Page 48 of Knot Your Sunshine (Snugverse Romcom #2)

A controlling interest. They've made me majority owner of their entire fund, not just the franchise fund. Billions of dollars are now under my control.

"This is us putting everything on the line." Noa tries for casual, but anxiety bleeds through every word. "It's yours, Mia. Even if you decide to leave us." A nervous laugh escapes him. "Which we really hope you don't."

"This is insane." The words come out strangled, my fingers pressing against my lips. "I could—I could take everything from you."

"Sunshine, you are everything to us." Keanu's eyes glisten.

"Losing money would mean nothing compared to losing you." Josh's voice cracks.

The tears come then as my professional facade shatters. This isn't a business gesture. This is complete, absolute surrender.

"You're all insane." A laugh bubbles through the tears. "Beautiful, wonderful, completely insane."

I turn to Naomi, pulling her aside. My voice drops to a whisper. We huddle over the document, my pen moving quickly. She nods, understanding.

We turn back to the alphas who look like defendants awaiting a verdict, tense, hopeful, terrified.

Then Naomi hands them the portfolio.

Josh reads first. His head snaps up. "You changed it?"

Keanu takes it. "You're giving us each twenty-five percent?"

"You're giving up controlling interest?" Noa's voice is barely a whisper.

"I'd be quite the hypocrite if I kept it." I grin and look at each of these beautiful, complicated, imperfect alphas who just bet everything on me. "I never wanted to be your boss. I want to be your equal. Your partner. Your... Your omega."

For three heartbeats, nobody moves.

"Mia, we..." Josh's voice breaks. "We don't deserve this."

"You're giving us another chance?" Keanu's whole body trembles.

"We won't waste it." Noa's intensity burns. "Never again. Every decision, every challenge, we face it together."

The silence stretches, all of us frozen.

Naomi sighs dramatically. "For heaven's sake, can none of you read a room? Go to your omega already."

They don't need to be told twice.

Josh reaches me first, hands cupping my face with infinite gentleness. Keanu's arms wrap around me from behind. Noa hugs me from my side, his hand finding mine.

"I can't believe you're giving us another chance," Josh whispers against my forehead.

"We'll earn it," Keanu promises into my hair. "Every day."

"That's a promise," Noa says, and the words really feel like a vow.

I breathe them in, and this close, I can almost fully smell them through the de-scenter. Yuzu, coffee, vetiver… Something inside me finally settles.

As we stand there, wrapped in each other, something deep in my belly clenches. A warm, insistent ache that feels like...

"Um, guys..." Heat floods my cheeks and I duck my head, playing with Josh's shirt buttons nervously.

Josh's breath catches at my touch. "Mia?"

"I'm not sure how to bring this up, but.. with everything that's happened in the last eight hours, I haven't started retaking scent blockers yet. That's why I used so much de-scenter… you know, to stay focused during the presentation."

"It's okay, Sunshine, we understand—" Keanu starts.

"And you know, what I said about going back to Lakeview and taking suppressants for the trip…" I cut in, still unable to meet their eyes. "I was hurt and angry, and I didn't mean—"

"Water under the bridge, beautiful." Noa's hand finds my cheek and caresses it. "We know you were upset and—"

"What I'm trying to say is..." My voice gets smaller. "I haven't taken any suppressant. And with all these emotions and being so close to you now, smelling your scent… I—I think it's triggering my heat ahead of schedule. I can feel it coming."

" What? " Josh's voice comes out strangled.

"And I know we just officially decided to start over on the right foot, but..." I peek up through my lashes. "Do—do you still agree to help me through it?"

I catch Naomi in my peripheral vision, giving an approving nod before quietly slipping toward the door.

"Mia." Noa's voice is reverent. "Yes, yes, and yes. It would be our greatest honor."

"Of course, my goddess. We'll get everything prepared right away," Josh says, already reaching for his phone.

"And we have the perfect place!" Keanu bounces excitedly. "Oh crap, do we have supplies ready?"

Josh looks worried. "The nest materials, the—"

"We have everything," Noa assures them, then looks at me with tender concern. "But Mia, are you certain? After what we put you through, we'd understand if you wanted to pop a suppressant and just wait for you next cycle."

"No." Something warm and overwhelming floods through me at their words, and I rise on tiptoes to kiss his jaw. "We're starting fresh. Now. Together." I pull back to look at all three of them. "That includes this."

Keanu makes a sound between a laugh and a happy sigh. "Sunshine, you have no idea how perfect you are."

"Oh, I have some idea." I try to lighten the mood even as the ache in my belly starts to intensify. "Now, about this perfect place..."

They exchange eager looks like kids on Christmas morning.

"You're going to love it," Keanu takes my hand. "It's where I've been dreaming of taking you since you first asked us to help with your heat." His smile says everything. "Trust us?"

I look at my three alphas and feel the last wall around my heart crumble.

"From now on, always," I whisper.