Page 16 of Knot Our Reality (Heated #5)

“Yes! That!” Ian grins at Dylan. “We all just want to see you happy, Emilia. If you think about them like this, you might find it doesn’t hurt quite as much as it did before.”

Their words kind of make sense, but I’m not sure it’ll work for me. It also wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.

“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises,” I finally say, reaching up with my free hand to pat Ian’s. “Thank you.”

He shakes his head as he moves back to his seat. “You don’t have to thank me.”

Before I can think of how to respond, Lucas clears his throat. “While I understand you needed to comfort Emilia, I need all of you to remain in your seats with your seat belts done when the SUV is in motion.”

“Sorry, Lucas.” Ian shoots him a grin in the rearview mirror. “It won’t happen again.”

From there, we keep our conversation light for the rest of the drive. When we pull up to the park on the outskirts of town, my suitors start throwing out ideas about what they think we might be doing.

“Hiking?” Dalton sounds super excited as I wrinkle my nose.

No, thank you. Especially not while I’m pregnant.

“Games in the park?” That suggestion comes from Dylan, and I’ll admit it’s not a bad idea.

Ian watches me closely. “It can’t be anything too strenuous. Something relaxing, maybe…I actually have no idea.”

“Me neither,” Maverick admits. “But we’ll find out soon if we get out of the car.”

Lucas turns around to face us. “I’m just waiting for the all clear from my guys. As soon as they let me know it’s safe, Mike and I will escort you to the area we’ll be in. ”

Not a second later, his head tilts to the side before nodding. “Okay, we’re clear, but Emilia, please wait until Mike and I meet you at the door before exiting, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know the drill.” I wave him off as they climb out, Dylan and Ian following suit, while I turn to Dalton and Maverick. “The two of you can get out if you want.”

Maverick shakes his head. “No. We’ll wait until you’re out. Partly because I don’t want to have to climb over you.”

I shrug. That makes sense.

“Come on, Emilia.” Lucas sticks his head through the door and gestures for me to join him. Maneuvering out of my seat, I take his hand and allow him to help me out.

Ian and Dylan are standing a few feet away, and when I go to join them, Mike and Lucas fall in on either side of me.

“You know I have suitors who might want to talk to me,” I tell them with a snicker. “I don’t need you up my ass.”

Lucas shoots me a droll look. “And they can talk from in front or behind you. Until we reach the reserved area, you’re staying between us.”

“Sir, yes, sir.” I give him a mock salute, ducking my head to hide my smile.

I don’t actually mind walking between them because it makes me feel safer. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to give him shit—frequently.

“Brat. I never should’ve let you spend time with Tyler,” he says, referring to his omega. “I swear you weren’t this much of a pain in the ass until you met him. He’s a bad influence on you.”

“Or I just didn’t feel comfortable enough with you in the beginning.”

He rolls his eyes, but I can see him fighting a smile. I think he likes bratty omegas.

No, I know he likes bratty omegas, considering his own omega, Tyler, is definitely a brat.

It’s a short walk to the blocked-off area we’ll be using today. I can’t see any of Lucas’s men, but I know they’re there. They’re really good at remaining hidden until they want to be seen. It’s a good trait for security work .

“That’s a massive screen,” Ian says over his shoulder, pointing to where the screen is set up next to the lake. “You’re going to make us watch horror movies, aren’t you?”

I grin, nodding. “I sure am. And we’ve got freshly made popcorn and any candy you can think of. Plus, a few other surprises. Lunch is being catered by one of the local Mexican restaurants.”

“And look at those seats. They look like the ones in the theaters in couch form.” Dylan shakes his head as we move closer.

“That’s exactly what they are.” I clap my hands excitedly. “There’s even a shade that will come out over it—which I’ll likely be using for most of the day.”

Maverick hums from behind me. “Yes, we don’t want you getting overheated. Did you put sunscreen on? The last thing we need is a pregnant omega with a sunburn.”

“Yes, Dad. I put sunscreen on, and I have more in my purse.” Shaking my head, I step away from Mike and Lucas to swing open the gate of the temporary fence that keeps this area separate from the rest of the park.

When I approached Bree and Tessa about this idea, I wasn’t sure they’d be able to pull it off. I always loved movie night at our local park, so I wanted to bring that feel to our date today. It’s not quite the same since it’s during the day instead of at night, but it’s close enough.

I make my way over to the snack table, smiling at the woman standing behind it. “Hello! Can I get a cherry soda, please? Some popcorn and a funnel cake, too. Oh! And maybe that candy there.”

“Didn’t you just eat breakfast?” Lucas gruffs from the spot he’s taken up against the fence.

I flip him off. “Yes, and I’m already hungry again. Now, mind your business. I’m going to indulge in my favorite movie treats, and I’m not going to feel bad about it.”

“Nor should you,” Ian says as he joins me, ordering his own snacks once the woman brings them back to me.

I realize very quickly I have a problem—I don’t have enough hands to carry my haul to the couch.

“Let me help you.” Dalton takes the candy and funnel cake from me, leaving me just my soda and popcorn. “I’ll come back and get what I want once we get you settled.”

I beam up at him. “Thank you. Sometimes I don’t think through how I’m going to carry things. It was easier when I wasn’t pregnant. I’d just shove it against my chest and cling to it until I got to where I was going. But the baby bump makes that hard.”

“I’m always happy to help you carry things.”

I climb onto the couch, pulling down the arm on my left so I can put my soda in it and put my popcorn between my legs. I press the button on the arm, smiling when the cover lifts from the back of the couch and over my seat.

“Thank you again.” I make grabby hands at Dalton, who laughs and helps me arrange the candy at my side before handing me the funnel cake.

I bite into it as soon as he walks away, and it’s gone by the time he rejoins us. Luckily, none of them comment on how fast I eat it.

I love funnel cakes.

Dalton takes the seat to my right that Maverick left for him. Ian sits on my other side with Dylan beside him.

“So what movies are we watching?” he asks as he settles in.

I name off my favorite horror movie franchise. “I know we won’t be able to make it through all of them, but we should have time for three or so. And don’t worry, we can absolutely talk during the movie. I wouldn’t bring you somewhere I expected you to be quiet.”

I frown, remembering the story Remington told me about his suitor who did just that.

What a douche.

The movie starts playing, and I’m amazed at how easy it is to see, even though it’s sunny outside. That had been my main concern about setting this up, but Bree assured me she could make it work, and she did.

I’m more than a little jealous of these women’s connections.

We make it through the first movie and half of the second before lunch arrives, and we take a break to eat .

Now that the animosity between the four of them is gone, I find it just as comfortable to be around them as I did the day one suitors.

I’m also beginning to realize there’s no way the show is going to go how I wanted it to. Because I already care about all eight of the men I’ve met so far. I don’t want to hurt any of them and expecting them to be okay with an omega who just wants to be friends is going to do just that.

While we chatted through the movies and lunch, I find myself lost in my thoughts as we turn the movie back on. The four of them are still chatting, but I can’t bring myself to focus on them or the movie.

Now that I know this is going to be so much more than just finding a pack to keep my kids safe, can I really do this? Can I build a pack to replace the one I lost?

No. Of course I can’t, and I shouldn’t try to.

That’s not what any of us want. All it’ll do is cause everyone pain.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Dylan says quietly as the third movie ends.

At some point, he and Ian must have switched spots, but I completely missed it.

“What?”

Dylan chuckles. “We could tell you were doing some heavy thinking, and we didn’t want to interrupt, so we let you be. But your scent tells me you’re struggling with something. If you’d like to talk it out with us—either as a group or with just one of us—we’re happy to do that for you.”

“I just—” I break off, looking between them. “This is going to make me sound really bad.”

“I doubt it,” Ian interjects. “But we’ll keep that in mind.”

I take a deep breath before spilling how I planned to handle being on the show. Of how I realized yesterday that my plan was falling apart, and how today confirmed it. Once I finish, I stare down at my lap, afraid of their responses.

A hand lands on my leg, and I look up to see Dalton smiling at me. “You’re scared. ”

“I’m not—” Obviously, my knee-jerk reaction is to say I’m not scared, but of course I am. “Yes, I guess. I just…I don’t…”

“It’s okay,” Dylan assures me. “You don’t have to know how to handle everything. Of course, you feel overwhelmed when you thought you were going to be able to handle this one way, only to realize you can’t. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Maverick nods. “Maybe trying to force yourself to have a plan is what’s giving you this hang-up.

Well, that and you worrying about what your pack would think.

I can’t speak to that—you knew them best. But so did your family, so if you’re really struggling with that, maybe it’s something you can talk to Remington about when you see him on family day. ”

Ian kneels in front of me again, drawing my attention to him.

“My suggestion? Take it one day at a time. You don’t need to figure everything out right now.

According to Lucas, it’s time for us to head back to the compound.

You still have eight suitors to meet and go on dates with.

Maybe once you’ve met all of us, you’ll know what to do. If you don’t, then that’s okay too.”

“What we’re trying to tell you,” Dalton begins, “is that it’s okay to not be sure. To not be okay. To not know what the hell you want. As long as you’re being honest with yourself.”

I nod slowly. They’ve given me something to think about. It doesn’t solve anything, but maybe Ian is right. Maybe I need to just meet the rest of the suitors—be more open to the idea of a pack.

Because I don’t need to talk to Remington to know that Ryan, Gerald, Maxwell, and Davis would want me to be happy. They wouldn’t want me to be alone for the rest of my life. They’d want me to have a pack that cares about me and that will take care of me now that they’re gone.

“Yeah, okay.”

Ian’s smile is soft as he pushes to his feet before helping me stand. He walks me over to Lucas and Mike, who move to each side of me as we walk back to the SUV. The four of them walk behind us quietly.

“Are you doing okay, omega?” Lucas asks, and I shrug.

“I have no idea. I think so? But maybe not?” I snort. “I’m a mess. ”

Mike chuckles. “There’s nothing wrong with that, Emilia. I know you’ve always been the girl with all her ducks in a row, but maybe it’s time to live outside your comfort zone.”

It’s my turn to lie. “You don’t think I haven’t been since finding out I was pregnant?”

“Touché.” Mike nudges me. “But maybe try doing it on purpose?”

“You know I already have an annoying brother, right? I don’t need two more.”

They both chuckle at that, but drop it, making me eternally grateful.

I ride back to the compound, sitting between Ian and Dylan.

They don’t try to pull me into their conversation, and once we make it back to the compound, they walk me to my suite.

With a quick kiss on the cheek from all four of them, they leave me alone with my confused thoughts.

Never in my life have I felt this off my axis. Everyone seems to want me to lean into it, but I don’t know if I can.