Tyler looked back at Zoi who was playing with his tie. "Is she all right?"
"Yeah, I just think she just needed some daddy time. Lately, I've been working every chance I get even at home."
"Say no more," Tyler said. "If you need to spend time with Zoi, I understand, big bro. No matter what, family comes first. If I need you, I'll call you."
Relieved to hear that, Lucas nodded. "All right, I'm going to take care of a few things before I head out. Mind watching her for me?"
“Nope, the little princess and I will stay here and have a bit of fun," Tyler told him, as he tickled Zoi's tummy making her squeal with laughter.
Lucas chuckled and shook his head then walked out of the conference room; his brother definitely had a way with her. He took a sip of his now cold coffee as he walked in the direction of his office. He stopped in front of Matthew's desk. "I'm going to be working from home today. Tyler will handle the meeting alone, but I want you to assist him with anything that he might need from my end. Also, forward all the documents that I need to look over to me and I will take care of them at home."
"Got it, boss," he responded getting up from his desk.
"I'm going to be here for a few more minutes,so come and see me if there's anything we need to discuss before I head out."
Matthew nodded, and Lucas walked into his office, closing the door behind him and sat at his desk. The few things he could do now would give him more time to spend with Zoi. He looked at the picture of him and Rebecca sitting on his desk; it was from their wedding. He was blindfolded, and they were standing with their backs to each other and an open door separating them, holding hands.
The pictures were taken twenty minutes before he’d said "I do"and Lucas just wanted to speak with her one more time letting her know how much she meant to him. And praying that she didn't have cold feet. They'd honeymooned in Rome for one week, and Greece for another. He remembered the smile on Rebecca's face when he'd surprised her with the tickets. Granted they spent most of their time in their hotel room making love.
Looking away from the picture, Lucas focused on the work at hand. He understood that his family was worried about him and wanted him to start dating. The few blind dates his mother tried to set him up on were a sure sign. He didn’t know when he would be ready to really date again, he missed Rebecca and wasn't in a rush to find a new woman to fill her spot. He also promised her that he would give love a second chance. But he didn’t know if he would recognize the emotion if he got a chance to experience the type of love he had with Rebecca.
At one point, he, along with his family, expected him to spiral into depression, but he didn't have that option. His daughter needed him to be sane and sensible. He was glad that his family gave him the space he needed before intervening and helping him out.
You’re much stronger than you give yourself credit for,a soft voice whispered in the back of his mind that sounded a lot like Rebecca.
Signing his name on the last document, Lucas put his pen down as he picked up the documents and placed them in a folder before putting them down in his outbox for Matthew to take care of for him. Then he started on answering emails that he could take care of before going home and spending the day with his daughter. He was tackling the last of his emails when his office door opened.
"Hey," Tyler said walking into his office with a sleeping Zoi in his arms. "She's knocked out, so if you want to stay for the meeting, you can."
Truthfully, Lucas wasn't in the mood to work. Although he was excited about their new business venture, he wasn't in the right frame of mind to sit in a meeting and listen to other people drone on. He suspected Zoi knew that as well. "Nah, I'm going to take her home. I already told Matt to help you with the meeting.”
Getting up from his desk, he grabbed his case and threw the other documents that he needed to take care of at home inside of it. He walked over to Tyler and carefully took his sleeping daughter, trying not to wake her. He could feel Tyler's eyes watching him, and Lucas knew the question that was coming.
"I'm fine, Ty." Tyler gave him a disbelieving look. "You’re such a mother hen."
“I’m worried about you. So is everyone else, they just won’t say it to your face.”
“No, they simply do it behind my back, or Mom sets me up on dinner or lunch dates.”
“Can you blame her? Everyone is tired of hearing the same 'I’m fine' crap when we can all tell you’re far from fine.”
“Look,” Lucas said then took a deep breath trying to calm down—it wasn’t working. “I know you’re tired of hearing it and, for fuck’s sake, I’m tired of saying it. But the truth is I’m fine; I’m not dating because I’m not ready. I come to Sunday dinners even when I don’t feel like being around you guys, and I show up where everyone wants me to be, but I guess that’s not good enough for you guys.”
“Don’t do that; you don’t need to be on the defensive.” Tyler ran his hands through his hair. “I get you want to be alone sometimes, and maybe we’ve been a bit pushy, it’s partly because we love you and miss Rebecca too. Look, I will ask everyone to back off a bit and give you some breathing room. But, bro, if you ever feel like talking, I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”
Lucas sighed closing his eyes giving his brother a quick nod before looking at his brother. “I’m heading out.”
He went to take a step, but Tyler stopped him. “I’m serious, Luc, and I’m here for you no matter what.”
He could not be angry with Tyler or anyone in the family for that matter, and they were all genuinely concerned about him. In truth, he hadn’t done anything different to ease their worry. He and Tyler walked out of his office and to the elevator.
“Don’t forget Rayne is coming over this Friday night.”
“How can I forget? You remind me every freaking day.”
Tyler and Ethan had a scheduled date night on Fridays, and since Lucas didn’t have a social life, he volunteered to watch his niece for a couple of hours. Also, Zoi loved having her cousin around, and they got along very well. Raynebow was also a wonderful babysitter in training for whenever he needed to get a few things done in his home office.
Tyler smiled and got the same dreamy look on his face when he thought about his husband. “I’m happy for you, and I hope you know that?”
