Deserted - Auctioned

Shit. She was gonna tell Mom.

Gray passed Darius on the way out and said he’d wait in the car.

“Hold up.” Darius tossed him the keys. “I’ll be right out.”

“Okay.”

Gray snatched his jacket from the closet and put on his shoes before he stepped out and filled his lungs with cold February air.

Well, he’d done it. He’d fulfilled his promise to Jonas, technically. He’d made sure Jayden was in a better place—where he’d be taken care of.

If only that felt marginally adequate. Instead, that foul-mouthed little punk had completely grabbed Gray by the balls and claimed ownership of his heart. Jesus fucking Christ, it hadn’t been two weeks.

He blew out a harsh breath and jogged down the steps, and he remembered something Mom used to say. It’d been around the time Gray and his brothers were old enough to develop crushes on friends in school. A teenager with a crush—was there anything more explosive? But whenever Gray or one of the others had come home from school, stomping toward their room, believing their hearts had been ripped out, Mom would come in with milk and cookies and say there was only one way to fall in love at first sight, and it was between a parent and a child.

She’d smiled proudly and said she’d experienced it four times.

At the time, it’d been impossible to believe her.

Gray stuck his hands into his pockets and glanced up at the big house.

He knew Jayden was in good hands, and yet… It had to be him. Eventually, Gray had to be the one who got to take that kid home.

Darius came out after a minute, looking tired.

“I’m adopting him one day,” Gray blurted out. “I don’t know how it happened—and I know I’m young, but that’s how it is.”

Darius didn’t seem surprised one bit. He threw an arm around Gray’s shoulders and guided him to the car. “I know.” He kissed Gray’s temple. “You’re one of those who are cut out to be a parent.”

“You think so?” Gray exhaled and opened the door on his side.

Darius snorted in amusement and rounded the car. “Come on. Does anything make you as happy as taking care of those you love?”

Gray got in and buckled up, trying to contain his smile. It was too soon. He had to climb the mother of mountains to pull this off. But then, after everything he had been through…? Nobody could stop him but himself.

He was ready to fight.

As Darius backed out and left the premises, Gray steeled himself for a few rough weeks while they adjusted to their new situation. He’d do anything in his power to maintain the trust Jayden had placed in him. Gray would reassure him as often as he had to, and they would build their future with plans and goals that would one day come true.Thirteen“Watch your step.”

Gray hissed and almost stumbled over a rock. “How can I watch it? We’ve traveled back to the dark ages—literally!”

He’d known Darius lived in the middle of nowhere, but this was ridiculous. It wasn’t merely twenty minutes into the woods in Westslope; first, you had to cross the river and truly leave civilization behind—or what little of it that district had to offer—and then you just kept going north. North, north, north, high up, then down, then up and down again, not to mention around and around some of the higher cliffs that shot up between the mountains. Only then did you reach Darius Quinn’s home.

Not that Gray could see it. It was pitch black.

“Let your eyes adjust.” Darius thought this was funny.

“Or I use the flashlight on my phone,” Gray muttered.

“Suit yourself.”

He damn well would. He adjusted the grip on the two duffels he carried and pulled out his phone. No reception. Shocker.

Let there be light…

Whoa.

Yeah, they were in the woods, all right. Two cabins, one bigger than the other, and one shed shared a lawn roughly the size of a hockey rink. A stream cut the area in two, with all the buildings grouped together in one part. The other was empty.

Gray followed Darius over a six- or seven-foot-long wooden bridge and peered down at the black water. Except, when he aimed the flashlight over the side, he saw that the water was crystal clear. The bottom was all sand.

“Freshest water you can drink,” Darius said. He pointed up the mountainside behind the property. “It comes straight from the mountain.”

“So do bears,” Gray mumbled.

Darius didn’t miss a beat. “Nah, they come from out there.” He jerked his chin at the forest.

Gray suddenly felt motivated to pick up the pace.

Darius chuckled. “I’ve never seen a bear here, knucklehead.”

That didn’t mean shit. Washington had plenty of bears, and the cabin was like the first diner you came across after a road trip in the desert.

“You haven’t been home in months,” Gray said. “There could be a bear in your damn bed at this point.”