Seven huffed out a humorless laugh. He really was Enzo’s sugar baby, after all.
By the time they got back to the penthouse, Seven was practically catatonic. He went only where Enzo guided him and stayed wherever he put him. He drank a glass of water when instructed. He handed over his phone without question. If he’d asked, Enzo would have told him he thought it better that Seven avoid news or social media for the night. But he didn’t ask. He didn’t say a word.
As a fellow mama’s boy, Enzo got it. He did. If anyone had framed his mother for a crime, they’d find themselves on the wrong side of a bullet. That was just how it went in his family. Their motto might as well have beenChi provoca il destino, ne subisce il crollo.Whoever provokes destiny, suffers its collapse. Or as Enzo’s father used to say, “Throw a stone, expect a landslide.”
In their house, every action did not, in fact, have an equal and opposite reaction. If Neith really was dating Rocco, whoever framed her was about to find that out the hard way. Enzo had been just as surprised as Seven to hear the rumors about hisuncle and his future mother-in-law. At this rate, their family tree would be a circle. A big one.
Enzo looked at Seven where he sat perched on the sofa, staring at nothing, his hands folded in his lap. Having two parents in jail would be enough to break anyone. But Enzo wouldn’t let that happen. He’d do whatever it took to keep Neith out of prison, legal or not. He needed to fix this for Seven…fast.
Enzo couldn’t quite place the exact moment the shift had happened—when his brothers calling Seven his future husband and Neith his future mother-in-law had gone from a joke to more of a forgone conclusion. Somewhere between the emotional support duck gift and the tiny gavel, Enzo had fallen crazy, stupid in love with the world’s biggest brat.
What Seven had said after the harassment seminar a couple of days ago, during their supply closet reckoning.“If you wanted to, you would.”Thosesix words shot straight into Enzo’s heart with lethal efficiency. He’d thought about it for hours that night and every night since. Not because he hadn’t made Seven a priority, but because he’d finally realized that his ex was right. Seven was right, too.
Not once in their five year relationship had Enzo ever thought of her as a priority. She’d been an obligation, an albatross, a constant sore point and something to complain about to his buddies. It made him a huge asshole even just admitting it to himself, but he couldn’t ignore the accuracy.
They’d met in their last year of college, and had stayed together because it was convenient. They’d shared the same interests, had the same friend group. Their parents ran in the same social circles. It had just been easy. She’d been easy. She’d never complained while he was in law school or even later, when he was working late.
On paper, they were the perfect couple. But he dreaded their alone time, when their friends weren’t there as a buffer. That washow she’d ended up with his best friend in the first place. He’d practically handed her to him. Maybe deep down he wanted them to find each other. She would never have been a priority in his life. And that hadn’t been fair to her.
She was a good person.
She just wasn’t Enzo’s person.
But it was never like that with Seven. From the beginning, seeing him was the best part of Enzo’s day, even when he didn’t realize it. Knowing Seven would be at Sunday dinners made him count down the minutes. Knowing Seven would be at the office instead of class had Enzo deliberately scheduling his out-of-office meetings for different days. Even Drucilla knew to check Seven’s work schedule before booking Enzo’s clients.
When Neith had called today, it had never occurred to Enzo that the senior partners might have a problem with him abandoning his clients without notice. He hadn’t cared at all. He’d only cared about Seven. In his almost forty years on this planet, it was crystal clear to him now that he’d only ever felt this way about him. And he was right. Enzo had no problem making him his priority.
Now, he just had to prove it.
He called his mother and made sure that Neith had, in fact, been released and retrieved from the holding cell as planned, then crossed the room to where Seven sat, dropping to his knees between his legs and gripping his hands.
Seven’s reaction time was sluggish, a solid ten seconds passing before he looked down at where their fingers were threaded together. “What’re you doing?” he mumbled.
“Can you look at me, baby?” Enzo asked softly.
Enzo knew Seven found his demand for eye contact weird, but it was a way to ensure he was listening, absorbing what Enzo was saying. There was nothing more important than communication with the types of games Enzo played, and thisneed to see how his words impacted people bled into his everyday life as well.
Seven’s gaze dragged to him slowly, and his expression made Enzo’s heart hurt. His eyes were glassy and dull like he was half there, half in his head.
Enzo held his stare. “First, your mom is at my mom’s, and she’s being pampered like crazy, so you don’t have to worry about her, okay?” Seven nodded. “Now, I’m gonna ask you a question, and I very much need you to know thatI knowhow stupid this question is going to sound given the situation. Okay?”
Seven slow-blinked at him a couple of times before he gave a hesitant nod.
“Are you okay?” Enzo asked.
Seven nodded automatically, but then immediately shook his head before finally settling on a muttered, “I don’t know.”
“Do you know what you need right now?” Enzo asked, keeping his voice as low and undemanding as possible. Seven shook his head once more. “Okay. That’s okay. Do you want me to decide for you?”
The look of relief that washed over Seven was a punch to the gut. He gave another frantic nod.
Even now, Enzo couldn’t get over how adorable he was. “Can you give me a verbal answer, baby?”
“Yes,” Seven managed. “I don’t want to adult anymore today.”
“Good boy,” Enzo praised, cupping his cheek.
Seven’s eyelids fluttered like that was just what he’d needed. Enzo reluctantly stopped touching him long enough to stand, then swept him up bridal-style. Seven yelped, his arms shooting up to lock around Enzo’s neck, and he looked down at the floor like they were ten stories up.
