Page 148 of Make Me Yours

I look back to find Lilah standing near the kitchen island, nervously smoothing her apron. Her shoulders are a little too stiff, her eyes wide as she tracks every movement.

Only wanting to offer comfort, I step behind her and slide my hand along her waist before leaning in close to press a kiss against her neck. “It’s going to be fine.”

She glances up at me with uncertainty. “What if it’s not?”

“There’s no way they won’t love everything you made,” I tell her.

“I really hope so,” she says. “This just… It matters. What if they hate it and they tell me they love it only to be polite?”

“I’m sorry, have you actually met these guys before?” I ask without hesitation. “The only one who has a polite bone in his body is Laiken. The rest of them? Total cavemen.”

That earns me a reluctant laugh. Barely a huff, but I’ll take it.

“You’ve worked your ass off on this,” I continue, brushing my thumb along her side. “You’re talented as hell, Lilah. This is going to go way better than you think. Trust me.”

The elevator dings again, and more footsteps echo through the penthouse. There’s another chorus of greetings that fills the air as the guys descend like hungry bears waking from hibernation.

Oliver beelines straight to the display, swiping one of the protein balls before Lilah can say a word.

“Holy hell, what is this?” he asks with his mouth full.

Rina, who arrived a few minutes earlier and is standing beside the fridge with a wine glass, sighs like her soul just left her body. “You eat like a feral animal.”

He gives her a wink. “I do other things like an animal as well. Any interest in finding out firsthand?”

Her face scrunches. “You’re the last person I would ever sleep with.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that I’m on the list? Good to know.”

“There isn’t a list, but if there were, you would definitely not be on it.”

“Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart. Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”

Rina lifts her hand to massage her temple before glancing at us. “Do you see what I have to deal with on a daily basis? Is it any wonder I drink too much?”

I decide now is probably a good time to cut in before Rina chooses violence. “Lilah made all of it. Everything is clean, high-protein, and low sugar.”

“You mean all this is actually healthy?” Knox picks up one of the oat and almond cookies and inspects it.

“It is,” Lilah says, stepping forward. “There’s no refined sugar. Just honey, chia, flax, and oats.”

One by one, the guys sample the spread. There’s a quiet beat before the reactions roll in.

“This is good,” Laiken mutters. Which, coming from him, is high praise.

“Are these egg muffins?” River grabs one. “Wow, delicious. What’s in them?”

“Spinach, turkey sausage, and sweet potato,” Lilah answers, more confidently now as she steps away from me and toward the counter.

Jax lifts a jar of overnight oats closer to his face for scrutiny. “And this?”

“Almond butter, oats, vanilla protein, chia, and blueberries,” she rattles off.

Jax takes a bite and groans. “This is really good.”

The tension in Lilah’s shoulders loosens. A smile blooms across her face like sunlight after a storm, and it crashes into me like a wave I didn’t see coming.

It’s one thing to believe in someone and another to watch the world finally catch up.