Page 16 of Knot Giving Up 2

“You’ve seen us all in speedos, Em,” Dante chuckles. “There’s very little left to the imagination.”

“Speak for yourself.” Oz adjusts himself ostentatiously in his gym shorts. “There’s an impressive, thick, girthy, veiny whole lot left to the imagination.”

Em chokes on her water and sputters a laugh. “Veiny?”

Meggie rolls her eyes, but the girls share a giggling look. Something tells me what is under Oz’s shorts will be discussed at their next opportunity for girl talk.

“I really should go find my room,” Emily says, setting her water down. There’s a slight wrinkle to her brow and I realize I’ve been so wrapped up in travel and everything else that I haven’t given my sister the check-in attention she deserves. Her social anxiety can get crazy, but I haven’t seen her biting her nails, and she wasn’t doing tequila shots on the plane, so that’s a good sign. She’s alright for now.

“I’ll come with you.” Meggie sets down her water.

“No, I’m fine. Stay with your pack.” She gives Meggie a meaningful eye wiggle that makes me grin and think about my own veiny situation under my clothes.

“I’m not leaving you to face the Wicked Witch of the Pool on your own,” Meggie says.

I laugh, not having heard Ava referred to that way before. Em once told me she and Meggie had a not-so-nice nickname for Ava, but, being the sweet girl she is, Em wouldn’t tell me the name. It’s even better than I imagined.

“I wouldn’t advise calling her that to her face,” Harrison says, having joined us back in the apartment.

Both Meggie and Emily scrunch their noses and shake their heads. “Never.”

“Smart girls,” Dante chuckles.

Meggie wraps her arm around Emily and my heart squeezes.

My sister is the most important person to me, apart from Dante and the rest of my pack. Neither of us have talked to our dad much since mom died, so Emily feels like my responsibility—not in a bad, burdensome way, but I want to take care of her. And I love that Meggie cares about her just as much as I do.

The two of them head to the door, but I beat them to it. “I’ll go with you. I want to see where you’ll be.”

I also want the excuse to have some alone time with Meggie. A little detour to stroll the Seine seems like a great idea. I smile at the thought.

Right now, I can’t help but love my life. If we can just win the Olympics and bond this woman, everything will be perfect.

10

Meggie

By the time we’ve finished helping Emily get settled, I’m exhausted, and after a long day of traveling, all I want to do is curl up with my alphas in my nest back home. My nest? No, it’s not mine. Not yet. But I frickin' miss it already.

As we walk back to our rooms, I remember to turn my cell phone off airplane mode and the buzzing that ensues goes on for three solid minutes as the texts pour in.

Momma: Let us know when you’ve landed. We love you so big and I’m so proud of you.

Lily Billy: Buy a baguette!

Vicksters: PROOF OF LIFE!

Momma: Drink plenty of water. I hear hydration helps with jet lag.

Vicksters: *gif of sexy French man*

I snap a selfie of myself with Ellis and send the group pictures we took by the Olympic rings and on the airplane. I don’t know if international calls matter on our cell phone plan, but I don’t want to add any weird charges to the bill, so I send voice memos instead of calling to update them on all the free swag I’ll be bringing home.

When Ellis and I walk back into our apartment, Harrison and McQuinn are on the couch watching a water polo game, clearly studying up on the other teams. Neither of them does more than glance my way. It stings more than I’d like to admit.

Just like coming to Paris, joining the pack can’t be a democratic decision. It needs to be unanimous. And right now, McQuinn is making it very clear he doesn’t want me. And Harrison… I don’t know what to make of Harrison. He almost bit me. He beat someone unconscious for me. But now, he mostly avoids me like I’m athlete’s foot.

Ellis puts his hand on my back and leads me down the short hall. “Let’s get unpacked before dinner.”

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