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“I knew.”
Kodi strained to hear what Lennon had said with how quiet he was. “Say again.”
Lennon pushed his cheek into Kodi’s palm that had gone slack. “I knew about the ADD. I spoke to Lane,”—his eyes pleaded for Kodi to understand—“because I wanted to find a way to keep working with you.”
“You did?” he coughed, his eyes watering. Popi had told him.
He knew.
He didn’t run away.
He stayed.
Each realization ran into the next, like a car crash. The last one upended him.
Does that mean he loves me?
Of course he does.
“Yes. You were frustrating me, but I loved working with you despite it, and I figured there had to be a reason. Then I spanked you because you were—”
“Being a dick?” Kodi’s lips tugged into a wide smile. “So when are you going to tell me you love me?”
Lennon shook his head and looked skyward. “Pushy much?” A bubbly giggle spoiled what he’d just said. “I love you,” he said in a completely serious voice. He came forward and pressed his tear swollen lips to Kodi’s. When he pulled away his gaze was searching.
“Tell me what was wrong last week? Why were you distant? I thought you were thinking of ways to break up with me.”
“Never. I thought it was what you were planning,” Kodi confessed while debating with himself over what more he could say about Laken.
In the meantime, Lennon gave him a hard stare. “The truth. I know that whatever the family issue was, it was with Laken. Ziggy and Frey know about it. You can trust me.”
He didn’t add the ‘if you love me’ part, but it was there. “Laken had a situation that was seriously fucked up. It got dealt with.” He wasn’t sure exactly what Dad had done, and Kodi had decided by the way Dad remained tight-lipped, it was best not to ask when it came with a haunted look that said the truth would hurt.
“Is Laken okay? Safe?”
That Lennon would ask showed the measure of who he was, and Kodi kissed him hard. “Yes. And Isley has given Laken something to smile about and us to tease him with.”
Lennon’s smile disappeared, and Kodi ran back over what he’d said to bring the uncertainty that Lennon didn’t hide. “What is it?”
“Isley went to your parents’ for dinner yesterday.”
Kodi frowned with indecision, feeling there was a trap, but not sure where or why. “Yes, and Bowie came on Saturday with Kari to tell my parents about their mating. But you know about that don’t you, after the cocktail evening on Friday.” He debated mentioning he’d swung by Saturday, then couldn’t find a reason not to tell Lennon. “I came by Saturday, but Wilder was just going into your building so—”
“So you didn’t stay because you don’t want anyone to know,” Lennon finished, sounding heartbroken.
“No… it wasn’t that.” Kodi’s fingers slipped around the back of Lennon’s neck, holding him gently in place so he couldn’t look away when he tried. “I wasn’t sure I’d be welcome. You were distracted, and now I know why. That was why you were distracted, right?”
“Yes. My brother said I smelled different, and I got some blood tests done, then stupidly googled what diseases could do that.” He sniffed, his nose wrinkling. “Don’t ever do that. Anyway, they rang me this morning and told me to come in for the results.”
The relief was immense, and it took a second to speak past his thudding heart. “I see. Well, Laken was the reason I canceled our plans. No other reason than that I needed to support him. I swear it.”
The pout was super fucking cute. “Are you saying you want people to know about us?”
Kodi’s head bob was decisive, his eyes holding nothing back, regardless of how his gut was a mass of fluttering nerves at what that meant. “I’ll take you home now if you want.”
How Popi and Dad would react to finding out about the pregnancy wasn’t hard to guess. Popi would be beside himself with happiness. Kodi saw daily how much he loved being a grandparent. As did Dad. Family was everything.
He looked down at Lennon’s belly. Inside it, his child was nestled and fuck wasn’t that mind-blowing. Kodi got it now.
