Page 54 of Knot Their Reality

"It must have been Greg. He was the doorman for years, but he was let go six months ago for sexual harassment—against me. They discovered that he was obsessed with me and was stalking me shortly after. It was kind of a mess... I wonder if he sent them back? This is insane." I can barely comprehend that they hadn't been talking about me—that they wanted me to stay. That they looked for me after I ran, and the only reason we're not together is because of the stalker doorman at my building. "And the show? What made you decide to do it if you'd been trying to move on?"

Carson snorts, but there's no sense of humor to the sound. "We never moved on, no matter how hard we tried. You were all that we could think of—all that I could think of. Chase and I clung to one another to keep from falling apart, to keep from spiraling into a depression we might never be able to climb out of. Liam and Asher just never talked about you. For the two of them it was easier to pretend you didn't exist."

"I was the one who answered the door when Bree showed up." Chase laughs. "I watched Heated with Carson. It made me feel better, watching an omega find the pack that she deserved. All I could do was stare at her in awe as she screamed at me. I didn't even register the words she was saying until Asher joined us to find out what the noise was all about. When Bree turned her attention on him, we realized that something wasn't right. So we sat down and told her the story of how you left us without a word and made it perfectly clear that you wanted nothing to do with us."

Asher gives me a brittle smile. "She made it abundantly clear that we were idiots and that so wasn't the case. She seems to care a lot about you. When she offered us the chance to join the show as suitors, there was nothing to say but yes. If what she was telling us was true—which it obviously was—then we wanted a second chance at winning you over."

"Somehow in just days, I fell in love with you," Chase whispers so quietly I have to strain to hear him. "Please say you'll give us a second chance—to let us try to do this right."

Carson reaches out to take my hand in his, squeezing it. "This is your choice. If you tell us to leave, you'll never see us again."

Instead of meeting his eyes, I keep them locked on where he holds my hand. I have to fight a shiver that threatens to race down my back at how right it feels. I can't believe that all of this was a misunderstanding, followed by meddling from others. This so isn't fair, but I also don't know who these four men really are.

Sure, we got close and shared a heat, but what do I really know about them? I don't know where they live or what they do for a living. Except Chase—I know that he was in school two years ago, but that's it.

I owe it to myself and to them to give them another chance, but I also owe it to the other suitors not to play favorites. Two years ago, I was sure that they were the pack for me, but now? I have no idea, and I have sixteen other suitors who have come here in hopes of earning a spot in my pack.

Pulling my hand from Carson's, I straighten my shoulders and look each of them in the eye before nodding to myself. "I want the four of you to remain on the show. We do deserve a second chance. But it won't be like it was in the cabin. I know practically nothing about the four of you—which we'll begin to remedy shortly.

"There are sixteen other men here who have come with the hopes of me becoming their mate. I plan to see this show through, no matter what. That means that while I'm getting to know who the four of you are now, I'll be doing the same with the other suitors. This doesn't give you a leg up on the competition, and it doesn't guarantee that I'll choose you.

"And if I do choose you, it doesn't mean that I'll only be choosing the four of you. You have to understand that I might choose to have a larger pack. Will you be okay with adding to your pack? And what happens if it's decided that we don't want to have the Lewitt name? What then?"

Asher chuckles. "I'm not concerned with what last name your pack ends up with so long as you're happy. If we're lucky enough for you to choose us, then we'll accept whomever you decide you want to be a part of the pack. We discussed the possibility of this happening before we agreed to sign on as suitors. Our only concern is Chase. He's obviously a claimed omega, but that doesn't mean that others won't make passes at him, which also affects you."

"Hmmmm..." I tap my chin. "I hadn't thought of that. What do you think, Chase? Are you comfortable with this possibility? If I do choose you all to become part of my pack, there's a chance that whoever else I choose might want to be with you as well. Not that I would allow anyone to force you into anything you don't want. These are just things that we need to discuss before moving forward."

"I don't care if any of these men hit on me, but that doesn't mean that I plan to show them any attention because of it. I'm here to prove myself to you, just like the rest of my pack. Sure, I'm an omega, which means that dynamics will be different between me and every person on the show—including you. But I'm prepared for that." A smile lights up his face. "And you're worth it, Sophia. You're worth everything. As far as others you choose for your pack being involved with me, I think that's something we need to wait to discuss. You might not choose us, and as much as that would break my heart, all I want is for you to get your happily ever after—whatever form that comes in."

I glance around the table and see that all four of them are nodding. I'm proud of them for discussing all of this before signing on. I wouldn't have been able to take them as seriously if they weren't in agreement on these points. I don't know what it means for the five of us, but I know I'm excited to find out.

Chapter Eighteen

Sophia

"In that case, then I guess we should start with the basics that I had with the others for our initial meetings." I'm cut off by the phone ringing, surprising me. I stand quickly and make my way over to it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sophia, it's Tessa. I wanted to check in and make sure you were doing okay."

I laugh at that. "As if the two of you weren't watching and listening to everything that just happened."

She doesn't even attempt to hide it. "We absolutely were, and now that you've reached a decision, I wanted to see if you were ready for dinner to be served."

"Oh, yes, please," I say with another laugh as my stomach makes a loud, rumbling noise. "We can continue our conversation over dinner."

"I also want to let you know that Bree and I are so proud of you for listening to them, but not just running straight into their arms. You're an amazing person, omega, and so strong. You're going to rock this season."

I have to turn my back to the guys as tears fill my eyes once more. Both she and Bree have been so supportive of me since they chose me to be this season's omega. I'd like to think we're friends now and hearing Tessa's words is almost my undoing. It's been a long time since I've heard someone tell me they're proud of me for something that isn't related to my career.

"Thank you, Tessa. That means more than you know." I take a deep breath. "I should probably get back to them, but thank you."

We say our goodbyes, and then I take a moment to get my emotions under control before heading back to my seat.

"That was Tessa. She's having dinner sent in now, which is good since my stomach is apparently trying to eat itself."

The four men laugh with me, and I love the contentment that sits warm inside my chest. Before I can continue, the doors fly open, and the staff steps inside. Once we each have a plate set before us and a glass of wine, I turn back to them.

"As I was saying before the phone interrupted, we need to get to know one another better—and again. I'm sure we've all changed in the last two years. So why don't you all tell me about yourselves—what you do for work because we never got to that before, and what you like to do for fun. Whatever you want to tell me honestly. Oh! Did you all move back to wherever you were from after everything? Or are you still in Brentwood?"

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