Page 34

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

“ I sure hope he likes it.” Sebastian put the last touches on the charcuterie board that he’d made for Valentine’s Day, grinning at the heart-shaped ring of pepperoni.

When they’d done raclette at Christmas, he’d found out Colton loved ridiculous platters of fruit and cheese and meat, and that was what they’d done for New Year’s Eve with Abby, if one thought of pigs in the blanket as charcuterie.

He’d insisted on chili for the Super Bowl, so now he was rewarding Colton with more weird, fun food.

Abby swung her legs, her tongue sticking out as she carefully placed a grape on the board. “Of course he will, Daddy.”

“Well, you’re the expert on Papa Colton, baby girl.”

She giggled. They had drawn the line at having the whole crew over for Valentine’s Day, but they had decided not to get one of them to babysit Abby.

They wanted to have charcuterie and heart cupcakes together.

“When is Papa coming back?”

“He just went to get the cupcakes from Mrs. Donovan.” Cara Donovan had set up a great little commercial bakery in her kitchen, so they didn’t have to go to Secret Springs, even though the weather would have been okay for it.

They’d had a chinook blow in yesterday, and while the snow was piled high, the roads were pretty darn clear.

Colton breezed into the house about a minute later, proving he had perfect timing. “Hello, my loves. I come bearing cupcakes.”

“Yaaaaay!”

“Hail the conquering hero! Someone has been very patient waiting for you, love.”

“And I appreciate it very much.” Colton winked at Abby. “How’s it going, my sweet girl?”

She beamed at Colton. “It’s good. I like Valentine’s Day. I got chocolate from Uncle Xavi, and I got a heart stuffy from Uncle Gent.” All of her uncles spoiled the fire out of her. It was so sweet.

“Yeah, what about you? Daddy, what did you get for Valentine’s Day?”

Sebastian rolled his eyes at Colton. That remained to be seen, he supposed. “Uncle Xavi let me smell the coffee?”

They both chuckled, because for the longest time he couldn’t even smell coffee without being sick, and now he wanted it, but he couldn’t have it. So of course that’s what he wanted to smell.

They chatted as they finished the charcuterie board, adding chocolate-covered strawberries and some M&M’s for color.

Sebastian’s phone rang, startling him. He glanced at the phone. The Grand Hotel. In Secret Springs. Weird.

“Go ahead and get sat down. I’ll see who this is.” He only waited one more ring to answer. “Hello?”

“Hey, Sebastian?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s Charlie from the hotel. There’s some people here asking questions about how to get up to the Junction.”

He tilted his head. “Okay…do you need directions?”

“No. No, I just, um. Maxwell. Their last name is Maxwell. Sort of hoity-toity people. Grumpy looking.”

“Oh.” Oh fuck a doodle goddamn do.

“Hank said to keep an eye out just in case, you know, because of…reasons.”

“Right. Reasons. Yeah, good idea. Stall, but yeah.”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll talk to you later.”

He hung up, his heart racing.

One of the cookbooks flew off the shelf and slammed down on the ground, the sound like the cracking of a whip.

“Stop it.”

Colton raised an eyebrow, not even flinching before bending to pick it up. “Problem?”

“Mmm. There are some folks at the Grand Springs Hotel asking how to get here.” He looked pointedly at Abby. “To talk to you.”

“Sh—ugar. Abby, baby, can you go get that present we wrapped yesterday? It’s in my big desk drawer. The one on the bottom that has the little horse you like in it.” Colton beamed at their girl.

“I can, Papa. I get it.” She hopped down and ran off skipping happily and managing to sound like a herd of elephants.

“They can’t see her. I will not allow it. I want to be perfectly clear with you on this point.” There was absolutely nothing he would not do for his little girl, and those people did not have her best interests in mind.

“No, they cannot see her. That’s not part of the deal, and that is if they came with a written apology and a billion dollars in a college fund for her. They tried to steal my daughter from me.” Colton looked green around the edges.

Sebastian didn’t point out that they did steal three years—four years, really—from both of them and Abby, because Colton didn’t need him to make it any worse. “So long as we’re both clear. I don’t know when they’ll come, but I don’t want them here. They’re not welcome in our house.”

“Damn it.” Colton growled low under his breath. “I swear to God, I want to just go down there and tell them to get the hell out of Secret Springs. Don’t they dare come up here.”

“Yeah, unfortunately that’s not how life works. You can’t run them out of town until they do something terrible. Like something new and terrible. Or like, illegal, terrible.”

“Do you think I should go down and see them, tell them to leave us alone?”

Sebastian shook his head, rejecting that idea with all he was.

“No. No way. This is our Valentine’s Day—our first Valentine’s Day, the first one you get with Abby.

Don’t let them mess this up. This is important.

It’s late to be starting up the mountain pass when you don’t know where you’re going anyway.

” Sebastian winked at him. “And the snows are supposed to come back tomorrow.”

“Yeah, that’ll be fun.” Colton took a deep, calming breath. “I like that idea.”

“They can just stay there in the hotel. I think we should let Hank know for sure.”

Colton nodded. “I can see that. He can keep an eye on everything, and it’s not like he doesn’t know every single person in that town. They can keep my parents occupied until they have to fly home.”

Sebastian nodded and reached out for his hand. “And if they call?”

“Then I’ll tell them exactly the same thing I told you. They’re not welcome here. This is our home, our family, our babies. Our ghosts. They don’t have a place at this table anymore. They gave it up.” Colton held onto his hand, then pulled him into a hard hug. “I’m so sorry. They suck.”

“They don’t belong here.” Sebastian leaned in, and then he heard the familiar thud of Abby’s feet. “Here comes our girl.”

“Good deal.”

“Papa! I finded it! I finded the present!”

“Aren’t you a brave, smart girl?” Colton beamed at her. “I love you, little chicken.”

“Loves you too, Papa. And Daddy will like his box.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at Colton. “After supper. We don’t want to ruin Daddy’s surprise by telling him what it is, huh?”

“Nopes.” She handed the wrapped box to Sebastian. “S’from me and Papa.”

“I can’t wait to see it after supper, baby girl,” Sebastian told her. “I know it will be amazing.”

“Okay, so now you and Papa need to let me take a picture of you and our pretty meal.”

“Pitture!” She grabbed Colton’s hand, completely oblivious to their tension. It was kind of wonderful and perfect. That way, they could just relax.

As soon as they took the pic, he sent Colton and Abby to the dining room with the food and stepped back to his desk to call Hank.

“Sebastian! Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, hey, I’m sorry to bother you on V-Day, but I just need a moment.

” Sebastian took a deep breath and let it out.

“Colton’s folks are at the Grand Springs.

Charlie has put them off about directions here, and I imagine he’s giving them coupons for Bridget’s amazing prime rib, but we’re gonna need the village on this one. ”

“Okay.” Hank said it slowly, but Sebastian knew Hank well enough to know he was just thinking. “Well, maybe the hotel ghosts will scare them off. If not, we can get one of our legal eagles on them. I imagine that’s what happened, right? Colton’s proxy went to court against them.”

“I’m betting, yeah. I imagine it didn’t go well. His lawyer only calls once a week or so, because it makes Colton so mad.”

“Of course it does. I’m on it. I’ll call Charlie.”

“Thanks so much, Hank. I know it’s?—”

“Oh, Elliot and I won’t go to Fuel for a couple of hours. I have time to be nosy.”

A giggle burst out of him. “I’m so glad I don’t have to be mad anymore.”

“Ditto, hon.” Hank made kissy noises. “Later.”

“Yep. We’re eating early, before Abby goes to bed.”

“Then get your smoochies on after. I’ll make sure the earliest you have to deal with this is in the morning.”

“Love you, Hank.”

“You too, Bastian.” Hank hung up, and he headed to the dining room.

Colton stared, and he nodded. His phone dinged, and Colton had texted:

I texted Gent and Rand.

Rand was the lawyer. Yeah. He was just going to relax and enjoy the evening.

With his husband and their daughter.

“So the turkey is for me and Abby,” he told Colton. “All the cured meat is yours.”

“Yum.”

Abby made a happy noise. “I like cheesus.”

“But you have to have some fruit and veg or it hurts your tummy, right?” Abby found cheese pretty binding. Ah, little ones.

“Right.” She nodded. “Fills my plate, please?”

“Of course, baby.” He beamed. By this time next year, they’d have another one. It was wild.

Colton grinned at him. “I know what you’re thinking, huh?”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, your hand was on your belly.”

“Baby!” Abby clapped her tiny hands.

“I know! It’s exciting, isn’t it?”

“Uh-huh. Loves.”

“Well, today is all about love.” So he wasn’t thinking about Colton’s folks anymore today.

Period.

“So, they left,” Gent told him.

“My folks?”

“Yeah. Apparently, the weather put them off. After they got snowed in, they told Charlie they would come back toward summer.”

“Joy.” He grinned and shoveled up more snow. He and Gent were tag-teaming it on their walks. “The guys doing Mrs. Maroney’s walk?”

“Yep. And Mr. Grady’s.”

“Good deal. Well, I hope they never show up again.”

“Mmmm.”

“What?” He glanced at Gent.

“Oh, nothing hurts your folks like losing something they had control over. Money. People. Just be ready.”

“I will.” He would too. And so would their ghosts.

“So, what’s the plan for things like baby showers?”

“Dude, he’s due in like, August.”