Page 153 of Reluctantly You
“We do.”
“Come on. Let’s go outside. There’s a shed. It’s nice. Warm. Full of weed.”
I nod and let Gideon pull me into a hug before following him,my father, outside and glancing back at the people behind me. The ones who traveled so far to be with me.
“Thank you,” I manage to choke out.
“You’re welcome, bitch!” Emery screeches and then winces when Magnus nudges him in the side. “Sorry! I mean, good luck!”
He waves so hard that he smacks Sem in the chest.
But I barely notice. Yeah, luck. I fucking need it.
We walk outside, everyone’s gaze following us. My entire body is shaking from adrenaline and fear. On the opposite side of the yard is a shed near a large greenhouse. Outside is a goat, staring at us with its beady eyes.
“In here,” Basil says, opening the shed door, and the smell of marijuana hits me. “Might have had a hit of a joint or two in here a couple times. Want a carrot?” He holds up an orange vegetable, and when I shake my head, he crouches down and hands it to the goat who’s followed us inside. “So,” Basil says, his hands slipping into his pockets, his body rocking back and forth. “What did you say earlier? Just wanna make sure I heard you right.”
I stare at him, trying to form my words. “Um, well, a DNA test says you’re my dad.”
He leans back on his heels, staring at me with blinking eyes. “You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. My PI did a search through those ancestry results and I guess you must have done one at some point.”
He nods in realization. “That’s right. I thought they were so cool when they first came out. Fascinating stuff. I wanted to see if maybe I was part Viking.”
We stare at one another, the goat leisurely nibbling at things in the shed.
“So, do you have the proof? Not that I’m doubting you…just need to see it,” Basil asks, and I pull a paper from my back pocket. Gideon made sure I had this readily available, knowing that perhaps he’d want to see it.
I would if I were in his place. “Here,” I say, shoving the paper in his hand. “I didn’t ask my PI to do this, but he did. He got both our hair samples and sent it in just to be sure…we’re a match.”
Basil stares at the paper, his eyes watering. “Shit. Well, I never knew.”
“Me either.”
“How did I never know?”
“My mom.”
His eyes slam into mine. “What’s her name?”
“Toni.”
He pulls his teeth between his lips and then shakes his head. “No clue who that is. I’m sorry. I spent my late teens and early twenties baked. Anyone could have slipped into my life and I wouldn’t have noticed. Can I see a picture?”
I fumble with my phone and with shaking hands, hold it out to him, a family picture of us taken a few years ago pulled up.
He stares at it and shakes his head again. “Sorry. No clue.”
“It’s not your fault. It was her choice.”
He bobs his head and then asks, “Your dad…your other dad…”
“He’s awful,” I reply, my voice cracking. “He’s so fucking awful.” Basil moves toward me, the paper falling onto the ground, the goat gobbling it up. But I’m in his arms and he’s squeezing me tightly. “Shit, I’ve missed out on so much.”
“I know.”
“We’ll make up for it. I want to get to know you.”