Page 72 of Tying the Knot
“I feel the same,” I murmur. “I guess my main concern is the stick they will get for this. I’m notpure.”
It was always something my mother drummed into me. It’s why I was a virgin when Adam found me. I was too scared to be sexually active before then in case no one wanted me.
“Pah,” she spits out. “Whoever put that into your head is a fool. A bigoted fool.”
I don’t say that it was my mum. I don’t want to bad-mouth her in case we make up further down the line. I don’t want Amy to have a bad opinion of her.
“Maybe,” I mutter.
“You don’t have to worry about that at all. You are with men now, love. Realmen. They don’t care about your past, well, I mean in the sexual sense. Besides, you’re all way past the age where these things matter.”
I take that in and don’t take offence because I know she doesn’t mean it that way. She’s right. Elijah is forty. Why would he want to go and mate with a virgin half his age when he can haveme? If I had any doubts before, which I didn’t, I would say that it has made me see for sure that we belong together.
“It doesn't have to be something that you regret, you know, being with your previous pack. They made you who you are today. I know there are hurdles you still have to climb over, but you have the St. Clairs to help lift you over them.”
I take the steaming mug Amy hands me, feeling the warmth spread through my body. Deep down, I think I needed to hear that I didn't have to regret my past. That what’s done is done, and now it’s time to move forward.
“You should look at the positives. You are now free to live your life as you choose. And you can be with the someones who truly loves you for who you are. That's something to be thankful for.”
I smile gently, feeling Amy’s words wash over me. “It is. I’m so lucky I found them.”
“And they are lucky to have found you, love. Don’t ever forget that.”
She pats my hand and then takes a big gulp of scalding hot coffee. I snicker. Kaleb went after someone who is exactly like his mum. Like, not in a creepy way, but it shows me how much he admires her.
She gives me a quizzical look. I raise my mug to her and take just as big a gulp of mine, and she snorts with mirth.
“Oh my. I do like you a lot, Morgan.”
“I like you too, Amy. Thanks for saying all of that. It’s nice to hear it from someone who has lived it and who has no ulterior motive for me getting over it, you know?”
“I do,” she says sagely. “I am always here if you want to talk about anything.”
“Thanks. But right now, I want to hear about what Kaleb was like as a child. Do you have pictures?”
“Do I have pictures?” she exclaims, pulling her phone out. “I had them all scanned and downloaded to my cloud!”
I grin and lean in as she shows me a picture of a naked baby Kaleb in the bathtub, which seems to be the go-to pic for mums to show their son’s mates. I giggle, and soon, we’re howling with laughter as she goes through all of them one by one, telling me the story behind them.
ChapterForty-Five
Morgan
Later that night,the wind is howling around the corner house, making an eerie whistling sound past my bedroom windows. I’ve decided that someone is taking me into their bedroom later because I’m not sleeping down here on my own with these creepy noises. Inside, however, the atmosphere was altogether different. A cheery fire crackles and pops in the hearth, filling the room with a warm glow. The smell of pot roast that Amy insisted on making before she left permeates the air, mingling with the pleasant aroma of the burning embers.
The scene is one of domestic bliss, and it makes my heart so happy. We are all curled up in the sitting room, waiting for the slow cooker to ding and tell us that our food is ready. We are all starving, and the mouthwatering aroma is killing us. I glance around the sitting room again, marvelling at how cosy and lovely it is. In the centre of the room is an oversized, comfortable couch surrounded by four chairs. The four men of the house are seated in those chairs, each dressed in comfy sweats and tees, enjoying the warmth of the fire and peaceful atmosphere. I’m alone on the couch, but I’m okay with that for now. I’m stretched out under a blanket that the four men have rolled in or something because it smells like them. Even Dylan. His aftershave lingers on the soft fabric, which I bring to my nose and inhale deeply as the men laugh about something Dylan is regaling them with. I’ve told him he cannot change it now, not for anything. He is stuck with it because it’s his distinctive scent for me. If they ever discontinue it, I’ll be disappointed. Perhaps I should order in a batch and make sure we’ve got some for years to come. I switch off a little bit to sit back and contemplate this beautiful new adventure that I can see stretched out in years.
I’m at peace, enjoying the moment. I’m content with the knowledge that I’m safe and surrounded by real love.
I let my gaze wander to each of the men, lingering on them for a few seconds before moving on. They are all very different in looks and personality, yet they all have one thing in common: they all love me. I still can’t believe my luck. Every one of them is devoted to me, and each of them in his own way. Sometimes they bicker, but it’s always done in good fun and with love. I should thank Adam when Elijah finally lets me see him for being a criminal prick who got caught and made me realise who I was meant to be all along.
Gazing fondly at my four men, I smile slightly and snuggle deeper into the cushions.
Ding.
Never has a sound made four grown men move as quickly as they do then. Dylan grabs my hand on the way to the kitchen, dragging me up and alongside him.
I let go of Dylan and head straight for the slow cooker, lifting the lid and sticking my face over the aromatic steam that rises.
