Chapter 4 Chapter 4

New Year’s morning, I woke up to the realization that I was completely trapped. Like… actually trapped.

Josh had me locked against his chest, one arm under my pillow and the other wrapped around my waist like he was afraid I’d roll off a cliff in my sleep. Jake was glued to my back with one leg thrown over mine like a human seatbelt. Drew was sideways at the foot of the bed, taking up a ridiculous amount of space. Mike was passed out in the chair beside the bed, mouth open, with his head tipped back at an uncomfortable angle. And Patrick was not in the room, but his jacket was draped over the chair arm, which meant he had stayed with us for at least part of the night before slipping away.

Memories from last night rushed back. The food. The teasing. The cartoons. The way Josh carried me is like I weighed nothing. The soft good nights. The warm, too-big feelings I still didn’t know how to process.

I wiggled just enough to see Josh’s face. His eyes were still closed, but somehow his thumb started rubbing slow circles at my hip.

“Are you awake?” I whispered.

His voice came out low and sleepy. “Barely. You okay, baby girl?”

“Yeah. Just… stuck.”

He smiled against my hair. “Good. Stay stuck.”

Before I could respond, Jake kissed the back of my shoulder. “Morning’, sweetheart.” I snorted. “Morning.”

Drew made a grumpy noise from the foot of the bed. “Too early.”

“It’s nine,” Jake said.

Drew groaned louder. “Too early.” Mike jerked awake in the chair, blinking like he had forgotten where he was. “Why am I in a chair?”

“Because you snore,” Jake said.

“I do not snore,” Mike muttered.

I laughed, and Josh squeezed me gently. “How’s the head?” he asked. “Any dizziness?”

“No,” I said. “Just hungry.”

Jake perked up instantly. “Breakfast!”

“No,” the rest said in unison.

Jake gasped. “Why do you all hate joy?” Josh sat up, still holding my waist like he thought I might fall off the bed if he let go. “Give her a minute to stand before you start planning a feast.”

“Well, excuse me for caring,” Jake said, offended.

Drew sat up too, hair sticking in ten different directions. “You don’t care. You just want pancakes.”

Jake glared. “Maybe I love pancakes. Maybe pancakes love me.”

I covered my face, laughing. “Can everyone calm down? I need five minutes to wake up properly.”

Josh kissed the side of my head. “Take ten.”

I slid out of bed slowly, stretching as I stood. The room instantly went quiet. All four sets of eyes followed my every move.

“What?” I asked.

Josh shrugged. “Just looking at our fiancée.”

My face heated instantly. “Okay, stop saying that in the morning. My brain can’t handle it yet.”

Mike smirked. “It handled it last night.”

“MICHAEL,” I said, mortified.

Even Drew laughed at that. Patrick appeared in the doorway holding a mug. “Who’s traumatizing her before breakfast?”

“Mike,” everyone said.

Patrick handed me the coffee with zero hesitation. “Morning, love,” I swear my knees almost gave out. “Morning.”

Josh narrowed his eyes slightly at Patrick but didn’t comment. Patrick ignored him and walked in fully like he lived there. In every way that mattered, he did.

Jake jumped out of bed. “Breakfast time!”

Patrick held his shirt. “No. If you start cooking before someone supervises you, the house will burn down.”

Jake gasped. “That happened one time.”

“One time too many,” Patrick said.

Drew got up and took the whisk from the drawer. “I’ll do the eggs.” Mike stretched and yawned. “I’ll make the bacon.”

Josh linked his fingers with mine. “Sit. I don’t want you standing too long.”

“I’m not going to pass out,” I said.

He raised a brow. “Baby girl.”

Okay. That tone again. I sat.

Jake leaned on the counter. “I will make toast.” Mike looked horrified. “No.”

“Yes!”

“No.”

Patrick stepped between them. “Jake, just… watch the bread.” Jake lit up. “I can do that!”

Josh shook his head. “This is going to end badly.”

I laughed and took a sip of the coffee. “He’ll be fine. Probably.”

“Probably?” Drew echoed.

Mike glanced over at me. “How do the rings feel? They still fit comfortably?”

I instinctively covered them with my other hand. “Yes. Still not used to seeing them, though.”

“It looks good on you,” Patrick said simply.

Josh gave him another look. Patrick didn’t react. Typical.

Jake suddenly froze. “Oh my god. I forgot. We have to tell Patrick’s family.”

“No,” Josh said immediately.

“Yes,” Jake insisted. “His mother is going to kill us if she finds out secondhand!”

“Later,” Drew said.

“But, ”

“Later,” all four repeated.

Jake sighed dramatically. “Fine. But after breakfast, we’re calling her. She’s going to scream.”

Mike groaned. “She’s definitely going to scream.”

Josh handed me a plate once everything was finished. “Here. Eat.”

I took a bite. “Oh my god. This is so good.”

Jake pressed a hand to his chest. “It’s the toast. I did that.”

“You watched the toast,” Mike corrected.

“And I did it really well!”

Drew slid into the seat beside me. “How are you really doing?”

“Still overwhelmed,” I said honestly. “But in a good way.”

Josh nodded. “Good.”

Mike leaned on the counter. “Because it’s only going to get more overwhelming. You know that, right?”

Jake smacked his arm. “Don’t scare her!”

“I’m not scaring her,” Mike said. “I’m preparing her.”

“I already knew what I was getting into when I said yes,” I said.

Patrick’s gaze softened. “You chose us.”

I shrugged, cheeks warm. “Yeah. I did.”

Drew rested his chin briefly on my shoulder, something soft and warm in his voice. “We won’t let you regret it.”

“I won’t,” I whispered.

Josh brushed his knuckles along my jaw. “Eat, baby girl.” Jake raised his fork. “To our fiancée!”

Everyone groaned. I laughed. And deep in my chest, where the nerves and chaos lived, something settled.

Safe. Steady. Real.

This is my life now. And I wanted every messy, ridiculous second of it. Patrick made the video call before Jake could remind him again. His mother answered first, took one look at all six of us crowded around the kitchen island, and narrowed her eyes as if she already knew we were hiding something.

I lifted my left hand before I lost my nerve. The five bands caught the pale light coming through the windows, and for one suspended second, no one on the screen moved. Then Patrick’s mother screamed loudly enough that Jake jerked backward and nearly knocked over his coffee.

The rest of Patrick’s family crowded into view, talking to one another as they congratulated us and demanded a closer look at the rings. Patrick stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders while the others pressed close, and I let their happiness wash over me. No one questioned whether our family was strange or asked me to justify loving five men. They only welcomed me more firmly into it.

When the call finally ended, my cheeks hurt from smiling. Jake immediately declared that surviving the announcement deserved more pancakes, and Mike told him he was only looking for an excuse to eat again. Their argument followed us into the living room, warm and familiar, while I looked down at the rings and understood that saying yes had not taken anything from me. It had given me a place to stand.