Page 22 of Kennedy

His mother stepped aside. “Of course. How are you? How is your brother? He hasn’t been answering my texts, but I know he’s busy.”

The thing was that Lewis and Seymour’s parents loved them. They wanted the best for them. The problem was that what they thought was the best wasn’t what Seymour and Lewis wanted. Lewis hoped that the love his parents had for him would be strong enough that he wouldn’t completely lose them once this conversation was over, but there was only one way for him to know.

“Hehasbeen busy,” he confirmed as he followed his mother into the kitchen, where his father was sitting at the table, sipping coffee.

He smiled at Lewis, and Lewis smiled back. He watched as his mother slid back into her seat next to his father, but when she gestured at him to sit down, too, he shook his head.

“I have to go back to work,” he explained. “I don’t have a lot of time.”

“Well, we’re grateful you made time to visit us,” his father said.

Lewis cleared his throat. “I came because I have something to tell you.” He swallowed. This was harder than he imagined, and he’d imagined it would be plenty hard. “I feel like I deserve the same as Seymour. When he told you that he wasn’t giving up his job just because he’d met his mate, you accepted it, and I need you to accept the fact that I won’t be closing my shop now that I’ve met mine. I don’t want to lose either of you, but I won’t be forced into anything.”

His parents stared at him for a moment. Maybe this hadn’t been the best way to tell them he’d met his mate, but he’d done it, and that was all he cared about.

“You met your mate?” his mother asked.

He nodded. “I have. He’s one of Seymour’s trainers at the facility. His name is Kennedy, and he’s a lion shifter.”

“And he doesn’t expect you to close the shop and focus on him?” Lewis’s father asked.

“He doesn’t. We talked about it, and he wants me to continue working if that’s what I want. It is. I know what you expected of me and Seymour, but we don’t want that. We never have. That might be something you can live with, but we’re not you. I’ve made my decisions, and I won’t change my mind.”

Lewis didn’t have anything else to say, so he pressed his lips together and waited. His parents looked at each other, and he was pretty sure they had a conversation in their creepy, I-can-understand-you-without-using-words way. He’d once asked them if they communicated using their minds when they did that, but they’d said they didn’t. They just understood each other so well not to have to use words.

Lewis had no idea what this silent conversation entailed until his mother turned her attention back to him.

“We understand that traditions aren’t for everyone,” she said cautiously. “It worked for us, but you and your brother are children of a different generation. If your mate is okay with this, then we don’t have a say in it. We’re happy for you, Lewis.”

Lewis felt lighter and almost couldn’t believe how worried he’d been over all of this. He should’ve just talked to his parents. Now that he had, he knew he wouldn’t lose them, whatever happened with Kennedy. He could breathe easier.

He did. It was still awkward to spend time with them, but they wanted to know more about Kennedy, and he gave them all the answers he could think of. He was pretty sure that by the time he left, they actually believed he was doing what was best for him. They didn’t understand it, but it didn’t look like they would kick him out of their lives because of that, so he had hope.

He was smiling when he returned to town to meet Jimmy and Kennedy. Kennedy had confirmed that he and Jimmy would be driving from the facility together and that they’d stop at the coffee shop.

Kennedy was in front of the shop, scrolling on his phone, when Lewis strode up to him. He looked up, caught Lewis’s eye, and smiled. It felt natural to hug him.

“Jimmy’s inside getting us coffee,” Kennedy explained. “How did it go?”

“Better than I expected. They said that as long as you’re okay with it, it’s none of their business.”

“It wouldn’t be their business regardless, but I guess I’ll take it.”

Lewis smiled and pressed closer to kiss him, but he didn’t have the time to do it. A loud voice interrupted them, making him jump. “I knew it. You’re cheating on my son.”

“What?” Lewis asked, completely confused.

What was happening? Who was this man yelling at him that he was cheating on his son? Lewis had no doubt that the man was talking to him. He was staring right at him, his eyes narrowed, his lips twisted in disgust. He was actually angry, but that didn’t make sense.

Lewis realized they’d caught the attention of several people who’d been walking along the sidewalk. He glanced down, hating being at the center of attention. It wasn’t even for a good reason. What would his customers think if they believed he was a homewrecker? Would they stay away from the shop? Would they decide to take their business elsewhere?

What if Lewis had to close the shop after all of this? What if, in the end, Lewis’s parents won, even though they didn’t want to anymore? Would he be able to dedicate his life to Kennedy the way they thought he should?

Lewis bit his lower lip and told himself to stop freaking out. The people staring at them probably didn’t even recognize him. If they did, they probably didn’t care what he did in his free time. It was none of their business.

But the man still glaring at Lewiswasmaking it their business.

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