Page 103 of The Knotheads Next Door
"Everything," Theo says without hesitation. "Anything you're willing to give us. We want you to stay, Rowan. Not just for another month, not just temporarily. We want you with us, part of us, however that looks."
"Pack," Jasper says simply.
"Family," Wells adds.
"Home," Theo finishes softly.
Home. The word reverberates through me, touching places I've kept carefully guarded for years. Home isn't something I've ever really had—not in the deepest sense. I had a house growing up, had parents who loved me, but I always felt slightly out of place, slightly wrong, never quite fitting in. Even my own body was a mystery, a source of confusion rather than certainty.
But with these three...
"And if I say no?" I test them, needing to be sure. "If I decide this is too complicated, too messy, too much?"
"Then we let you go," Theo says, though the pain in his eyes at the very thought is evident.
"Because we love you enough to want you to be happy, even if it's not with us."
I take a single step forward, drawn by the sincerity in his words, by the emotion I can see in all their faces. But I still hesitate, years of self-protection warring with the desperate need to believe them.
"I never trusted omegas," Jasper says suddenly, his voice raw with honesty. "Not after my mother left. Not after Julia used me and walked away. I told myself they were all the same—driven by biology, by need, by whatever was convenient at the moment. But you—" His voice catches, and he swallows hard before continuing. "You're different. You made me different. Better. You made me want to trust again."
The naked vulnerability in his admission steals my breath. Jasper, who guards his emotions more fiercely than anyone I've ever met, is laying his heart bare. For me.
Theo steps closer, close enough that I can smell his sandalwood scent, can see the gold flecks in his eyes that appear only in certain light.
"I don't want a life where you're not in it," he says, his voice breaking slightly on the words. "I don't want to wake up and not see you at the breakfast table, grumpy until your coffee kicks in. I don't want to come home and not find you on the porch with Gerald, talking to him like he understands every word. I don't want to be without you, Rowan. None of us do."
My eyes burn with unshed tears, my resolve weakening with every word. But it's Wells who finally shatters my last defenses.
He steps forward, stopping just short of touching me. His expression, always so carefully controlled, is completely open now—hope and fear and determination all written plainly on his face.
"I was scared," he admits quietly. "Terrified, actually. My father lost himself when my mother left, and became a shell of a person. I swore I'd never let myself be that vulnerable, never need anyone that much. But I need you, Rowan. We all do. And I don't beg—" A ghost of a smile touches his lips. "But I'll beg for you."
The tears I've been fighting finally spill over, tracking hot down my cheeks. I want to believe them so badly. Want to trust this, trust them, trust myself. But fear still holds me back—the fear of being hurt, of being left, of loving and losing all over again.
"I'm scared," I whisper, finally giving voice to the emotion that's been driving me all along.
"I'm scared of how much I want this. Of how much I need you. All of you. I've spent my entire life telling myself I don't need anyone, that I'm fine on my own. And then you three just... broke through everything. And it terrifies me."
"It terrifies us too," Theo assures me, reaching out slowly, giving me time to pull away if I want to. When I don't, his fingers gently brush the tears from my cheek. "Love is scary. Especially when it's something this... unexpected. We're making this up as we go, Rowan. All of us."
"But we want to make it up with you," Wells adds. "Together."
"Pack," Jasper says again, the single word carrying the weight of everything he can't quite articulate.
I look between them—Theo with his gentle compassion, Wells with his careful attention to detail, Jasper with his gruff protectiveness. Three alphas who somehow balance each other perfectly. Three men who, against all odds, have carved out a space in my heart that I never intended to give anyone.
I think of Gerald, currently meowing indignantly from his carrier in my car. I think of the house, our house, with its creaky stairs and half-finished renovations and the way the light hits the kitchen in the morning. I think of mornings with Theo's pancakes, afternoons helping Jasper with repairs, evenings watching Wells work through festival logistics with meticulous care.
I think of five days of heat, of vulnerability and connection and belonging like I've never felt before.
I think of all the reasons to run, all the ways this could go wrong, all the risks of trusting not just one person but three with my heart, my future, my whole self.
And then I take another step forward. And another. Until I'm standing directly in front of Jasper, close enough to see the flicker of hope and uncertainty in his eyes.
"If I stay," I say, my voice steadier than I feel, "there has to be honesty. No more retreating behind walls when things get difficult. No more pretending feelings don't exist. No more running—from any of us."
"Agreed," Theo says immediately.
