Page 123 of Knight Life In Vegas

“You think any of us could leave you?” Dylan asked, rubbing his cheek against mine.

“We’re not that easy to get rid of, duchess.” Chico pulled me onto his lap, everyone edging closer. “Are you saying you want to give this an actual go?”

I pulled in a shaky breath. “I don’t know how to fight it when I can feel everything. Seems ridiculous to even try, so, yeah, that’s what I’m saying. I’m trying to make peace with my past and not let it steal more time from me.”

“Are you ready to go home, querida?”

I leaned closer, resting my temple on Eduardo’s shoulder. Home. We’d definitely need something that fit us all in one space soon, and I was able to look forward to that without wondering if I was good enough, if they wanted me, or any other lingering questions with how brightly their sentiments burned in the bond.

“Yeah. I’m ready.”

The nest was full, the kids asleep between Charlotte and Beau, the rest of us tucked around them. I liked seeing Charlotte in full mom mode. She was so sweet with her kids and it was obvious how much they all loved each other. Since the entire pack had bonded in, she’d been so steady. I’d expected us to face a lot of resistance and panic, but maybe the bonds were enough to show her we were serious about being there for herand her children.Ourchildren. We were all legally their parents now, a brand-new family.

Everything had moved so quickly, we hadn’t even had the opportunity to introduce Charlotte to loved ones. That would have to happen sometime soon, considering how quickly we had gone from zero to sixty.

I picked up my phone, my first opportunity in days to go through work emails. I popped open the app, staring at it, trying to process why I was seeing hundreds of emails from our website. I clicked into the top one.

Holy shit.

Were they all people signing up for the camps and lessons? I clicked through a few dozen more just to make sure, every single one of them someone interested in taking part.

Charlotte shifted next to me, turning enough so she could see me but not disturb Ollie, who was velcroed to her. “What’s happening?”

“Well, you got about two hundred requests for riding lessons with the queen so far.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yep, and another couple hundred for knight training.”

Beau and I had already done the math on how many active signups we would need to start pushing Night of Knights into solid profits so we could recover everything that had been stolen. We had more than double that.

“Does that mean what I think it means?” she asked.

Relief filled my chest, tears sneaking up on me. “Yeah. We’re gonna be okay.”

I wasn’t going to lose my grandfather’s legacy or let a franchise version of what we did take over in our place. Night of Knights was mine—ours—and we were in a damn good position to save it together.

Charlotte wiggled around carefully so we were face to face, her smile bright in the dim light. “You did it.”

“Wedid it.” I kissed her slow and deep, committing the feel of her mouth to memory. “I kept it afloat, but I’ve been so stuck on the status quo I hadn’t thought of other opportunities. Even if I had, half of the new ideas only work with you on board.”

“Those were selfish ideas.” She nestled against my chest, tucking her head beneath my chin, her arms wrapped around me. “I get to hang out with all of you and the horses all day. That’s basically a dream come true.”

“We both have selfish motives in that regard.”

Charlotte sighed, pressing a kiss to the hollow of my throat, tenderness tumbling down the bond. “I haven’t thanked you yet.”

“For what?”

“If you hadn’t given me such a good experience when we first met, I probably would’ve been too scared to try again.”

I tipped her chin up and leaned close so she would be able to hear me even though I spoke quietly. “Duchess, are you saying I laid you so well you were ready for more?”

She let out a giggle. “Partly. That bit was very fun, but before all of that, you stood up for me, you talked to me like I was a whole person, you made me feel like an omega for the first time in years. I can’t ever thank you enough for making sure I felt safe and wanted, even if I wasn’t totally ready for it at the time.”

I absorbed her words one by one. If I’d scared her off, she might have still met Dylan and Eduardo, but she’d have probably been too spooked to go to bed with them. She’d been so afraid when we’d found her again at Night of Knights. Without her attachment to them too, would she have ever entertained the possibility of more? Charlotte was an omega who needed a pack and the security of being bonded to all of us.

“I plan to spend my whole lifetime making sure you feel safe and wanted.”

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