Page 96 of Knot Convenient

“All right, all right. I think we’re good to go.” Emmett turned to Hattie. “You all set?”

She held Milo, rocking him in her arms as he babbled happily, a towel slung over her shoulder. “More than set. This guy and I have a date with his book collection. We’re going to practice our words.”

I smiled, my heart surging because the love was so obvious, and I wasn’t sure how I'd gotten this lucky.

“Then we’re off!” Tobias looped an arm through mine, hauling me out the door with a massive grin. I laughed and just went with it. Tonight was going to be nice—an evening with only my mates and me.

“Who picked the restaurant?” I asked as we all slid into the car. In theory, the large SUV could carry five people, but squished in between Tobias and Emmett in the back, we were in very close proximity.

Not that I was complaining.

“I found it,” Noah admitted, his ears turning slightly red.

Marshall turned to look at me. “Any particular reason why you’re asking?”

“Because if Emmett had picked the restaurant, I may have faked food poisoning to get out of it. I’ve seen what that man eats on his pizza!”

“It’s delicious!” Emmett’s indignant voice made me break into laughter.

“It’s a cry for help, is what it is. Don’t worry, I still like you.” I patted his hand.

Only a handful of moments later, we arrived at a nice Italian restaurant, the patio around it lit up with flickering fairy lights. I smiled and let Noah help me out of the car. In fact, I couldn’t stop grinning as we were welcomed to the beautiful place, the host guiding us back to a table at the far end of the dining room.

It smelled divine, and I was really getting a chance to take in how handsome the guys looked in their dress shirts and pants. Sometimes it felt normal to look at them and accept that they were mine.

Not now.

They all looked impeccable in those shirts, and I couldn’t help but imagine Marshall rolling up the sleeves to reveal his forearms or Tobias ripping his open before kissing me.

We settled into the table, Emmett pulling my chair out for me as Marshall took the liberty of flagging down the sommelier to order a bottle of wine. We all ordered as the server came up to greet us, starting off with some garlic bread that I was really looking forward to.

Easy conversation began after that, and I found myself laughing hysterically as the guys told me about some of the funny stuff Milo had been doing with them. Marshall and Noah admitted that Hattie had told them which shirts to wear for dinner, and I smiled, saying I was very grateful for her guidance.

Tobias told us about one of his regulars who never remembers the name of her medication as we cracked open a second bottle of wine, easily done since there were five of us. A grateful client even visited Emmett as they sat down to eat at a nearby table and said she was “forever grateful” for what he did for her.

He explained that he’d helped her with a disability case, proving that her company was guilty of discrimination.

Protecting someone from a horrible boss? Endlessly attractive.Summer, now that you’ve had some time to settle in, have you given any thought to the future? I know you mentioned your studies,” Emmett said, taking a sip of his wine.

My nose scrunched. “I have, and I would really like to finish my degree, but the nearest university is nearly a two-hour drive away. Logistically, that sounds like a nightmare.”

“What about online classes?” Marshall asked.

“Yeah, just…they’re time-consuming… I can spread my last few semesters over two years instead of one, which would be better, but it’s still going to demand a good portion of my time.”

I didn’t say it out loud, but I was needed at home. They hadn’t bonded an omega just for her to be unavailable the majority of the time. They were the perfect mates, caring for me and Milo. I had to look after them too. Be a partner, not a burden.

“Do you want to, Summer?” Noah raised his brows. “That’s really the important question.”

“Maybe?” I shrugged. “Down the line once Milo is settled?”

“If you want to do it, we’ll make it work. We can look into getting Milo into day care a few days a week so you can focus on it, or we can rearrange our schedules so one of us is home with you more regularly.” Emmett finished his glass of wine, his expression open and serious at the same time.

“I can’t ask you to do all that!” I said, shaking my head wildly.

“Summer.” Tobias gave me a firm look. “You’re part of this pack, part of this family. We want what’s best for you. We’re a team. That’s how we make this work. These guys covered everything while I was at school, and I didn’t feel guilty because we’re a family. We all take turns helping the others out.”

“Yeah, but you guys had known each other for years!”