Page 81 of Believe it or Knot

“I was in college, a sophomore, when my parents had their accident. The roads up in Kilrose are windy and they can become very dangerous in the winter with heavy rain and then snowfall. My dad mut have lost control of the car or… I have no idea what happened, but they went over the embankment, their car rolled for a hundred feet or more and then hit a tree. My father… he was gone by the time anyone came to help.” Liam laces his fingers with mine and snuggles into my side while Rafe drapes an arm around my shoulders to pull me to his chest.

I stare at the place where Liam and I are tangled together, palms pressing. “My mother was medevac’d to the hospital in Granton. And I… I was living here at the time, so I rushed there when the police called me. She was on life support, barely holding on. She looked so… broken, you know? Not like my mother at all. She was strong and funny and could make anyone laugh with just a few words and she… God, she didn’t have any of that anymore.”

Gray shifts closer, until his knees press into mine and he can cup my cheek, swiping his thumb over my cheek to catch the tears that have spilled down it.

“I sat there and held her hand until she woke up. I thought she was going to be okay, because the doctors said if she woke up, it would improve her chance of survival dramatically. She clutched my hand and made me promise…” I choke on the words that need to come out, because I know they’ll be tinged with bitter resentment, proving just how ungrateful I am, how selfish.

“What did she ask of you, conejita?” Rafe murmurs gently, sounding like he already knows the answer, but he wants me to say it.

“She made me promise that I’d take care of the restaurant, her and my father’s dream. That I wouldn’t let it fail. I told her we’d do it together, make sure it thrived together. But she-she…. told me I’d have to do it alone.” The last word comes out as a sob and my words cut off.

That was enough, wasn’t it? I don’t need to tell them how I promised I’d do it alone, that I’d give up my dream for hers. I don’t have to tell them I held her hand until she died, cried oceans of tears with my forehead pressed to her knuckles.

Or that the very next day I withdrew from my classes, packed up my dorm room and returned home.

“Oh, sweet thing.” Gray’s hands slide up and down my thighs in a gentle massage. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone.”

I bite back another sob and take a deep breath, mastering my emotions. After so many years, I’m a pro at this. I swallow down my guilt and resentment, my anger and my grief, and force a smile to my mouth. “It’s okay,” I say, wiping at my cheeks. “I’m fine.”

“No, you aren’t,” Liam says softly, squeezing my fingers and nuzzling into my neck. “But you will be. We’ll make sure of it. It’s what packs do. You just have to let us.”

“You know, with us as your pack, there’s no way The Shack would fail,” Gray says, still sweeping his warm palms up and down my thighs. “We’d make sure it has everything it needs to thrive.”

“And you could focus on your dreams,” Rafe adds, kissing my temple. “Go back to school, finish your degree. We’d cover all of it.”

It sounds nice. So freaking nice, but my stomach cramps at the idea. “I don’t want you to think I’m only with you for the money. For the things you can give me.”

The words fall out of my mouth in a rush and I wish I could call them back, but I can’t. “I prefer if you never spent any money on me at all.”

Liam snorts. “Tough shit, lovely. We have money. We like spending it on people we care about. If you join our pack, our money becomes your money.” He says it like it’s just a simple fact. Like there’s no big deal about handing over billions of dollars to someone they’ve only known for a few weeks. “You’re going to have to get used to the idea of letting someone else help you, take care of you.”

Gray nods. “Even if you don’t agree now, Sorrel, we’re not going anywhere. We’re in this for the long haul. Eventually, we’ll wear you down and you’ll say yes.”

My nose wrinkles. “Wear you down. Have there ever been three more romantic words?”

They chuckle and I do too. The truth of the matter is. They are wearing me down, right now in this moment. I’m tired of struggling by myself, tired of doing everything alone, of just making ends meet. Hell, I’m tired of being alone.

And being with them, this perfect pack that makes my heart soar and my soul sing and my body ache in the best way? That’s a dream come true.

My heart thunders in my chest, my hands suddenly damp with nervous sweat. “Okay,” I whisper, too quiet, really.

“What was that, lovely?”

I lift my eyes and lick my lips. “I said, okay.”

“And by ‘okay’ you mean?” Rafe pushes.

I roll my eyes even as my lips twitch into a smile. “Yes. I mean, yes. I’ll join your pack.”

There’s a breathless moment of them waiting, like they’re expecting me to take it back or something. But I don’t. I’m not going to. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I know without a doubt this was the right choice.

All the uncertainty and fear slipped off my shoulders with just a few uttered words. It is glorious.

Gray cups my cheeks, making me meet his eyes. “You’re sure?”

I nod as best as I can. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Liam lets out a whoop of pure joy and pushes Gray out of the way so he can press his mouth to mine. I’m smiling as he does, and he’s smiling too. Laughing and kissing. It’s… so perfect.

---