Page 78 of Knot Your Baby

I laugh. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Nobody’s taking her anywhere,” Zane growls, but there’s a playful edge to it. “Not without me.”

Thorne’s fork clatters against his plate. “A fire might take you fromher.”

“Don’t start this again.” Zane’s jaw clenches.

“I’m looking out for your safety. The family business needs you.”

“It’s yours, not mine.” Zane stands, his chair scraping the floor. “And stop using Freya to manipulate me into quitting.”

My phone rings, cutting through the tension. I fumble it out of my apron pocket, grateful for the interruption.

I stare at the screen.

“Are you going to answer?” Miller asks.

I smile and swipe to answer. “Hello.”

I pace the kitchen, my heart racing as I listen to the lady on the phone telling me she is an insurance company representative. And I can tell by her tone I won’t like what I’m about to hear.

My fingers twist in my apron strings while the three alphas watch me with varying degrees of concern.

“Ms. Rose, we’ve reviewed your claim and I’m sorry...” The woman’s voice drones through the phone. I think I stopped listening for a moment.

I stop at the counter, gripping its edge. “Sorry? What did you say?”

“We can offer you forty thousand dollars.”

“I’m insured for—”

Her voice drips with fake sympathy as she interrupts me. “The building hasn’t been cleared for rebuilding, Ms. Rose. But we can offer you forty thousand.”

My knees buckle. Miller jumps up to steady me, his hand warm against my lower back. “But I’m covered for a quarter of a million dollars.”

“Only if the building is declared unfit to use. We’ve heard the building will eventually be rebuilt, though it may take some time.”

“Eventually.” I shake my head, tears burning my eyes. “And how exactly am I supposed to get back up and running my business with forty thousand dollars? A new lease will cost more than that. Then there’s equipment, tables, chairs—”

The lady’s voice drops. “I’m sorry, but that’s as much as we can do unless the building is declared unfit to rebuild. However, if you accept this offer, that option will no longer be available. We won’t be able to honor any future claim.”

My chest tightens. I can barely breathe. “So, I have to wait in limbo to restart my life?”

“You could take the offer, and we can have the money transferred into your bank account the same day as you sign.”

My fingers grip the phone tighter as I pace the living room. “I’ve been paying premiums for five years without a single claim.”

“I’m very sorry, Miss Rose, but—”

“You’re not sorry.”

“Unfortunately—”

“No, not unfortunately. I need my business back up and running.” My voice cracks. “I have a baby to support. I need to find somewhere new to live, and I can’t do that without my business.”

Thorne appears in the doorway, his jaw ticking as he listens.

“The building may not get permission to rebuild for up to twelve months,” she says.

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