Page 171 of Knot That Serious

He pulled her in for a tight squeeze. “I am so happy to see you, Pinky.”

“You, too,” she said, and meant it. “Even if you look ridiculous.”

“What? What do you mean? I thought I looked cool!”

Eli pursed her lips, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. “You certainly fit the theme,” she settled for. He was in regular jeans, which were cuffed over a pair of black boots, and a white tee with a black unbuttoned shirt. An honest-to-god chain hung from the waistband of his pants. It just didn’t look right on him with his graying hair and peppered beard.

“Jack used to wear stuff like this,” he said.

Jack still wore stuff like that. “Don’t I know it,” she mused, shaking her head. “I brought donuts! You’ll love them.”

“Oh, I love when you bake for us. Thanks, Pinky. Now go find your brother.”

Eli scoffed. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll make the rounds. See you later,” she said, and squeezed his hand once more.

“He’s adorable,” Beckett whispered, leaning down to speak into her ear.

Her grin widened even more when Raj nodded in agreement. “Wait until you meet the rest,” she promised.

And they did. Slowly. Having an omega mom meant there were more dads to find. Which meant more uncles and aunts and cousins than even Eli could keep track of. And somehow, the conversation always trailed back to Eli.

“So, you and Jack, huh?” one uncle had asked.

“Oh, finally. It’s been so long,” a cousin and her husband had said, standing side by side.

And it wasn’t just distant family. When she finally caught up to Tom and Colin, her other dads, they pulled no punches. “After all these years, can you believe it?”

Eli tried not to combust on the spot.

By the time they’d made it to Eli’s own brother, a firefighter, the pride of the family, he was practically vibrating in place. “You and Jack? In a pack? Together?” he gushed, squeezing her shoulder.

Eli’s arms were crossed. “Yes.”

“Well, it’s about damn time, Pinky,” he said, and pulled her into a tight hug. Over his shoulder she met the amused gazes of Raj and Beckett, who might as well have not been there. Everyone was so obsessed with her and Jack.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” she grumbled.

“They don’t mean anything by it,” Jack said, materializing from nowhere.

“What do they mean by it?” she hissed.

Jack had been making his own rounds, figuring if they split up, they could minimize the amount of times they had to confirm that yes, they were a pack.

Eli’s brother Ben finally released her, and she stepped back to join her alphas, crossing her arms again. So what if she was pouty? It felt like they were part of some big joke and everyone knew about it but her.

“Like you don’t know,” Ben scoffed.

Eli tossed her arms up in the air in an exasperation only family could make one feel. “I don’t! Or else I wouldn’t be so frustrated!”

Ben narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, and Jack placed a hand on her mid-back, thumb stroking a comforting rhythm into her skin. She huffed.

“Well, I mean, I at least thought you guys always had a… thing.”

“A thing,” Eli repeated dryly.

“Yeah. You guys were inseparable as kids. And through school. Do you not remember when Jack went to college?” Ben asked, eyebrows raised.

Eli shook her head, and Jack’s touch stilled across her back. She glanced over at him in confusion.

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