Page 40 of Knot Your Sunshine (Snugverse Romcom #2)

Chapter thirty-seven

Mia

I'm wearing a path in the carpet of my suite, my feet sinking into the plush fibers with each step. Outside, the ocean stretches black under the moon, calm now as if the storm never happened.

Endgame.

The word sits heavy in my chest.

I pause at the window, press my forehead against the cool glass. Even after a relaxing hot shower, their voices play on repeat in my mind.

Have you thought about what comes after?

Maybe eventually bringing in help?

We know where this could lead.

They meant well. I know that. But knowing and feeling are two different things, and right now something feels fundamentally off.

Would they still want me if I said I planned to work this hard for the next decade? Two decades? Would their support come with an expiration date?

I turn from the window and resume pacing, the carpet muffling my footsteps but not my racing thoughts.

Alex lasted one month before my ambition became "too much." How long before these three reach the same conclusion, just wrapped in kinder words? We want you to have balance. We want you to be happy. As if happiness only comes in their prescribed doses of work versus life.

I press the heels of my hands against my eyes. A headache is building behind my temples.

I need to talk to someone. Someone who won't tell me what they think I want to hear.

I grab my phone and text Elena.

Me: SOS. Are you free? I need to talk.

I watch the message hang there, waiting for the 'delivered' confirmation. Nothing.

Me: Sorry, I know it's late.

Still nothing. She's probably on the silver fox's yacht, or somewhere with terrible cell service. Or just sleeping like a normal person.

The silence of the suite presses in. Too quiet after the crackling fire, after their suggestions that I should already be planning my exit from the thing that makes me feel most alive.

I scroll through my contacts, thumb hovering over names.

Who else would understand? My other friends would probably tell me I'm lucky to have three rich, gorgeous alphas interested in me.

Mom and Dad would definitely remind me I'm not getting any younger.

And Grandma's old Nokia 3310 is probably turned off for the night.

Hmm, although maybe I could still try her…

But then, Naomi's name appears on screen. My lawyer.

She did tell me to reach her anytime… I mean, 1:47 AM probably wasn't what she meant but it's almost 8 in New York...

Me: Naomi, so sorry to bother you after hours, but I have a few things I'd like to discuss. It's... related to the partnership agreement.

The response comes so fast I nearly drop the phone.

Naomi: Never a bother, Mia. I actually landed in Honolulu a few hours ago and can't sleep with the jetlag. I'm free now if you'd like to call.

She's here. In Hawaii. Just a helicopter ride away.

My finger shakes slightly as I hit the call button.

"Mia, hi." Naomi's voice is warm, alert. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"Naomi, thank you so much for this." I force my voice into something resembling professional. "I'm having some... concerns about the long-term strategic alignment of the partnership."

"Okay." Paper rustles in the background. "What kind of concerns? Are they not following through on the contract terms?"

"No, nothing like that. They've been more than fulfilling their ends of the bargain." I sit on the edge of the bed, then immediately stand again, unable to be still. "It's more about fundamental compatibility. Vision alignment."

"Can you be more specific?" Her tone is patient, giving me space.

I take a shaky breath. "Tonight they started asking about my endgame. About when I might want to step back, bring in a general manager, find balance, that sort of things."

"I see. And I'm guessing that's not your most immediate concern?"

"Exactly. We've known each other less than a week, and it felt they were already trying to plan my retirement.

" The words tumble out faster now. "They talked about burnout, about missing out on life, about balance.

It felt exactly like conversations I've had before. Right before relationships ended."

"Ah." Naomi's tone shifts slightly. "So your concern isn't strictly about the business partnership."

"It's all tangled together though, isn't it?" I'm pacing again, free hand cutting through the air. "They say they support my dream, but then in the same breath they're implicitly asking when I'll be done with it. Like it's a phase I'll grow out of."

"What did they say exactly?"

I close my eyes, remember the fire. "That the franchise project will take years of travel and training. That they don't want me to burn out like they almost did. That they want me to have 'everything', the business and a life." My voice cracks on the last word. "As if the business isn't my life."

"And you're worried their support might become conditional in time."

"Yes." The word comes out as barely a whisper. "Earlier today, I told them about stopping the scent blockers. I was so ready to... to trust completely. But now..."

"Now you're scared they might eventually want to change who you are." She lets that hang for a moment. "That you might bond with them only to discover they can't accept your ambition long-term."

"Exactly." I sink onto the bed, suddenly exhausted. "What if six months from now they're pushing harder for me to slow down? What if my drive becomes the problem, like it always has been in my relationships?"

"Can I share something with you? Not as your lawyer, but as someone who's navigated similar waters?"

"Please." I pull my knees to my chest.

"Partnerships, business or personal, require complete honesty about who you are and what you want.

The contract exists to give you space to figure out if this alignment is real without losing yourself in the process.

" She pauses, choosing words carefully. "Stopping scent blockers around your scent matches.

.. you know what that could trigger. Heat.

Bonding. Changes that can't be undone. You need to be absolutely sure they see and want all of you, including the parts that dream big and work hard and might never want to step back. "

"So I'm not overreacting? Getting scared after one difficult conversation?"

"You're protecting yourself and your dreams. That's not overreacting, it's self-preservation. You need to know they can love all of you, including the parts that want to build an empire."

My throat tightens. "And if they can't?"

"Then you'll have your answer before irreversible commitments are made." Her voice gentles. "Better to know now than after getting bonded."

A weight lifts slightly from my chest. "Thank you, Naomi. For being available."

"Anytime, Mia. I mean that. Your dreams matter. Don't let anyone, no matter how wonderful they seem, convince you otherwise." She pauses. "Get some sleep if you can. Clear heads make better decisions."

After we hang up, I sit in the dark for a long moment. The suite doesn't feel quite so suffocating now. Or maybe I just don't feel so alone with my concerns.

And I know what I need to do now.