I stop.
They’re talking. Low. Familiar. Gentle.
“I don’t want to crowd her,” Rowen says, steady as always.
“She hates pressure,” Ronan replies. “If we push too hard, she’ll fold in on herself like some emotional origami swan.”
“I just want her to know she doesn’t have to choose,” Emerson murmurs, and the sound of his voice hits something deep inside me. “Whatever she needs, we’ll give it. Even if that means going slow. Even if it hurts.”
God.
These boys.
They have no idea I’m standing here melting against the doorframe, falling in love with them all over again while eavesdropping like a complete menace.
I give a soft knock as I push the door open.
Three sets of eyes snap toward me.
Rowen’s eyebrows lift in surprise.
Ronan jolts so hard he nearly slides off the bed.
Emerson straightens, calm and alert, but his entire face softens into something that makes my knees threaten mutiny.
“Hi,” I breathe, lips pulling into a shy smile as I lift my hand in a nervous wave, like I didn’t rehearse every scenario of this exact moment on a nonstop loop.
They look stunned.
And endearing.
And somehow, impossibly… mine.
“Sorry to interrupt your top-secret boy meeting,” I say as I step farther into the room and shut the door behind me. “But I figured it was time I stopped running.”
“Berk,” Rowen breathes, slow and cautious, like he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he moves too fast.
“I’m ready,” I say before he can continue. “For this. You all. For all of it.”
Their expressions shift at once—relief flashing first, followed by awe, and something deeper simmering beneath it.
I inhale, straighten my shoulders, and let the truth settle on my tongue. “Since we’re being honest, I need to tell you what I’ve kept buried in my heart for far too long.”
Emerson tilts his head, quietly attentive. Ronan leans forward, eyes bright, like he already knows where I’m going.
“I’ve wanted you—every one of you—for longer than I can remember,” I confess, my heart pounding loud enough to echo. “It started small, innocent. Puppy love. But it grew with me. Shifted as I did. And now it’s… craving. Heat. This fire I can’t put out, and honestly?” I swallow. “I don’t want to.”
They go still. Completely. Like they’re not sure they’re allowed to breathe.
A breathless laugh escapes me, and I drop onto the edge of the bed beside Ronan. “It’s not a cute little crush anymore. It’s… borderline obsession. I think about you constantly. The way you laugh, the way you touch me, the way you look at me when you think I’m not paying attention.”
Emerson’s jaw tightens, like he’s holding himself together by sheer will. Rowen’s lips part, eyes searching mine for confirmation. Ronan’s grin blooms wide, full of warmth and something dangerously close to joy.
“I love you,” I say, and I look at each of them. “All three of you. And I’m not scared anymore.”
For a moment, no one moves.
Then everything happens at once.
