Page 110 of Knot So Sweet
"I know. Let me anyway."
So I do. I let him feed me while Xaden keeps me steady and Liam hovers nearby, making sure I'm staying hydrated. It should feel infantilizing. Instead, it feels like love.
This is how they show it. Not with grand gestures or flowery words. With food and careful hands and making sure I'm taken care of.
By the time I've finished eating, my eyes are drooping again. The combination of food and safety and bond-satisfaction is pulling me under.
"Sleep," Liam says softly. "We've got you."
"But we need to talk about..." I stifle a yawn. "There's so much to figure out. Living arrangements and my work and..."
Xaden's already rearranging pillows, making me comfortable. "Later. Right now you need rest. Everything else can wait."
"Really?"
"Promise."
I drift off surrounded by pack, feeling the bonds pulse with contentment. Safe. Claimed. Theirs.
The second time I wake up, it's to the sound of voices. Low and serious, coming from somewhere near the kitchen.
"Can't keep living in separate places." That's Liam. "She needs stability. We all do."
"The pack house makes sense." Xaden's voice. "But it's our space. We need to make sure she wants it too."
"She'll want it." Garrick sounds certain. "Question is when. Do we push now or give her time?"
I should announce I'm awake. Should let them know I can hear every word. Instead, I lie still, listening.
"She's been living in the apartment above the bakery, which was always meant to be temporary. She needs to know this is permanent."
"She knows." That's Xaden again. "The bonds prove it. But knowing and believing are different things."
Silence falls. Then Garrick speaks, voice rough. "What if she decides permanent is too much? What if she wants to keep the apartment? Have her own space?"
"Then we'll figure it out," Liam says firmly. "This isn't about us deciding what's best for her. It's about asking what she wants and supporting that choice."
More silence. I can picture them standing there, three alphas trying to navigate how to be pack without being controlling. Trying to give me agency while also wanting to take care of me.
My heart feels too big for my chest.
I clear my throat and open my eyes. "You know I can hear you, right?"
Three heads whip toward the couch. Garrick looks guilty. Liam looks caught. Xaden just looks amused.
"How long have you been awake?" Garrick asks.
"Long enough to hear you trying to decide my future without me." I sit up carefully, and this time the movement doesn't hurt quite as much. "Which is sweet but also very alpha of you."
"We weren't deciding anything," Liam protests. "We were discussing options."
"To present to you," Xaden adds. "For you to choose from."
"Right. Because that's so much better." But I'm smiling as I say it. "Come here. All of you."
They move as one, settling around the couch. Garrick on the floor near my feet. Liam on the arm of the couch. Xaden beside me, close enough to touch.
"Here's what I want," I say, looking at each of them in turn. "And I'm only saying this once, so pay attention."
