Page 69 of Truth or Spare

“Sounds like my brother’s work and just like what he needs. We all miss him—even Eli, in his own way—and we wouldn’t have allowed you to keep him if we thought he was being taken for granted.”

“You’ll never have to worry about that, Leo,” Dewey vowed. “He was always a prince to me, long before I found out he was an actual royal. The whole town loves him too. Lidia Wells would commit homicide if someone said a bad word about Theo and Cassie would help her bury the body.”

There was a long silence and Leo’s expressions fluctuated between befuddled to concerned to amused before he finally coughed and shook his head. “The less I know about that, the better. I am delighted to hear that Theo has found such a caring and supportive community. I think he’s craved that as much as a new purpose.”

“Willyoube okay without him?” Dewey asked quietly.

Leo’s steps faltered and he sucked in a breath as if he’d taken a blow, then shook his head. He laughed softly, but a tear clung to his lashes as he marched on. “I amneverwithout Theo. He’s always here,” he said, touching the center of his chest. “You can take him to New York or the moon, but he’ll always be with me.”

“You know, you take up a lot of space in Oslo. Not in a bad way,” Dewey told him, making Leo chuckle. “Theo mentions you at least once an hour and I get to eat all your favorite foods.”

There was pained gasp from Leo and he clutched his stomach. “I should ask Theo to make Cappellacci di Zucca while he’s here. The kitchen will be in an uproar and Frau Fischer will wring her hands, but Sabine can smooth it over,” he said and Dewey snorted.

“Theo would probably enjoy the uproar and have Frau Fischer in the palm of his hand in no time.”

“My brother never changes. I can count on that, at least,” Leo said, then grinned at Dewey. “Although, he has settled down for you. I used to worry about Theo’s…restlessness.”

Dewey rolled his eyes because he knew what Leo meant by that. “He said he was saving his heart for you and your brothers.”

Leo hummed seriously. “He has always been so self-sacrificing,” he said with a wink and they both laughed. “But I don’t think Theo could have found love until he accepted that Matteo and Elio could take care of themselves. He had to give himself permission to move on and that was difficult for Theo. It went against his entire nature to do that. I suppose that’s why he had to go all the way to Oslo to find himself. And you,” Leo said with a nod at Dewey.

The rest of the conversation was lighter, thankfully. Leo had many questions about the bowling alley and Dewey’s family and he was very interested in Bryce’s progress at Cornell.

“I’m looking forward to visiting Oslo the next time we’re in New York,” Leo said as they returned to the castle’s terrace and what looked like a parlor. Dewey could hear Muriel and Theo talking about Matteo and saw how Leo’s attention honed in on the conversation.

“You’re always welcome in Oslo,” Dewey said. “If you ever want to hide and pretend you’re not a prince,” he added jokingly but Leo’s smile faded and he looked sad as he shook his head.

“I don’t think I would have as much luck as Theo. For one, there is a GPS locator in my wrist, in case I’m abducted,” he said, holding up his hand. Leo’s gaze drifted around the terrace and the garden and he sighed heavily. “This is my place until the Foundation dispatches me to a grand opening or a ceremony to cut a ribbon, or give a medal, or perform a moving speech about our beautiful and noble Austrian heritage.”

Dewey couldn’t help but replace the word ‘place’ with cage and felt sorry for Leo. “Hey.” He offered Leo a conspiratorial nod and stepped closer so he could whisper. “I’ve got a pocket knife. I could jimmy that thing out of your wrist and we could make a run for it,” he said, completely serious.

For a moment, Leo seemed younger and lighter as he looked around. “There’s a backroad in the woods that would take us straight to the border. We could be in Slovakia by this afternoon.”

“Okay…” Dewey squinted as he tried to work out how they’d do it. “I have a feeling we should consult with Muriel. She probably has connections there,” he said and Leo laughed as he clasped Dewey’s shoulder.

“Maybe next time. But I appreciate your willingness. Matteo said you could be trusted in a pinch.”

“Doesn’t that worry you?” Dewey asked, concerned himself about why Matteo was establishing a network of accomplices in New York.

“I worry about Matteo the most.”

“Really? I would have thought Elio was the one who kept you up at night,” Dewey said, earning a pained groan from Leo.

“I worry about Matteothe most. That does not mean I do not pace incessantly about Eli. His saving grace is that hewilllisten to Theo and he’s a genius. He’s allowed to be wayward and obstinate because he sees the universe when he looks at numbers and everything is physics to him. That is why herarelybreaks a bone with his skateboarding and his climbing. Matteo will only go as far as his looks and his mouth can take him.”

“Do you ever get tired of this?” Dewey asked, gesturing around them. “Or not being able to say ‘fuck it’ and go wherever you want?”

“Nearly every day,” Leo responded obviously. “But like you, I care too much about how many people I’d disappoint. I knew what I was getting into and accepted that it was worth the price.”

“Was it worth it, though?”

Leo nodded quickly. “Absolutely! I have saved so much land and nature for our children and their children. My brothers are not penniless andtheycan be whatever they want. Elio will be a famous astrophysicist and Matteo will…do something,” he said with an eye roll. “And Theo can find himself in an American bowling alley. But it was him or me—or nothing—and I would never allow Theo to carry the weight of this for me.” Leo grunted and shook his head. “I have my Jonathon, so I can bear anything now. Theo would have done it, but he would have been miserable and he wouldn’t have found you.”

That comment rattled Dewey and stuck with him throughout the day. What if Leo had left like Roddy and Theo was the one carrying the von Hessen title? Leo had been chosen while he was still in school and groomed to be the Margrave from a young age. Theo had received a formal education like his brother and had prettier manners than Leo, but he would truly feel caged andbeing Margrave would have sucked all the joy and kindness out of Theo.

Dewey was glad that Theo had insisted they visit Italy and Austria. He still couldn’t believe he’d crossed the ocean and spent a night in London—at an actual Ritz—and a week in the Umbrian countryside. But Dewey understood Theo and appreciated his brothers and their bond so much more and felt a very real connection to Leo that would never have happened over the phone and video calls.

He had seen only the tip of the iceberg when it came to that bond, especially between Leo and Theo. You couldn’t truly know Theo or how his heart worked if you didn’t know Leo. They were as much a part of each other as their own limbs and Dewey wished that Wikipedia was big enough to explain who the von Hessens truly were.

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