Page 177 of Knot That Serious

With a laugh, she pushed on it, and it was still hooked securely into the notches at the base of the treehouse.

The first step was sturdy enough to hold her weight—there wasn’t even a creak or groan. So she grabbed the rung overhead and hesitantly moved her foot to the next one up.

So far, so good.

If Jack and Raj had been climbing around this thing to hang lights, she was probably safe.

Listening for any warning sounds of the wood straining, she went slowly, but made it to the top with no issues, and once she concluded the interior wasn’t eroded or overgrown or full of spiders, she pulled herself up and sat, legs dangling over the edge.

The plastic grooved roof had seen better days, littered with holes from the many years that had passed. The blankets were soft under her knees, and Eli crawled to the far corner, making room for the alphas to follow behind her.

The treehouse shook as each of them took the ladder to join her, making her a bit nervous, but by the time they were all seated with crossed legs, they just barely fit.

Eli giggled as Raj ended up pulling her into his lap, making more room for the others to spread out.

The breeze was blowing, the leaves on the trees whispering around her, and Eli sucked in a deep breath. The sky was growing darker, the clouds moving like shadows up above.

One of those evenings that no one should be allowed to feel anything other than peace.

And she did feel at peace, she realized. Surrounded by the people she loved, in a place full of childhood memories and the promise of a future with these same people on the horizon.

“I can totally imagine you guys sneaking off to come get high in here,” Beckett said with a chuckle.

Eli and Jack shared a look and burst out laughing.

“That’s exactly what we used to do,” Eli sputtered between cackles.

“And it’s what we intend to do now,” Jack added, and pulled a little travel tube from his pocket, depositing a joint into her outstretched hand.

He handed her a lighter as well, and Eli placed the joint between her lips before striking the flame to life and inhaling.

The walls of the treehouse were short, providing a gap between the shelf of the wall and the roof.

She remembered leaning out the side with a toy sword and declaring the treehouse theirs, as if an army waited below to try and take it from them.

After making sure the joint was lit, she passed it to Jack.

“We came here well into our teens,” Eli said. “As kids, it was just a fun place to play, but when we got older, we definitely did our fair share of sneaking over here to hang out.”

“It was a different time back then,” Jack added. “We just ran around and did… whatever. As long as we were home for dinner.”

“This place is special to you,” Raj guessed, smoothing her hair away from her neck as she took the joint from Jack.

His warm touch against the back of her neck made her shiver in his lap.

“It is,” she admitted, glancing around at the twinkling lights, the night sky, her pack. “Thank you for doing this,” she said.

Jack’s cheeks pinkened, and she drew in a hit while meeting Jack’s gaze.

Then she leaned across the small space, cupped Jack’s jaw with her fingers, and sealed their lips together, blowing the smoke into his mouth. It spilled around their lips as they kissed.

“The guys after work never smoke like that,” Raj supplied, and welcomed her back into his lap.

She laughed at that, and tilted her head up to him. “Interested?”

“I’ll just take the kiss, I think,” he mused, and Eli grinned, meeting him halfway. The angle was a little awkward, but she savored the taste of him.

“You can’t leave me out,” Beckett said, a pout on his lips.

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