“I know.” And I did. I still didn’t like it.
Jack moved me so I sat beside him. Liam squeezed in next to me, though there was definitelynotenough room for four of us on the couch, and I ended half sprawled on them while Dylan sat in front of me on the coffee table.
“On the one hand, it’s good timing that the second part of our tour lines up with your shoot,” Liam said. “On the other hand?—”
“It sucks?” I asked. “Because it kind of sucks.”
“It does,” Dylan nodded. “Yes. But there is something that will make it suck a little less.”
I frowned. “What?”
Jack leaned in and brushed my ear with his lips. “I love you.”
My stomach dropped into free fall, tumbling into nothing. It was exhilarating and terrifying and… I looked at him. A second later he kissed me, not stopping until I needed air to live.
“I’ve been holding that back for too long, princess. We all have.”
Liam tugged me back into him. “He’s right. I love you. I know you’re mine, and like hell am I waiting any longer for you to know it.”
Dylan stood and pulled me to my feet. “I don’t have pretty words. But I love you.” His breath hitched, and he broke into a shaky laugh. “It’s all I can fucking think about.”
Tyler cleared his throat. “People say it feels like falling. I think for us it was crashing. Like when you crashed into me backstage.”
I laughed, though it was watery. “You didn’t fall in love with me backstage.”
“Maybe that’s true,” he said, “but it doesn’t feel that way. Because I can’t think of a time when I didn’t feelthis. You are my Omega, Eva May Williams. I don’t want to change. Ever. I love you.”
Tears flooded my eyes, and I tried to blink them away so I could still see their faces, but all that did was make them spill over.
“When we dropped you off at Aurelia’s the day after your heat, I said something to the guys.” Tyler turned me toward him. “We all agree, and we hope you say yes, because we do love you.”
“What is it?”
All four of them stood around me now. I loved being the center of them. Like I was the thing that drew us together and they were the walls that kept us safe.
“Bond with us,” Jack whispered.
Tyler wove our fingers together and squeezed my hand. “None of us want to walk away without being able to feel you. And we know that we still won’t be able to while we’re so far away, but we’ll know. We’ll be able to tell if you’re all right. Here.” He lifted our hands together and pressed my palm to his heart.
Bonding. Holy shit. Being able to feel what they felt and know if they were all right even if we weren’t together. Making this feeling permanent.
Yes.
“I love you,” I managed. “I do. And I want that. Yes.”
They all hugged me at the same time, surging forward and kissing whatever parts of me they could reach, and we collapsed into laughter.
The buzzer broke us apart. The food must have arrived downstairs. “I’ll grab it,” Liam said.
I flopped back onto the couch. “Are you guys opposed to a ceremony?”
“We’ll do whatever you want, baby. My only request is that wherever we do it, there’s somewhere private we can be together afterward. Because there’s no way I’m getting through a party having bitten you and not fucked you. It’s not going to happen.”
“I think we can manage that.” I paused. “My mother is going to have a field day. I’ll have to make sure whatever planner we get has enough confidence to tell her no.”
Jack walked to the kitchen door. “I’m sure Jasmine will be able to find you someone who takes no shit. Wine?”
“Yes, please. Anyone see my phone?”
