They glance at each other for a long moment. Corey leans against the counter, all his usual mischief dimmed at the edges. “Once.”
“Oh.”
“Trudy,” Brody says, turning the heat down on the stove. “A couple of years ago. She was with us for about a year.”
My fingers tighten around the edge of my shirt. “What happened?”
Jakob’s jaw flexes. For a second, I think he won’t answer at all. “It went to shit,” he says finally, voice low. “And after that, we decided we didn’t need an Omega.”
Corey’s mouth twists, but there’s no real humor in it. “Then the universe, manipulative temptress that she is, put you in our lives.”
My breath catches at his implication.
Jakob’s gaze slides to me, and it’s dark, deliberate. Brody exhales, dragging a hand through his hair before he looks at me again. “We don’t really need to talk about the past. Nothing great there, to be honest.”
“Should I be worried?” I ask.
“No.” His voice softens. “It was just… complicated.”
Corey huffs a humorless laugh. “That’s the polite word.”
“And the impolite one?” I ask.
Jakob’s eyes don’t leave mine.
“Damaged.”
“We don’t talk about it much,” Corey says.
The vulnerability in the room is staggering. They’re exposed, offering me their wound so I understand that they know what mine feels like.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Now, how about we fill our bellies?” Brody says, sliding the grilled cheese onto four plates. He carries them to the island and sets one in front of me. It’s golden and oozing,the bread perfectly toasted, and the warmth of it against my fingers when I pick it up is almost unbearably comforting.
We all tear into the sandwiches, and I’m moaning at how delicious mine is, while Damien sits on the counter staring at Brody’s plate with the patience of a predator who knows his moment will come.
“I mean, I get it. Everyone has baggage.” I force a small smile and take another bite. “Mine clearly came with an asshole.”
Corey chuckles.
“Anyway, my point is, I’m nowhere near perfect and you three haven’t run away yet.”
Brody’s lips curl upward at the edges, that dimple in his chin deepening. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“Bit hard to scare us off, gorgeous,” Corey says.
“Impossible, actually.” Jakob leans into me for a long second.
I swallow my bite, loving how adamant they are about keeping me, but the food suddenly feels thick in my throat. “In truth, I’m scared. Good things don’t stay long with me,” I admit. “I keep waiting for something good to fall apart.”
“Then we’ll keep showing up,” Brody says, voice stripped of every joke, “until you stop waiting.” Corey and Jakob nod, smiling at me as if there’s not a worry in the world.
I take another bite. The cheese stretches in a long golden thread, and they’re laughing while I’m enjoying this ridiculously buttery and delicious sandwich.
Yet, on the inside, there’s a terrified part of me that sounds like Louis is still whispering,This won’t last.
17