Page 78 of Knot Her Beta

The corner of his mouth lifts. “With a pizza oven.”

I stare at the cooling pizzas, the steam still rising in thin curls, and try to picture it. A cabin on the island. Morning light through pine trees. Leif’s and Grady’s bookshelves lining a wall. Grady at a desk by a window, his cane propped beside him, writing whatever he desires.

A home we could all live in.

“Yeah,” I say. “I want one.”

Jared’s grin splits wide. “Good. Because living here with a pup means either the pup gets the guest room or Grady and Leif fight for who gets to sleep on the couch in the office, which isn’t long enough for Leif or supportive enough for Grady’s knee.”

I snort. “There are bears on Misty Pines, you know. Leif said so.”

“Shut up about the bears.” He pulls me flush to his chest, his growl rumbling through me where we’re pressed together, and his mouth finds mine again, his hand cradling the back of my head.

I kiss him back, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, and for a moment, the cottage doesn’t feel too small at all.

Then someone knocks on the door.

Jared pulls back, his lips still curved in a smile. “That’s them.”

“I’ll finish getting these ready.” I gesture at the cooling racks. “Go let them in before it starts raining again.”

Jared drops a quick kiss on my forehead and disappears from the kitchen. The front door opens, and Jared’s greeting carries back to me, warm and welcoming.

“Welcome back, Grady. We missed you.”

His murmured response comes too softly for me to hear.

I turn to the refrigerator and pull the door open. Cold air washes over me as I reach for the bottle of white wine on the top shelf that I put in to chill the moment Grady sent his flight itinerary. The glass cools my palm as I pour, the liquid pale gold in the kitchen light.

Boots sound on the hardwood, accompanied by the familiar tap of a cane.

I turn, glass in hand, as Grady steps into the kitchen.

He appears tired. Rumpled from the flight.

I extend the glass. “I’m glad you made it home.”

Grady accepts the wine and sets it on the counter without drinking it.

“Did you mean it?” he asks.

I don’t need to ask what he means. “Every word.”

Jared and Leif’s voices stay in the living room, giving us space, and the oven ticks softly.

Grady searches my eyes. “Do you still mean it? Now?”

“Yes.” I step forward. “I want you, Grady Garfield Finch. Romantically. In my pack, by my side.”

He reaches for my hand, and with a gentle tug, he draws me down.

His mouth is warm and soft beneath mine, and his beard tickles my chin. His hand cups the side of my face, thumb tracing the line of my cheekbone with a tenderness that steals my breath. I kiss him back, trying to convey through our lips how much I’ve missed him.

When we break apart, his forehead rests against mine, his breath warm on my lips.

I wait, breathless.

“I’m here to stay,” he says.