The Slow Burn (Moonlight and Motor Oil #2)(25)

Toby didn’t listen.

He kept talking because this shit needed to be said and as far as he was concerned, it was a long time coming.

“Not once, outside Dad payin’ my tuition for college, and yeah, it took me seven years to get my degree because I kept goin’ off and doin’ something else, but I got my degree, Johnny. Not fuckin’ once did I ask you or Dad or Grams and Gramps or Margot and Dave for a fuckin’ dime. I made my own way. I paid my own bills. I bought my own cars. I paid for my mechanic’s license and my pilot’s license out of my own pocket. I did my own thing and I took care of myself doin’ it, not leanin’ on goddamned anyone. And yeah, I’ve been out on my own for fifteen years, never laid down roots. Longest I stayed in one place was for three years, but who the fuck cares?”

“Toby—”

Tobe didn’t let Johnny get another word in.

He kept at him.

“I’ve never been arrested. I’ve never carried debt I couldn’t pay off on my own. I never missed payin’ a bill, bein’ prepared to take a test in a classroom, or a day of work. I’m no one’s baby daddy, never made a promise I didn’t keep and never broke a single heart by bein’ an ass. I can’t say I didn’t get in a tangle or two, but it was when I was tryin’ to do the right thing for the wrong people. All I did was live my life in a way you don’t live yours, doin’ it just happening to be the second Gamble son. I’m sorry if you think different, but that does not buy me a lifetime of taking your shit.”

“Brother—”

“And I’ll point out, Johnny, even after Dad died and I got my take from the garages, I didn’t go out and buy a yacht and a Ferrari and live the good life bein’ a freeloader and scoring pussy and acting like a twat. I stayed gainfully employed, lived well within my means, and when the time was right for me, I came home and did my thing at the garage. I’m not asking you to congratulate me for that, but a little respect would not suck.”

“Toby, listen for a—”

Tobe wasn’t going to listen because he wasn’t done.

“And what happened with Addie was between Addie and me. We’re both adults. But it’s more. She’s not your fiancée’s sister and I’m not your kid brother. She’s Addie and I’m Toby, and I hate to break this to you, Johnny, but some shit doesn’t have anything to do with you. What that was about was between Addie and me. Actually, what it was about was about Addie and she’d not thank me if I shared. So I came back to the garage and I didn’t say dick to you, because, like I goddamned said, it’s none of your fuckin’ business.”

“There’s an Addie and you?” Johnny asked, and at least he sounded cautious and somewhat curious, not ticked.

But Toby was still pissed.

Especially about that.

And most especially because his brother was part of the reason there wasn’t a that.

“No. When it comes to that, there’s Eliza’s sister and Johnathon’s brother. And I doubt I gotta share this with you, brother, but that cuts.”

“Tobe,” Johnny said quietly.

Yeah.

He didn’t have to share that.

“I’m not goin’ there with her,” he assured. “I know how you feel about it, but that’s not the only reason why I’m not goin’ there. Addie needs shit copacetic and if we took a shot and it went south, that would not be good for her. So you’ve made it clear how you’d feel if I did what I wanna do and made Adeline and Brooklyn a bigger part of my life, but it’s mostly for Adeline that I’m not.”

“It’s not lost on me, or Iz, you got feelings for her,” Johnny replied, still going careful.

“Yeah, brother, I have feelings for her,” Toby said sarcastically, because it ran a lot deeper than that, and he had a feeling not only Johnny, but Izzy, knew it.

“Man, she’s not in a place where—”

Christ.

He was not going to listen to his brother warning him off Addie again.

“I know what place she’s in, Johnny,” he clipped out. “I know it a lot better than you. And I’ll repeat, I’m not goin’ there and I’m not doin’ it because of just that.”

Though, if she was in his life, in his bed, he could change the place she was in.

Except he had a feeling after their enjoyable conversation on the street the day before, she had no fucking clue where he was at with that, which stung.

More, she was too stubborn to accept help.

And last, she was very aware if they fucked shit up how messy it’d get, and she had enough mess. No way, not only for herself, but mostly for her son, would she court more.

“Is she okay?” Johnny asked.

“Not mine to give.”

“She’s not okay,” Johnny muttered.

Toby didn’t say anything.

“Iz is gonna talk to her. She heard about the fight too,” Johnny told him.

“Great,” Toby bit off.

There was a pause before Johnny admitted, “You’re right. I’m hard on you. It’s time to let the big brother shit go.”

“Yeah,” Toby agreed shortly, because as he’d just pointed out pretty clearly, it fucking was.

“We’re just worried about Addie,” Johnny declared.