Page 59 of Jonah


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“Why would we talk about your grandfather’s friend?” He was honestly stumped.

“Because it sounds like they were more than just friends. I remember meeting them as a kid, but it was just the two of them, not their third.” Graham clearly felt like he’d missed out on meeting another grandfather.

“Third?” His dad wasn’t following the conversation at all.

“The third member of their relationship.” Graham said it slowly. “It sounds like they were two alphas with an omega. I would have liked to have met him. Didn’t you ever wonder why he was around so much as a kid?”

Graham’s dad just blinked. “Uncle Richard was around a lot, but that’s…”

When his voice trailed off, Graham spoke up. “If we have children, I don’t want Russ or myself relegated to a footnote in history. They’re both equally important to me.”

We’d already spoken about the fact that we weren’t in a race to have kids, but it was still weird to hear him talk about the possibility. I’d never thought I wanted them at all, but it was so easy to see Russ teasing our kids and Graham running around trying to organize the chaos.

“You’re dating both of them?” Everything was finally coming together for his dad. “Seriously?”

I wasn’t sure if he was asking if Graham was serious about us or if he was being serious in general, but either way, it didn’t matter. Graham nodded. “Yes.”

Then he looked at Russ again. “We’ve been together since high school, but we didn’t say anything—”

“Because it’s shameful.” The woman who walked in had to be Graham’s mother, but I wasn’t prepared for her to look like a sweet schoolteacher.

It was a little unnerving.

Graham squeezed our hands, but otherwise looked calm as he focused on his father. “I asked you for a private conversation. Can you tell me why that was too much to ask?”

He blinked slowly. “She’s your mother.”

That wasn’t a good answer, but it seemed to be all he had.

“It’s my right to know what my children are doing.” She was so convinced she was correct that there was no hesitation in her. “This is absolutely shameful and I can’t believe you're bringing an omega into this…to drag an omega back to the Dark Times. I thought my children were better than that. And really, what does your family have to say about this?”

That seemed to be focused toward me, so I shrugged and decided to answer. “I don’t know. My family threw me out at eighteen when I didn’t meet their expectations of what an acceptable omega should want.”

Russ had clearly had enough. “That’s it. No more. We’ve done nothing illegal or immoral. We’re in a consensual, loving relationship and Jonah is with us because he loves us as much we love him. No one is taking away his rights or using him. And I won’t have you talking to Graham that way either.”

Graham had been sitting there quietly, not shocked at the turn things had taken. When he spoke, it was low but filled with determination. “You don’t get to approve or disapprove of my decisions or my relationships. You’re not protecting omegas with this type of behavior, you're controlling them. You’re bullying them and everyone around you so they do what you want. That’s not helping anyone.”

He turned back to his father. “All I asked was for a chance to talk to you in private and you couldn’t do that for me. Well, let’s see if you can do this. Keep her away from my family until she can be civil, and make sure my private life stays private. I won’t have her blasting my business to all of her activist friends or around the neighborhood to shame me into behaving. I will not let you ruin our lives.”

He glanced back and forth between us. “Let’s go. I’m not going to discuss this until she’s ready to see another side.”

We followed his lead as he rose, pausing as we reached the door so he could look at his father. “I’ve loved Russ since I was sixteen years old. I want you to think about everything you’ve missed because I knew I couldn’t tell you who I loved.”

Then he led us silently out the door.

Chapter 17

Graham

“I promise I’m fine. It’s just going to take me a while to process everything.” I’d said the same words, just in different combinations, for the last hour and I was starting to think I actually meant them.

Jonah curled into me, pressing my back against the kitchen counter. “You don’t look fine.”

Russ chuckled. “He’s trying to say you look like your dog died and we’re worried.”

I rolled my eyes. “It went better than I expected, honestly.”

Wrapping my arms around Jonah, I kissed his head. “I’m more worried about you than me. I didn’t mean to let them drag up old wounds. I didn’t know about your family.”