“You’re up,” he says, like he wasn’t expecting it. “How do you feel?”
“Alive,” I tell him, leaning into his touch. “Human.”
He leans down and kisses me, a slow, possessive press of lips. “Good.”
They sit me down and feed me. Fallon makes me scrambled eggs and toast, forcing me to eat bite after bite. Knox pours me a glass of orange juice and watches like a hawk as I drink it.
I watch them while I eat.
I watch Fallon wipe a counter I didn’t even know was dirty. I watch Knox check the lock on the door for the third time. I watch Eli refill my water glass before I even realize it’s empty.
For years, I was a ghost. I was moving through the world, trying not to be seen, trying not to be hurt.
I was surviving. Bending under the weight of Luke and the fear and the past.
But looking at them... the knot in my chest loosens. The fear is gone. The cage is open.
I’m not just surviving anymore. I’m living.
“Eli,” I say softly. “Knox. Fallon.”
They all look at me.
I set my fork down. My heart flutters nervously.
“I was scared,” I admit, staring at my hands on the table. “When I was with Luke. And after. I thought... I thought I was broken. That I couldn’t... that I wasn’t made for good things.”
“Don’t say that,” Knox says sharply.
“It’s true,” I insist. I look up, meeting their eyes. “But you healed me. You put me back together.”
I take a breath. This isn’t a rational thought. It’s a deep and primal ache in my chest that has nothing to do with logic.
“I want a baby,” I say.
The room goes so silent I can hear the fridge hum.
I rush on before they can speak. “Not just... not just a baby. Seeing Norah with Rosalie... it made me want that. But specifically with you. I want your child. I want to see Knox’s eyes on a little girl. I want to see Fallon teach a boy to cook. I want to see Eli read to a baby like he reads to me.”
Fallon drops his spatula. Knox stares at me, his eyes wide, his lips slightly parted. Eli looks like he’s been struck by lightning.
“You...” Fallon clears his throat. “You want to get pregnant?”
“I wantyourbaby,” I correct him. “I’m on the pill. Or I was. I haven’t taken it since... since before the heat. I’m ready. I’m healthy.”
“I...” Knox starts, his voice cracking. “The trust you give us... Amber.”
“I know it’s fast,” I say quickly. “I know it’s crazy. But I felt it. During the heat. When you were talking about... breeding me. It didn’t scare me. It felt right.”
“It’s not crazy,” Fallon says, a slow grin spreading across his face. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. Sunshine, let’s start practicing right now. I mean, as soon as you can walk again.”
“Not now, you idiot,” Knox growls, but there is no heat in it. He looks at me with a wonder that makes my eyes sting. “To have a child with you... to protect you, and a child... it’s everything.”
“Actually,” Eli says, tapping his chin, “it’s a distinct possibility that we already started.”
I blink. “What?”
“The heat,” he explains gently. “Biologically, a suppressed heat is... intense. Fertility peaks. And we were...” He glances at Knox, then back to me. “Relentless.”
