“What if they’re here tomorrow morning? You don’t have a gate. They’ll be hounding you and trying to see into the windows. Oh, god, I didn’t even think about that. All your privacy will be gone. I—”

In the middle of my words, Luke crossed to me and knelt in front of the couch. His eyes had the quiet power in them I now recognized. “Take a breath, Omega.”

I did.

“Another one.”

Yes.

“Now, is it your fault if paparazzi show up on our doorstep?”

“I know you want me to say no, but of course it is.”

“Why?” He asked. “Are you going to call them?”

I huffed out a breath in frustration. “The five of you are so fucking reasonable.”

Luke was still trying to be serious, but an amused smile tugged at his lips. “Esme, we’ll deal with the press. If we have to put up a fence, then we’ll put up a fence. But someone trying to take my picture is not enough to stop me from wanting to court you. And anyone who thought that, in my opinion, is a punk-ass little bitch.”

Rylan snorted, nearly choking on his drink. “Is that you trying to use hip language? Because if it is, we need to revisit your training, old man.”

I burst out laughing, and everyone else followed, even Luke. Though he wasn’t even close to being old. He was still looking at me. “Have any of the headlines about you ever been true?”

“No.”

“So why does it matter?”

My hands began to fidget. “It’s such an inconvenience.”

Luke shrugged. “An inconvenience which can be solved with a solid pair of sunglasses and making sure we post a sign in the studio window not allowing any press. Hell, we’ll even spring for a ‘no trespassing’ sign in the driveway. Then we can have them thrown off the property anytime we like.”

“Basically,” I said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of chaos I bring into your life, you’re going to pretend it doesn’t mean anything?”

“Not pretend,” he said with a smile. “It really doesn’t mean anything. But I’m glad you’re getting the idea.”

Standing, he pulled me with him. “Now, I think it’s time the Omega got some sleep, and maybe a distraction or two.”

I’d never seen a room clear so fast. The food was put away, the TV and lights off in less than a minute, with them guiding me back up to the nest.

I tripped over the long skirt of the gown, and Avery caught me. We were a little behind the rest of them now. “I’m proud of you,” he said. “For earlier.”

“Thanks.”

“All you have to do is be here, baby girl. It might be hard sometimes, but we’ve got you. And we’ll do whatever we have to in order to prove it.”