Page 48 of Jonathon, After All

Oh, well…” Jonathon blushed and shrugged it off. “Leo’s a wonderful man so it’s easy, making him happy. Thanks, Sabine. I hope everything goes smoothly in Vienna.”

“It will,” she said with a confident nod, scanning the foyer and the courtyard around them. “I won’t let anything get in Leo’s way and his ceremony will be perfect,” she assured him, then offered Jonathon one last kiss on the cheek before leaving.

“She truly was a snake,” Jonathon said, seething as he uncrossed and recrossed his ankles on the lip of the tub in Milo Ashby’s bathroom. Leo had to know that Sabine had created a wall between them and that Jonathon had been left out in the cold. Contact between them had stopped as soon as Leo’s car turned out of the driveway and Jonathon lost sight of them.

Jonathon had tried calling and texting that first night. Now, he knew that Leo had as well. Why hadn’t Leo grown suspicious after neither of them had managed to get through the first twenty-four hours? How could he let it go a whole week? Jonathon had been distraught and had never felt more helpless as the phone rang and rang and his emails went unanswered. Why would Leo expect anything else and why would he have allowed Jonathon to go through that?

“Why didn’t he believe in us? Why did he give up so quickly?”

There was only one way to know, unfortunately, and Jonathon wasn’t sure if he wanted closure badly enough to ask Leo himself.

“What good would it do?” Jonathon asked as he folded his arms behind this head and enjoyed the feel of the sun on his face. There was no going back and Jonathon couldn’t fathom why Leo would want him now. “I certainly made sure of that.”

Fifteen

It appeared that the von Hessens were truly taking over Manhattan. Leo was greeted by the sound of laughter and horseplay when he came downstairs to eat his breakfast. He had pinched himself when he found Theo and Matteo slapping and poking at each other’s faces as they tussled in the living room.

“I hope this doesn’t mean that Eli is here as well,” Leo murmured on his way to the room service tray for a cup of coffee.

That earned a loud laugh from Matteo as he pushed away from Theo and went to Leo for a quick but tight hug. “He’s far too busy and says your lovelife is ‘none of his business, thank you very much.’”

“Is that a direct quote?” Leo asked and Matteo pointed.

“Yes. And he ‘sends his love, or something.’”

“Perfectly sensible, for once,” Leo noted appreciatively, raising an expectant brow at Matteo. “Why are you here?”

Matteo narrowed his eyes at Leo. “You’re welcome,” he said pointedly. “I was going to stay home and keep an eye on Elio, but he’s ‘working’ and cannot be disturbed,” he explained with a sarcastic curl of his fingers. “I hope he blows himself up. I could have gone to Paris or Rome, but I heard you were in trouble.”

“I’m fine and I’m working on it,” Leo said, causing Theo to hiss as his head rocked from side to side.

“He’s a mess, but we’re making progress.”

“I am not a mess,” Leo muttered and added a spoonful of sugar to his cup and stirred. He took a drink and a deep breath. “I am at a temporary disadvantage and we are at a standstill, but I am using the time to learn from the past and my many, many mistakes.”

Theo made a suffering sound. “He is moping and punishing himself,” he said, causing Matteo to perk up.

“Oh, Leo’s so good at moping and blaming himself for things he can’t control. I’m sorry I’ve missed all of that,” he said, giving his head a shake. “Crucifying yourself doesn’t make you Jesus, Leo. Try to remember that you aren’t divine.”

“With brothers like this, how could I forget?” he asked himself, staring out the window. It was the first sunny morning since his arrival and he was considering a long walk. If anything, it would give him a quiet place to think. The Grand Penthouse Suite at the Plaza was no longer a good option as it had now become a zoo.

“I’m glad you’re here and in one piece, I suppose,” Leo said, growing distant.

He didn’t agree with Theo’s assessment, that there was no point in dwelling when you couldn’t change the past. Nearly every aspect of Leo’s life for the last decade had changed in just a few short days, thanks to his dwelling. For years, Leo believed he’d made a wise and selfless sacrifice for Jonathon’s happiness. Now, those years were changing and so was the toll that had been paid so that Leo could be the ideal margrave. He’d thought the sacrifice had been his alone, but it had grown and spread significantly as he took account.

His betrayal began within a few days of leaving Schönbühel, during the assumption ceremony. Leo hadn’t been able to put his finger on it at the time, but in hindsight, his gut had ached because someone vital had been missing. And when Leo had taken his place in one of the formal drawing rooms in the Palais Auersperg, he felt nothing but boredom and irritation as he regarded the people assembled to witness the transfer. He did appreciate his brothers for behaving and quietly posing next to him in their best suits. But no matter how many times he told himself it was impossible, Leo kept looking for Jonathon.

“What’s wrong?” Max had whispered out of the side of his mouth.

“Nothing. Why?” Leo had replied, a touch guiltily, and offered him a polite smile. “You look good, Max,” he said as they waited, earning a soft chuckle from Max as he glanced down at his dress uniform.

“Thank you. I can’t really take credit, though,” he said and Leo hummed in agreement. Max turned to him. “You look rather sharp as well. I like how your medals are…just so,” he said with a teasing grin.

“Do you?” Leo smoothed a hand over them and nodded at his own ensemble. They were wearing nearly identical white coats, gold sashes, and red trousers, both having served as officers after university. But Max’s coat boasted a few more ribbons and medals than Leo’s. “Someone did an excellent job arranging them. It was probably Sabine,” he mused and Max smiled.

“What would you do without Sabine?” he asked, making Leo snort and shake his head.

“The better question is: what would you do without Sabine? We both have her to thank for this,” he said with a wry snort. “I doubt the Foundation would have allowed your plan to go through if she hadn’t pushed so hard and promised she’d whip me into shape.”

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