Page 17 of Edward’s Bunny

Hayden and Walter raced to my sides. They propped me up, uncaring about my naked body. I looked at Hayden, and my tears blurred my vision.

“Dad, what happened? What’s going on?”

“He rejected me,” I whispered.

Hayden stared at me and glanced at Walter, who shrugged. “Dad, who rejected you? Brian? What’s going on?”

I knew I wasn’t making sense, but how did I make sense of this? How did I reconcile the fact that the one made for me rejected me?

“Edward,” Walter said softly.

I turned my head to him. It’d been forever since he called me by my name. I must’ve looked awful for him to do so now.

“You never call me Edward,” I said.

Walter gave a sad smile. “It got through to you, though. What happened?”

I needed to tell them. They needed to know. With a deep breath, I opened up to them, admitting what I’d been holding back. “Brian is my fated mate,” I confessed, my voice cracking at the words.

“What?” Hayden exclaimed.

I laughed a sarcastic laugh. “Surprise! The person who said love was for suckers found his mate. Not to worry, he rejected me.” I scoffed. “He didn’t want an alpha asshole for a mate.”

“Dad. I….”

“It’s okay, Hayden. Fate’s a cruel mistress. She likes to joke.”

“Dad, no. I’m surprised that it’s Brian, but I’m happy you found your mate. I’m also shocked you're not freaked out about it being a guy. I mean, I went on a three-day bender when I found Owen. I mean, I was straight and in denial.”

I shook my head. “That’s not my problem. Even though I’ve only had female partners, I’ve always considered myself bi.” I sighed and rose to my feet. Hayden and Walter followed suit. I stared toward the house. “No, my problem isn’t that he’s a man. My problem is he doesn’t like predator shifters and is in a relationship. Maybe it’s for the best.”

“No!” Hayden and Walter yelled at the same time.

“Dad, one thing I learned when I found Owen was not to give up. You have to, at the very least, try. If you don’t, you’ll always regret it. You owe it to yourself and to Brian to see if there’s a chance for you both to be happy together.”

“But he doesn’t want it,” I protested.

“He doesn’t know what he wants,” Walter said.

Hayden nodded. “Brian’s scared and confused. He’s just reacting.”

“But he’s in a relationship.” I could understand what Hayden and Walter were saying about being scared and confused, hell I was scared and confused, but they couldn’t deny he was in a relationship.

“A rocky one,” Hayden replied.

I jerked my gaze to Hayden. “What do you mean? He told me he was in a loving relationship.”

Hayden shook his head. “Owen told me they’re having problems. Did you ever think that maybe that’s why fate brought you into his life now? It could be that he needs you most now.”

Was he really telling me the truth? Did Brian just say those things to push me away because he’s scared? My mind raced at what Hayden was saying. His words resonated deeply within me, and I knew he was right. I couldn’t allow Brian to slip through my fingers without trying to make things work.

I jerked a nod. My mind was made up. “I’m going to woo him.”

Walter clapped me on the back. “That’s the spirit, sir.”

Hayden laughed. “We’ll help anyway we can. I know Mike took Brian home with Owen. I’ll get Owen to talk to him, too. We’ve got your back. “

Hope blossomed within me. I had to make this work. Fate, I’m counting on your help.

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