Page 26 of Kennedy

Seymour frowned. “Why didn’t he text me instead of you?”

“Are you jealous?” Kennedy drawled. He’d never been with anyone who was so close to their siblings as Lewis was to Seymour, and it was taking some time to adjust for all of them. Seymour wasn’t the most important person in Lewis’s life anymore, and sometimes, that made him pout like a child. Kennedy thought it was hilarious, and he never missed a chance to tease him.

Seymour scoffed. “I’ve known him longer than you.”

“But I know him better.”

“Not yet, you don’t. You wouldn’t have needed me to help find him a birthday gift if you did.”

“Can the two of you stop bickering like children?” Jimmy asked, sounding amused.

He wasn’t wrong. Theywerebehaving like children, but they were both having fun, so it didn’t really matter.

Kennedy and Seymour grinned at each other, and Seymour turned to focus on his mate. Kennedy took a sip of his coffee, idly wondering how much money the place made from the facility. He’d been spending a lot of time here, and he knew that many of the people who worked at the facility did the same. It was close by and sold sandwiches and stuff for lunch, and the people never seemed afraid or worried. Of course, they didn’t know what happened at the facility, but they’d been welcoming.

His phone buzzed again. He had another text from Lewis, who was once again apologizing for being late. Sometimes, Kennedy wondered if he should pay Seymour and Lewis’s parents a visit. He disliked the way Lewis apologized so often as if he was afraid to take up too much time or space. It was almost as if he thought he was a bother, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Seymour made a sound that caused Kennedy to look up. He had his phone in his hand, and when he glanced at Kennedy, he grinned. “Lewis is almost here. He toldme, not you.”

Kennedy laughed and got to his feet. “I’ll give you that one.”

The four of them knew each other well, but it was the first time they spent time together as two couples. Maybe that was why Lewis was all over the place. He’d told Kennedy he was a bit nervous. Kennedy suspected that the morning would make everything feel more official, including the relationship between Kennedy and Lewis. Maybe that was what Lewis was worried about.

They’d only just started dating, but things were going well. They hadn’t talked about bonding, and Kennedy wasn’t sure it was something Lewis would want to do anytime soon, but that was fine with him. He was willing to give Lewis as much time and space as he needed, even though if it was up to him, they’d already be bonded and living together. There was no need to rush, no matter how much Kennedy wanted to. Lewis was his, whether or not there was a mating bite on his neck.

The three left the coffee shop to wait for Lewis. The cold air hit Kennedy and made him shiver. It would be a while before spring got here, and he hated winter.

Seymour leaned closer. His expression told Kennedy that he was about to be teased. “What is it, old man? Is the cold getting to your bones?”

“Old man? How old do you think I am?”

“I don’t know, but you behave as if you’re about a hundred.”

Kennedy bumped his shoulder against Seymour’s. “Nowhere near that. Besides, would you want your brother to be with an old man?”

“Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a choice. He’s pretty much stuck with you, isn’t he?”

“Just like poor Jimmy is stuck with you, I suppose.”

“Jimmy’s delighted to be with me.”

“Are you sure? I mean, if you truly believe it, keep telling yourself that, I guess.”

Seymour made an indignant sound and pushed his shoulder against Kennedy, making him stumble. Jimmy was behind them, and even without seeing him, Kennedy knew he’d have a fond expression on his face.

Being like this with Seymour was a little odd because Kennedy had been his trainer until recently, but he liked it. He was an only child, but he could imagine this was what siblings were like with each other. He’d never yearned for siblings, although he’d been jealous a few times over the years, and he was enjoying his time teasing Seymour. He was pretty sure Seymour was enjoying it as much as he was. He gave as good as he got, anyway.

He turned toward Seymour and stopped when he saw the man’s expression. He frowned, wondering if something he’d said had bothered Seymour since he looked pissed, but when he returned his attention to the sidewalk, he understood he had nothing to do with Seymour’s expression.

Wallace Senior really needed to stop doing this. Didn’t he have anything better to do with his life than bothering his sons? Didn’t he have a job?

“Jimmy, it’s time to stop.”

Kennedy wondered if anyone would notice if he left. He didn’t want to abandon Jimmy and Seymour, so he guessed he wasn’t going anywhere, but he really wished he could.

Jimmy groaned. “What is it this time? What do you want from me?”

His father gestured at Seymour and Kennedy. “Don’t you see it? Your precious mate is cheating on you, and he’s doing it right in front of your face.”

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