Page 41 of Knotting on Heaven's Door

It didn’t wait for anyone to catch up.

And somehow… that chaos, that pressure, the grind of it all—it felt good.

Lucky for me, Mia tossed me a lifeline just after lunch—saidwe were ahead of schedule, and since I’d pulled extra hours all week and saved her ass during the morning chaos, I could take the afternoon off.

Not that I argued.

I’d barely unknotted my apron before I was out the door, taking the bus across town to meet with Ricky—again.

Ricky, the overly flirtatious male omega-slash-real-estate-agent-slash-professional-walking-sass. He met me at the curb in front of the small, clean brick building, practically bouncing on his feet, his clipboard hugged to his chest like he was auditioning for a role in a sitcom.

“Well, well,well,” he drawled, pushing his oversized sunglasses onto his head and giving me a slow once-over. “Blue eyes and worn boots. Rough day, handsome?”

I smirked, tired but amused. “Hi, Ricky.”

He grinned, pleased. “Ooh, no snark today? What happened, did the big bad alpha finally grow a heart?”

“I figured if I wanted you to hand me the lease, I should at leastpretendto be polite,” I said, grabbing the pen he offered and signing where he pointed.

He laughed, a high-pitched, bubbly sound. “Wow. Must be serious. Okay—what changed? You’ve been all Mr. Ice King all week and now suddenly you’re acting like a tired golden retriever who just needs a nap.”

His question caught me off guard. I paused halfway through signing the final page.

And then, before I could stop myself, I said the truth.

He handed me the last page and watched me for a beat too long. “You meet someone, didn’t you? And they broke your heart?”

I barked a laugh, but it was hollow. “Ignore me. I’m just tired from work.”

Ricky leaned against the brick wall beside me, the playfuledge in his tone softening. “Where do you work again?”

“De la Vega Events,” I said, casually, but I didn’t miss the way his entire posture shifted.

His smile dimmed just a little, turned more thoughtful. “Huh.”

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing... just thinking of Ada.”

“You know her?”

Ricky looked out toward the street. “It’s a small pack, Sebastian. You work here long enough, you get to know everyone. Especially someone like Ada When she lost her mate, it wasn’t just her pain—it rippled. The whole pack felt it. Especially since Adam was… well. Good. A good man. They were crazy in love. Like,fate-touchedkind of thing. He died and she just… vanished for a while. Grief like that—it either shatters you or reshapes you. She came back… quieter. But focused.”

I didn’t say anything. Just held the signed lease papers and listened.

“And she built everything you see now from scratch,” Ricky added. “No handouts, no shortcuts. People respect her, not just because of what she’s been through, but because she earned it. And she’s not just successful. She’skind.”

That last word landed heavier than I wanted it to.

I looked down at the lease in my hand, then back at Ricky. “You really like her, huh?”

Ricky shrugged, smiling softly. “Who doesn’t?”

He gave me a wink before turning away to file the paperwork inside the building.

And I stood there for a long second, with the weight of her story hanging between my shoulders… and the uncomfortable twist in my gut growing harder to ignore.

Once the last page was signed, and the keys exchanged, I hesitated.

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