Page 26 of Knot Your Sunshine
"But there might be a complication."
Keanu freezes mid-celebration, one foot still off the ground. "What kind of complication?"
I drag both hands through my hair, probably making it look worse than it already does. "She pulled away. Right in the middle of it, when things were getting... intense."
The joy drains from their faces.
"She said she was here on business and had to focus, but that sounds like a weird excuse to me." I start pacing again. "Maybe there's someone back home? Someone she's involved with?"
"Impossible." Josh shakes his head so hard his glasses nearly fly off. "I researched her romantic life thoroughly. Social media, public records, even that article about her salon that mentioned she was single. She's unattached."
I spin to face him. "Are you absolutely sure? No chance you missed something?"
Josh pushes his glasses up with his middle finger, his 'I'm offended you'd question my research' gesture. "I may not know how to slide into DMs properly, but I'm thorough with my research. She's single."
"Like she said, she's probably focused on the business-side of her trip... plus feeling completely out of her element," Keanu says. "Think about it, mysterious invitation, tropical paradise, meeting three hot alphas she's clearly attracted to. Even by our standards, this is moving at lightning speed."
We fall silent, the weight of possibility and uncertainty filling the space between us.
Keanu clears his throat. "Don't overthink it, man. You know that's your weakness when the stakes get high. Remember the Hong Kong acquisition? You almost tanked it second-guessing yourself."
"This is different—"
"No, it's not." Josh interrupts. "The solution is the same as always. Gather data, make a plan, execute. We move forward."
Their certainty helps, even if doubt still gnaws at me.
Josh stands, tablet tucked under his arm. "I think the optimal approach is to proceed with phase two regardless. We've come this far."
"Right." I pull the folded paper from my pocket, slightly damp from my sweaty palms. "But first, let's 100% confirm we're not all deluding ourselves. You both wrote down her scent?"
Josh produces his from his wallet, handling it like a sacred document. "Wrote it the second I got back from the airport."
Keanu grins, pulling his from his board shorts. "Wrote it right after surfing."
My pulse hammers against my throat. Josh wipes his palms on his pants, leaving damp streaks. Keanu rolls his shoulders like he's preparing for a fight.
"On three. One... two... three."
We unfold simultaneously.
Three pieces of paper. Six words total.
All identical.
Mango and Lavender.
"Holy wave," Keanu whispers, staring at his paper like it might spontaneously combust.
Josh clutches his to his chest. "One hundred percent confirmation. The probability of three people independently identifying the same exact scent notes without being scent-matched is less than 0.00001%."
"She's ours." My voice comes out rough. "Our omega. Our scent match."
For a moment, we just stand there, three grown men staring at pieces of paper like they contain the secrets of the universe. Which, in a way, they do.
Then Keanu breaks. "WE HAVE A SCENT MATCH!"
He and Josh lock elbows and spin in a circle, whooping like kids who just found out Christmas came early.
