Page 21 of Kennedy

“The bond, right?” Jamison asked.

“Also, but not really. They look the same, but they also look different.” Kennedy knew that didn’t make a lot of sense, but it was the truth. Seymour held himself in a completely different way. It no doubt had to do with the training he went through, so it wasn’t a surprise. What also wasn’t a surprise was that Seymour was more muscled than his brother. Lewis wasn’t a fighter, and he never would be. It was one of the reasons Kennedy liked him so much.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” Lewis said softly. “I asked the others in the hallway if I could talk to you since you weren’t answering your phone, and I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Has something happened?” Kennedy asked, already worried.

“No. I just wanted to tell you that I’m headed out of town to talk to my parents. They don’t live far, and I won’t be long, but just in case, I wanted you to know.”

Kennedy frowned. “Are you sure you want to talk to them?”

“I kind of have to. I met my mate, and it’s not something I want to hide from them.”

“You could wait until I can come with you, or maybe Seymour.”

Lewis shook his head. “I want to do it by myself. I’m strong enough.”

“I know you are. Doesn’t mean you should do it on your own.” Kennedy didn’t know Lewis’s parents, but he’d heard enough not to like them. He hoped they wouldn’t push Lewis into doing what they wanted, and if they did, he hoped Lewis wouldn’t give in. He wasn’t going to lose his mate to an old tradition almost no one followed.

“I’ll be fine,” Seymour told him. “I’m headed into town later. I’m meeting Jimmy.”

Kennedy blinked. “Oh?”

“He wants help getting Seymour a birthday gift.”

“That means I’m going to find you one, too. Do you know when Seymour’s free?”

Lewis laughed and shook his head. “Ask him when you talk to him.” He hesitated only a few seconds before leaning closer and kissing Kennedy’s jaw. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“How about I come with you and Jimmy? We can have dinner once Jimmy’s done looking for the birthday gift.” Kennedy didn’t know Jimmy well, but they were brothers-in-law, and he wanted to.

Lewis seemed pleased with Kennedy’s offer. “I’ll text Jimmy to ask him if he’s okay with that. Maybe the two of you can drive to town together.”

“I’ll talk to him later.”

Letting Lewis go was hard, but Kennedy didn’t have a choice. He had work to do, and Lewis had been clear that he wanted to do this on his own. At least Kennedy would be there to pick up the pieces. He had no doubt that this conversation would be hard for his mate, and while he wanted nothing more than to help him get through it, he was sure that Lewis would reach out if he needed help. Kennedy couldn’t push his way into Lewis’s life. He had to allow Lewis to let him in, which he was. Kennedy just wished there was more he could do, especially when it came to his parents. They were a sore spot in Lewis’s life, and even though Kennedy didn’t like what he knew of them, he hoped for his mate’s sake that they would let go of their stupid tradition. If they didn’t, they would lose their son, and Lewis would lose his parents.

* * * *

LEWIS DIDN’T REALLYwant to be here. He stared at the house from where he was hiding behind a tree, knowing he had to do this while wishing he could shimmer back to his mate. He didn’t even care that Kennedy had to work. He’d happily wait with the trainees, maybe talk to Seymour until it was his turn—anything not to have to talk to his parents.

He sighed and leaned harder against the tree. He’d almost said yes when Kennedy had offered to come with him. Maybe he should have, even though he knew he was strong enough to do this on his own. He wasn’t afraid of what was about to happen. He already knew.

When he told his parents he’d met his mate, they would be elated. They’d want to celebrate, and his mother would start asking questions. She’d want to know who Kennedy was first, but eventually, those questions would drift to what Lewis would do with the flower shop and when he would move in with Kennedy.

Lewis had the answer to only one of those questions. He wasn’t closing the shop, and that was that. He didn’t know when he’d be moving in with Kennedy, but they weren’t in a rush.

Having this conversation on his own out here was useless. He needed to stop wasting time. He was tempted not to tell his parents about Kennedy and just go on with his life, but he knew better. His mother would find out eventually, and when she did, she’d want an explanation.

He pushed away from the tree and went to knock on the door. He could hear his parents talking somewhere inside, footsteps approaching, and someone behind the door. He sucked in a breath and squared his shoulders, ready for a fight.

His mother smiled when she saw him. “Lewis. Were we expecting you?”

They always talked like that, as if they were only one person. It gave Lewis the creeps. It hadn’t when he was younger because he didn’t understand and had thought the same would happen to him when he met his mate, but he could see how codependent his parents were now.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be close to Kennedy—of course he did. He just didn’t want them to turn into the same person because that wasn’t what being mates was about as far as he was concerned.

“I need to talk to the two of you,” Lewis explained. “Can I come in?”

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