Page 65 of Knot His Reality

“Me, too. I haven’t been since I was a teenager,” Taylor admits.

“I went last year with my family, and I sucked. I’ve always sucked at bowling, but it’s so much fun even if you’re not good at it.” Ian grins as he glances at Riley. “All else fails, we can ask them to put up the bumpers. That’s what I had to do to get a decent score. My family sent me to the kids’ lane.”

That sends all of us into peals of laughter until Ethan clears his throat. “It’s all clear. You can head inside.”

“Excellent!” I throw the door open and hop out, offering my hand to Taylor.

“Thank you, Remy, but you really should allow someone out before you. Your pack will feel better knowing it’s safe for you.” She squeezes my hand to soften her words. “An omega is precious, and you should let your pack keep you safe. Or, in this case, allow your suitors to do that. It’ll help keep some feathers from being ruffled.”

I make a face, but considering it’s already been mentioned to me by more than a few of my suitors, maybe I need to start listening. “It’s been mentioned to me. I’m just used to being independent. My sister and I were both raised that way and we never really lost it. Even when she met her pack, she still remained independent, but I wasn’t there every day. Maybe this is something she did to allow them peace of mind.”

“I did read that you had a sister,” Ian says as he climbs out with Carter and Riley right behind him. “She’s an omega too? That’s amazing. I’m sure she’s been raving to you about how great having a pack is.”

My smile wanes. “She used to. Unfortunately, she lost her entire pack in a plane crash the year before last.”

“That’s terrible. How is she doing?” Taylor reaches out, her hand closing around my arm. “That must be so hard for her to deal with.”

“Emilia is strong—one of the strongest people I know. It’s been rough for her,” I tell them as we head inside. “I don’t know if she would’ve survived if she didn’t have my nephews. They’re five and seven, and they’re just as devastated as their mom at losing their dads. On top of that, she’s also running their telecommunications company. She’s a fucking rockstar, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. She’s surviving something that most people don’t. Not only is she surviving, but she’s thriving. I’ve always looked up to her, but now? She’s my role model, to be sure.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Riley says quietly, his hand clinging to Carter’s. “I’d lose it if something happened to Carter.”

I nod. “The bonds between packs make everything so much deeper. I asked her once if she regretted being bound to them, and she told me no. She’d rather have suffered through their loss than to never feel their love for her and each other wrapped around the bonds. That’s part of the reason she was able to convince me to come on the show. I want to feel that—even if it ends badly, like it has for her. I want to have that in my life.”

We fall silent as we approach the front desk where three men stand, all in their mid to late forties. The first man stands a few steps in front of the other, and he’s on the short side, probably close to five foot six if I had to guess. The others standing behind him aren’t much taller—I’d say they’re maybe five foot nine? All three of them have brown hair, though the colors vary slightly. The man in the front has bright blue eyes, and he smiles as we approach.

“Welcome! I’m Eugene, and these are my alphas, Raph and Don. The three of us run the Alley Cat together, but it’s my baby. I’m so glad that Bree and Tessa want to showcase omega-run businesses onHeated. Not only does it get us some advertising, but honestly, it’s really brought tourism back to Rancho Mirage. There was a time we were worried we’d have to shut down and maybe move away. But ever since that first season, business has picked up. And I’m so glad someone finally chose to have a date here.”

I can’t help smiling at the omega’s enthusiasm. “We’re glad to be here. It’s been a few years since I’ve been bowling, and we even have a first-timer here.”

“That’s not uncommon.” Eugene nods. “Why don’t you give Don your shoe sizes, and we can get you started.”

Once we’ve each been passed a pair of shoes, we put them on before Eugene leads us toward the walls of balls. There are three of them with varying color bowling balls.

“From what I found in my research on the times before,” Eugene smiles as he gestures to the balls, “many of the bowling alleys would have each weight be a specific color, so it was easy to choose the size you needed. Personally, I’m a fan of colors, so we didn’t do that. We have many colors in each of the sizes, from six to sixteen pounds. I’d recommend testing the weight of each size to see what feels right in your hands. Then you can find a color you like. You might have to go through a few, depending on your finger size.”

My eyes are already locked on a midnight blue ball that looks like a galaxy with the silver, blues, and purples on the ball. Checking the size, I see it’s a ten-pounder, so I lift it like Eugene recommended. It doesn’t feel too heavy or too light, and I grin as I slide my fingers into the holes.

It’s perfect.

“I see someone has decided on a ball,” Eugene says slyly, coming to stand beside me. “That’s one of my personal favorite designs. Unfortunately, we only have two of them.”

“It’s beautiful. As soon as I saw it, I knew I needed it. I guess I got lucky that it was the correct size.”

“Or it was kismet.” He grins, moving to help Carter and Riley as they try out balls.

Ian carries over a bright orange, red, and yellow ball with a grin. Taylor joins us moments later, holding a jade green ball.

“It looks like the three of us are set,” I say, glancing toward the others. “Maybe four. I think Riley’s struggling.”

Taylor hums. “It can be hard to decide on a weight when you’ve never bowled before.”

“Which is why we’re grabbing three sizes for him,” Eugene announces, carrying one ball while Riley carries two. “Follow me, and we’ll get you all set up for your first game. You have the full place to yourself, so if you want, you can each bowl in your own lane.”

“Nope, that’s not happening,” I say with a laugh, already shaking my head. “Bowling is the most fun when you’re playing together. We can take turns. It’s not like we don’t have all day.”

Eugene grins as he sets the ball on the ball return. “I knew I liked you. You can key in your names and decide which order you want to play in. If you get hungry, we have a variety of snacks and drinks available. For lunch, you’ll eat at our restaurant. I’ll come check in with you a little before one to see what each of you wants. Then, after lunch, you can keep bowling or enjoy one of our many other offerings.”

Carter raises his eyebrows. “What other offerings would those be?”

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