Page 96 of Prodigal

“Too late.” Samir pointed to different spots on the ceiling and around the room. “Cameras all over. And mics. He saw and heard everything you just said.”

Shit. He grimaced when Samir’s phone went off. He’d wanted to be the one to explain to Gideon.

“Yeah, G,” Samir answered the phone. His lips twitched and he held the phone out to André, who took it hesitantly, putting it to his ear.

“Gideon, listen. I can explain. I?—”

“You want kids?”

31

“You should get a house. With a backyard.”

Gideon smiled as he listened to Jules. “Yeah?” They were in the pool. Well, she was in the pool, lying on a floaty, her fingers dipping in and out of the cool water. He sat at the edge of the pool, his legs in the water as he texted Will and Marco, his tech guy.

“Yeah, with a big backyard, also with a pool and stuff.” She paused, and he looked up to find her studying him with squinted eyes. “You can afford that, right? You’ve got money.”

He chuckled. “I think I can afford it.”

She nodded, gaze remaining on his face. “Why don’t you have a house, though? Do you only have this penthouse?”

He didn’t mind the interrogation that started once he’d told her he wanted her and her brother to stay with him forever. She was being her feisty, helpful self by suggesting things she thought would entice her brother into wanting to stay with Gideon. “I have a house,” he told her. “I think when I last checked, there were five or eight of them.” He owned a lot of property, in and outside of the States, none that he’d actually paid much attention to.

She squealed. “Really?”

“Really.” She looked so happy. He liked making her happy. “I’ll have someone send them to your phone. Pick whichever one you like. If you don’t like any of them, we’ll get a new one.”

Her eyes widened. “And we’ll live there?” she asked, voice hushed in shock.

“If your brother agrees.”

“Oh, he will.” She beamed. “He loves you.”

“And I love him.”

“Awww.”

He rolled his eyes at the blush that heated his cheeks when she clapped her hands together. Aside from André, Jules was the best thing that had happened to him. He loved watching her get excited. The way her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands. He wanted to keep making her as happy as she and her brother made him happy.

“When is André coming back?” she asked. “I’m hungry.”

“He’s on his way back. You wanna go out to lunch?”

“Yes!”

He threw his head back with a laugh. The way she got excited at the little things was precious.

They hung out at the pool for another half hour before his phone dinged to let him know André and Samir had returned from their little excursion. He helped Jules back to her room and then returned to his, where he took a quick shower. When he exited the bathroom, André was sitting on the bed, expression pensive.

His head shot up when he saw Gideon and he got to his feet. “Are you mad that I went to see Ennis?”

“No.” Gideon closed the distance between them, placing a gentle kiss on the other man’s lips. “There’s nothing to be mad about.” He didn’t care about Ennis, not really. “How do you feel after seeing him?”

André clung to him, shrugging. “I mean, I know who he is and who he isn’t now. We might never have the typical father/son relationship and I’m fine with that. The little boy in me might need some time to come to grips with that…” He inhaled then released it. “But I’m okay.”

Gideon hugged him, and André didn’t seem to mind that Gideon’s wet skin was getting his clothes damp. Pressing his lips to André’s temple, Gideon murmured, “You know, you didn’t answer my question.” When André reared back to stare into his eyes, he repeated the question, “Do you want kids?”

André’s eyes glittered, lips curved into a coy smile. “I do, eventually.”

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