Page 67 of Knot Your Business

Everyone dissolves into smaller conversations as the first round of food is brought out. Liz still seems on the verge of tears, but no one seems overly concerned, so I do my best to treat this like any other dinner event.

“All right,” Huntley says, just loud enough that the rest of the table quiets. “Let’s get to it.”

It’s like everyone was waiting for the phrase. Jasper grabs the bag I brought in from under his seat, pulling out two smaller wrapped presents and handing one to Rylan.

“We do a gift exchange at the end of every season,” Liz explains. Her voice doesn’t betray any of the tears, though her hands shake as she takes a small present from Zach. “We draw names at Christmas.”

Mason nods. “Gifts should be sweet and functional, though there’s always room for pranks. Huntley currently holds the title of Best Gifter.”

Huntley nods. “Damn right I do. Speaking of which, we got this for you.” She leans down and grabs a second present from under her seat, holding it out to me. “We wanted to make sure you felt welcomed since this time of year can be really overwhelming with us going on summer hiatus, especially with this being Liz’s last season with us.”

My hands tremble as I take the small package, though I can’t quite manage to keep the confusion off my face. Fuck, should I have gotten them something, too? I definitely should have. Why didn’t Rylan warn me? I’m sure my dads would have made sure I had enough to cover all of them even if Mom’s still got my trust locked down.

“No, don’t give me that look,” she says, shaking her head. “We all pooled together. It’s not a big deal.”

The package is small, fitting in the palm of my hands. It’s wrapped in a simple metallic blue paper that reflects the light with each small movement. It reminds me of the ocean, of all things. The table quiets as I slowly peel back the paper to reveal an unassuming jewelry box.

The necklace is small and simple where it sits cushioned against black velvet, a gold chain with a single pendant hanging from it. It’s a hollow heart made of small vines, four gemstones inside. I recognize my birthstone as well as Jasper’s. The other two must be for Rylan and Dominic.

A warmth spreads through my chest.

I blink away the tears that try to form. If Liz can keep it together, then goddamn it, so can I.

“Thank you,” I say, trying to get all the emotion into the small phrase. “It’s beautiful.”

Huntley nods, her gaze intense. Liz grins.

“You were right. Yellow gold is gorgeous against her skin.”

Rylan runs his hand down my arm. “You want to put it on? It’ll blend well with your other necklaces.”

The others start exchanging gifts as he helps set the hook, and I smooth my hair, messing with the heavy pendant as I adjust to its presence against my skin. Jasper’s laugh distracts me, and I focus on him. He holds up a large tote bag, the bottom and straps black while the main body a simple natural canvas. On the front, there’s a drawing of a cello made from a lemon, the word lemoncello next to it along with a social media handle.

Huntley smirks. “Looks like I’ve still got it.”

“Of course you do,” Mason jokes. “Where did you even find that?”

“An artist on Instagram. She posted it one night. I think it started as a joke, but I fell in love with it. It’s perfect for Jasper. So I reached out to her to see if she’d sell me a tote or the license to print my own. Totally worth the cost, by the way.”

Dominic smiles, just a quick curve of his lips, and my heart fucking stops. I shove the jealousy down until I can’t feel it, focusing on Rylan and Jasper’s warm bodies on either side of me.

“È perfetto, Huntley,” Dominic murmurs.

She smirks and nods. Before anyone else can say anything, the food comes, and we all grow quiet as we focus on eating. I see flashes of the other gifts, small items that seem to hold some kind of emotional sentiment, like the lemon cello joke.

I realize with a bit of a start that I actually understood the cello joke. That insidious voice in my head grows quieter, and the thought I’ve been twisting over all weekend doesn’t seem quite so wild to me anymore.

“Let’s go get drinks,” Rylan murmurs, leaning down until his lips brush the shell of my ear. What little bit that didn’t do to my body, his voice does, the baritone, raspy feel of it sending heat straight down my spine and making my core clench. Holy hell, praise the scientists who made scent blockers a thing. Jasper reaches across the table, grabbing something out of Huntley’s hands.

“But I already have one, and this is dinner, not a bar.” I’m not quite sure why I’m fighting. If he wants to disappear into the bathroom and knot me, it’s not like I’m going to say no. I wore the damn skirt for a reason, after all. And especially with Dominic on the other side of Jasper, a wall of heat and coiled, restrained anger just waiting to strike.

“Just say yes,” he says, chuckling.

When I nod, he stands from the table. “I realized I left Liz’s gift in the car. We’ll be right back.”

He holds out his hand and helps me stand. Jasper raises an eyebrow but doesn’t disagree.

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Liz says, but Rylan and Jasper both shake their heads.

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