky.”
Uh oh. Gio braced himself.
“And who told Lucky?” Sacha asked.
“Um, Mason.”
Sacha glared at him.
“Okay, so Jack was at the office when the text came through, and for some reason, he looked shocked and said you and Gio were getting married—like, really loud. Saint and Ryden overheard, so Ry told Jay, who told Mason, who told Lucky, who then told me, King, and Red.” Ace frowned. “Did Jack not know?”
Sacha let his head fall back with a loud groan. “No, Jack did not know. It wasn’t planned!”
“But you’ve had the ring for months,” Ace said, confused.
“Oh my god, yes, I had the ring! You kinda need the ring to propose, so I had it. I was waiting for the right moment, and I suddenly knew tonight was the night, so I proposed. Gio said yes, and when Fitz saw the ring, he texted Jack, who didn’t know because it had just happened.”
“Again, I’m so sorry,” Fitz murmured.
Gio patted Fitz’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”
The front door opened, and Gio braced himself. Here we go.
Mason, Lucky, Red, King, Leo, and Jack walked in.
The dogs all lost their minds and rushed to their favorite uncles.
Duchess bounded over to her dad, wagging her poofy tail.
Smiles, hugs, and congratulations filled the room.
When everyone realized that the only movement Jack had made was petting Duchess and that he hadn’t said a word, they turned to face him, their smiles fading.
The hurt was written all over Jack’s face, and Gio understood.
Jack and Sacha shared a bond unlike any of the other Kings.
Sacha’s engagement was a big deal, and Jack should have been the first to know, but something told Gio there was more to Jack’s reaction than just not being the first to hear about the proposal.
They’d barely heard from him since Sacha was released from the hospital.
Sacha moved in front of Jack, furrowing his brow. “Can we talk in private?” Chip whined and pressed himself against Sacha’s leg. Sacha never took his eyes off Jack, but he patted Chip’s head to reassure him. “I’m okay, boy.”
Jack nodded and followed Sacha to the glass patio doors. Sacha told Chip and Duchess to stay, and Chip let out a slight whine but obeyed. They sat in front of the glass doors, watching closely as Jack and Sacha went down the stairs.
Fitz hugged himself. “We should give them privacy,” he told everyone. Gio wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulders and squeezed.
“They’ll be okay. A lot’s happened lately. They need to talk it through.”
At least he hoped they did.