Page 13 of Treasure and Tarot (Echoes of Secret Springs #1)

Once the laughter eased, they sat, and he poured the wine. Then he grabbed the house plans from beside his chair. “So, I really do believe that this activity is your omega trying to get Abby out of the house and not in a violent sort of way. I think he’s trying to wake her up and save her.”

Abby was the same age as the youngest child from the big murder. It just made a lot of sense to him.

“Okay, I’m totally willing to go with that. I really am. In fact, that would make me happy if it was. I mean, I’ve lived with these ghosts my whole life and while, sure, periodically things have been a little weird. It’s never been scary. It’s never been like this.”

Colton frowned. “Huh.”

Sebastian blinked at him. “What?”

“Well.” He was beginning to formulate a thought. “Can you tell me about the ghosts? I mean, will you tell me your experience from the time you can recall? Do you remember being a little kid and having the ghosts bother you?”

Sebastian shook his head. “I mean, you have to remember this was my grandparents’ house.

Until oh… I think I was a tween when we moved in, because my grandfather had died, and my grandmother needed help.

You know, all of those stairs.” Bastian sighed and shook his head.

“I mean, we lived here in town. We lived next door, as a matter of fact, and I slept there quite a bit, but I didn’t live there. ”

“Do you remember the ghosts ever shaking your feet, ever waking you up?”

Sebastian closed his eyes, like he was trying to remember.

“I always knew about them being there. You know, kids running up and down the stairs, doors opening and closing, papers shuffling, things like that. I do remember that, but I don’t really remember my feet being shaken or anything.

When I stayed as a kid, I almost always slept in my grandparents’ room on a cot, so that I was close.

When we moved in, the first big thing I remember is I wanted desperately to have a Las Vegas night for my sixteenth birthday.

So, my folks did it up right, like the whole thing.

They did a fake roulette wheel and a poker table and everything.

It was so much fun, and I remember it was the first night that we all felt like we crossed the line. ”

Colton rolled his eyes, unable to help himself. “Poker party.”

“Right. You know, I guess it had been long enough that, we just didn’t think about it. I mean, they’re ghosts, right? You don’t think about whether this is going to disturb the ghosts. But it did, and things were wild for about a week.”

“It had been over a century, Bastian. That’s not unreasonable.”

Sebastian nodded. “Then it calmed back down. And it started up again… I guess about the time I found out I was pregnant? It’s just been building and building, and now it’s unbearable. So how do I talk to him, the omega, and tell him that Abby’s fine, and that I’m not going to let anybody hurt her?”

Colton pondered that. “Well, we can bring in a medium, maybe. I know a guy who does good work. We don’t have to film that if you don’t want to.” He gave Bastian a wry smile. “Though it would make hellacious good TV.”

Sebastian chewed his lower lip, and Colton stared, caught by the urge to nibble right there too. “Well, maybe you could film it, and then I could watch the footage and sign off or not?”

“That’s more fair than I probably deserve.”

Turning his wineglass around and around, Bastian shook his head. “Not really. I mean, okay, look. Regardless of what happens with you and me, the show itself offered to pay me for the right to film. And I’m not a greedy butthead. You deserve to get your full episode worth.”

Colton melted a little. This was why he’d fallen for Sebastian in the first place. He was just good. Fair. So smart. “Thanks, baby.” Whoops. The honey he’d stifled, but the baby had slipped out.

Sebastian teared up a little bit. “I’m so angry at your parents.

I mean, I know you are too. At least you’re acting like you are, but I really wanted to be…

I don’t know. I feel so stupid. I mean, I’ve felt stupid for a while now.

I was on birth control. I wasn’t planning on having a baby.

I was hoping to ask to come to your next adventure with you.

So, yeah. Tired of feeling like a rube.”

“Do people still say rube?” he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

“They do if they’re silly tarot-reading professionals with a terrible classics addiction, I guess.”

“Well, you might be that, but you’re not a rube.

” He reached across the table and took one of Bastian’s hands off his wineglass, holding it.

“You’re amazing. And I am beyond angry with my parents.

I never thought they were this…” Colton hunted for the words.

“I never knew they hated me this much for being who I am, baby. They let me sit there in that hospital, the doctors doing all they could to bring me back to being a real boy, and they took you away from me. And took my chance to watch Abby be a baby. All her firsts.”

Sebastian sniffed a little. “That’s just so awful.”

“Yes. And I may never speak to them again.”

“I’m—”

“Don’t you dare apologize.” He squeezed that hand he held. “They did this. Not you. And I’m sorry I didn’t just come here. As soon as I was up and around, Gent approached me about doing the show. He said he knew I wouldn’t be doing the big Indiana Jones stuff anymore, so this could be a good gig.”

Sebastian nodded. “So, then you were building a crew and getting the show off the ground…”

“Yeah. And I was learning to be something new. This—” He motioned to his leg with his free hand. “I never expected. I always felt bulletproof.”

“Will you tell me?”

Colton gathered his thoughts, not wanting to relive it, but he knew he owed Sebastian that.

“I was on that trip. The one I got called away from you for. I thought it would be my last big hurrah of dangerous stuff.” He scoffed.

“I guess it was. Anyway, it was supposed to be too good to pass up. A cache of artifacts that hadn’t seen the light of day for five centuries.

Spanish gold. But we had to do a controlled charge on a small cave-in inside the cavern to open it up. Except it fell in on me instead.”

Sebastian’s eyes went wide, his lips parting. Colton wanted to kiss them. So badly. “Colton!”

“Yeah. I was trapped for three hours. Luckily, my leg didn’t start to bleed me out until they got the one big chunk of rock off it. Thankfully, one of my crew knew how to tie a tourniquet.”

“How awful! And your parents?”

“They didn’t even bother to move me to a hospital in the States.

Gent did that. We were already business partners.

He thought I would die or lose my leg if he left me in the Caribbean any longer.

He didn’t know we were—” He sucked in a deep breath.

“I hadn’t told Gent I was going to settle down with you if I could. ”

Sebastian stood and rushed around the table, grabbing him in a bear hug. “That’s so terrible. And terrifying. How could they?”

“I don’t know.” He grabbed Sebastian, holding on tight, burying his face against Bastian’s lean chest. “They told me I would never walk again. Then that I would have to always wear a brace. I was determined to prove them wrong.”

“And you did.”

“Kinda.” He laughed, his throat all clogged. “It hurts a lot most days.”

“I can tell.” Sebastian looked down at him. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that.”

“And I’m sorry I left you alone to go through what you did.” He pulled Sebastian down on his lap, giving up on trying to act like he was okay with them not touching or loving on each other.

“Is this okay? I don’t want to hurt your leg.”

Sebastian was warm on his thighs, and everything in his body fought to pay attention. “It’s okay. Trust me, it’s more than okay.”

“All right.” Sebastian breathed in deep. “You still smell good to me.”

“Well, I’m glad that that hasn’t changed.” So much had, but that hadn’t. The way that he wanted Sebastian.

“Yeah, but you haven’t missed all of Abby’s firsts, you know. She’s never been trick-or-treating. She’s never had a sleepover. She’s never been to kindergarten. There’s lots of firsts left, I mean… I can share them with you.”

He wasn’t sure what exactly Sebastian was offering, but he’d take whatever it was. “That’s sweet, honey. Honest. And yeah. I’d love that. I’ve missed a lot.”

Sebastian nodded and offered him a bittersweet smile. “It’s amazing. I don’t know. I just don’t—I don’t understand. But I guess that’s okay. I guess I don’t have to.”

“No. I do need you to know I’m here for it, though.

The whole shebang. No one is going to keep me from helping you however I need, from being there for you.

” He stroked Sebastian’s back, feeling the warmth of him through their clothes.

It made his cock rise right up, but he wasn’t pushing that right now.

This was about them coming to terms with what had happened.

“So… I suppose it’s a bad idea to kiss you, huh? Like, super stupid.”

Colton stilled, then forced himself to take a deep breath.

“Honey, I’m not the person to ask. I’ve wanted you the whole time.

I didn’t know about any of this. So. If you’re not ready to kiss me, don’t.

I can understand that. You’ve been really angry for really good reason for four years.

It’s gonna take more than four days to fix that. ”

“Yeah. Yeah, it probably will, but—” Sebastian shrugged, rocking side to side like he was dancing. “I still want to kiss you a little bit.”

Sebastian held his eyes for a long minute, then he just smiled, leaned down, and brushed their lips together.

It was as electric this time as it was the first time. Like lightning hitting him right in the base of the skull and sliding down his spine.