Page 130 of Knot Baked Out For This
"You have to let me breathe," he says over his shoulder.
"Breathing is optional. Not dying is mandatory."
But once we're moving, something shifts.
The October air is crisp and bright, the trees a blur of gold and rust. Levi is warm and solid in front of me, and the bike, despite looking like it survived an apocalypse, runs smooth.
"Not so bad, right?" he calls back.
"It's acceptable!" I shout into the wind.
"You love it!"
"I tolerate it!"
"Same thing!"
He's not wrong.
The town—Riverside, which is optimistic since there's no river—is bigger than Oakridge but still small enough that everyone knows everyone's business. The shop I've been stalking on TikTok is called "Vintage Honey," which sounds like either a clothing store or a very specific fetish.
It's packed.
"Sweepstakes day," I explain as we remove our helmets. My hair immediately does that thing where it's somehow both flat and sticking up, making me look like I've been electrocuted.
"Cute," Levi says, attempting to fix it.
"Disaster," I correct.
"Cute disaster."
The shop is everything TikTok promised—racks of vintage-inspired dresses, modern pieces with retro flair, and an entire wall of accessories that makes my credit card whimper.
"Welcome to Vintage Honey!" A Beta sales associate appears, all bright smile and commission dreams. "First time?"
"Yes, and?—"
"She needs everything," Levi interrupts.
"I need maybe one thing."
"Everything," he insists, then to the sales associate: "She's been working non-stop for weeks. First day off. We're celebrating."
"Oh, how wonderful! Let me grab you a changing room and—is this your Alpha?"
We both freeze.
"I—he's—we're?—"
"Yes," Levi says simply. "One of them."
The sales associate's eyes go wide. "One of—oh! You're the bakery omega! From the TikTok!"
The TikTok. There's a TikTok. Should I be surprised there's a TikTok?
"I don't have TikTok," I protest weakly.
"But you're on it! The whole three Alphas thing? The renovation? The cookies that made that food blogger cry?"
