"I appreciate every bite so much more now," I said. "But I'm getting fat. The pants you got me originally are already too tight."
"You're not fat, you're still way too skinny. You need to get back to a proper size," he told me. "But even if you did put on some excess, or a lot of excess, it wouldn't matter. I love you for you, not because your body fits some crazy ass standard society says omegas need ot adhere to."
"In the center, we were told alphas wouldn't want us if we were overweight," I told him. "I used to work my way through those classes, wondering if that's what I did wrong. Maybe I'd gained a few pounds and that's why you all stopped wanting to sleep with me. Why Mace put me on suppressants. Maybe I just disgusted you all, like they told us."
"God, no!!" Finn threw himself across the food to wrap his arms around me, knocking me back onto the blanket. "Sweetheart, you are perfect as you are. Anything we did was because of us, not you. Our libidos dropped from all the stress. Aiden did some research and apparently that's a thing for men, not just women. We were so focused on the business, sex with you seemed like a distraction and taking a week for a heat was time we didn't want to spend away from the business."
"Are you sure you want me back?" I raised an eyebrow. "What if that happens again?"
"Well, now you're our boss and you can just tell us not to work." He winked at me. "But I think losing you made us realize what's really important in life. When you were gone, we had a big fucking hole in the middle of our lives. My heart missed you every day."
"I had no idea. I figured you were far happier without me." I pushed against him lightly so he would get off me and he moved back to sit on his side of the blanket.
"If you'd felt us through the bond, you would have known we were miserable as fuck."
"It hurt too much to feel you, so I just blocked the bond," I told him. "Sometimes it slipped, but when it did, I was feeling too intensely in the moment to notice anything in the bond."
"We felt those times." Finn shut his eyes for a second. "Pain, fear, those came through loud and clear, but only for short periods of time. The only reason we found you when you ran was because it was open for so long and you were so terrified. It was like a beacon."
"I'm glad you found me." I bit into my pickle, the sour salty flavor bursting on my tongue. "And on that note, let's enjoy this beautiful spot and this delicoius food and not talk about that crap right now."
"Agreed." Finn wrinkled his nose. "I can smell that pickle from here."
"Want some?"
"NO!" He grabbed a container of pasta salad and held it up. "I'm going to eat normal people food."
We ate and chatted about mundane things and then sat in silence, just soaking up the stunning view until the sun dropped behind the trees.
"Do you know how to get back in the dark?" I asked, a little worried that the sky was darkening so fast.
"I have a flashlight, but it's not hard. Just stick with me, baby."
We packed everything up and Finn carried it all while I manned the flashlight. It was spooky in the forest at night and it reminded me too much of running for my life. I was glad to emerge into the little clearing where the car was parked and climb safely inside.
"You're spooked by the dark? I never knew."
I shrugged as he turned the car and headed back down the narrow lane. "I wasn't before. I guess . . . things change."
"I'm glad you weren't when we were working all night." He gave me a worried glance. "Geo is with you all night, right?"
"Except when he sneaks off to talk to you guys." I laughed at Finn's worried face. "Don't worry, there's plenty of light in the room. And it's not the forest, which is terrifying at night."
Finn hummed and reached over to pat my leg. "I'm sorry, yet again. I wouldn't have brought you out here so late if I'd realized."
"It's okay." I leaned back in the seat and watched the trees go by. "It was a really nice date, Finn, thank you."
"Any time. I'll do the next one in the daylight, though."
Chapter 30
Trusting Again
Liora
The next couple of weeks, we settled into a routine. Geo had to be at work again, so the guys always made sure one person stayed home with me. They alternated days, so it was fair, even though I told them I could be left alone. In fact, sometimes, I just stayed shut up in my room the whole day, reading and watching videos on my phone.
Dr. Nova came by to check on me and was pleased with the weight I'd put on. "You're starting to look healthier, do you feel healthier?" she asked.
