Page 86 of Knot Gonna Give You Up
“Wow, it sounds like you put a lot of thought into this,” I comment.
“Not as much as I should have, but I hope that you like it.”
My eyes flick down to the bags and back. They form a small wall between our feet, the handles ending around our knees. My feet shuffle back and forth as I try to figure out how to get my hands on the bags without looking greedy. Simon’s mouth quirks into a smile, like he’s well aware of the dilemma in my head.
“Would you like your presents?” he asks.
My hands clasp in front of my chest, “Is that okay? I don’t want to just assume it’s all for me.”
“Angel, this is all for you, the very beginning of my penance if you’ll allow it,” Simon tells me, his voice low and earnest.
“Will you come in?” I ask, my words quick and hopeful.
“I’d be honored.”
I reach behind me and push the door open before calling over my shoulder to the guys.
“Get over here and help with my bags!” I shout.
Vic appears, chuckling as he passes one to Henry, and I grab the last two. They follow me to the dining table where I set everything out, and Jesse appears a moment later with two vases filled with water. My eyes follow him, and he just smirks in response to my accusing look. Sneaky bastard knew there were flowers coming. Or he saw over my shoulder, but I am impressed either way with his preparedness.
I grab each bouquet from Simon and gently place them in their appointed vase. It occurs to me that I should remove the cellophane and any rubber bands that are holding them together, but Jesse just pulls out some scissors and carefullyremoves the wrappings around each bouquet. When he catches me watching, he offers a quick wink, and I smile before turning my attention to the bags. My eyes glance at Simon’s quickly, and I’m a little unsure if there’s an order here.
“Grab whichever one calls to you first. There’s no wrong order,” he encourages.
I grin and dig into each bag. There are about four bags, stuffed with items that are from whichever store is advertised, plus a few other small items. Every single bag has its own stash of chocolate, and I try to be subtle about piling all the chocolate together in one bag.
There are blankets and robes and even a super soft onesie from the Omega store downtown. I find coffee bags, cute mugs, slippers, soft headbands, puzzle books, coloring books, office supplies, and even a cute nameplate that says “Omega Boss” on it with flowers all over.
Everything is a perfect mix, and my words fail me as I look over everything a second and third time. He’s nailed me down so well for only knowing each other for a couple of months. It’s a perfect mix of soft and cozy, cute, chocolate, low-key activity, and encouragement in my business. My throat tightens up a bit, and I have to swallow a few times to get the ball of emotion down. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so seen, not even with Vic.
“It’s perfect,” I whisper.
Simon just gazes at me, a soft smile on his face, while his eyes hungrily drink me in. My hands graze everything as I fidget under his stare. It’s not uncomfortable, but I’m really not sure what to do. Is this enough to forgive him? Should I demand more gifts? No, that feels selfish. I’m not sure what the right response is. Someone in the room coughs, and my eyes look up, trying to find who made the noise.
“Right,” Simon says softly, and I turn toward him as he kneels on the ground in front of me.
“What is it with Alphas and kneeling?” I mutter, thinking about how Jesse did a very similar gesture after I chewed him out. A snicker sounds from behind me, and I know Jesse caught my words.
“Josie. Angel. The words ‘I fucked up’ are not enough to convey how much I hurt you. How scared I was of our connection, and how terribly I handled it all. You deserve none of my anger or dismissal. You deserve every ounce of goodness and love there is in this world. I’m so,sosorry for how I dismissed you and abandoned you. These gifts are the start of a penance that I hope you’ll let me earn. Never again will I let my fear and shame come between us. You and Vic are the best things that have ever happened to me, and I almost lost both of you in my idiocy.
“So, I’m taking my place at your feet, abandoning any Alpha dominance in front of you, to tell you that I want to be a part of your life. In any capacity that you’ll have me. I have more to say to the Pack, but you’re my first priority.”
I stare at him, stunned into silence. There’s not a single thought in my head at the moment. His words have wiped away any defense I had built up. It’s way too soon to forgive him, though, isn’t it? I pull out a chair behind me and plop down into it, grabbing a chocolate and stuffing it in my mouth. There’s silence for a good few minutes, but he doesn’t make any attempt to move.
“Tell them, talk to them, I need to think,” I say distractedly, trying to work through my tangled reactions and desires. My hand waves at the guys as I speak.
A gut feeling appears, and I think that whatever he plans to say to them will make or break my decision.
thirty-eight
JOSIE
Simon turns away from me and stands when he faces the guys. Ha, suckers, they don’t get kneeled for. My eyes stay glued to the four men as Simon approaches them. He stops a few feet away and clears his throat a few times before moving forward.
“I owe you three a large apology as well. I’m sorry that I backed out on Josie’s heat when I was part of what started it. I’m sorry for avoiding Pack discussion and dismissing your thoughts. I’m sorry that you guys had to pick up the slack when I hurt Josie. I’m also incredibly sorry that I didn’t trust you all more. If I had… if I had just been more open with you, this might not have happened. As much as I want to be back in Josie’s good graces, I also need to be forgiven by you as well.
“My rut threw me into a shame spiral, but right as I was finally listening to Vic, Josie came back around to check on me, and my shame came full circle again. Instead of talking, I shut down. Jesse, I need you to hear how much I appreciate your pep talk earlier this evening. You didn’t say anything new, I know, but what youdidsay pulled my head out of my ass,” Simon tells them, his voice unwavering but full of emotion.
