Page 4 of Knot Their Reality

“Phenomenal,” Bree says at the same time. The two of us look at one another and laugh.

I find myself relaxing again. That’s what I needed after that interview, a moment of levity. I don’t have a problem talking about myself, I really don’t, but knowing that millions of people will be watching me almost fall apart is a little stressful.

Tessa just nods. “I’m sure it was both of those things. Here’s the plan. Bree will be interviewing the suitors later tomorrow after you’ve had a chance to get to know one another and have gone on the group date.”

Nodding her head to Reginald, she continues, “Reginald will interview you then as well—before you prepare to meet the next batch of suitors. We want to get genuine impressions. We found that by recording the interviews right after the suitors met Bree to be… lacking? It was a lot of the same from all the suitors, so we want to give you all the chance to get to know one another before we do the interviews.

“The suitors will arrive ten minutes apart. That’ll give you enough time for a short conversation with each of them. Both Bree and I will remain here. We’ll show the suitors where to stand while you get ready for the next to arrive. They’ll all remain here,” she points to a spot about fifteen feet from where the limos will pull up, “so they’ll be able to see your interactions with the other suitors. Then once all four have arrived, we’ll lead the five of you to the dining room, where dinner will be served.”

“And I’ll be out here recording filler,” Reginald adds on, “instead of getting to eat like everyone else.”

“Wahhh. Cry me a river.” Tessa doesn’t even bother to turn her attention to Reginald as she rolls her eyes. “Don’t mind him, he’s a diva—as I’m sure you’ve already realized.”

“Absolutely,” I agree with a grin.

Tessa returns the smile before she continues. “After dinner, you’ll be excused to your rooms. Either myself, Bree, or Hector will show each suitor where they’ll be staying for the duration they’re here. You can all change into something more comfortable, and then we’ll have a bartender set up at the bar by the pool so you can spend more time getting to know them, and they, you, in turn.”

"Sounds great. If nothing else, alcohol is great at loosening people up, right?" I snort, shaking my head at myself. "Okay, I think I'm more nervous than I thought I was."

"Trust me, I know exactly how you're feeling." Bree glances down at her phone again. "Alright, the limo's ETA is two minutes. Do you have any questions or need anything?"

I shake my head. "No. I'm good. Thank you—all of you. The three of you, as well as the rest of the staff, have done a great job of making this as comfortable as possible for me, and I really appreciate it."

"That's what we're here for, babe." Bree shoots me another grin before she and Tessa take a step back so they won't be in view of the cameras.

"You've got this, Sophia. Just make sure you keep breathing. The cameras are rolling now so anything that happens can be used for the show." Reginald smiles as he turns to face the camera. "Welcome back, viewers. Sophia and I are waiting outside to meet her very first suitor. Let's see just who arrives first, shall we?"

I force a smile on my face and then realize it probably looks more like a grimace. Letting it fall away, I figure it's better to look like myself than grimace. I hear the tires on the cement before the limo comes into view. My heartbeat picks up, as does the anxiety in my chest which is making it harder to breathe.

Why am I so terrified of this when I can face down anything in the courtroom? I never know what's going to be thrown at me there either. But it's fine. I can do this—even if my body is trying to get me to pass out instead. There are just so many unknowns about this situation. I don't know how many packs will be on this season or how many alphas versus betas.

Then the limo comes to a stop in front of me, and I force myself to take a deep breath and to not fidget with my dress. The last thing I want to do is wrinkle it. The door opens slowly, and I see first one leg and then two before the rest of the man follows. When he turns to look at me with a grin on his face, I find it easy to return his smile.

He's certainly attractive enough with his dark red hair that's longer on the top so it flops slightly into his bearded face. His brown eyes are expressive as he moves closer. He wears the tuxedo that most of the suitors donned last season, but it looks slightly awkward on him as if he's not used to it. It makes me even more curious about him. I wonder what he smells like. Scents are always a make-or-break for me. I've met a few people in my thirty-four years whose scents turned me off so much I had to leave their vicinity immediately.

"Hi, there. You must be Sophia. I'm Jackson Browning, alpha." He holds his hand out to me, and it's then that his scent smacks me in the face—mahogany and teakwood. Oh, that's nice.

Definitely an alpha. I hate the scent dampeners they make us use, but Bree told me that even with the ones they used last year, there were times when being surrounded by so many scents was just too much. This season they've apparently gone with stronger dampeners because it shouldn't have taken so long for me to smell him. They did have me smell the scent cards for their top one hundred so I could rule out any scents that were just too much, but that was months ago, and there's no way I can remember all the scents from that long ago. I'll just have to smell each of them and hope that the little bit of their scents I'm getting is enough to tell me what I need to know.

I take his hand in mine, smiling as he gives it a firm shake. "It's nice to meet you as well."

There's an awkward moment of silence as we release one another before I glance around. "As you can see, you're the first suitor so I'm not really sure how this should go."

Jackson's smile is gone now, but it doesn't seem like he's upset, just like he's someone who doesn't smile all that often, maybe? "That's alright. I don't mind being the first."

"Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" I suggest, needing to make sure the conversation continues. I definitely don't need or want an Owen situation like on Bree's season. Yikes.

"Sure. That seems like a good starting point. I'm thirty-eight, an alpha, and single, obviously. I own and operate a coffee shop and bookstore in one. I love coffee and books so I figured I might as well combine the two into something I love even more." He clears his throat. "I spend most of my time at the shop during the day. At night, I like to read or play with my dog. I go see my parents and my siblings at least once a week. Sometimes all at once, and sometimes I have to make four different trips."

"But that's still nice. I take it you're close with your family?" It does sound nice. I've always wondered what it would be like to have a family to visit. Of course, I have Sylvia and Greg, and they're the closest thing I have to family, but they have kids of their own, and I've never wanted to be a burden to them.

He nods. "I am. My mom and dad live in the house we all grew up in. I'm the oldest, and I have a younger sister and a younger brother. I'm the only alpha in the family. Everyone else is a beta. My sister has two little boys who I adore. I'm definitely ready to settle down and start my own family. And it would be nice to get them all off my back about settling down."

I laugh with him as if I have any idea what that's like.

"And what about you? Are you close with your family?"

I sigh. "Sadly, my family died just before I turned six. I went into foster care because no one could take me in and there were a few families that I stayed with, but it was always short term. Then I went into a group home as a teenager. The closest thing I have to family are Greg and Sylvia. Sylvia was one of my teachers in high school, and Greg is her husband. He's a lawyer, and he helped me learn a lot so I was well prepared for law school when the time came."

---