17. Harper

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

HARPER

I stood at the edge of the counter as Leo was preparing dinner. I could see some remnants of his earlier baking, as well as preparations for dinner. "Do you need some help?" I asked him.

When he stood and pushed her dark hair from his eyes, I noticed he was wearing a green apron. Something about it was hot—really hot. "I'm okay," he said. "I thought about maybe spaghetti and meatballs."

"Sounds great. I love spaghetti."

I leaned on the counter and watched as he moved around. I checked on Aria every once in a while, but she was doing one of the writing workbooks I brought her and very concentrated. It felt odd not to have anything else to do. I'd normally still be at work or getting us dinner myself, but it was all taken care of.

It made me feel like I hadn't been giving her enough attention. Though I did my best, I was only one person. Seeing her here, so happy to be around so many people, made me happy.

The door opened and Jasper walked through. He was in his blue scrubs, and his clinic jacket on. Gods, when did all the men in my life get so hot? And when did they all become mine?

"Hey guys," he said as he toed off his shoes.

"Jasper!" Aria cried in excitement. She grabbed her book and wiggled off the chair, running over to him. He picked her up and swung her around, and she giggled loudly. Seeing how easily they all fall into this caretaking role made me feel for them even more deeply.

"Look!" Aria said, holding up her workbook. "I'm practicing my W's."

"They look great! Why don't I go get changed and we can practice some A's for Aria."

"I'm great at A's," she confirmed.

"I'm excited to see. I'll be back in a moment." He set her down and walked over to us, kissing us each in greeting before going upstairs to change.

He came back quickly and sat with Aria exactly as he said he would.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" I asked Leo for the third time.

"He's sure," Jasper cut in. "He may be nicer to you, but I've been chased out of that kitchen more times than I can count."

"That's because you never help. You come in here to eat," he shot back.

"It's not my fault your cooking is so good," Jasper said with a pout.

I laughed at their banter. I worried when I started seeing them that I would feel like an outsider, since they'd all been together for so long, but I never felt that way.

"Mom?" I heard from behind me.

I snapped my head in her direction almost automatically. From the day she could say it, that call had been like a beacon for me. "Yes, Ari?"

"Can I have juice?"

I looked towards Leo, who was already at the fridge. "We have apple," he said.

"What do you say?" I asked as a reminder.

"Can I have juice please?"

"Of course." I walked around to the counter, but by the time I got there, Leo had it in a plastic cup.

"Oh, I normally?—"

"Cut it with water," he interrupted. "I figured. My sister does too."

I smiled and took it to her and sat next to her and Jasper as they worked on writing her name. It was odd to feel like I had some support as a parent. I knew it was only for a little while, but it wasn't something I was used to at all.

"Dinner's ready," Leo called out as we were finishing our conversation.

"Why don't we get the books put away and wash our hands?" I told her.

"I'm not done yet," Aria whined.

"I know, but maybe we can finish it later. And don't you want spaghetti?"

"I love spaghetti," she said, missing a few syllables on the way. We got it all clean, and I took her to the kitchen sink to help her wash her hands.

As we did, the front door opened, revealing Hawthorne. "Sorry I'm late," he said, clicking the door shut behind him.

"Where were you?" Leo asked.

"I had a few things to take care of," he said cryptically. "But I stopped at my parents and was gifted bread."

"Perfect. I made spaghetti."

Hawthorne approached him and planted a kiss on his lips, then on Jasper's as he saw him. When Aria was done washing, I set her down and helped her dry. Once she ran to the table Hawthorne approached me and planted a kiss on my lips I wasn't expecting. "Hey, beautiful. I'm sorry I'm late."

"It's okay," I said, and it was. Between the three of them, I never felt alone. Even when we weren't together, there were texts and calls. I had never felt this cared for in my life, and the sudden realization made me choke up a bit, but I pushed it down. I didn't need to cry over nothing right now.

We got back to the table, Leo bringing us both plates and the tray of garlic bread. Aria dug right in, smearing sauce all over herself. I knew I would need to give her a bath anyway, so I didn't worry about it. Aria chatted away about any thought she had, the guys running with every single one.

I tried to help with dishes when we finished, but I was quickly shooed out of the kitchen as Jasper helped Aria clean her fingers with some wet wipes. This was the first time in years it felt like I didn't have one thing going after another.

Hawthorne circled me, leaning down so his chin rested on my shoulder.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked.

He turned me to face him and looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Dinner is taken care of, I don't have to work, I don't have to be the only one taking care of my child. What do I do?"

He smiled. "You relax for a moment. You should have the ability to do that."

"Mom!" Aria interrupted before I could respond. "Jasper said we can go outside and see the astros. Can we?"

I raised my brow. "Astros?"

"Asteroids," Jasper corrected. "There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, and I thought we could watch."

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

I went with Hawthorne to grab some blankets and pillows, and he, Ari, and I created a comfortable place to sit out in the yard. Jasper and Leo joined us with a tray with cookies and snacks on it. Normally, I wouldn't want Ari to have that much sugar, but after the week we had we deserved some fun. Though shifting into a wolf was exciting for Aria, I had to imagine it was stressful on her body, and confusing. She's handling it so well, and I'm so proud of her. She's such a strong little girl.

They turned the porch lights off and watched as little specks of light started decorating the sky. Aria got excited at each one, yelling and pointing whenever they came.

Seeing her this happy and free made me melt, made me wish every day could be like this.

After a while, she sat between Leo and me and snuggled up on one of the pillows. She fell asleep quickly, tired from a full day of play.

As soon as Leo took notice, he draped one of the blankets over her. These past few days had made it really hard not to see our entire future laid out for us in this house.

We packed up soon after she fell asleep. Leo and I got her settled in the room before going upstairs. The room she was in was directly downstairs, so I wouldn't be far from her, and she normally slept through the night.

When I got upstairs, Hawthorne was in the bed, looking at his tablet, and I assumed Jasper was in the shower when I heard it running. Leo rushed around me and bounded onto the bed, flopping himself down.

I joined them on the bed, sitting right on the edge.

Leo squirmed towards me until he was laying across my lap, his head on my thighs. I ran my hand through his hair.

Jasper came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and nothing else. Rivulets of water ran down from his hair onto his rippling hard abs. My face heated just looking at him. What did I do to end up with these gorgeous men?

"I know, right?" Leo whispered.

"I just want to lick it right off him," I whispered back.

Leo let out a sexy growl that had my toes curling.

"Not yet, you two," Hawthorne said, putting his tablet aside. "We need to talk."

Leo pouted. "That's no fun."

Hawthorne looked very serious, which made me nervous. "What's going on?"

He sighed. "I didn't want to say anything until Ari was asleep and we could talk, but I met her father today."

My jaw dropped. "What?"

"When?" Leo asked at the same time.

"Before I left for work," Hawthorne continued. He told us about the note he never opened and the Mislulu pack.

"So now that he thinks she's special, he wants her?" I asked, my fists balled. "What a bastard!" I yelled, getting to my feet. "After that night, I tried to find him," I rambled. "Not that I thought we would get together or anything, but I thought having a co-parent would be nice. But no. That dickhead dropped off the face of the Earth, and it seemed so intentional. I've heard nothing. And now he wants us to, what? Come to his pack and play house?" I was hyperventilating. "What if they try to take her? Does it mean that much to them? I can't lose her."

Tears started streaming down my face. This was all so much, and I didn't know how I was going to face it.

Suddenly, Leo was right in front of me, Jasper right next to him. I didn't see Hawthorne, but I felt his large, warm body press against my back, enveloping me in a hug.

I took a deep breath. "Whatever you choose," Leo said, "you won't have to choose alone. We're here for you. We care about you both so much, would do anything for you."

"He's right, darling," Hawthorne said. "Nothing will take either of you from us. I promise that."

I leaned into them, letting them carry some of this weight. They were right. Since I met them, I felt like some of the weight that was always on me was lifted.

"I don't know what I did to deserve all of you," I whispered.

Jasper lifted my chin until I was looking at him. "Nothing," he said. "We take care of you because we want to. Both of you."

I took a deep breath. "Okay. What do we need to do?"

Hawthorne came around so I could see him. "I told him we were already mated," he said, sounding a bit sorry. "Being mated is just as binding as blood to shifters. So if we were mated, it would be easy. I don't want to rush you into that, though, so I was thinking?—"

"Let's do it," I said.

They all paused. "What?"

"Let's mate," I said. I wanted them. Forever. I knew it deep down, whether we did this now, next week, or next year. I wanted them in our lives. "As long as you want to," I clarified.

Hawthorne smiled wider than I'd ever seen. "You're one of us, sweet," he said. "We would love nothing more than to make you ours."

"I've wanted to mark you since our first date," Leo said, pressing into me.

"I couldn't agree more," Jasper said.

"But you have to be sure," Hawthorne said. "Matings are permanent. Once we do this, you will truly be ours, and us yours, forever."

"I couldn't imagine it any other way," I said with a smile.

Suddenly, I was being thoughtfully tackled to the bed, my clothes pushed away until I was left bare.

"How does this work?" I asked. I briefly recalled Leo saying something about marking.

"Yes," Hawthorne said as he kissed down my neck. "To mate, we'll each mark you with a bite, to show that you're ours. It will bind us together by magic, connect our souls for life."

"Please," I begged. "I need it. I want that."

"Don't worry, sweet. You'll get it."

Leo draped himself over me, sinking his cock in quickly with no prep. The stretch was amazing, the pain paired with the pleasure almost consuming.

"I've needed you since the first day we met," he whispered into my ear. "You and Ari have become the center of our worlds, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life cherishing you both."

Tears fell from the corners of my eyes as he plowed into me, fucking me right into an orgasm. As he did, I felt something bigger pressing into me.

"I'm going to knot you, baby," he said. "I'm going to knot you and claim you as mine."

"Yes, do it," I breathed.

I felt as his knot popped into place. I squeezed down on him on instinct, and he groaned. He pumped once more before biting down right above my left breast.

At first, it was just a slight sting until it turned into something more. It was if something inside me shifted to make room, and in that space was Leo. I came again, the feeling so overwhelming it threw me over the edge without warning.

He fell against me, and we just lay there for a moment.

"Now what?" I asked.

"We wait for my knot to go down and do it all over again."

I'm not sure how long it took, but Leo's knot finally went down enough for him to pull out. He cuddled me the whole time, drawing little nothings along my back with his fingers.

As soon as he was done Jasper was right there, pushing into me, never leaving me empty for too long.

"My love," he said as he fucked into me slowly and methodically, just like him. "You are so smart, so talented, so strong-willed. I couldn't imagine going another day without making you mine."

Gods, these men were so sweet. He circled my clit lazily, drawing another orgasm from me slowly but surely. There was no rush, just the pleasure growing between us.

I felt his knot push against me as he began to work it in. He was a bit bigger than Leo, but I knew I could take it. Soon after, I felt it pop into place, holding us together.

"Come for me, love," he said. "I want to feel you squeeze my knot." His fingers on my clit picked up, and that was all I needed to come again. This was slower and less frantic than the last, but still just as sweet. Jasper leaned to my right and sank his teeth into my shoulder. The same feeling of rightness flooded me as Jasper filled a space that had felt empty until this moment.

I could feel him jerk as he came, locking his cum inside me.

We lay there as he kissed me all over, whispering sweet nothings into my ear as his knot shrank and he could pull out of me.

I was exhausted but ready as Hawthorne towered over me, lining himself up. He sank in slowly, his cock the biggest, stretching me the furthest.

"You know, you scared me at first," Hawthorne said as he sank all the way in.

"Why?"

"Because I was worried you would come in and change it all. That you wouldn't fit with one of us, or you would break our hearts. But you melded into our family so seamlessly. You belong with us, belong with me, and I can't wait to spend the next seventy years showing you how much I care for you."

Tears streamed down my eyes. "I care for you too, all of you. So much. You've all changed my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

He kissed me as he fucked me. We were wrapped around each other, basking in each other's nearness.

As he began to push his knot in, I knew it was the biggest. It felt like a fist trying to push its way into me, but I relaxed, and soon, just like the others, he locked into place.

His face came down as he bit me on my left side, where my shoulder and neck met. He filled that last little space inside me, making me feel whole in a way I didn't know I could.

Pleasure rushed through me as I felt him come, coating my insides.

When he was finished, he rolled us to the side. Water was brought to me, and I downed the whole cup.

"Good girl," Jasper said.

"Sleep, baby," Hawthorne said. "My knot lasts a really long time."

I nodded as I felt myself drifting off. Everyone else climbed into bed, surrounding us.

"I love you all," I mumbled in my sleepy haze. It wasn't how I wanted to say it, but it was true regardless.

"We love you too," one of them mumbled. Or maybe all of them—I wasn't sure as I drifted fast to sleep.