Page 87 of Knot on the Market

She nods, wiping her eyes with her free hand just as Dean appears in the kitchen doorway. His smile falters the moment he sees her face.

"What's wrong?" he asks immediately, moving toward us with focused concern. "Are you hurt? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Lila says quickly, but her voice wavers. "Just... processing some things."

Callum appears behind Dean, taking in the scene with those steady eyes that take in everything without judgment. His gaze moves from Lila's tear-streaked face to our joined hands to the tension radiating from both of us.

"What kind of things?" he asks, his voice gentler than usual.

I look at Lila, giving her the choice to explain or let me handle it. She takes a shaky breath and squares her shoulders.

"I got invited to the Cinema Excellence Awards," she says, her voice stronger now. "My last film was nominated, and as one of the producers, I'm expected to attend."

Dean's eyebrows rise. "That's... that's huge, right? Like, a really big deal?"

"It is," she confirms. "It's exactly the kind of thing I would have been excited about two months ago. But now..."

"Now you're not sure if you want to go back to that world," Callum finishes, his voice understanding rather than judgmental.

There's no surprise in his tone, no shock or dismay. Just steady acceptance that problems have multiple facets and solutions require careful consideration.

"Exactly." Lila's voice gets smaller. "And I've been hiding it from you because I didn't know how to explain that I'm terrified of what I might discover about myself if I go."

Dean drops into the chair beside her, reaching for her other hand with automatic care. "Hey, whatever you discover, we'll deal with it together. Right?"

The simple certainty in his voice, like there's no question that we're a unit, makes Lila's face crumple with relief.

"That's what Julian said," she manages. "He said you'd all come with me if I decided to go."

"Of course we would," Dean says immediately. "I mean, I've never been to anything fancier than Maeve's anniversary party, but I clean up okay."

"We all do," Callum adds gruffly, settling against the kitchen counter. "If you're there, we'll be there."

Watching them respond without hesitation, no questions about logistics or cost or whether they want to spend a weekendsurrounded by Hollywood politics, makes my chest tight with something that might be pride or gratitude or love so fierce it threatens to overwhelm me.

This is why it works between us. Not because we're the same, but because we all love Lila enough to step outside our comfort zones for her.

"You'd really do that?" Lila asks, looking between the three of us with wonder. "Come with me to Los Angeles? Deal with reporters and photographers and all the circus that comes with these events?"

"Sweetheart," Dean says, his voice soft with affection, "there's nowhere you could go that we wouldn't follow if you wanted us there."

"Besides," Callum adds with the hint of a smile, "someone's got to make sure you don't get overwhelmed by all those Hollywood types. That's what packs are for."

Pack. The word hangs in the air between us, weighted with meaning none of us have been brave enough to voice until now. But here it is, stated like simple fact. We're a pack. All of us together.

The word seems to break something loose in Lila. She stands abruptly, moving around the table to wrap her arms around my neck. I rise to meet her, pulling her close as she presses her face against my shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispers against my neck. "For helping me figure this out. For not being afraid of the hard conversations."

"That's what I'm here for," I murmur, stroking her hair. "Among other things."

She pulls back to look at me, her eyes still bright with tears but clearer now. More settled.

"I want to go," she says, and there's strength in her voice that wasn't there an hour ago. "I want to face it."

"Then we'll go," I say simply.

"All of us," Dean confirms, rising to wrap his arms around both of us.

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