Page 31 of Two For the Show (Trapped On The Tightrope Duet #2)

My troupe sits in the stands, chattering away as I stand in the center ring, feeling more nervous than I have since I had to tell them all I fucked up and hired a female Omega as our doctor.

I’m worried about their reactions.

And then I look into Alex’s dark eyes, where she sits next to Matteo, and they bolster my confidence. I have to do this.

I can’t keep this from my family any longer.

“Thank you all for coming today. As you all know, Dr. Alex is back with us.” There’s a pleased rumbling from my team, which lightens some of my tension.

“We didn’t protect her last time she was here.

I didn’t protect her. And I have no doubt most of you have seen the news stories about her.

I am especially grateful none of you has called in a tip about her. ”

That we know of.

But I have to assume that if they did, those three assholes would be on our doorstep already .

“It’s not our place to question why she’s here,” Guy says in a scratchy voice. “We’ve all got our demons.”

There’s a reason Guy wears a mask during the show. He doesn’t want anyone to see his face, to know who he is. It took him three years to stop wearing it around the rest of us. Now, it’s only for the shows, but when he first joined us, it was any time he stepped out of his trailer.

“Alex will be performing in our show once we reach San Diego for the last show of the tour.”

“Oh shit, doing what?” Trevor asks excitedly. “Can she stand in the middle of the Globe?”

Alex’s face pales, and I shoot that down real fast. “Absolutely not. She’s only performing with a few acts.”

Trevor’s eyes twinkle, and I can tell immediately he knows which acts. Alex told me he found out about all of them, and he’s done a good job keeping his mouth shut, but it’s time to let everyone know. I don’t want anyone hearing it from him.

“Alex is my Omega.” The words rush out of me in a whoosh. It takes a minute for my team to react.

“I knew it!” Rex shouts, jumping to his feet. “Pay up!” He holds his hand out to Paul.

Paul grumbles and pulls his wallet from his pocket. He shoves a couple of bills into Rex’s extended palm. “Yeah, yeah. You called it.”

Alex sputters out a laugh. “Did you have a bet about me?”

“You and Jude, yeah. And well… that isn’t all of it, is it?” Rex’s eyes, eyes sparkling. “Because I got a couple of other bets out there, you know.”

I fuss, scrubbing my hand down my face. “I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not like we’ve been subtle. Well, let’s hear it. Who have you also bet for?”

Enrique, one of our motorcycle guys, raises his hand. “ Matteo and Quinton, obviously.” A few murmurs of agreement, but also a couple of scoffs.

Quinton stands up and bows. “You are correct. We are lucky men.”

More cash exchanges hands.

“The twins,” Calvin, our firebreather, says smugly. “Dario has been giddy as hell lately, and Dexter has been insufferable since she arrived.”

“Insufferable?” Dexter scoffs. “You’re one to talk, Calvin. You’ve been mopey for weeks.”

“Hey! I waited years for that series finale, and it was garbage, okay? It’s left a bad taste in my mouth for the whole series, and it was my favorite. I’m grieving. ”

I choke on a laugh. I noticed Calvin seemed a little blue, but I had no idea it was about a fucking television show.

“He’s right, though,” Dario says smugly. He pulls down the collar of his t-shirt to show off the bonding mark on his throat. “It’s us!”

A few triumph sounds proceed more cash exchanging hands.

Trevor has a fistful of bills and is grinning madly. Alex notices and jumps to her feet, pointing at him.

“You made bets when you already knew? That’s cheating!”

“That’s the hustle, baby. You can’t expect a circus to be filled with honest men,” he says, flipping through the bills as if he’s counting them.

Enrique smacks him on the back of the head. “How long have you known?”

Trevor grins slyly. “I’ve known about Matteo since before she left. The others were an easy guess, especially once she was covered in Jude’s scent.”

“And we’re done!” I shout, clapping my hands. “I was letting you all know as a courtesy. I may have a pack now, but we’re still a family. This doesn’t change the show or Alex’s job as our doctor. That’s all I got. Go rest before the show tonight.”

We need to get a bigger trailer if we’re all going to keep piling into Alex’s every night. She’s at the table, working on that puzzle again, and Dario is standing over her shoulder, guiding her moves as if it’s a poker game.

Since they bonded, he’s been even sunnier than usual.

It’s a good look on him. The man drives me insane, yet I still want to spend as much time with him as possible.

Despite that, I’ve been avoiding him. I know he wants to talk about us, about our relationship, and I don’t know how to do that.

It was hard enough to be vulnerable with Alex, and she’s my Omega.

I know that polyamory isn’t uncommon in packs, but I never saw myself with a pack at all, much less in a relationship with one of the other Alphas.

There is no doubt I’m staring at the two of them too much, but I can’t seem to stop.

The sight of his floppy hair and baggy sweats, along with a huge, infectious grin, next to Alex’s contemplative face, her body wrapped in cozy lounge clothes, has my heart aching.

Seeing the two of them together fills me with a sense of rightness that I honestly cannot explain.

“You’re gonna drool,” Quinton teases, flopping down next to me on the couch. Matteo and Dexter are cooking, which has to be tough in that crowded kitchen, but I’m not going to complain .

Usually, I eat instant ramen or a frozen dinner. I’m not going to turn down whatever it is they’re making that smells spicy and sweet.

I elbow him, and immediately wince when he makes a pained sound. “Shit, sorry, Q. How are you feeling?”

He pulls a pack of gummies out of his pocket and pops one into his mouth.

“Honestly? A lot better, especially since I got this guy.” He holds up his arm and shows me the silvery bite mark on his forearm.

“It’s wild. I thought I was feeling good after she came back and was regularly exposed to her pheromones, but since I got this, it’s like night and day.

It’s not gone, of course, but it’s a lot more manageable. ”

“I’m thrilled,” I tell him, bumping our shoulders together. His scent was already starting to smell like a chocolate-dipped donut, and it felt like another sign of him getting better. “I was worried about you. Since you passed out, all I can think about is what would happen if we lost you.”

“Be careful, bossman, it’ll sound like you love me.”

I roll my eyes and rest my head on the back of the couch. “Of course I do, asshole. You’re family. You’re pack. Plus, I can’t lose my best act.”

“Hey!” Dario shouts. “We’re your best act.”

Alex’s laugh fills the trailer, and it’s like all of the guys hold their breath. She’s gone through so much, and it’s nowhere near close to over, and yet she’s happy.

With us.

She’s happy with us.

I’m not going to pretend like I’m good enough for her. Honestly, none of these assholes, except maybe Matteo, are good enough for her. But she chose us anyway.

She came back to us.

“Dinner’s ready,” Dexter says, breaking the spell of her laughter. We all grab plates of Pad Thai and spread around the trailer wherever we can find a seat. It’s delicious, and I have to stop myself from scarfing it down.

“Damn, Dexter,” Quinton says through a full mouth of food. “Who knew you could cook?”

“Was mostly Matteo,” he says, ducking his head to hide his pink cheeks. “I just made the sauce.”

“Sauce is the most important part!” Dario says. “It’s all the flavor.”

We finish up and wash dishes, and I know I should leave.

It’s an off night from the show, and everyone probably wants to relax on their own.

But no one else seems to be going, and I don’t want to be the only one to.

When I probe the bond with Alex, it’s content, happy, so I let myself relax.

Quinton is flicking a lighter open and closed, Dexter is poking around on his phone, and Matteo is sketching in the corner, while Alex and Dario work on the puzzle.

This is a new dynamic for all of us. We’ll figure it out eventually.

“Hey, Matteo, you never did draw me,” Alex says thoughtfully.

“Yes, he did,” I interject. “I’ve seen some of them.”

The Beta turns bright red and hides his face behind his art pad. “Well, I mean…”

Alex is on her feet, rushing toward him and snatching the pad from his hands. He glares at me and makes a slicing motion across his throat. I snort.

Yeah right. I’d crush him like a bug. I’ve probably got a foot and a hundred pounds on the guy.

Our Omega flips through the pages, smiling. When she stops and places a hand over her mouth, I know she has found one of her .

“Well, you gonna show us?” Dario asks, trying to sneak around her to get a peek at it. “I wanna see!”

“I don’t know,” she says quietly, taking a few steps back and collapsing onto Matteo’s lap. “I think this is just for us.” She turns to him and gives him a soft kiss, pressing their foreheads together.

My heart is so full it may burst open.

This is what those stories we hear as kids should be about. Not the rival princes coming together and solving a generational battle. The ordinary people, with their ordinary struggles and pains, who find solace in one another. That’s where the real magic is.