His grin goes soft. “Damn right I do.”
Ben and Elijah take their usual seats on either side of me. Milo brings their beers without asking, then slides a basket of fries in front of me with a wink.
“On the house. For my favorite customer.”
“I don’t pay anyway.”
“Exactly.” He leans across the bar again. “My favorite kind of customer.”
I eat the fries. They’re perfect—crispy and golden and exactly the right amount of salt. When I’m halfway through the basket, Milo catches my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing my knuckles.
“Payment received,” he says.
“That’s not enough for the whole basket.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to come back tomorrow.” His eyes are warm. “What a tragedy.”
Ben snorts. Elijah’s lips twitch.
This is my life now. Fries and kisses and alphas who look at me like I hung the moon, even when I’m huge and tired and covered in crumbs.
The door opens and Bea bursts in, River and Grayson and Seth trailing behind her. She spots me immediately and makes a beeline for our group.
“Tessa! Look at you!” She slides onto the stool next to Ben and steals one of my fries. “You’re glowing. Seriously. Pregnancy looks amazing on you.”
“Pregnancy looksexhaustingon me, but thanks.”
“Mom’s already planning the baby shower,” she tells Ben. “Garden party theme. She called me four times today about centerpieces.”
“She cried for three hours when we told her about the twins,” Ben says. “Dad had to hide her phone.”
“She’s excited.”
“She’sunhinged.” But he’s smiling.
Bea leans closer to me, dropping her voice. “Seriously, though. How are you feeling? Not just the pregnancy stuff. All of it.”
I consider the question. My back aches. My feet are swollen. I haven’t seen my toes in weeks, and I have to pee every twenty minutes.
But.
I’m sitting in a bar I love, in a town that raised me, surrounded by three alphas who would burn down the world for me. Their bond marks on my neck. Their babies in my belly. Their scents wrapped around me like armor.
Six months ago, I stood on a stage at a bachelor auction, terrified someone would outbid Ben for the men I couldn’t admit I wanted. Six months ago, I was drowning in spreadsheets and schedules, convinced I could plan my way out of needing anyone.
Then a blizzard hit. And they found me. And nothing went according to plan.
Thank god.
“Happy,” I tell Bea. “Really, genuinely happy.”
Through the bond, I feel all three of them respond—Ben’s bright satisfaction, Elijah’s steady warmth, Milo’s fierce tenderness. Their emotions layer over mine until I can’t tell where I end and they begin.
Pack.
Family.
Home.
