Page 60 of A Reluctant Boy Toy
“That’s fair.”
“So you’re coming to dinner?”
Alastair emerged from the hospital and headed our way. He was definitely as striking as Sebastian—uniquely stylish with an arrogant swagger I envied.
“This must be Morrigan.” Alastair kept his hands at his sides. “Stone, will you introduce me?”
“Morrigan,” I called. She gave me her attention. “Go make a friend.”
She stepped over to Alastair cautiously because unlike Sebastian, who was unconsciously friendly with dogs, Alastair was reserved. He might have seemed unyielding, but to his credit, Alastair squatted next to her and waited until she gave him a good sniff before lifting his hands, palms up. It was amazing how many people would just lean over Morrigan and try to wrap their arms around her. They assumed she was open to that sort of thing because she was an emotional support animal. But Morrigan was a five-star general with four feet. Her job was always to protect me, so anyone grabbing her met with resistance and an unhappy, hundred-pound dog.
Alastair was patient. I knew by the end of the night they’d be friends. Maybe not buddies, like Morrigan and Sebastian, but they would be respectful and pleased with each other.
“Oh, you’re a beauty, aren’t you?” He glanced up at me, eyes shining. “She likes me.”
I nodded, throat dry. Hadn’t Sebastian said the same thing?
He stood. “I hope you’re coming to dinner.”
“Thank you for the invitation, but—”
Molly grabbed my arm. “We’d love to. Thanks.”
Alastair gave Morrigan’s neck one last pet before brushing her fur from…everywhere. Her fur had gotten everywhere. He laughed.
“We can take my car. I’ll bring you both back to the hospital in time to say good night to Bast.”
Before I knew it, I’d gotten Morrigan’s seatbelt harness from my rental and strapped her beside me in the back of a Bentley. Morrigan looked relaxed and classy staring out the window as the scenery rolled by.
Molly kept the conversation going with Alastair acting charming and stuffy. I gave one-word answers and wished I was anywhere else.
Are you dating my son?
We werefriends.
I’d only met Sebastian a few days before, and we were friends.
I had fed him. Draped a blanket over him. Put socks on him. In essence, done everything for him I’d learned to do for my wife when she’d borne our children and for my kids when they’d had the flu.
Was I going crazy, or did Sebastian already mean more to me than I was comfortable admitting, even to myself?
Are you dating my son?
I couldn’t answer that question without another question:
What would happen if I did?
Chapter Fourteen
Bast
Curiouser and curiouser.
Like Alice, I’d certainly fallen. I believed I’d fallen off a cliff. Who knew I’d also gone down a rabbit hole from which I couldn’t extricate myself?
If my dad had his way, there would be doctors and more doctors to ferret out my state of mind the night I got hurt. That was a long time coming but still, uncomfortable. Since theincident, the investigation afterwards, the court battles, and the eventual settlement, I hadn’t gotten a single full night’s sleep. I wasn’t lying when I said I’d binged a lot of Asian dramas and anime—my preferred way of killing time—ever since.
But with time had come distance. Not peace because I doubted I’d ever have that again. I’d allowed myself to believe the past was buried, and given the appearance of that video, the past had come back with a vengeance.
