Page 11 of Love Me Knot, Part One (Knotty Omegas #1)

“Who said I’m nice?” I bare my teeth at him.

Kai steps between us and I look away immediately, not interested in a fight I definitely won’t win.

The short ride down is silent, broken only by the ding of our arrival and my groan at the chill the open doors let in from the parking garage. “I hate you all.”

“You love us,” Mellie counters, pulling me toward the SUV Kai bought because she prefers us all to ride together when we go out. Her little way of making sure we’re safe.

Maverick helps his omega inside first, then opens the door for us. Before I get in, he stops me with a hand on my arm. “Trust that this is a good thing, Daph. Something we know you need.”

I do. Despite everything else, this group is my family. “Pussy Power, right?”

He laughs. “Right.”

Mellie chatters from the middle seat, telling us all about her latest clients at the phone sex company she works for, like the guy who only wants her to tell him puns.

Lacey blushes as she recounts how her favorite fan has been spoiling her audio erotica alter-ego, Lilah Love.

Keeping her stocked in bath bombs, lotions, and sweet treats while she pretends they’re not utterly infatuated with each other.

Mav’s already looked the guy up and determined he’s not a creep or I’d be far more worried.

Kai updates us on the newest bodyguard rotation at the scent bar she moonlights for, while Mav gives us a rundown of all the shit he’s confiscated from some of her new escorting clients.

And through it all, I enjoy my coffee as the people I care about cart me off to who knows where.

Who knows where is a building in downtown Seaport. It’s worn down, but the art deco designs are still beautiful even if the inside looks infested with dust mites.

“Uh, pretty sure this place is closed,” I say dumbly.

“For now.” With the others huddled around me to hold back the wind, Kai hands me a small velvet box.

There’s a fleeting moment of panic in my chest. Gifts with my exes meant bullshit apologies and meaningless sex. Touch without comfort until the next time they disappointed me. A glimpse of the sun before they smothered it with clouds.

“Breathe. It’s a good thing,” she promises, wrapping my shaking hand around the gift. Lacey rests her chin on my shoulder in support.

“You know we’d never hurt you,” Mellie says, shifting close enough to lean her face against my arm. “Open it, Daph.”

Breathing through the fear, trusting my friends, I do.

The little silver key looks so innocuous on a bed of velvet. So why the hell is my heart pounding?

Lacey tips it into my palm. “We decided you need a push to restart your life, so we found one for you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s a storefront,” Mellie squeals, eyes bright and bouncing on her toes. “You’re going to open a brick-and-mortar Nymph in Seaport, babe!”

Holy fuck. She actually bought me a store. That sneaky little shit.

“I don’t— how? When?”

“We contacted the owner the day you left the assholes. Took a bit, but we finally got agreeable terms.” Kai shrugs like it’s no big deal. Like they didn’t do something so fucking insane that I can hardly breathe.

“I can’t afford this. Not with the bride payment.”

The sadness that sweeps me is unmatched by anything I experienced with Pack Parker. It’s looking at a dream, being so close you can smell it, and having it ripped away.

Mel grins. “Sure, you can. With the right investors.”

Oh. My. God.

My stomach free falls out of my ass. No.

Kai clamps a hand over my mouth when I try to protest, sending Lacey into giggles.

“With all the love I can muster, shut up. Business is good for all of us. Audio’s taken off better than Lacey ever expected and Mellie’s the top operator in the tri-state area.

We have more than enough money, Daph, and we want to use some of it on you. ”

I’m floored. Honored that they’d do something so wonderful when I’m not sure I deserve it.

“I can’t pay you back.”

The bridewealth will take every cent from pawning the jewelry, all my savings, and possibly my firstborn child. It’s worth it to get out of my exes’ grasp, but things are going to be rough .

Lacey brushes me off. “We’re not worried about that. You’re at the ceiling of what you can do with an online-only presence. A storefront will give you a chance to expand.”

I know this because I’m the one that said it last year after another marital disappointment and a fifth of vodka.

Online is good, but some people need to try things on before they buy because of sensitivity or mobility issues.

Plus, a physical shop makes sense when I focus on designs that are accessible for everyone.

And now, because of my friends, I have exactly that.

A vision of myself inside a clean store, lights warm behind the glass and people milling about fills my head. Holidays and birthday sales, anniversaries and bachelorette parties. Sex and kink education classes.

A safe space. A community of my own.

My atelier.

My eyes burn as I look at a future that doesn’t hurt to imagine. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes.” Maverick smiles behind Kai, kind and gentle and wonderful. “We couldn’t help you before. Let us do it now.”

It’s everything I ever wanted, yet part of me says this isn’t for me.

I remember Pack Parker’s laughter when they found out about Nymph.

The way Father used to hang up when I asked a business question, or every time Mother called me spoiled for wanting something of my own— undeserving of the alphas who kept me fed and safe.

My lips move to say no, purely out of habit, but what comes out is, “Thank you.”

Mellie leans in, so hopeful I can’t stop my smile. “Is that a yes?”

“It’s a hell yes.” I laugh, feeling bubbly and full of appreciation.

My friends whoop and holler, the energy around us buoying into something so bright there isn’t a word to describe it.

The group hug is long and obnoxious, only ending when we nearly tip into the street.

Maverick saves us from certain death, and Lacey pulls us to the door, clapping when I turn the key.

The others immediately head inside, flipping on lights and making plans to get a crew out to clean things up, but I’m rooted. Unable to take that next step again.

Maverick waits nearby, attention everywhere and on me at the same time. “What do you think, Butterfly?”

“Why do you call me that?”

He started a few years ago, and it pissed my alphas off to no end, but I never had the courage to find out why. Something tells me today’s the day to do it.

A ghost of a smile flies over his face. “You remind me of them. Beautiful, resilient. Able to withstand so much more than people think and still share your light with the world.”

Oh, shit. I can’t handle the niceness. “You know they turn themselves into goo, right?”

“Exactly my point.”

“Hey!” The indignation is only half real. “Are you saying I’m goo right now?”

Mav bumps my shoulder while we look at the most precious gift I’ve ever received. “I’m saying you’re so close to transforming, Daph. So close to becoming what you need to be. Just remember, there’s always a better ending, even if it hurts to get there.”

Damn, I really am going to cry. He’s the best big brother I never wanted. “Did you really do this for me?”

“Nope. This is an omega-only project. I just found the building.”

“You know you’re part of this whether you put money in or not, right?”

“Yeah, I do.” Snagging me in a hug, he gently nudges me toward the door. “Come inside, Daph.”

We walk in and Kai slips past me, scent marking the shit out of her beta until she’s purring.

Lacey pulls a box of fancy chocolates from her bag with a flourish. “Audio sent these. I’ve been saving them for a special occasion. Want one?”

Normally, I’d refuse to take anything from a fan, but he always has food shipped directly from the company, so there’s no way he tampered with it. “Absolutely.”

The chocolate melts on my tongue, the richest thing I’ve ever tasted. Or maybe I’m just richer in ways money could never buy.

Mellie pulls out a bottle of champagne and we take turns sipping directly from it while Kai orders our favorite takeout.

Over shared trays of food and too much bubbly, we sketch out a starting point for the storefront before I drag them with me to do something impulsive.

Something I never thought I’d be able to do.

“Are you sure?” Maverick asks, staring up at the storefront.

“Hell yeah.”

We go in and my family holds my hand as I get my first tattoo, a beautiful half-sleeve that would’ve given my alphas a coronary.

That night, with my sore arm holding the pen, my friends watch as I sign the dissolution papers with my maiden name.

Daphne Barnes.

It feels so fucking good to be me, even if I’m still not sure who that is.