Page 164 of Knot So Social

I pull back and clench my hands in my lap while I think. He doesn’t want to rely on me for money, and I respect that. He’s a gentle, hardworking man who does his best in everything.

“Do you feel up to ringing today’s clients to see if you still have work?” I ask.

He nods.

I sip my coffee, writing a mental list in my head. I teach personal finances for a living, not to mention managing my portfolios. We need to do a financial audit anyway to get a prenuptial in place.

Alessandro brightens, and I can tell he’s doing it for my sake. “You work from home, sì? Can I make you breakfast?”

“That would be nice, but can I have it in an hour?” I lift my coffee mug. “Let this settle first. It also gives me a chance to get a solid hour of focus time in.”

“Of course, cara mia. Whatever you need. Let me walk you to your office.”

I laugh and point. “But it’s right there.”

He arches his brows and offers me his arm.

I shake my head but lean on him as we pad past the kitchen counter and toward my home office. My heart warms with his care, but his pain bothers me. We’re a pack now. He doesn’t need to do everything by himself anymore.

“Oh.” Alessandro stops in the triangular walkway between the kitchen and my office. His gaze latches onto the weather charts framed on the wall. “Now I understand these,” he says, touching the frames gently. “Storms.”

“Yeah. Ones with lightning strikes.”

He turns and cups my face, kissing me gently on both cheeks. “I am sorry, Willow, but I must still show gratitude for your life.”

I snort softly, but no inner sting rises. He has a point, and I just can’t get mad at a man who's being grateful for my life.

“Okay.” He smiles and kisses my palm. “We have arrived at our destination. You go inside, and I’ll find something to cook that Jeremy would approve of.”

I chuckle softly.

The next hour spent at my desk is even more productive than usual. Instead of the occasional noises from the kitchen disturbing me, they motivate me to move through the tasks faster so I can join my alphas.

With speed, I approve the next batch of videos returned from my editor, including the start of my “overseas holiday” and place some buy trades for stocks I’ve been eyeing. I also find a draft template for a pre-cohabitation agreement so I know what kinds of questions to ask the guys and create a comprehensive list as for things we need to organize if they’re going to live here. With a bit of luck, the next family meeting won’t derail into sensuality.

Or maybe it won’t be so bad if it does.

When I leave my office, I’m armed with a folder and pen, feeling like a military general about to marshal her troops. The idea makes me giggle.

“Oh, there she is,” Jeremy crows as he spots me. He and the two guys gather around the dining table. “We were just debating whether we needed to send Mr Shares in to rescue you.”

I shake my head as he hooks one arm around my waist and drops a kiss in my lips.

Joel sits at the table, nursing a coffee, and when we make eye contact, he pats his knee. I pop onto his lap for another kiss.

“Good morning, Princess,” he says, voice still thick with sleep.

“Good morning, sleepy head.” When I tousle his short hair, he leans into my touch.

“What’s happening today?” he asks.

“Do you need to go to work?”

He eyes me with a look I can’t quite decipher. “Are you ordering me away?”

My heart skitters in my chest. Did he mean that sending him away stuff literally?

“Well, since we’re all here, I thought we could have a family meeting. A more serious one,” I add, cheeks heating.