Her cheeks pink instantly. She ducks her head.
She’s beautiful. She’s so fucking perfect.
And the thought lands in my chest, quiet and terrifying and certain.
I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her.
I slide a piece of toast onto a plate, butter melting in the heat, and glance at Norah. She’s poking at the eggs but not really eating, fingers tracing the edges of the plate like she’s waiting for permission to speak.
“Hey,” I say, softer this time. “You good?”
She looks up at me, eyes bright. “I’m… I don’t know. Just overwhelmed. Everything smells amazing, you guys did so much—” She trails off, eyes flicking between us.
Jude leans forward on his elbows, glasses slipping again. “We didn’t do much. Just made sure you didn’t have to lift a finger this morning.”
“You’re lying,” she says, voice teasing. “I know you didn’t do much, Ryker.”
“Hey!” I say, raising a hand, grinning. “I cooked eggs. I made you a whole breakfast. That’s more than some Alphas can claim.”
She laughs, full and giddy, and it hits me like sunlight. That laugh, the one that doesn’t hide behind sarcasm or caution—she hasn’t let us hear that in days. It’s contagious. I feel my chest loosen just a little.
“You’re prettiest when you laugh,” I say, laying my truth bare.
I’m hoping she catches the depth of what I just said. That I like making her laugh, that I want to be a part of why she keeps on laughing… for the rest of her life if she lets me.
She giggles again, biting her lip. “You’re ridiculous.”
She missed it, but judging by the look the other two men give me, they understand. In fact, I think they might feel the exact same way.
I slide the plate closer to her. “Eat something, or you’ll faint before you even see the stall we’re building.”
Her eyes widen, and she nearly drops the toast. “Wait, what stall?”
Jude grins, finally letting a little excitement break his usually careful expression. “We’ve got leftover wood from this project we were working on. Ryker and I can put it together today. You could have your own display ready by two. You’d actually be able to take part in the market.”
Her face goes from confused to incredulous to pure giddy in about three seconds. Her hands clap together softly. “Really? You’d do that for me?”
“We already decided,” I say, shrugging with mock-nonchalance. “We’re not going to make you haul flowers around with no stand. That’s silly.”
Her grin stretches, practically mischievous now, and she leans forward, kissing Jude on the cheek and then pressing one to my lips with a little squeak. Her fingers rest on my shoulders.
“You’re amazing,” she says. “All of you are.”
I can’t help the warmth blooming in my chest. “You’re welcome,” I murmur.
Dorian finally speaks. “Hey, could you drop me off in town later?” He’s quiet, but his gaze is fixed on her like it’s tethered there.
She grins at him, that soft, bright grin that lights up her whole face. “Of course.”
Jude chimes in with a smirk. “And you can keep my T-shirt,” he says, nodding at the one she’s wearing. “You’re gonna be in it for hours, anyway. I’ll see you at the stall soon, maybe when you’re set up and smiling like this again.”
She turns to him first, lips curving, and presses a quick kiss to his cheek. “You’d better be there,” she says playfully. Then she looks at Dorian, and before I even notice it, she’s leaning over to kiss him on the lips.
Then she looks at me. Her expression is pure sunshine, the kind that makes it impossible not to grin back.
“And you,” she says, pointing at me. She climbs onto the chair's edge like she’s about to launch herself across the table and presses her lips to mine.
I hold her for a beat longer than usual, because it feels easier, like everything I’ve been running from or toward over the last five days, wrapped into one person.
