“Harley, honey, you haven’t called me.” My mother’s soft voice made me sigh. She’d always been a good mom, the type who doted on her children every chance she got, but she never quite understood me and my quietness. My family were loud people, the kind who always domineered whatever room they occupied. Not me. I was different.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy.” I checked the time on the phone—7:00 a.m., too early to be talking to my mother.
“You do remember it’s Dylan’s birthday next weekend, right? You promised you’d come to the family dinner.”
Fuck, I hadn’t remembered. I’d been so busy at work that it had completely slipped my mind. Sighing, I flopped back on the bed. “I forgot. Sorry.”
“You’re still coming, right? Your brothers haven’t seen you in months.” Mom’s sad voice made my chest twinge in guilt. My family were good people, they just never understood me. The only person I couldn’t bring myself to like was Dylan’s wife. As far as I was concerned, she could be on fire and I still wouldn’t piss on her. Her rudeness toward our family, as though we weren’t good enough for her, always pissed me off.
“I’ll be there,” I mumbled, squeezing my eyes shut.
“You could bring a date?” She sounded so hopeful that I nearly laughed. She had no idea the kind of kink I was into, and I imagined what she’d say if I came as a cat, with Brad as my owner. No, terrible idea. My parents were more than accepting of me being gay, but I doubted they’d understand the play.
Would Brad say yes if I asked him to come with me? Maybe it was too early to ask him to meet my family. Mom and Dad never liked Barton, always said he wasn’t my forever. I was scared to know what they’d think about Brad. I liked him way too much already.
“Maybe.” I grunted and forced myself to sit up again. “I have to go. Lots to do. I’ll be there, okay?”
Mom sighed and made kissy noises at me. “Love you, baby boy.”
I hated when she called me that, but not even the devil could make her change. “Love you too, Mom. Bye.”
I ended the call and stood, stretching. Walking out of the bedroom, I frowned around the top floor. The shower wasn’t on, which meant Brad wasn’t in the bathroom, and Kwan’s door was open, which meant he was out and about. Thoughts of what they could be doing made jealousy burn hot inside me, and I went back into the bedroom to get some clothes. There was no use in rushing this. Whatever I saw, I needed to be prepared for it.
I showered then got dressed in a pair of loose shorts and T-shirt before I forced myself to go downstairs. I walked along the hallway and toward the kitchen where I heard laughter. The green-eyed monster made his appearance, and the heat I felt earlier was nothing compared to now. I wanted to rip Kwan’s head off.
Taking a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders and stalked into the kitchen. Both Brad and Kwan were standing beside the stove. The damn dog was too close to Brad for my liking, his hand on Brad’s shoulder as he leaned over whatever was cooking on the stovetop.
“That smells so good, Sir.”
Sir? Anger twisted in my gut and I exhaled, too loudly, apparently, because both of them turned to me. Brad was grinning, wide and happy, and Kwan looked excited, his black hair a wet mess on his head.
“Hi, Harley!” Kwan greeted with an eager voice.
“Good morning, Harley cat.” Brad passed the spatula to Kwan and headed toward me, curling his arms around my waist and dragging me against his chest. He kissed me on the forehead before he frowned at me, like he finally noticed how stiff I was. He looked gorgeous this morning in long, red pajama pants and a gray T-shirt. His dark hair was a mess, the typical bedhead he always had in the mornings after he woke up. “Is everything okay?”
I gritted my teeth and glanced over his shoulder at Kwan’s innocent gaze and wide smile. He was gorgeous too, and I hated that the most. He wanted an owner, Brad was one, and Kwan was a fucking dog. Brad liked dogs.
“I’m fine.” I stepped out of his arms and wrapped my own around myself, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
“You’re not fine, Harley cat.” Brad went to touch me, but I cringed away from him. I hated the jealousy that bubbled inside me, like a festering sore that was about to explode. Why couldn’t I trust Brad? Because trusting people was hard. They only ever wanted to hurt you.
“I….” I stepped back and licked my dry lips. I didn’t know what to say to him, especially after I promised him I wouldn’t run away again.
“Do you want breakfast?” Brad gestured to the stove where Kwan picked up the pan and showed me the pancake bubbling and cooking there.
“We’ve got syrup, jam, and whipped cream to slather on top,” Kwan said with a happy grin. “I didn’t even think about all the stuff you could put on pancakes. Brad just has it all here.”
I marveled at how quickly he’d taken to this place, made it his home. Was that his plan from the start? A meow startled me and I glanced down at my feet where Penny wound herself around my legs, obviously hungry.
“Don’t fall for her tricks, I already fed her.” Brad laughed and crouched, and she went running to him, purring madly. I knew how she felt, which is why this scene hurt way more than it should have. I should be the one making breakfast with Brad, not this mutt. But it’d only been a little over a week, barely enough time to get his side of the bed warm.
“Brad, can I talk to you?” I asked, gesturing in the direction of the den. How did I go from thinking about asking him to my brother’s birthday party to contemplating ending this now before I really got hurt? It was stupid. I needed to talk to him, voice my concerns.
“We’re just finishing up breakfast, kitty. Can we talk after?” Brad smiled and his handsomeness made my chest squeeze tightly around my heart. He was so perfect. The best owner any pet could ask for.
I promised him I wouldn’t run, and I kept my promises. This could wait until after breakfast. I nodded and leaned down to pick up Penny. I bopped a kiss on her head before I cuddled her against me.
Brad frowned at me in concern, but I ignored him as I walked through the kitchen and toward the dining room. I set Penny on the floor after another kiss before I took a seat at the table. Kwan came bouncing in with two plates in his hands and set one down in front of me. He patted me on the shoulder before taking the chair next to me, and started blabbing about something I neither cared about nor was interested in.
