Page 143 of Believe it or Knot

Liam is the first to speak, his lemon blueberry cheesecake flooding the space. “You,” he swallows thickly. “You love me? Us. You love us, Sorrel?”

My brow furrows and I look between the three of them, uncertainly. Gray brushes his thumb over my brow, easing the wrinkles there, smoothing them out. “Even after what we did to you, sweet thing?”

I look away from him, down to the tips of his polished dress shoes. “It wouldn’t have hurt so much if I didn’t,” I mutter. Gage squeezes my hand. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, maybe I shouldn’t have told them I love them the first time like this. Maybe I should have waited until everything is settled between us, until things are back to being good.

But the words are out there now. I’m not going to unsay them or backtrack.

Gray’s hand falls away from my face as Rafe uses his to tip my chin up, forcing me to meet his brown eyes. “I love you too, conejita,” he says firmly, sincerely. “I know it might not seem like it after what we did, how we treated you. But I do. So fucking much. Please believe me.”

My mouth parts and I think he expects me to say something sweet back, but what comes out is, “I believe you. Love doesn’t magically negate stupidity.”

He winces. “Ouch.”

“Our girl is not pulling her punches today,” Liam says with a smirk on his face. “That’s okay, though, lovely. We can take it.”

“We can take anything you want to dish out, so long as you stay within three feet of us,” Gray says, a chuckle lacing his words.

I roll my eyes even as warmth infuses my body. They must be able to sense it. My softening toward them, my forgiveness hovering right there, ready for them to take. I want to give it to them. I do. I want to be with them, to be happy. I’m just…

“I’m scared,” I admit. “I’m scared you’ll change your mind again. We’ll be bonded and I’ll feel it. I’ll feel every fucking moment you don’t want me.”

Gage makes a choked sound and turns me to face him, his big hand coming up to cup my cheek. “Sorrel Forbes, I have wanted you since before I even knew what wanting was. I have loved you for years. There is no world that exists where I stop wanting you. You are mine. Always.”

I stare up at him, reading sincerity in his dark blue eyes and love and hope. Devotion.

So much that I’m momentarily overcome. I don’t deserve him looking at me like that…

Half his mouth quirks up. “Stop it, biscuit,” he murmurs softly. “Stop doubting your worth.”

“Nasty habit,” Liam says, dropping a kiss to my shoulder.

“One we’ll have to break you of,” Gray adds, lifting my hand to press a kiss to my wrist before he takes a deep inhale of my skin.

“Hmm, what do you think, conejita? If we spank you enough while showering you with compliments, telling you what a good girl you are, will you eventually believe it?”

I look over at Rafe, brows arched and turned on beyond all reason by that suggestion. “I guess we’ll have to try it and find out.” Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I shake my head. “But not today. Today I want…”

“What do you want, lovely?”

I tip my head back to meet Gage’s eyes. “Today, I want Gage to claim me.”

Track 35: Beautiful Things

Her soft admission is like a balm to my heart. To the part of me that has been struggling to make her mine for the better part of ten years.

I can’t fucking believe this is happening. After all this time, I’m going to claim my girl. The other half of my soul. I’ll be able to feel her in my heart, to read her emotions, to have a better understanding of what she’s thinking. But more than that, I’ll finally feel at home. At peace.

Sorrel’s always been a point of calm for me, the only thing that can soothe my alpha beyond compare. And now I’ll have her with me always.

Still, I have to make sure. I understand her reluctance with the Cordova Pack. The last thing I want is to claim her and then feel her regret when she realizes this isn’t what she wants.

She looks up at me with those gorgeous eyes of hers as I cup her cheek. “You’re sure this is what you want?” I ask, thumb stroking over her soft skin.

She gives me a small smile and nods. “Remember when I told this is what I’ve always wanted with you? It was the truth. I’m sure, Gage. I want you to make me yours.”

A relieved breath whooshes out of me as my forehead drops to hers, my hand sliding to her lower back to pull her closer to me.

“You’re already mine, biscuit. This is just makes it official. Makes it so everyone else knows it, too.”

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