Page 70 of Holly Jolly Heat
"Say it again," he breathed into my hair. "Please say it again."
"I'm in love with you," I said, my voice muffled against his shirt. "All of you. And it terrifies me but it's true and I can't keep fighting it."
"Good," Lucas said fiercely. "Don't fight it. Please don't fight it anymore."
Ro and Dex moved closer, surrounding us, until I was pressed between all three of them—Lucas in front, Ro's hand on my back, Dex's solid presence at my side.
Pack. This was pack.
"You're not alone in this," Ro said quietly. "We love you too, Michelle. Have loved you. Are loving you. Will keep loving you."
"Even though it's complicated?" I asked.
"Especially because it's complicated," Dex rumbled. "Nothing worth having is easy."
"But the professional ethics?—"
"We'll figure it out," Lucas said. "Together. Whatever it takes. Michelle, we told you we'd wait however long you needed. But if you're ready—if you're really ready—we're here."
"I don't know if I'm ready. But I can't keep running." I pulled back enough to see their faces. "Callie said something. She said I'm already falling and the question is what I want to catch me when I land. And the answer is you. All of you. Even though it scares me. Even though I don't know how to do this."
"Then we'll learn together," Ro said.
"One day at a time," Lucas added.
"One moment at a time," Dex finished.
I laughed, slightly hysterical. "You're all so patient. It's annoying."
"We're motivated," Lucas corrected. "You're worth being patient for."
"What if I mess this up?"
"Then we'll fix it together," Ro said simply. "That's what pack does."
Pack. The word didn't scare me anymore. It felt right. Like coming home after a long journey.
"I should make hot chocolate," I said. "For all of us. Since apparently we're having a three AM emotional breakthrough."
"Let me help," Lucas offered.
"Me too," Ro added.
"I'll get mugs," Dex said.
We moved around the kitchen together, preparing hot chocolate with the easy coordination of people who'd been doing this for years instead of days. Lucas heated milk while I mixed cocoa. Ro found the marshmallows. Dex set out mugs and cleaned up our mess as we made it.
It was domestic and perfect and everything I'd been afraid to want.
"My mom's going to be insufferable about this," I said as we settled at the kitchen table with steaming mugs. "She's been orchestrating situations to throw us together since you arrived."
"The ladder incident wasn't an accident?" Dex asked dryly.
"She has cameras on the backyard. She absolutely knew that ladder was unstable."
Lucas laughed. "Your mom is my hero."
"Your mom loves us," Ro said. "Your whole family does. They've been team pack since day one."
