His mouth quirks up on one side. “I love you, too. And I love hearing you say it.”
He says those last words reluctantly, as if he’s worried about confessing as much, so I tighten my grip on his waist for a moment.
“I’ll tell you so every day,” I promise. “So you’ll never have to doubt it.”
He smiles for real then. “I’m looking forward to that.”
He kisses me, then turns quickly, sits at the table, and hauls me into his lap. I squeak in protest, and he squeezes me once more before allowing me to take my seat next to him. Troy and Sebastian join us at the table, bringing up some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as the rest of the grapes. I didn’t quite realize how much food I’d been making, but it’s a feast, and for a moment I worry I’ve overdone it. Then I see Troyheaping on eggs and sausages while already snacking on a waffle, and I realize that we might have to cook more.
“This is really good, Emma,” Sebastian tells me between bites. “I’ll need you to teach me your waffle recipe. They’re sochewy.”
Troy pours us all coffee and adds a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of cream to mine without asking, preparing a perfect cup for me. I stay very still, my hands squeezed under the table, and watch them chatting and enjoying their food. My throat tightens, my eyes prickling with tears. I blink fast, trying to keep it together because I don’t want them to see, but that doesn’t last long.
“What’s wrong?” Troy barks. He’s seated across from me, so of course he’s the first to notice. “Why are you crying?”
Carter drops his fork and wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me toward him, chair and all. “Emma. Talk to us.”
I take a paper towel and blot my tears, then blow my nose, angry with myself for ruining a perfect moment. “I’m sorry.”
Sebastian frowns at me. “For what?”
I shrug, staring down at my still-empty plate. “For being so weird. I just—I never thought I’d getthis. It’s everything I ever wanted.You’reeverything I ever wanted. It’s going to take a while for me to believe that it’s real.”
Troy is staring at me. “I will help in any way I can.”
The smile I give him is still a little wobbly. “Thank you.”
“And we’ll just keep doing this until it sinks in for you,” Sebastian adds.
Carter takes my chin and presses a hard kiss on my lips. “We’re real. And we’re not going anywhere. Remember what you told me earlier?”
I gaze up at him. “Yeah.”
“We’re here for you,” he says softly. “Whenever you need us.”
“Okay.” I sniffle but manage to keep myself from bawling. “That’s good to know.”
His grin is a little crooked when he releases me and motions at my empty plate. “You need to eat, sweetheart. You’ll need the energy.”
As Sebastian grabs my plate to fill it with waffles and fruit, I send Carter an incredulous look.
“I’ll need the energy?” I demand. “Again? I thought that once the full moon ends, we’ll—I don’t know, get a break?”
He just shakes his head and shovels eggs into his mouth as if to follow his own advice.
Troy reaches over and puts his large hand over mine. “We told you, Emma. You’re ours, and we’ll worship your body every night.”
Impossibly, my belly tightens with pleasure. I squeeze my legs together to hide my reaction, but if the low growls reverberating around the room are any indication, I have no more secrets from my mates.
I grin, tucking into my breakfast. “Okay. I can live with that.”
Epilogue
TROY
A year and a half later
My tie feels too tight, so I tug at it, running my finger under the collar of my shirt. Beside me, Sebastian is bouncing on the balls of his feet, whiffs of jittery anticipation rolling off him in waves.
