Page 6

Chapter

Six

T he pain in his leg was nothing compared to the shit he was thinking at the moment. Colton wanted to shake Sebastian. He wanted to kiss him, too. They were so close he could see the gold in Sebastian’s green eyes, the little flecks standing out so clearly.

God. He was a mess.

Sebastian stared at him. “She’s mine. You and your people gave up any rights to her. I have it in writing. That little girl is mine.”

His chest seized up, and he couldn’t breathe. That happened since the cave-in, too. The doctors called it PTSD or anxiety or whatever. He just called it fight or flight, but he wasn’t about to flee. “I never signed a goddamn thing. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you dare call me a liar again! I had to do this—and everyone was awful to me! You fuck right off!”

Xander burst through the door, a butcher knife in hand, yodeling. “Bastian?”

“Jesus.” Was he about to get stabbed? “Did I call you a liar? I just stated the fact that I never signed anything.”

“Just leave it. You don’t have to prove anything, buddy.”

“Someone did.” There was a wealth of pain in Sebastian’s eyes. “It’s been notarized. It came from a lawyer with a check to buy me off that’s sitting in my desk drawer.”

“A check?” What the actual fuck. He took in a deep breath, then let it out. Loosened his hold on Sebastian. He leveled a look at the cook, Xander. “I do have something to prove, but I have no intention of hurting Sebastian. This is a private conversation.”

“Bastian? Honey? I’ll take you out of here, right now.”

“I’m okay. Seriously. I’ll kick him in the knee, and he’ll collapse like a push puppet.” Sebastian smiled at the cook. “You rock, Xander. Thank you.”

The guy shrugged. “We have to stick together, right?”

“You know it.” Sebastian gave the guy a little wave, and when he left, he glared at Colton. “Sit, before you fall.”

“Fair enough, but no running off. I’m like a fainting goat. You don’t want to leave me all stressed and falling over.” He let go and sank into his chair.

“If I have to, I’ll get one of your crew to help you. I’m not worried.” Sebastian took a seat as far away from him as possible. “Now, the house. What are your intentions?”

“Bastian—”

“The house.”

He knew that stubborn look, and he decided on a tactical retreat.

For now. He needed to call his folks and have hard words, he thought, before he moved on with the other discussion.

Colton gripped his cane, which he still held, until his knuckles were white.

“My intention is two-fold. Film a good show, which means I’ll need some night hours to do the night-vision shit.

People love that, but it’s also to get to the bottom of your sudden increase in activity.

Which means you and I will need to sit down and do the intake interview. ”

“Both of those things are fair. I will do the intake interview and behave myself. My child will not appear on camera. You need a week, correct? I’ll find somewhere for us to stay.”

“You can stay here. I won’t eat you. Or her.

And of course she doesn’t need to be on camera.

Neither do you, come to that. The interview is all paperwork.

Lots of Q and A about the house and the activity there.

” For all that Sebastian had lied to him, was lying to him still, he felt ferociously protective of the guy.

“Not a problem. I’ve kept extensive notes. I’ll get you the file. It’s always been an active house. This is just extreme.”

“Okay.” He burned to blurt out more questions. More accusations, too, he knew. But he didn’t. He just tried to tell himself that this was a client situation, that the personal stuff could wait. “So that was some intense activity today.”

“Maybe they didn’t like strangers coming in.” Sebastian shrugged, then almost grinned. “I wasn’t expecting you. Maybe they felt that.”

“Maybe.” Except they’d seemed oddly responsive to him. But that wasn’t something they needed to chat about right now, either.

A high-school-aged kid brought Sebastian an iced tea and him another glass of water. “Did either of you want salads?”

“Please,” Colton said. “Do you have blue cheese?” This was so fucking inane.

“Of course. House made. So good, and I don’t like blue cheese. Alexander says that he made you a wedge with ranch.”

“Thanks, Laney. I appreciate it.” Sebastian had a smile for everyone but him.

The kid left, and he looked at Bastian. “I really do want to help.” That was his thing, really. Helping people in exactly this situation. The TV gig was just an excuse. It funded the work.

“I’ll take the help.” Sebastian opened his hands. “Just tell me what you want, and I’ll get out of your hair for a week. Who knows, maybe it’s all me.”

“No, it kept on today until I got the message it was sending, I think.” He wasn’t going to push Sebastian again. Yet. He was too damn confused and tired. And hungry. “But we can discuss it, for sure.”

“Okay.” Sebastian rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. “This is the most awkward supper ever.”

“I know. I would apologize, but I’m not ready to let us out of it. I want to talk with you. See you.” He had a lot to say, but he could do this. He could be patient. That was something he’d learned a lot about in fucking physical rehab.

The salads came in, and Sebastian picked at his, worrying his bottom lip between bites. “So, do you like it? Being a ghost hunter?”

“It’s what I do.” He shrugged. “I like that it’s not the life my folks picked out for me. I like the crew.” And he’d loved the travel, the adventure. Until it had almost killed him.

Sebastian nodded, but he didn’t respond beyond that. He had absolutely zero doubt that someone—someone in his family—had hurt Sebastian deeply.

He might have to beat someone to death. In fact, at this point, he would do it happily.

“Are you—Are you still doing your readings?” Colton asked, casting about for anything to talk on that wasn’t their tangled up past and, hopefully, future.

“I am. It’s a good job. I can be home, and I love my clients. They were incredibly supportive during my—challenges.”

He wanted to just roar, but that would do no one any good. But what the hell? If he kept swallowing words, he was going to choke to death.

Thank God the salad was good, and the entrees came in on the heels of them being removed. The cook delivered them himself, clearly making sure Sebastian was okay. But Sebastian waved him away with a laugh.

“What’s good for dessert here?” he asked, a little desperate for a safe topic.

“The pies. Xander’s pie crusts are a thing of glory.” Sebastian rolled his eyes. “This is awful for you. I hate that Hank Vargas fucked us over. I didn’t think he was a mean man.”

Okay, now that wasn’t exactly fair, and it definitely wasn’t true. “Oh, honey, he’s not mean. He thinks he’s doing us both a favor. And I gotta say, it looks like, if nothing else, we both need some closure. There are too many damn discrepancies in what we’re both sure we know.”

And if he thought about it, since that was his damn job, when shit didn’t match up at this level, that meant something nefarious had happened.

And he wanted to know what.

“Yeah. I don’t—I don’t… I just don’t know what’s going on. I’ve felt like this for so long, and I hate it.”

“Okay. So tonight, we have pie. Tomorrow, we do the big-ass list of questions for the show. Then we’ll sit down after that and talk like adult human beings?” The steak was really damn good, assuming the cook hadn’t spit in it or poisoned it or something.

“Okay. I’ll forward you the diary of what I’ve noticed. It’s detailed. I’m a journaler.” Sebastian shrugged his shoulders. “But you can ask me whatever you need to. I’m…easy.”

At the last words, Sebastian turned a bright red.

“Okay. I’ll wait until tomorrow for the personal stuff.” After he called his damn parents. “But don’t blame Hank. I mean, I thought he had told you, but he was trying to help, I think.”

“There’s nothing to help.” Sebastian looked at him, so serious, so sad.

“I didn’t ask you for anything. I mean, I’d like some help with the ghosts.

But as far as the rest? After I called and tried to find you and after everything that happened?

I managed. I have good friends here, and I thought I had good friends there.

You’re just going to have to excuse the fact that I’m mad at him.

I trusted Hank, and I don’t care what we’re—” Sebastian shrugged, lips twisting.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m sure that we’ll figure it out.

It’s not like we live in the same town. It’s not like I’m going to run into him at the gas station.

But…damn it, I’m trying to make this whole thing work. ”

Colton shook his head, his fucking heart breaking—for Sebastian, for him, for that little girl in the portrait. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Sebastian nodded once, so sure. “I accept that you didn’t know. You need to sit and think real hard, then, about why nobody wanted you to know so badly. Because somebody didn’t want you to know. Somebody really didn’t want my child to be involved in your life. Or me for that matter.”

“I know that now. And yeah, I got some thinking, and some yelling, to do.” He was his own fucking man, and his folks and their money and their lawyers were fixing to learn something about that. About how his damn choices were his own. “So, the town hasn’t grown much.”

Sebastian did smile then, finally. “Where will it expand? We’re so narrow in land. Growing is Secret Springs’s job.”

“I know. I was pretty stunned when I drove through. But the pizza place is still as good as ever.”

“Dave’s, yeah, that’s the best. Half and half salad for the win.” That was another real smile. “I try to drive over every couple of weeks and let—” Sebastian stopped himself. “And go to the park and stuff. The parks over there? They’re bigger.”

“Are you even going to tell me her name?”

Sebastian blinked at him. “Abigail, Abby.”

“Abby.” His daughter’s name was Abby. Okay, he was going to have to sit with that for a while.

He didn’t know her middle name. He didn’t know her birthday.

He didn’t know if she was a Maxwell or a Belle.

But he did know that her name was Abby, and that was more than he had a second ago. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“I’m not a fucking monster, I promise. I tried to let you know.” Sebastian shrugged, wrapping his arms around himself. “Obviously, I didn’t know that you were hurt, but I was serious when I said that I never got any phone calls from you or texts or anything.”

“I swear to you, I called over and over. I wanted…well, I wanted you.”

“Yeah, I think this goes back down to where we were before. You need to find out why it is that your people were so convinced that…Whatever, I don’t know.

” Sebastian looked like he was about to cry.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter. That ship has sailed, and there are not a lot of ships or sailing here.

Lots of mines and mountains though. And the ghosts. We got ghosts out the wazoo.”

“Well, that’s what I’m good at.” God, he wanted to go all alpha and grab Sebastian and take him to his alpha cave. But that would be a mistake. “So, dessert. And you can stay up here tonight?”

“I can. So I can meet you after breakfast.”

“You could both come here for it. With me.”

Sebastian shook his head. “I’m not ready for that.”

He nodded, trying not to be all tight and angry. This wasn’t Sebastian’s fault. It was his. He should have fought harder, should have been there.

They dug into their pie, and he made a plan in his head.

Skewer his parents and tell them to stay the hell out of his life.

Fix the ghost problem at the house.

Meet his daughter and spoil her rotten.

And get Sebastian back.

Colton was always happier when he had a plan.