Page 43 of The Alpha's Stolen Mate

It was the day after Summer agreed to talk with her mother and aunt about staying at my house. Once I got the go-ahead from Summer’s mom, I made sure all the guests' rooms were prepared, stocked up the fridge, and looked up bikes for Grayson to order online to buy as a present for him. While I was looking at a bright red one with flames, I made myself stop.

I realized I couldn't buy my son's love. I had to earn it. Spoiling him with gifts would make him like me at first, but it wouldn't be a good starting point for the kind of relationship I wanted to have with Grayson. I wanted to be as good a parent as I knew Summer was. Just the look that crossed her face whenever she spoke about Grayson was more than enough to see how much she loved him.

But I had to get to know him in order to have a meaningful relationship with him. Grayson living in my house was a step in the right direction. When I was getting dressed this morning, I found myself carefully picking out my outfit, wanting to make a good first impression on my son. As I was holding two crisp white shirts, I rolled my eyes at myself. Grayson was five. He wouldn't care what I was wearing.

Now, with my fingers tapping a broken rhythm on my leg and Goose sitting at my feet, I waited on my front lawn to officially meet my son for the first time. When a light blue Jeep pulled into my driveway, Goose perked up as if he knew Grayson was in that car, even though he couldn't see him.

The first person to open their door was Summer. My mouth went dry as I took in her tight jeans and white shirt. Her hair was braided back to showcase her beautiful face. I couldn't take my eyes off her as she shut her car door. Just the way she moved captivated me. Her hips swayed in a rhythm that had me mesmerized. She had the posture and grace of a ballerina. For a moment, I was stunned by her classical beauty.

A yell interrupted my ogling.

Grayson shot out of the car, and Goose ran toward him. They met each other in the middle. My son was squealing with joy as Goose licked his round cheeks.

“Goosey! You’re here!” my son cried and hugged his dog close to him, pressing kisses to his dog’s wet nose.

Seeing the pure bliss on Grayson’s face was worth asking one of my contacts, Mason, who lived near the address Summer’s mom had provided me, to drive Goose the ten hours to my compound.

I was a little apprehensive when Mason pulled up in a black truck, wondering if a goose was going to fly out of his truck when he opened the door, but when Grayson’s dog leaped out of the back, I smiled and admired my Mate’s humor.

“How are you here?” Grayson asked Goose. When the dog didn't answer, he looked up at Summer. “How is he here, Mom?”

Summer kneeled down next to our son and scratched behind Goose’s ears.

“Well, sweetheart, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. He was the one who made it possible for Goose to come here, and he’s going to give us a place to stay until Grandpa gets…well, um, while Grandpa is in the hospital,” Summer said, her voice cracking.

Summer had been about to say until her father got better, but changed direction in the end. Was it because she wanted to prepare Grayson if Theodore passed away from his injuries?

She took a deep breath and glanced at me.

My mouth became dry.

This is it.

The moment when I officially met my son. The moment he officially met me. Grayson and I would remember this for the rest of our lives.

Summer’s mom and aunt stayed back near the car to give us our space.

I kneeled down and petted Goose. Now that all three of us were giving him attention, he began to wag his tail and pant with happiness.

“Grayson, this is…” Summer trailed off as my son’s eyes met mine.

Grayson’s eyes were the perfect combination of mine and Summer’s. They were a mix of blue, green, and a little bit of gold to create a color that was entirely his own.

“Sweetheart, this is…” Summer started again, and her eyes cut to mine.

The torn expression on her face made my stomach drop.

“This is Gabriel,” Summer said to our son. “He’s going to let us stay in his house while Grandpa is in the hospital. Goose can stay here, too. Isn’t that great?”

Grayson blushed, buried his face in Summer’s shoulder, and murmured something too low for me to hear.

“Sorry, he isn’t used to meeting new people,” my Mate explained and rubbed Grayson’s back.

I was stunned.

I couldn’t believe Summer just introduced me to our son like that. Like I was a stranger doing them a favor by letting them stay in our house. Like Grayson didn’t have half my DNA.

Like I wasn’t Grayson’s father.

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