Winning the Baker's Heart

Chapter 27

Kyle was pleasantly surprised to find out that Stewart was not only a decent guy, but he was also a dork. He did everything he could to embarrass his son while they ate lunch, but nothing really worked on Rey.

He tried to set him up with the waitress who was double his age, even older than Kyle. Then he tried to set Kyle up with the same woman. The waitress was kind and proudly showed her wedding ring of nearly fifteen years as she cooed over what an excellent relationship Stewart had with his son.

When he asked about Kyle's intentions and where he saw this potential relationship going, he was honest. He said he wanted to see where it went without anyone trying to put their views on the two of them. He knew the age gap was large, and Rey was younger than anyone he'd ever been interested in, but the younger man was also one of the few who truly understood his passions as a baker and artist.

Stewart listened intently to everything he had to say. Then he asked his son the same thing. Rey was honest as Kyle was. He didn't know how his feelings had come about, but he knew he had to see where they went. It was a different age now. Gay people were more socially accepted than they used to be even though there were still some people out in the world who were against it. Kyle didn't see him as a burden and always tried to help him.

As he spoke, Kyle realized he had never asked Rey how he truly felt. He always wanted him to say what he was thinking, but he'd never asked what he truly felt. Hearing him say he felt like he was a burden on everyone for being bipolar was like a slap in the face. Never once had he thought that. He may not always know how to deal with the outbursts that accompanied the mood swings, but he had never thought he was a burden. Seeing the way he hung his head as he spoke made his chest ache.

Before he could reach across the table and take his hand, Stewart beat him to it. He scruffed his head, messing up the already wild ponytail. Then he made him look up at him.

"I have never once thought you were a burden, Osprey," he said. His hand rubbed a frizzy patch in the top of his hair. "You're different, and that's okay, but you're not a burden."

He turned his green eyes to Kyle. The other man realized where Rey got his eyes from. They weren't the exact shade of green, but they were close. Stewart's eyes were almost hazel while Rey's were nearly emerald.

"Thank you for making him feel like he can be himself," he said. Kyle fidgeted in his seat at the compliment. "He's had a rough go of it since his diagnosis. I know that's part of the reason why he has a hard time keeping a meaningful relationship."

Kyle saw Rey's head dip a little at the comment. As much as he was fun-loving and artistic, there was a side to Rey that tended to lay on the broody side. It was a small wall he'd put up in case someone tried to hurt him. With Kyle, that wall seemed to collapse completely. Stewart knew what his son needed, and he could see that Kyle brought out other aspects in his life that he hadn't seen in a while.

"Stewart," Kyle said, "he's always been himself. I may not have known what to do with it all the time, but I have never asked him to tone it down or change. Why should I? I don't know what it's like to have all those thoughts and emotions running around my head to the point that I can't sleep. I'm not angry for no reason, and I don't try to hide what I'm feeling. I'm too old for it."

He leaned forward and folded his arms over the table. They weren't eating yet, so it wouldn't be considered rude. "But he's made me realize that everyone goes through different things at different times in their lives. Some of those things we can't do anything about. So why should I berate him for losing his temper when I knew nothing about what caused it? It does both of us no good for us both to be angry."

"One of these days that anger could turn on you," Stewart reminded. "One day everything will be okay, then the next you won't be able to reach him."

"Sir, nothing will frighten me more than the day he had his wreck and no one knew where he was for six hours. I can understand a manic episode where he's coming down from the high and sleeping. But the day of the wreck when I couldn't get a hold of him only to have Mia call me..."