Page 149 of Now Their Starlet

“A bondmate’s authority would supersede that of a parent’s, Sweet Tea,” Cameron says gently. “It would mean, if the judge is determined to continue your conservatorship until that original review date, that it would be transferred to one, or all, of us.”

“Oh,” she breathes, her lower lip wobbling.

“What’s going through your head,” Leo asks, his gaze sharp and assessing as he takes in her expression.

“I don’t—don’t want you guys making that sacrifice,” she whispers.

“Huh?” Beck says, his eyes going wide.

“Sacrifice?” Eli snorts, sounding only a little more articulate than Beck’s single-syllable response.

“This—this is a big commitment and I don’t—don’t want you making a choice that’s only reversible through—through crazy chemical processes that obviously have the possibility of going terribly wrong—” she gestures towards her father, lying unconscious in his hospital bed, “just for me. I can—can handle waiting until the next hearing, even if it’s—even if it’s with my mother.”

“No!” Cameron says, starting to pace. He runs a hand through his tight coils. “Thirty days in her custody nearly killed you, Sweet Tea. There’re fifty days until the next hearing. That’s almost two months.”

“Starlight,” Beck says, dropping to his knees. “I meant every word from the bottom of my heart. Please believe me. I want to be your bondmate and for you to be mine. I know the timeline is a little faster than we originally thought, but I won’t regret this decision for one second.”

Leo drops to a knee beside Andi next, blinking up at her.

“I know you find it difficult to believe what we’re saying, but your very presence is a blessing in each of our lives. You’ve changed our lives, you’ve changed us for the better.”

“What—what are you guys doing?” she whispers, clinging to my button-up shirt, her eyes wide as her gaze darts between the two of them.

Eli drops to a knee next.

“Please be ours, Princess. I think a part of me knew from the very moment I saw you falling into Beck’s arms that you’d be ours. You’d make us the luckiest fucking bastards in the world.”

I offer her waist a squeeze before letting her go and dropping to a knee in front of her. I consider myself the luckiest one, because I actually get to hold her hand as I look up at her.

My thumb traces over the ring finger of her left hand. We’ll have to get her a ring. I like the idea of Andi wearing anything and everything that shows our claim to her.

Maybe the rest of us should get rings too. I want to wear her claim proudly too.

“Honey, ever since you came into our lives, I knew you were special. Please give us the honor and privilege of accepting our commitment to watching you grow into the person you want to be.”

Cameron drops to a knee next, wiping his clammy hands against his jeans.

“Please, Sweet Tea, I know this must be so scary, but nothing has to change. We’ll just continue on existing as we are; you and I will continue working on projects together, you’ll continue to flourish in different ways with each of us. The only thing that will change is knowing that we’ll be together forever. But honestly... I known that you’re it for me. Maybe that’s why I’ve been so... hesitant. Because I know this is a big commitment and the last thing I want is to overwhelm you. Once I have you, I’ll never be able to let you go.”

“You guys are crazy,” she sniffles, wiping at her cheeks. She meets each our gazes. “Yes. You have my yes.”

CHAPTER 30

Andi

“Is there any way you can help us, Dr. Brennar?” I ask, my hands clasped in my lap.

All six of us have decided it was probably best for us to return home, because the last thing I want to do is bond my guys in a hospital waiting room, even if it’s private.

“I can certainly help you,” Dr. Brennar nods. “But... from the sounds of things, it seems like your medical history is something that the courts can call into question, correct?”

“Yeah,” I wince, turning to Everett, who nods, his lips pressed into a firm line. “Gina will throw a fit over anything, and I’m sure she’ll find some sort of issue with me inducing my heat and the timing of it all. It honestly feels unavoidable.”

“Not entirely...” Dr. Brennar’s lips quirk up as she turns her gaze towards Beck. “From what you guys have described to me, it seems you all want to bond, correct? Which means you need to induce your heat as well, right, Beckham?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” he nods.

“Well, as you probably know, male omega heats are still being researched. I could write you a prescription for the medication to jump-start your heat, and if there just so happens to be an extra dose in that prescription... well, they haven’t come up with strict official dosages yet. But it’s unlikely that your medical records would be subpoenaed, anyway.”