Page 10 of Edward’s Bunny

“It’s always the same with you two, but Uncle Brian hasn’t said hello to Grandma yet.”

“I was just making my way there now.”

Olivia looked around before focusing back on me. “Where’s Randy?”

My smile disappeared, and I internally groaned. I knew she’d be like this. “He had to work.”

“Again.”

Fuck. Just what I needed. I sighed before answering, “Yeah, Mom. He’s busy at the hospital.” I walked past Olivia and gave my mom a little hug and peck on her cheek.

“He’s always working, and so are you. I don’t like it,” my mother said with a scowl.

“Ma. It’s how it is in medicine.”

“That’s right, Mom. Pretty soon, Brian here will be working at the hospital, too. How’s school going?” Lucas asked, grabbing my shoulders.

Thank fuck. Lucas to the rescue. “It’s going good. Great actually. It turns out I’m the top of my class, and—”

“No shit—”

“Language,” my mother snapped. “Sorry, ma’am,” Gabe replied quickly with a bow of his head.

Mom stared at me momentarily before huffing and turning back toward the kitchen. I released a sigh. “That—” I began to whisper.

“Come with me, Brian.”

Shit, fuck! “Yes, ma’am.” I followed my mom into the large galley kitchen.

The scent of garlic and basil filled my senses, and I was slammed with the memories of my youth. I loved my mom’s cooking. I also inherited her cooking genes, which was a good thing. We, as prey shifters, were vegetarians, and my mom knew how to make vegetables taste amazing.

“How have things been going? Yesterday you didn’t sound well.” My mother asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I settled beside her and stirred the spinach and rice dish she was making. “I’m fine, ma, between school and work. I’ve just been swamped.”

She nodded. “And everything’s okay between you and Randy?”

“It’s... It’s fine,” I replied.

“I want you to be happy, Brian. Your tone is worrying me. If something’s going on, I want to help.”

“I know. It’s just a little rough patch. Randy and I will work things out.” I bumped her shoulder. “Hey, maybe I’ll meet my fated mate, and everything will work out.”

She laughed. “It’s been a long time since any of us met our fated ones. Who knows if they’re real?”

“They’re real, Mom. Owen met his fated mate.”

“What!”

“Are you for real?”

“Seriously?” Olivia, Lucas, and my dad burst into the room.

“You didn’t tell me they bonded? Your nana was quite cryptic about it, saying that if they were truly fated mates, they would discover the way to bond themselves. I assumed, since you never brought it up again, that they hadn’t, and it was just a false alarm,” my dad said.

I looked back at my dad’s gray eyes. He was in his late fifties and was an older version of Lucas. I only wished I looked half as good when I reached his age. But it wasn't just his appearance that impressed me. My dad had always been my role model, someone I looked up to for guidance and inspiration. From his work ethic to his compassion for others, he embodied all the traits I hoped to possess one day.

“Owen and Hayden figured out how to bond. They wouldn’t tell me how, but I knew when I was around them about their connection. It was like my rabbit could sense it,” I explained.

---