Lars moved out to the living room, and my jaw dropped. It was fully furnished. A deep green velvet sectional filled the room, along with two floral armchairs, a large walnut coffee table, and a plush rug. Books filled the built-in shelves on either side of the fireplace—some old and sea-related, but also tons of my favorite romance books. My eyes flitted to the dining room, where a beautiful wooden table sat. Copper pots and pans hung from the ceiling rack in the kitchen. It looked like something out of a magazine.
I blinked. “What? How?”
Finn ran his hand through his hair, looking anxious. “When my grandparents died, we moved their things into storage. I had no idea this place was advertised as being furnished, and I’m so fucking sorry you’ve had to live for over a month without anything.” He lookedtruly devastated. “So we wanted to move their things back for you. They really belong here, anyway.”
A lump filled my throat, and I reached out my arms to him. Finn gathered me to his chest and sat down with me on the couch. I knew how personal these things were, how tied up in grief they could be, and it meant the world that he wanted them to be in my space.
“Are you sure?” I whispered. “It’s okay if you want to keep them for yourself.”
“I’m sure,” Finn murmured. “My grandma would smack me on the head for keeping her stuff in storage when a beautiful omega could enjoy them.” He swallowed hard. “She would have loved you. My grandpa, too.”
I thought about these two kind people who had taken in Finn and, later, Easton. Looking around the cottage now, how warm and cozy it felt, I could only imagine what it would have been like when it was filled with teenage boys and laughter.
“I wish I could have known them.”
He squeezed me tight to his side. “Me, too.”
Easton and Lars sat down beside us, the sectional easily big enough to hold all of us.
“So none of this is stuff you bought for me, right?” I asked. “Because you shouldn’t spend your money?—”
Easton placed his finger over my lips. “We will buy you whatever we want.” His expression was pure challenge, and I frowned. He traced his finger across the bow of my lip. “And we want to help you financially, too, if you need it.”
I met his gaze, and it felt like he was staring straight into my soul. I squirmed, feeling uncomfortable. Inadequate.
“I know what it’s like to not have money,” he continued. “It’s nothing to be ashamed about. Would you hold it against me, against us, if we were struggling?”
I took a deep breath. Of course I wouldn’t. But that deep-seated independent streak I’d been raised with was hard to shake. “I’m okay, really. I ended up with some credit card debt because of my medical bills, and I’ve been slow to pay it off. But I’m almostdone.”
“Give us the information and we’ll take care of it,” Lars said quickly.
I shook my head. “No, I’m honestly really close. I should be able to pay it off next month.” I’d been counting down the days on my calendar. After three years of payments, I was almost there.
Lars frowned, but he didn’t push it.
“Fine,” Finn said after a beat of silence, his sharp jaw tense as if the word cost him something to speak. “But youwilllet us spoil you, omega. I’m afraid you have no choice.”
I looked around at the gorgeous room. “But this is too much.”
“We didn’t buy new things. This is just the stuff from storage.” He wasn’t quite meeting my gaze, and I cocked an eyebrow, feeling suspicious.
“Let’s go check out the rest,” Lars said, getting up and pulling me up off the couch as if trying to distract me. “See if you want to change anything.”
I walked through the rest of the cottage in a trance-like state, struggling to believe this was truly my space. As the guys eagerly showed everything off, a tremendous sense ofhomewashed over me. It had nothing to do with the things and everything to do with what they represented—the tremendous love and care I felt from these three alphas.
I ran my fingers along the smooth top of the dining room table. It was a rich, dark brown with organic edges, like it was made of driftwood. The more I looked at it, the more I noticed how the knots and waves in the wood made it feel alive.
“I’ve never seen a table like this,” I said.
I glanced up and saw Easton looking off to the side, cheeks red. I blinked as a slow realization washed over me.
“Easton?” I stepped towards him until I was almost touching his chest. “Did you… did you make this?”
He cleared his throat. “Might have had the wood in the shop, and I just, you know”—He waved his hand in the air—“put it together.”
My perfume filled the room, bright and happy. “Youmade me a table.”
Easton finally turned to meet my gaze and gave me the slightest nod. My chest ballooned with happiness and tender affection for this exuberant alpha, who still had his anxieties about being good enough. I cupped his face, my thumb rubbing along the stubble on his jaw.
