Page 115 of Knot So Sweet
"I'm really staying." I lean into his touch. "Forever, apparently. You're stuck with me."
"Good." He pulls me down for a kiss that's slow and thorough and makes my toes curl. "Because I'm not letting you go."
By the time we make it to the kitchen, Garrick's already gone. But there's fresh coffee waiting, and a note on the counter in his blocky handwriting:
Blueberry muffins in the oven. Eat breakfast. I'll see you at the bakery later. -G
"He's going to feed us to death," I observe, opening the oven to find six perfect muffins.
"That's his love language," Liam says, appearing in his scrubs. He's already dressed for work, hair still damp from the shower. "Better get used to it."
"I'm not complaining." I grab a muffin, breaking it open to release a cloud of steam. "Though I might need to start running if he keeps this up."
"I'll run with you," Xaden offers. "Been meaning to get back into it anyway."
We eat breakfast together, the three of us at the kitchen table, and it feels so normal. So domestic. Like we've been doing this for years instead of days.
Liam leaves first, pressing a kiss to my temple before heading out to open the clinic. Then Xaden, who has inventory to do at the restaurant. Which leaves me alone in the pack house for the first time.
I wander through the rooms, taking it all in. The living room with its massive fireplace and comfortable furniture. The kitchen with its professional-grade appliances and enough counter space to feed an army. The bedrooms. Three separate ones plus the main one we all share.
And everywhere, signs of them. Xaden's books on military strategy. Liam's medical journals. Garrick's collection of vintagebaking equipment. Their lives, woven together, making space for mine.
I end up at the window, looking out over the mountains. The same mountains I drove through six months ago, terrified and alone. The same peaks, the same trees, but everything is different now.
My phone buzzes. A text from Meredith:
Meredith: Heard you moved into the pack house. Town meeting tonight at 7. You should come. As a pack.
I stare at the message. Town meeting. Where everyone will see the bite marks. Where the questions will start. Where I'll have to face the reality of being openly bonded to three alphas in a small town where everyone knows everyone's business.
My phone buzzes again.
Meredith: Don't even think about hiding. We're all thrilled for you. Plus I won the betting pool and I'm buying everyone drinks.
Despite myself, I laugh. Of course Meredith bet on us. Of course she won.
I text back:
Me: We'll be there. But if anyone makes it weird, I'm leaving.
Meredith: Deal. Though I should warn you, Frank's already planning a toast.
Me: Of course he is.
I spend the day settling in. Unpacking the last of my things. Setting up my new writing space in the corner with the good light. Making small changes that turn the pack house from their space into ours.
By the time the guys start coming back, I've made progress. My laptop's open with a new article in progress. I've rearranged some furniture. I've even attempted to cook dinner, though "attempted" is a strong word for heating up leftovers.
"What's all this?" Garrick asks, taking in the changes.
"I'm nesting," I announce. "Apparently. Is that allowed? Can I move stuff?"
"It's your house too now. Move whatever you want," Xaden says.
"Really?"
"Really." Liam's already examining my work, nodding approvingly. "Though I'm moving my veterinarian journals back to my room. They don't need to be in the common area."
