Page 96 of Requiem for Love

Josiah raised one shoulder in a quick shrug. “Yeah. I was sad too, but I think she cried a lot because she was scared and alone and needed more people who loved her around. So, when she made up with my uncles, I was happy for her.”

“Did you feel safe again?”

“A little bit.”

“Do you feel safe now?”

He grinned. “Yeah. Very.”

Joel matched his grin. “When did that change?”

“When you started coming to Maui more.”

It had started as once in a while. Then, he was in Maui every month. Eventually, he stayed until the guys needed him. For the last couple of years, he and Ayesha practically lived together. When he wasn’t in Hawaii, she was with him in D.C.

“I felt guilty at first,” Josiah went on. “Ma didn’t tell me too much, but I heard stuff, so I knew something happened with you and Aunt Sydney.”

“Why’d you feel guilty?”

“Because when you started coming to Maui more, I started…I started wanting you to fall in love with Ma.”

“And that felt wrong.”

“I didn’t want Aunt Sydney to be alone, but when you started coming to Maui more…”

“You felt safe.”

Josiah nodded.

“When did you stop feeling guilty?”

Josiah shrugged again, with the other shoulder. “It just kind of went away the more time you spent with us. Then, I saw you look at Ma.”

Joel, so damn proud of his boy, grinned wider. “You saw me look at Eesh? Like how?”

“You started looking at hera lot. Like…staring. I knew that meant you liked her. Plus, you started mean-mugging the guys who tried to look at her body and stuff.”

“That in itself was a full-time job. Your mother’s beautiful.”

Josiah’s face tinted. “Some of my friends think so, too. It’s weird.”

“Give me their names.”

Josiah laughed, eyes lighting up. “Joel, you’ve felt like my father for a really long time. Spending time with you makes me remember my dad, and that’s how I know you’re supposed to be part of our family. And I don’t mean this in a bad way about Aunt Sydney or anything, but I think you were supposed to be part of our family all along.”

He draped an arm around Josiah’s shoulders. “I think so, too.”

“Joel, when it’s just us, do you think I could call you Dad, or would that be too weird?”

“It’s not weird at all.”

“Cool. I mean, I don’t want Ma to feel weird about it, like I don’t love Dad anymore.”

“I understand.” He squeezed Josiah and planted a kiss on top of his head. “The three of us will do something together soon. And now that I’m back, I can take over your MMA lessons.”

“Really? That would be so awesome.”

“I’ve got you.”

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