Page 18 of Kennedy

“You already thanked me when you texted me. There’s no need for you to do it again.”

“Maybe not, but I still wanted to do it. I know I should be used to flowers since I own a flower shop, but I guess people don’t think I would like any more of them in my life.”

“Well, I don’t know what you like just yet, but I asked Seymour, and he pointed me in Danny’s direction. Danny was the one who suggested the flowers, and since he knows you better than I do, I went along with it.” There was no need for Kennedy to hide that detail. He wasn’t ashamed of the fact that he didn’t know his mate well enough to know what to buy him. He also wasn’t ashamed of asking for help, especially in circumstances that were important to him, like this one.

“I don’t know what you told him, but he speaks highly of you,” Lewis said with a smile. “It takes quite a bit to get on Danny’s good side, but it seems like you didn’t even have to try.”

“I guess that promising him I’ll treat his best friend the way he should be treated helps.”

Lewis’s cheeks flushed. “I suppose it does.”

“But I’d like to get to know you instead of having to go to your friends to find out what you want. Why don’t you tell me about your dreams?” Was that too much? Maybe, but Kennedy wanted to know anyway. He wanted to know everything about Lewis.

Lewis tapped his fingertips on the table. “I already have my dream. I have the flower shop, my brother’s happy, and there’s you. I guess I could hope for a bigger apartment, but I like living on top of the shop. I only have to wake up fifteen minutes before it opens.”

Kennedy chuckled. “You’re not a fan of early mornings?”

“And I never will be. I like setting my own hours, and I trust Danny with my life, which means I can leave him in charge of the shop when I have things to do. The only thing I was missing was my mate, and I found you.”

“So what’s your dream there?” Kennedy wasn’t sure Lewis would answer, but he had to ask anyway.

Lewis appeared hesitant, but to Kennedy’s surprise, he still answered. “Well, we already know this is forever. I don’t want to leave this town, so ideally, you’d move.”

“I already live here,” Kennedy pointed out.

“Yeah, but you live at the facility, right? I’m not asking you to move in with me just yet, but that’s something we’ll have to think about. And what about kids? Do you want kids? I never really thought about it because I’m not sure I’d be a good father, but meeting you changed everything, and I don’t know what I want anymore.”

Lewis snapped his mouth shut. His eyes were wide as if he regretted saying all of that, and Kennedy suspected that he did. It was clear he’d blurted out everything he’d been thinking without filtering, and he probably hadn’t intended for Kennedy to know most of that stuff.

But now, the words were out, and Kennedy had heard them.

* * * *

THAT HAD BEEN A LOTand not at all what Lewis had been planning to say. It was as if his mouth had been possessed, and he’d blurted out everything that had been on his mind.

Did he want Kennedy to move in with him? Yes, eventually. Did he want children with him? He didn’t know, but it was something he wanted to think about. He’d always thought he didn’t want children, but after meeting Kennedy, he realized that none of his old partners were people he would have wanted to have children with, but Kennedy was different.

Everything was different. Lewis had never felt so drawn to anyone, which he knew was the bond. It was impossible not to see Kennedy through the lens of the bond. Maybe he would’ve liked Kennedy anyway, or maybe not. Kennedy was supposed to be the perfect man for him, so even without the bond, he’d have wanted to be with him, but not like this.

It didn’t matter what would have happened without the bond because they were mates. The bond existed, and nothing and no one could destroy it. They would be together, as Fate had decided.

Luckily, Kennedy didn’t seem freaked out. Maybe it was because he was older or because he had more experience. Maybe he just felt more settled in himself and in their relationship. Whatever the reason, he was still relaxed, and seeing him like this helped Lewis feel the same.

Mostly.

Kennedy wasn’t running away screaming, which was a good thing. Whatever happened next, they could work on it together.

“I’ve never really thought about children,” Kennedy said. “In my line of work, it’s not something that ever comes up. I guess I thought I would continue working for the council forever.”

“You still can,” Lewis pointed out.

“I can, but they always send me this way and that. I’ve worked all over the country, which isn’t something I want to continue doing.”

“Would you want to if it wasn’t for me?”

Lewis liked that Kennedy took a moment to think about his answer instead of quickly telling him that he wouldn’t. It was clear that Kennedy wanted Lewis to feel at ease with him and that he was trying to show him how much he cared already, but Lewis needed words. He needed honesty.

“I don’t know,” Kennedy finally answered. “I can’t deny that I enjoyed traveling and seeing new parts of the country. I met a lot of people, made a lot of friends, and had fun. I never really thought it was time for me to settle down or anything like that, but it’s not like I can’t live without traveling, either. It was mostly for work, so I mostly saw a lot of facilities where I lived and spent most of my time. Maybe we could do some traveling together. I know you have the shop, but we could find a way to make it work. You do take vacations sometimes, right?”

---