Page 106 of Knot a Good Idea

None of this is real.

But with the way Liam looks at me, his eyes bright and shining, I’m not sure how long I can keep lying to myself.

We drivethe rest of the way to the pack house, both of us unable to keep the smiles off our faces.

“Donovan and Hunter are out until later tonight,” Liam explains, almost giddy. “So, we have the house to ourselves.”

“Where are they?”

“They’re at the Axton office. They usually never use it this late, but I told them it wasn’t fair that they had all the extra time with you. Also, I bribed Hunter.”

“With what?”

“A special edition board game that’s out of production.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. I reached out to a collector. It worked out.” The smile doesn’t leave his face.

“You didn’t have to do all that, Liam.” But my face flushes, and I can’t help but feel honored.

He scoffs and places his hand on my knee, his finger gently rubbing it. “You’re worth all of it. Time with you is priceless.”

I shake my head, unable to believe him.

When we pull up at the packhouse, I realize I forgot how big it is.

I haven’t even explored every room yet. I’ve been in their game room, their home theater, but never their offices.

Nor have I been in Liam’s bedroom.

“So, are we having a slumber party?” I joke as he parks the car.

“We absolutely are. We should shower first, though.”

He turns to me from the driver’s seat and gives me a pointed look.

“I agree. We should shower,” I grin.

He opens the car door for me, takes my hand, and leads me inside.

23

APRIL

Stayingwith them for the next week is a dream.

Skylar insists I treat it like a vacation, and I do.

I even have a session with Sandy, who encourages me to allow myself to be cherished.

And also to challenge the idea that I’m a broken person.

The only thing is that the pack has to work.

They run a billion-dollar company, so of course they’re busy at their office.

Which gives me a lot of time to myself, and a lot of time locked in my own head.

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