“I was getting to that.”
Damn. Why didn’t I take the win?“Well before you move on, I have some concerns of my own.”
“Oh? What would those be?” His face and posture didn’t change—as if he couldn’t imagine anything on his end being out of whack. Was this guy for real?
“Well, first off, you seem way too young to be Merry’s father.”
Sly smiled. “Why thank you. I try to take care of myself.”
“That wasn’t meant as a compliment,” Jason said. “I’m serious. You couldn’t be a day over thirty-years old by the looks of you.”
“And again, you flatter me.”
“No!” Indignant, Jason jumped out of the low chair and paced. “Something’s wrong here. Either you’re not Merry’s birth father and have convinced her that you are for some reason of your own, or… I can’t think of another possibility.”
Sly leaned forward and clasped his hands. “Well, I’m sorry you can’t think more creatively. Thereisanother explanation. I haven’t convinced her of anything but the truth.”
Getting nowhere, Jason exhaled audibly. “Okay, say I believe you, why didn’t you come back into her life before? Why now?”
“Because I wanted to get to know her but didn’t want to interfere in her upbringing.”
“I don’t get it.” He shook his head.
“What’s to get?” Sly asked. “It’s simple. I was a sudden widower with an infant I couldn’t raise properly on my own. Giving her up was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,but I did it for her.”
“Okay, that sounds very sensible and noble, but how old were you at the time?”
Sly stood and crossed his arms. “You’re still doubting me. Perhaps I should leave. You can take care of your own—problem.” He nodded toward the inert body on the couch.
Lila turned over and draped her arm across her face. Her snores grew louder with occasional bursts of pig snorts.
Jason’s righteous anger deflated. “I’m sorry. Look, I know Merry, and she’ll be furious if she thinks you left because I treated you badly. Please stay.”
Sly scrutinized him. “No more talk about my age, all right?”
“Fine. We’ll talk about something else.” The words no sooner left his mouth than he regretted them.
Sly smiled. “All right. Tell me what kind of shapeshifter you are.”
“I thought you knew.”
“I saw a feathery fight in the lobby, and then the door across from Merry’s slammed. Seconds later, I saw you and Nathan in his apartment, naked, leaning against the door. It was a simple matter of putting two and two together.”
Jason let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, you’re the only one who came up with four. This broad,” he pointed to Lila, “thinks I’m gay and that Nathan and I are lovers.”
Sly laughed. “Ridiculous.”
“Yeah, totally. After all, I’m with Merry.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean your being gay was ridiculous. Just being with Nathan. He’s a piece of work.”
Jason was just about to get back on his high horse when Sly said something to de-saddle him again.
“So, which bird were you?”
“The falcon.”
“How did you explain the shifting to the rum princess?”
