Page 76 of Knot Just Their Nanny
“What did I do? Or not do?” I ask.
“Get compos mentis and then come downstairs,” Liam says.
Raising an eyebrow at this order, I slam the door in their faces and turn to the shower.
The spray of the water is a wake up call, like a slap to the face, but in a good way. Steam fills the shower cubicle as I quickly scrub away the grogginess, trying to figure out what I’ve missed that’s got Henry looking at me like I’ve betrayed the bloody crown or something.
Dressed in fresh clothes and more awake now, I head downstairs. As I descend, I can hear Liam’s laugh and Henry’s deeper chuckle. Whatever this is about, it doesn’t seem they’re too pissed off.
In the kitchen, they’re both sitting at the island, mugs of tea in their hands. The morning light pours in through the window, washing over them and for a moment, I feel this surge of something akin to pride.
“What’s up?” I ask, grabbing a mug for myself and flicking on the kettle. “Is Mia okay?”
“Mia is fine. I’ve taken care of her this morning. Zara is sleeping in. I think her heat, her real one, is about to hit any minute,” Henry says.
“So then what?”
He and Liam exchange glances. “We have something to ask you. A proposal, as it were,” Liam starts, but then looks at Henry.
Henry rolls his eyes and slaps Liam on the shoulder. “Okay, mate, you’ve chickened out. I’ve got this.”
“Got what?” I snap, getting pissed off as I pour hot water over a tea bag.
“Liam and I are deadly serious about being with Zara. We feel she is our fated mate, and we have discussed at length this morning how that affects us. All of us.”
“Okay, and?”
“How do you feel about her?”
Exhaling sharply, I find it’s too fucking early for this. “One day at a time is how I feel about her.”
“But you’re going to be there during her heat?” he presses.
“Yes, we discussed it last night. Can we get to the point of this annoying conversation?”
“We need to know if you see yourself with her, in the future. Long haul,” Liam takes over again.
“That’s a heavy question and one I can’t answer. Yes, I’m attracted to her. Yes, I’ll be there for her heat. Yes, there is something between us that is new and exciting. Do I think it’s fate?” I pause.
“That’s the question of the day.” Henry takes a sip of his tea.
“Yeah, I guess I do. Everything happens for a reason.” I’ve said it and confronted it out loud, and it feels good. It feels right.
“So if we are all in this one hundred per cent, perhaps we should make this more formal,” Henry says, searching my eyes as he places his tea down and pushes it away.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, for God’s sake, man,” Liam exclaims, running his hand through his hair. “You two could beat around the bush all fucking day. We want to make a pack with you as our prime if you’ll have us. Okay? There. Ball. Court. You.” He points at me and then crosses his arms.
I stare at them both, my mug of tea halfway to my lips. A pack with me as their prime? It’s a serious commitment. “You have agreed to this, the two of you?”
“Yep,” Henry says. “Look, we know it’s fast, I mean, or is it? We’ve known each other forever. It makes sense. We are allliving here, contributing to the household, and raising Mia. Why not make it official?”
I set my mug down with a clink against the countertop. My mind races through every moment we’ve shared since we could walk. It does make sense in the weird way that our world works. “So, we would be a pack and we would, I assume you’re suggesting, we mate with Zara—as a pack?”
“That is what we are suggesting. Eventually. The pack thing needs to come first, and the mating, while Liam and I feel we are ready, has to go at your pace. You’ve just had your bond broken withher. We know rushing into another mating is probably the last thing on your mind, right now…”
“Yeah,” I say, but it is half-hearted. The idea of forming a pack with these two idiots and then all of us mating with Zara, giving Mia stability and love from all sides, is not as scary as I thought it would be when they first hit me with this.
