Page 126 of Knight Life In Vegas

I stepped back, giving them some space to talk, and pulled in a deep breath to steady myself.

“You okay?” Dylan asked, sidling up next to me.

“Yeah.” I sighed. “Doesn’t get any easier.”

Dylan nodded. “I know. The love is all still there, though.”

Eduardo emerged from where he had been doing inventory for me, greeting both my mother and grandfather warmly. Grandpa didn’t usually know who Eduardo and Dylan were, but he accepted that they were friends of mine either way.

While Grandpa was showering Eclipse with attention, Mom came over to me. “Honey, she’s lovely. I can’t stay tonight, but please plan something soon so I can meet my grandsons.”

“We definitely will,” said Dylan. “She has to meet everyone, so there will be no shortage of opportunities.”

Mom kissed my cheek and we hugged for a long moment. “I should get your grandfather back. The staff said he tires easily and has been sundowning a lot, so I don’t think the show would be a good idea tonight.”

“We’re going to be planning some matinees. He can come to those if he’s feeling up to it.”

Mom nodded with a soft smile. “He’ll love that. I’ll see you soon.”

I returned her kiss to her cheek and saw her and my grandpa out, hugging them both fiercely.

Charlotte was happily sandwiched between Dylan and Eduardo when I got back inside the arena, all three purring up a storm, their arms opening to welcome me in.

I stole a kiss from Charlotte, breaking off her purr. Her brilliant smile when I pulled away almost knocked me off my feet. Yeah, fate definitely knew what it was doing when it picked her for me.

“Ican’t thank you enough for giving me another opportunity.” I shook hands with Alve Sato next to our lunch table at a downtown restaurant. He was dressed in a crisp suit, his dark hair looking freshly cut.

“I wasn’t going to.” He sat down, observing me carefully. “Getting stood up twice for a business meeting is a little much,but given your explanation, I’m willing to let it slide. Omegas come first in life and in business.”

When I had fully emerged on the other side of Charlotte’s heat, I had reached out to Alve with profuse apologies, letting him know I had gone on emergency omega leave. “That’s a good philosophy to have.”

“Considering our line of work, I would have to agree.” He offered me a genuine smile and ushered me to sit. “You said things have changed since our first contact?”

“Yes. I’m going to be relocating to Las Vegas permanently for my omega.”

“You’ll be opening up a competing branch then?”

“I was hoping for a partnership. We both have the same goal of safe, affordable housing for omegas.”

“That we do.” He sipped at a green tea the server sat down in front of him. “Working together would be far more beneficial. What did you have in mind? A merger?”

“In some ways. I intend to hand my company in New York over to my team and put my focus here. If you would be open to being dual CEOs, I would bring all of my experience and resources with me. If not, I suppose I would be setting up a competitor.”

Alve sipped his tea in silence for a few moments. “Tell me why you’re in this industry. What made you passionate about omega housing?”

“Emily, my first omega. She passed before she was able to see much of the success of our ventures, but it was her idea from the start. I had the family money to put toward it and she had the drive. I’ve continued it to this day to honor her memory and carry on her work.” I swallowed hard. I hoped Emily would’ve been proud of what we had accomplished, helping thousands of omega feel safer in their environment. I wanted to keep doing that for as long as possible.

“A noble pursuit if I’ve ever heard one. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. What got you into the industry?”

“My sisters, actually. I’m the youngest in our family and my eldest sister moved out into a less than safe area because it was all she could afford. Someone broke in, and thankfully she wasn’t home at the time, but it scared the hell out of all of us. I wanted every omega to be able to live somewhere safe no matter how much money they made, and when I was old enough I launched the company.”

“Omegas are meant to be safe and treasured, and loving your sisters enough to want them all safe is an excellent first step.”

“I’m willing to entertain the idea of joining forces,” Alve said slowly. “My team and I have done plenty of research into you and your company since you first reached out. I believe our goals and values align enough that it would be a smart business decision.”

Relief loosened into the tightness in my chest.

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