Page 71 of Out of Nowhere

“I know it’s not very cute, but the pastor’s son gave it to me to use,” she said.

“How old is the pastor’s son?”

“Thirteen.”

That made sense. “It’s from a famoushorror film. Your Baby Jesus is a killer doll wrapped in a blanket.”

“WHAT?”

Dex nodded. “I swear.”

Casting a horrified look toward the manger, Bea said, “You and Seo-jun need to go right now and buy another doll.” Shenudged him toward the baked goods booth. “I’ll get someone to take over for you here. Hurry, it’ll be dark soon, and a lot of people come after work.”

Unsurprisingly, nothing was open on the holiday except for an all-night pharmacy.

“Deranged serial killer or shrunken troll?” Seo-jun queried, holding up a troll doll with bright green hair that stuck straight up. It couldn’t have been more than five inches long, including the hair.

“God, no. There are no other dolls here?” Dex asked, sifting through a pile of toys.

“None. It’ll have to be Chucky.” Seo-jun chucked the troll back on the shelf.

As they were leaving the store, they happened upon three workers wearing Toys for Tots shirts buying the last of the store’s supply of candy canes and managed to persuade them to trade a baby doll from the gifts in their truck for a donation of five hundred dollars.

“Five hundred dollars for a doll,” Dex groused as he pulled his mother’s SUV out of the pharmacy parking lot.

“It’s for a good cause,” Seo-jun said.

Dex couldn’t argue with that.

Anna was even less interested in Sky than she had been at Thanksgiving. The baby was more alert, and so cute, Dex wanted to hold him all the time. He seemed to have charmed Seo-jun, too, who helped Dex bathe Sky and change his diaper on several occasions. It hurt Dex to have to lave his nephew when the visit was over.

“We can visit often,” Seo-jun promised him. “Here or at Tom’s.”

Dex believed him, but it really hurt to leave Sky with Anna and Bea.

After New Year’s, the house-hunting started up again, but then Dex and Seo-jun were put on a case that ate up all of their time, and they told the real estate agent they needed to postpone the search.

The first Sunday in April, Dex was on the couch of theirapartment, half-dozing, half catching up on a show on Hulu while Seo-jun chatted on the phone with Dex’s mother. Dex’s conversation with her had only lasted fifteen minutes—long enough for pleasantries and for Dex to ask after Anna, who, his mom had said, was not bonding with Sky and had started hooking up with guys she met on a dating app.

“I invited your mom, Anna, and the baby to visit the week after Easter,” Seo-jun announced, tossing his phone on the coffee table and slipping under Dex’s legs on the couch.

“How are we going to manage that?” Dex asked. The apartment only had one bedroom.

“I thought we could stay at the mansion while they’re here,” Seo-jun said.

Dex had to admit that was a good idea. “Not that I mind, but why did you invite them? Don’t tell me you’re missing my mother.”

Seo-jun chuckled. “I invited her because she’s shown interest in our house hunt, and I thought she might be helpful. It will probably do Anna some good to get away for a while, and I miss Sky.”

Dex was touched at Seo-jun’s thoughtfulness.

“You’re really sweet,” he said, leaning forward to kiss Seo-jun’s mouth. “It’s no wonder you won over my mother.” Their kisses turned into Dex on his knees between Seo-jun’s legs, followed bySeo-jun fucking Dex over the arm of the couch. In Dex’s opinion, the perfect Sunday at home.

“There’s a house for sale in Mountain Shadows,” Jase said over breakfast a week and a half later. “You could get your realtor to take you there. It’s a nice neighborhood.”

“I’ll just bet it is, at the prices those houses are going for,” Dex said as he buttered his toast. Seo-jun had gone to pick up his mother and sister at their apartment, and he was bringing them to the mansion, where Kasey was going to hang out with Anna and the baby while Dex, Seo-jun, and Bea went to look at houses. “Remember, not everyone earned a pile of money being a top model like you did,” he teased his boss.

“Our little Dex and Seo-jun are moving in together, “ Andi said. “Before we know it, they’ll be tying the knot.”

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