Page 208 of Scent to the Feral Cowboys

"I want to stay," I straightened in my chair, making myself meet their eyes.

For a heartbeat, no one moved. Five pairs of eyes widened in synchronized disbelief; five Alpha bodies froze in place as if afraid the slightest movement might shatter the moment. Then Cooper let out a whoop that probably startled wildlife miles away. He lunged forward, tumbling off the island, running to me, and grabbing me out of my chair. He lifted me off my feet and squeezed me so hard I had to hit his shoulder and beg for mercy.

"She's staying!" he shouted, as if the others hadn't heard me perfectly well.

“Put me down, Cooper.” I hit my palm against his body.

But he kept holding me in the air, squeezed against his hard chest. The other men sloughed off their stillness. Wade's face transformed with a smile so bright it rivaled the Wyoming sun. Levi's features cracked into unrestrained joy. Boone's dark eyes gleamed with emotion. And Wyatt looked as if someone had knocked the wind from his lungs.

Cooper’s arms tightened even more around me.

“Cooper,” I insisted. “Hey!” I pinched him hard.

“Ouch!” He pulled away enough to lock eyes with me.

“Put me down. Okay?”

Reluctantly, he placed me down. I pushed away from him. Closing my eyes, I inhaled, trying to work up the nerve to say what needed saying. When I parted my lashes, I saw confusion pulsing through five pairs of eyes.

“You’re staying right? Did we hear you wrong?” Cooper looked at me with such transparent hope that my stomach hurt. Clenching like yesterday, only not with heat, not with desire. With my need not to hurt him. Not to hurt any of them.

“I do want to stay, but I have to say something first.” I bit my lower lip, then spoke again. “No, I need to ask something of you first.”

"Anything," Boone promised immediately, the word carrying the weight of an unbreakable vow.

“Don’t promise, not yet.” I told him, sitting back down and crossing my arms in a hug, just in case I needed to hold myself together in a moment.

“Whatever it is, Nelly. We’ll do it.” This from Wyatt, his confidence in full force.

What if they say no?The louder voice in my head asked.

What if they say yes?That higher, quieter voice countered.

“I want to bring my grandmother here,” I said quickly. “I know it's asking a lot. She doesn't really remember who I am anymore. She gets confused too, sometimes wanders around at night. She’s only going to get worse, and she’ll need round the clock care probably. But I don’t think?—”

"It's the bare minimum," Levi cut me off, his voice firm and brooking no argument. His calculating eyes had never looked warmer as he stepped forward. "She raised you, Nelly. She gave us you. Taking care of her is the bare fucking minimum."

The unexpected profanity from usually precise Levi startled a laugh from me, tears pricking at my eyes again. Cooper nodded enthusiastically beside him.

"She can move in here,” He bounced on the balls of his feet. “When we move to the big house, this whole place can be retrofitted for her. It’ll be great.”

Wyatt nodded slowly in agreement. “We were going to talk to the contractors about something else we wanted them to build once they finished the new place. We’ll have them prioritize the renovations here first.”

“Widen the doorways, fix the master bathroom up to be more accessible, redo the kitchen,” Levi listed things, his eyes rolling back and forth, likely calculating cost. “One of the bedrooms should be made over for a live-in nurse.”

Steady, scorching tears slipped down my cheeks now in rapid succession.

"You said she likes being in the sun," Boone offered unexpectedly. "Office gets the best morning light. We can make that her sitting area."

I stared at them in disbelief. They weren’t just accepting my condition but embracing it. They were already imagining Grandmother here at Sagebrush. My heart swelled.

"You really want me here," I whispered, the realization still somehow surprising despite all evidence.

"Nelly," Wyatt stood, walking around the table. He dropped to his knees beside me, cradling my face between his palms. “We want every part of you. We want your joy, your heartache, your past, and your future. They're part of who you are. We’ve been looking for you for longer than you can imagine. Eros was the wrong way, but God help us, it gave us the right result.”

The dam broke then. I flung myself against his chest, falling out of the chair. He wrapped me in his arms, and I sobbed uncontrollably. I felt safe. God, I felt so safe.

The scents and warmth of my other Alphas moved in closer. A hand touched my waist, my back, my shoulder, my hair. With my face pressed against Wyatt's chest, I finally felt like I had a home again. I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore. And they let me.