Page 90 of Knot Your Sunshine
"Probably in about forty-eight hours." I must look worried because he quickly adds, "Assuming that really was a spike, of course. There's no way to know for sure."
I look down at my hands, suddenly feeling vulnerable. "And if—if that was the case... would—would you all be willing to help me? Through my heat, I mean?"
"Sunshine." Keanu's voice is soft, reverent. "There's nothing in the world we'd want more."
"Of course we would, beautiful," Noa adds, his hand finding mine.
Josh clears his throat. "That is, if you really want us to of course..."
My omega practically purrs at their words. "I do want you to help me through it. All of you. The only thing is..." I glance around the boat. "I don't want to have my heat here. Not that I don't appreciate the yacht, but—"
"Of course." Noa squeezes my hand. "You deserve somewhere perfect for your heat. Somewhere you feel completely safe and comfortable."
"I already know of a place you'd love," Keanu promises.
Josh nods eagerly. "And remember, we have about two days ahead of us."
I feel some of the tension ease from my shoulders. "Good. That's good."
Then I look at the sky and sigh. The storm still rages, lightning illuminating the bay in sporadic flashes. "If we can get off this boat, that is. It feels the storm hasn't even moved at all…"
They all turn to study the sky.
"It's all good, Sunshine," Keanu starts. "It looks like it's stalled, but—"
"Stalled?" My stomach drops.
"Sometimes storms just... park." Josh's attention remains focused on the sky. "They lose their steering currents and sit in one spot."
"For how long?"
"Not long enough to be an issue." Noa's palm settles on my shoulder. "Could break up by midnight as expected… morning at the latest."
"Morning?" The word comes out strangled. "That works for the heat schedule, but—what about the test results? The end-of-day numbers. I need to know if the dip continued or—"
"Hey." Keanu turns me to face him, hands gentle on my shoulders. "Knowing now versus in a few hours won't change the actual numbers."
"But what if it's getting worse? What if we need to pivot the strategy or something? What if competitors are already—"
"What if everything's fine?" Noa's voice cuts through my spiral, calm and grounding. "Weather patterns are unpredictable but we know from experience the storm will break soon enough."
"I don't do well with not knowing." The admission comes out smaller than intended.
"We know." Keanu presses a kiss to my temple. "But right now, we literally can't change anything. It will be fine."
I lean into him, trying to let his steadiness seep into me, but my mind keeps racing through scenarios, each worse than the last.
"You know what might help?" Noa says suddenly. "Getting off the boat for a bit."
I pull back to stare at him. "In the rain?"
"There's a sheltered spot on the beach. Natural rock overhang I noticed earlier. We could build a fire, sit on solid ground for a while."
"A fire?" Josh's whole demeanor shifts, excited. "I haven't built a beach fire in years."
"And we’ve got marshmallows," Keanu adds, bouncing on his toes.
"What, really?"
