Page 79 of Knotting on Heaven's Door

There was no time for lingering glances or secret kisses in the storage room. Between regular orders, last-minute bookings, and the looming pressure of the Heaven’s Door event, our feet barely touched the ground. We were in constant motion. I couldn’t even steal five seconds to adjust the new glasses I’d ordered, let alone sneak a real conversation with my newlybonded mate.

And then cameMila.

The office door slammed open so hard the glass shook.

“I swear to every goddess on this planet, if you bonded that man without telling me—” she said, already mid-rant, storming inside like a furious hurricane in black boots and dry shampooed hair.

“Mila, I was going to—”

“No, no,” she snapped, flinging her bag on the chair like it personally offended her. “You don’t get to ‘Mila’ me right now. I am your best friend, your ride-or-die, your emergency alibi when you need to lie to nosy aunts—andyoubonded with the french chef and didn’t tell me?! I thought it was a one-time thing. A scandal. A lapse in judgment we were going toburyand never speak of again!”

I tried to look apologetic. I really did. “It happened fast.”

Mila crossed her arms. “That is not an excuse. You texted me when you accidentally bought a third crockpot. But you can’t tell me when you’re imprinting someone with your soul?”

My shoulders sagged. “I was scared.”

Her expression softened for a split second—but it was Mila, so she still huffed dramatically and waved her hand. “Ugh, fine. You’re lucky I love you.”

She pulled me into a hug, tight and full of that bone-deep comfort only time and friendship could build. I clung to her for a second longer than I meant to.

She stepped back, eyes narrowing. “Can I still yell at Sebastian?”

I barked out a laugh. “Please do. He may be my mate, but he’s still on payroll. I expect you to keep him in line.”

“Oh,honey,” she said, flipping her hair and grabbing her coffee, “he has no idea what he’s in for.”

I leaned against my desk, smiling like a fool. Because this?This chaos, this love, this storm of friendship and passion and rebuilding? It finally felt like mine.

And for once… I wasn’t afraid.

“Let's focus on work,” I said opening my laptop.

Five days.

That’s how much time we had left until the event at Heaven’s Door. Five days until the most high-profile client we’d ever worked with expected a five-course culinary masterpiece served in the middle of a historical mountain temple. No pressure.

Mila and I were buried in logistics, diagrams, rental quotes, and staffing schedules. Our office looked less like a planning hub and more like a conspiracy theorist’s lair—whiteboards crammed with scribbles, timelines on walls, and enough highlighter marks to give someone a migraine.

“This woman better love this damn cave,” Mila muttered, elbow-deep in the invoice pile. “Do you think she’ll fire us now that Sebastian’s not a free man anymore? Maybe she wanted more than just his menu.”

I let out a tired laugh, sipping what had to be my fourth coffee of the day. “At this point, she’ll have to pry him out of my bonded arms.”

“Yikes.” She smirked. “You’re cute when you’re possessive.”

I rolled my eyes. “Focus.”

But the corners of my mouth lifted anyway. Because even in the madness, the ticking clock, and the whispered fears of everything going sideways… I felt good. Grounded. Like I wasn’t carrying the weight alone anymore.

That night, after the last order was reviewed and we made it home without falling asleep in the car, Sebastian filled the tub in my bathroom.

I lit one of my eucalyptus candles and dimmed the lights while he opened a small bottle of bath oil he’d insisted on buying after he saw me eye it in the shop window a few days ago. Itsmelled like bergamot and cedar and something warm I couldn’t name.

We sank into the water together. My back against his chest. His arms wrapped around me, firm and safe.

“I used to hate silence,” I whispered, letting my head fall back against his shoulder. “It reminded me of all the nights I was alone.”

He kissed my temple, the scruff on his jaw scraping gently against my skin. “And now?”

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