“My ego is always front and center, for good reason, obviously” he says, and he steps back for a moment as he says that, gestures down the length of his body and smirks, and the cocky attitude is nothing new for him, nothing new for Annie either, who by this point is used to him. He was glad she hadn’t done something like thrown her drink at him, or walked out because of it. He was lucky for that, even with their history, that she stuck around, he knew a lot of people wouldn’t. “I mean, you should see the ridiculous amounts we have already, and that’s not including the designer onesies Casey scolded me for,” he says, shrugs a single shoulder. “They spit up on everything though, including me, so the more the better, honestly.” he made a face at her though, because sarcasm wasn’t her strong suit, and pretending to not care was even less of it. “You gonna be there to comfort me when my kids are screaming and I’m sleeping in the guest room at two am?” he asks, and puts his hand to his heart, makes a face “I love that you love me so much.” But then he admits how he feels and he tries to hold back the sigh when she once again suggest he take a break and hand over the reigns a bit. He’s not used to that, he’s not good at that, and “I’m trying, I promise. I built these...businesses, it’s hard to let go, even a little bit,” he finally admits, but he does trust Arthur, with his own life and the well being of both LUX and everything else. He then shakes his head, glad to let the conversation flow into something easier “don’t call me dad unless you’re adding a -dy at the end” he says, and really it’s inappropriate but so is he, and this is Annie, she of all people know it’s just instinct to make a joke. “I can imagine. Are you taking a break, or do you not take your own advice? I can supplement your income if you’re interested in a new line of work, same amount of blood, probably.” he teases.
“I honestly don’t know how Casey deals with you in the slightest bit. Now she’s stuck with your ass forever. Also, once your girls get older they are going to be mortified if they ever see you do that,” she pointed out shaking her head in dismay. It was funny to see him in this light. A refreshing and unearthed side of him coming to the forefront. A beautiful shit in his persona. It was all for the better certainly, but it was new and certainly would take some time getting used to. “I had to restrain myself because they’ll only wear these items once or twice you do realize that right? Maybe for my own kid one day I’ll by the designer onesie for the heck of it,” she chuckled. Annie loved the adoration Elias had for the twins. You could hear it in his tone and see it in his eyes. If he didn’t know what his purpose was before, he certainly did now. “In the comfort of my own bed yes. That’s what we have FaceTime for,” she chuckled. Just from seeing her sister go through the works with her first child, she knew it would be a year filled with highs and lows for the new parents, but she wanted to be there to support them in any capacity possible. Even if she didn’t have a close relationship with Casey, it was there with Elias and that was enough.
“Of course I love you. There’s no going back. You’re stuck with me no matter what!” She’d always have Elias back, because he was man of tremendous character. People were surely intimidated by his appearance and persona, but Annie was one of the lucky fews who got to break through that hard shell and get too see the heart that was hidden from the masses. Taking a sip of her martini, she nodded in understanding. It’s all his time, energy, and money he poured into these places. Of course it would be hard for him to step away for even a moment after all the successes that came with his incredibly work ethic. However, Annie just didn’t want him to be burned out. He had too much going for him for it to stop here. “Ew! Don’t ever use that word with me,” she said reaching over the bar and slapping him lightly on the arm. There were a few words Annie could not stand it was moist and the word daddy when not being used by a child. “I am matter of fact. Took a couple of personal days and am off for the week thank you very much,” she replied shifting her position on the bar stool with a smirk. “Oh, are you enlisting me to help take care of your hellish boys when they’re wounded?”