Page 167 of Pack Plus One

“Before the bakery opening,” Mason adds.

“Before Eric showed his punchable face,” Jude contributes.

“Before everything,” Caleb finishes, his voice deep and sure.

My pulse quickens as they each push their box toward the center of the table, forming a perfect square. The boxes are identical—small, navy velvet cubes that could only contain one thing.

“Are those—” I begin, my voice catching.

Caleb reaches for my hand, his larger one enveloping mine completely.

“We wanted something meaningful,” Liam explains.

Mason nods. “Open them,” he suggests quietly.

With trembling fingers, I reach for the nearest box—Liam’s, I think—and lift the lid. Inside, nestled against dark velvet, lies a delicate gold chain with a small pendant shaped like a puzzle piece.

I open the next box—Mason’s—to find another chain with another puzzle piece, different in shape but clearly designed to connect with the first. Jude’s and Caleb’s boxes reveal the same: beautiful gold pendants, each one a distinct piece of a larger whole.

“They fit together,” I realize, lifting one to examine it more closely.

“Or they can be worn separately,” Mason explains. “Each one stands alone, but together...”

“Together they form something more complete,” Caleb finishes.

I stare at the four pendants, understanding dawning. “Like us.”

“Exactly like us,” Liam confirms, his smile gentle.

“We…” Jude starts, uncharacteristically serious. “We wanted you to know...”

“That we’re yours,” Caleb states simply. “Whether you choose to wear our mark or not.”

Tears well in my eyes, blurring the candlelight into golden streaks. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Mason assures me, reaching across the table to take my hand. His thumb brushes over my knuckles in a soothing pattern. “This isn’t a demand. It’s a promise.”

I look around at them—these four extraordinary men who have somehow become the center of my world. At Jude’s hopeful expression, Liam’s patient smile, Mason’s steady gaze, and Caleb’s intense focus.

As I’m about to reach for the pendants, they exchange another look. Caleb gives a slight nod, and suddenly all four of them rise from their chairs.

And then, in perfect synchronization that they must have practiced, they drop to one knee beside the table.

The entire restaurant falls silent. My heart seems to stop beating entirely.

“There’s one more thing,” Caleb says.

Mason produces a fifth box from his jacket pocket—larger than the others, covered in the same navy velvet. When he opens it, I actually gasp.

Inside lies the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen—a stunning oval diamond surrounded by smaller stones in a platinum setting that somehow manages to be both elegant and striking. The center stone catches the candlelight, throwing rainbow prisms across the tablecloth.

“Leah,” Liam begins.

“Our perfect, stubborn omega,” Jude continues.

“We’re asking you to be ours,” Mason says, “formally and completely.”

“Will you marry us?” Caleb finishes.

---