Page 55 of Knot Our Reality

Stepping into the building, I smile when I see the owners waiting. As with most of the places frequented onHeated, Crimson Sands is pack-run and omega-owned.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Jason Overton, and I’m the owner of Crimson Sands Desert Tours. We’re so excited to have you with us today.” Jason is a male omega, only about five foot eight, and whose pack towers over him. “This is my pack. Alphas Randy and George, and betas Kade and Quinton.”

Quinton, although a beta, is almost as big as Randy and George, with Kade being the most slender of them, but they’re all over six feet tall.

“There’s a lot to go over,” Kade says, tousling Jason’s brown hair. “We’ll take out four UTVs, so the group will have to split up. This will allow the camera crew to film in each of the vehicles. Each UTV can hold up to four people, including the driver. This means two of you per UTV, one cameraman, and one driver. I’ll stay here to keep things running while the other four take you out. There are forms you’ll need to sign to cover our asses, but this isn’t going to be a crazy ride.”

Randy shakes his head. “Not with a pregnant omega on board. Absolutely not. We plan to take it much slower and easier than we would in normal situations. But don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe for you to be out there. We just won’t make any of the crazy jumps we might makeotherwise. We’ll stick to the trail. It might make for a less adventurous tour, but we assure you, it’ll still be enjoyable.”

“Yes, Jason assured me of this when we were setting everything up. I really wanted to visit Joshua Tree, and I’m not really into hiking much right now.” My hands dig into my lower back, trying to work out some of the pain there. It’s nothing too bad, but carrying twenty-plus pounds of belly around isn’t always easy.

“You are sure it safe?” Nikolai asks, his scowl still firmly in place.

George nods. “Absolutely. If I had a pregnant woman in my pack, I’d allow her to ride along this route.”

Nikolai considers him for a moment before nodding. “I will trust you.”

I bite back a snort. I knew the twins were protective, but I guess I didn’t realize just how far that goes. I wonder if it’s worse because I’m pregnant?

Thirty minutes later, we’re climbing into the UTVs. Lucas is riding with me, much to the annoyance of my suitors—especially Alexei, who’s sitting beside his brother with his arms crossed. Nikolai isn’t doing much better as he scowls at Lucas. Thomas is their cameraman and their driver is George.

It’s kind of adorable, but Lucas is responsible for my safety. I understand why he’s choosing to ride with me, which is why I didn’t put up a fight.

Would I rather be riding with one or all of my suitors? Clearly, but Lucas is just doing his job. I can’t fault him for that.

Mike is riding by himself in the front seat with Randy, while Paxton and Gavin share another with their cameraman, Albert, and Quinton as their driver.

Jason is driving our UTV, which has been kitted out with cameras to record each of us, while Larry has a handheld camera to record the scenery. The other three UTVs have five-point harnesses, ours has regular shoulder belts—another consideration for my pregnancy.

“Are you ready?” Jason asks, glancing over his shoulder, and I give him a thumbs up. He pulls out with the other UTVs falling in behind us.

Jason is wearing a microphone that feeds into the UTV’s sound system, allowing us to hear him over the wind as he takes us through Joshua Tree. He points out the sites and provides information about each spot, plus other commentary, as we make our way toward the waterfall.

I never told my suitors why we’d need swimsuits. They might know about the waterfall, but if they don’t, I’m sure they’re questioning my request right now as we speed through the national park. Not that we’re going all that fast. Having been on a similar tour when I wasn’t pregnant, I know we’re going at a very sedate speed.

Not that I mind. As much as I want to see Joshua Tree and the waterfall, I wouldn’t want it to endanger mine or my baby’s lives.

“You’ll see the mountains to our right. This particular set rose after the earthquakes of the Event. So much of California was reformed because of it. It also created the Joshua Tree waterfall. Before the Event, visitors had to travel to Palm Springs to enjoy a waterfall.”

I’m practically dancing in my seat as we approach. I’ve visited a few times over the years, including when Remington and I were kids. I don’t know the science behind it, but I know the water is always the perfect temperature based on the time of year. In the dead of summer, the water is cooler, while now it’ll be warmer.

Just another difference between now and before the Event, and it’s not like this everywhere. But this particular body of water is perfect year-round.

Jason pulls the UTV to a stop just outside of the canyon, the others parking around us as we climb out.

“We go on foot from here, but it’s not far,” Jason assures us as the twins rush over to me.

“Are you okay? I did not know we go so fast.” Nikolai glares at George, whochuckles.

I brush off his concern. “We were going slower than the SUV was on the way over. I’m perfectly fine. Maybe they should show you what a usual tour looks like on the way back, so you can see how much easier they’re going.”

I don’t bother waiting for him to respond, starting toward the mouth of the canyon. I can already hear the pounding water from the waterfall. If I could move any faster, I would.

I want nothing more than to climb into the lake and float the day away.

“Wait for us,” Alexei calls after me as Gavin falls into step beside me.

“Are they driving you crazy yet?” he asks, and I shake my head.

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