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Looking Levi in the eye, Rich voiced his worst fear. “He believes Levi forced you into something you aren’t comfortable with and he’s worried about your safety.” Turning his attention to Katy, he added, “Jonathan said that he tried to talk to you this afternoon but Connor—and I’m assuming this is him—” Rich motioned to the man standing rigidly next to Levi, “physically threatened him. He felt like he had no choice but to leave to protect Elsie.”
Katy’s laugh held no humour. Levi wanted to punch something—Jonathan preferably. It was so typical of Katy’s brother to twist the truth of what happened to suit his own agenda. “Jesus, I need another drink,” she huffed out and shook her head. “Mum, can you please help me make some tea.”
Katy’s dad sat in the middle of their three-seater couch, leaving only the recliner for him, Connor, and Katy to sit in. Levi hesitated, but Connor directed him into the seat. Levi perched on the edge, unable to relax into the chair, and Connor sat down behind him on the armrest, absently massaging Levi’s shoulders, keeping a constant connection between them. Levi needed it, needed him in the moment. He leaned into Connor’s touch, reaching out to squeeze his knee, to try and say with that simple touch, thank you—for knowing him, for falling in love with him, for being his best mate.
Carrying a tray of mugs filled with steaming tea, Katy set them on the coffee table, her mum following with sugar and milk. Katy stood beside Connor, the other man instantly wrapping his arm around her, his other one not leaving Levi. All the mugs were left untouched while Rich stared at them, his gaze hard, cold. Levi tried to ignore Rich’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t. They’d been solid. Actual mates. But apparently, a rumour was enough to destroy any friendship that’d grown over the years. Levi knew he wasn’t worthy of Katy—his girl was a shining light in a sky full of dull grey—but he’d tried his damnedest to be the best person he could be for her. He thought her father had seen that; it killed him knowing Rich’s opinion was so easily swayed.
“Katy, tell me what’s going on—” her father growled.
“Rich.” Andrea chastised her husband’s harsh tone. In a much softer one, she asked, “What’s going on, Katy? We’re worried about you. We’ve been waiting out here for hours with the worst thoughts possible going through our heads. Your brother scared us.”
Katy groaned. “He crossed a line today, Mum, and he can’t come back from it. I don’t wanna have anything to do with him again.”
“So tell us your side of the story,” Andrea pleaded. “It took us a good hour to calm your brother and Elsie down after they left Nick’s to get the story out of them. We tried calling you over and over. Then when you didn’t answer, we came over to see you for ourselves. We were just about to come to Nick’s. Your brother is convinced that you’re in danger.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, I’m not in danger.” Katy tossed her hands up in the air. “Come on, you two know Levi; he’d never hurt me.” She ran her fingers through Connor’s hair and smiled down at him. “And Connor wouldn’t either. I’m happy, we all are, and I’m not in any danger despite what Jonathan said.”
“That’s what victims of domestic violence say. You know that, don’t you?” Rich challenged.
“Watch your fucking mouth,” Connor snarled as both of he and Connor jumped up off the armchair. White-hot fury raged through Levi. Rich’s accusation was a strike below the belt. Levi had never laid a finger on Katy. He never would. Why would Rich say something like that now? Why, when Connor was sitting there, did he have to act like a dick when in truth, the man was good people?
“Thisis exactly what I mean.” Rich pointed at them, making Levi’s heart sink. Jonathan had poisoned Rich’s opinion of both of them. Levi could handle his own reputation being slandered, but not that of the beautiful man in front of him. Especially not before Rich and Andrea had even met Connor. “I say something you don’t like, and you both jump up, beat your chests and measure your dicks. What if it’s Katy who says something that makes you angry? You gonna threaten her like you’re threatening me?” Levi looked down, shame dousing the anger flooding through his veins. Sure, Rich was acting like a dick, but Levi was reacting in exactly the same way. And there was no denying that he was doing exactly what Rich had pointed out. When neither he nor Connor answered, Rich continued. “Are you a violent man, Connor? Are you someone who I can trust living in the same house as my daughter?”
“I don’t consider myself violent, Mr Daniels, but it depends what your definition is. Will I hurt someone for the sake of it or in anger? No, never. Have I killed before? Yes.” He nodded. “Under orders in the line of duty. Will I kill any bastard that hurt Levi or Katy, or tried to, even if it meant giving up my own life? Without hesitation. So I dunno, Mr Daniels. Am I a violent man? As for whether I can be trusted with your daughter, I’d say that’s a decision she needs to make.”
“I agree, Connor, and for the record, I don’t think that you’re a violent man.” Andrea answered for him, and Levi blew out a breath. “Nor you, Levi. Young and impulsive, yes, and protective too, but not violent. Question is then, why did Jonathan say Katy’s in danger?”
Levi scrubbed a hand over his face. He had to man up. He had to do a solid by Katy’s parents and let them hear the news from him, because Jonathan wouldn’t give him a second chance to fess up. He sat back down and clasped Katy’s hand, drawing strength from her rock-solid grip, her unwavering support. “I love Katy more than I can put into words. That hasn’t changed and it won’t. My life is pretty damn perfect with her, but there’s always been something missing. Until Connor came home, I didn’t realize it wasn’t something, but someone.Him. We’re together—”
“Lee, no. This isn’t only on you.” Katy turned to her parents and without a shred of hesitation, blurted out, “We’re all together. The three of us. I’m with Connor too. Jonathan walked in on Con and Lee and assumed they were cheating on me. Then when he found out I knew, he figured they were forcing me into it.” Katy shook her head. “But he was wrong. I love both of them.”
Shock rendered Rich speechless; Levi didn’t expect it to last long. He was waiting for the explosion, Vesuvius’s second coming—the eruption to end all others. But like a guppy, Rich opened his mouth and closed it again, then repeated the action. He ran his fingers through his hair and sat back on the couch, then after a moment, asked, his tone disbelieving, “You’re serious?” Levi nodded and winced when the other man shook his head. “How do you expect me to accept this? It isn’t right.”
“We’re not doing anything wrong, Dad.” Still holding his hand, Katy reached out for Connor’s and held tightly. Levi looked across at both of them, the three of them sharing a glance. It was one tiny moment in time, but Levi’s breath caught in his throat. He could see the love written on each of Connor and Katy’s faces and he reached out, touching Connor’s face before bringing Katy’s hand to his mouth and kissing her fingers. Her parents had to see that this was no whim—it was written all over their faces. All they had to do was look. “I love them and they love me.”
“Do you hear how naïve you sound, Katy?I love them and they love me.” Her father uttered sarcastically. He grimaced and stood, pacing the length of the couch. Tossing his hands up in the air, he shook his head and huffed out an exasperated breath.“There are so many things you haven’t considered. What are people going to think of you walking down the street with two men on your arm? Have you thought about how your business—everything you’ve worked for—could be destroyed? And what about you, Levi?” Rich motioned to him. “You might as well say goodbye to your job if this gets back to them. How will you explain to some kid why you’re with the two of them? What sort of role model will you be?” Rich was being realistic, stating things how he saw them. Levi had done the same thing, had thought through every one of the issues the other man had raised, but he couldn’t fight it anymore. He couldn’t hurt either of Katy or Connor by ignoring what was there between them. He wouldn’t.
“So what, Dad?” Katy huffed out a breath and pursed her lips. She was trying hard to keep a lid on her temper, but she was failing. Levi squeezed her hand in support. “We live our lives in misery because we’re denying a fundamental part of ourselves so we can fit into the little box society has made for us? No thanks. I’d rather be labelled a slut.” She raised her chin in the air defiantly. Pride at her defiance, and horror at the possibility of her being branded a slut by more than her brother and his wife warred within him.
“We were gonna keep it quiet,” Connor added softly. “We didn’t want to risk any blowback. So in public, I’m just their friend. It was stupid of us letting things get as far as they did at Nick’s.” He shook his head. “I screwed up.”
“We were both in that room, Con. This isn’t your fault.” Levi reached out and took his hand, squeezing it. Connor’s callused fingers, rough from playing his guitar, closed around Levi’s and he held onto him, that small connection between them enough to ground Levi.
“Mr Daniels,” Connor added. “I agree it’s unconventional, but it’s real. Whatever you think about Levi and I being together, we both love Katy. She’ll always be the most important person in the world to us.”
“I’m sorry you found out like this. I wish it’d happened differently.” Levi gave him a sympathetic smile. “It’s taken us months to come to terms with what’s happening between us, and it’s been thrust on you in one night after you’d already had a rough one.”
The room was quiet, Rich watching their interactions like a hawk and Andrea absently stirring her tea.
“Mum, you haven’t said anything.” Katy prompted quietly, her voice breaking on the last word.
Andrea put her mug on the coffee table carefully and took a moment before speaking. “I’m not particularly happy, but it’s not because the three of you are seeing each other. Well, it is, but you’re old enough to make your own choices. Iamupset because you didn’t trust me enough to tell me.” Andrea stood and waited for her husband to get up too. They were part way to the front door when Andrea added, “We deserved to know, even if you were keeping your relationship a secret from the rest of the world.” That parting shot was like a stab to his heart. Disappointing her parents wasn’t an option for Katy. She loved them dearly. Knowing she’d let them down, hurt them, would break Katy’s heart, and Levi ached for her.
She was in his arms the second they’d turned their backs again, curling into him and crying silently. Her body shook and her tears quickly dampened his shirt. He wanted to protect her, to save her heartbreak, but it was his stupid actions that had put Katy in that position in the first place. He should have locked the door.Why didn’t I?Was there some sick part of him that wanted to be caught?
Levi hadn’t realized he’d closed his eyes until Connor held them both close. He leaned into him, breathing him in. “Come to bed,” Connor murmured.
They stumbled into bed like that, wrapped around each other, holding tightly, moving together until they each came hard. Katy fell asleep quickly after that, but Levi lay awake in the darkness. He wasn’t sure whether Connor was staring into the night like him, or whether he’d found enough peace that he could rest, but the other man was quiet. He stayed like that, thinking about their future together and what it would mean for them if they did come out to the world. There’d been a lot of fanfare and speculation, and just as much criticism of Reef and Ford, but the dude was an international star. Levi wasn’t anywhere near as famous. But still….
