Spectrum (Stone Society #14) - Faith Gibson Page 0,1
that sure makes a lot more sense. You’re the spitting image of Ezekiel. I swear you could pass for twins. You even have the same scar above your eye that he did.” Sheila continued talking, asking questions about the senior Ezekiel Seymour, and Zeke answered her questions as vaguely as possible about someone who didn’t exist. The line crept closer to the check-in point, and Zeke was trying to think of some way to get Stella alone later. “So, Ezekiel, where are you coming from? We just got back from Egypt. Those pyramids were something else.”
“You were in Egypt?” he asked Sheila, only he was looking at Stella. She had silky, straight black hair with dark eyes to match. She reminded him of an Egyptian queen. “You could pass for Nefertari,” he whispered. She lowered her eyes, blushing.
“Sir, you’re holding up the line,” an airport worker chastised him. Zeke made it through customs and waited on the other side for Sheila and Stella to come through. Thankfully, Stella was first, and she walked to where he was waiting.
“Your dad must have really been something. My mother still talks about him after all this time.”
Zeke hated lying to her. If she was his mate – and he was almost certain she was – he’d eventually have to be honest with her, but until he knew without a doubt, he was going to avoid the topic. “Where are you off to?” he asked.
“Like mother said, we just got home from Egypt. I love her, but I need to put a little distance between us, if you know what I mean.”
He sure did. “Stella, I’d love to see you again. After you get settled and jet lag has worn off, if you are interested, give me a call.” He prayed she didn’t have a boyfriend, or worse, a husband waiting on her at home.
“I think I’d like that,” she said. “What’s your phone number?”
Zeke told her his number, and she programmed it into her phone. His phone buzzed in his pocket. As he pulled it out, she said, “There, now you have mine, too. Ezekiel Seymour, why do you seem so familiar to me?”
He couldn’t tell her the truth. Not yet. He wanted to spend time together and be one hundred percent sure she was his mate. “Sometimes the fates have a funny way about them.”
She started to say something, but Sheila joined them. “Ezekiel, it was good meeting you. Please tell your father I said hello. Come on, Stella, I’m ready to be home.”
Stella held out her hand again. Was she a glutton for punishment, or was she trying to see if there really was a strange connection between them? Zeke placed his hand in hers, and her eyes widened. Instead of letting go, he brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them. “I’ll be waiting,” he said.
“Bye, Zeke.” Stella squeezed his hand before taking off after her mother.
Since they would more than likely be going to the same baggage carousel he was, Zeke ducked into one of the restaurants and ordered a drink so he didn’t seem like a stalker. He sipped his whiskey as he thought about the first time he met Stella. He’d gone to pick Sheila up for their date. When she wasn’t ready, he waited for her in the living room. The babysitter was already there, and a little girl waddled into the room. He remembered dark eyes staring up at him as she held onto his leg to steady herself. The little girl was babbling incoherently, and he’d been mesmerized. Zeke and Sheila had barely pulled out of the driveway when he felt sick to his stomach. He still took her out to eat, but he didn’t gain his appetite back. A few days after their date, Ezekiel transitioned for the first time.
Zeke enjoyed two more glasses of whiskey before paying his tab and retrieving his luggage. On the way home, he called Jonas. His father answered the phone, frantic. “Zeke? Where are you? Is Sam okay? Did you find them? How’s Sophia?”
“Slow down, Father. Everyone’s good. I’m back in the States, but I left everyone else in Egypt. They were having a family reunion of sorts. Xenia knows the truth.”
“Huh. Listen, I’m glad you called. Your mother and I have something we’d like you to take care of.”
“Huh? All you can say is huh?” It was just like Jonas to focus on his own needs.