Page 80 of Stella

“Too bad.” Simon gave me a feral grin. “I have one for Evan and Jerrick too, in case anything happens to me.”

“I don’t want it.”

“It’s there, want it or not.” Simon looked at me. “I hurt you, Stella, and I’ll never forgive myself for that. I was so afraid of being duped again, of making Evan and Jerrick feel like they were second best, that I let my fear try to ruin the best thing in my entire life.”

I sniffled, clasping my hands together. “You didn’t ruin anything.”

Simon took my hands in his. “If you let me make it up to, I will spend every single day showing you how much I love you.”

I bit my lip, the words filling my soul. “I love you too. I love all of you.”

I looked at Evan and Jerrick. “I’m sorry I pushed you away. It seemed easier than making you choose. And I was hurt.”

Evan squeezed me. “It’s okay, babe. We get it.”

Jerrick smiled at me. “We do.”

Simon kissed the back of my hand. “Another sign I missed showing me you’re the one. You care about all of us. You’re beautiful, thoughtful, kind. You’re the only omega for us.”

Feeling like my heart would bust, I hugged Simon against me. “You’re the only pack for me.”

Evan moved to my side. “We got you presents.”

“I’ve been reading up on crystals,” Jerrick said. “Trying to figure out which would be the best for us.”

A note of panic entered Simon’s voice. “I don’t know if they’re the right ones, but…”

They were adorable. “I’ll love them no matter what.”

Even if my precious men gave me a pound of moldavite, I would love it.

Actually, since moldavite was good about forcing you to dig mercilessly into harsh truths blocking your path, it wouldn’t be out of place.

Simon pulled out a soft black bag and opened it. Inside was rose quartz carved to look like a rose. It was soft pink and ethereal. I gasped and opened the other bag to find an amethyst shaped into a heart the size of my fist.

“They’re perfect.” The sort of things I’d always wanted without having ever bothered to ask for.

Jerrick handed me his bag. Inside was a sea turtle shaped out of moss agate and a hedgehog out of amethyst. I squealed and threw my arms around his shoulders.

I stepped back. “This is one of the best gifts I’ve ever had.”

Evan grinned. “My gift is bigger.”

“Here we go.” Jerrick sighed.

“Yes, yes, we’ve heard this.” Simon shook his head.

Evan winked at me. “I already put it into your cottage.”

I pouted. “I want to see.”

Simon looked around. “More than you want to sit here on the beach while the sun sets?”

“That’s fair.” I sat down, and they crowded my beach blanket.

Simon put his head on my shoulder. “I was scared of being wrong again. I didn’t want to hurt Jerrick and Evan because I couldn’t trust my instincts.”

“We told him to stop using us as an excuse. He’s scared of being hurt.” Evan brushed his hand over my cheek, and Jerrick pulled me against him. “We all were.”

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