Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
The producers of Knot What You Expected spared no expense when setting up this house. This bed is a cloud—an absolute dream.
By the time I’m up and showered, it’s nearly nine. Everyone else is in the living room, awkwardly silent. Ariana is curled up in the chair with her e-reader, her hair wet, but not dripping on the soft black sweater she’s wearing.
Grant and Derrick are cuddled up on the couch, discussing the photoshoot Grant had to cancel to be on the show. I can tell Ariana is trying not to listen, but she keeps peeking out of the corner of her eye at the two of them.
We haven’t discussed the fact that Grant is scent matched to us, have we?
Shit, we’ve not discussed anything. We need to do that. That’s first date stuff, right?
I wonder why they’re not trying to get to know her? Right now, there is a divide in the room, us versus her, Sax versus Onion. Someone needs to bridge the gap. How are we supposed to win her over if the guys won’t even talk to her?
Must I do everything for this pack? I guess it’s up to me to get this conversation rolling.
I’ll get right on that as soon as I make some coffee.
The producers asked us for a list of things we needed for the week, and they supplied me with a cezve to make my coffee in. I was prepared to bring my own, but I’m glad I didn’t have to. It was my grandmother’s, and thinking about flying with it makes me a little nervous.
I’m stirring the coffee and sugar into the water as it boils over the stove when I feel a presence behind me.
“Is this how you make Turkish coffee?”
I need to play it cool. Not too giddy, or I’ll scare her away. But the fact that she’s showing interest in something so important to me is making it hard to keep my excitement under wraps.
“Yeah! You add the sugar in with the grounds and serve it unfiltered. It’s a symbol of friendship and community, a way to come together.
My grandmother used to say that there was nothing that couldn’t be fixed over a cup of coffee.
” I glance over my shoulder with a soft smile. “Can I make you a cup?”
She sets her empty mug beside me on the counter. “I’d love to try it.”
They have espresso cups on a rack on the counter, so I grab a few. “Guys?” I call over my shoulder. “Let’s all have some coffee, yeah?”
Every time we need to discuss something as a pack, like when we decided to come on this show, I make us coffee, and we sit around the table to talk. There is something about the whole thing that encourages open communication and community, and it’s precisely what we need right now.
I try not to watch like a creep while Ariana takes a sip of her coffee. I tried to make it a bit sweeter than I do for myself, because I know she doctors her coffee to the point where it is almost unrecognizable. She doesn’t screw her face up, so I’m going to consider that a win.
“Ariana, did you know Grant is a model?” I gotta get the conversation rolling if we’re going to get anywhere, and I’m assuming my packmates didn’t give her any background.
“You make it sound more exciting than it is,” Grant mutters. “It’s not a big deal.”
“How is telling her what you do making your job more exciting? It’s a factual statement.”
He turns his body toward Ariana. He’s all done up today, his lavender hair perfectly framing his glowing face. He even put on a little mascara.
I see you, Grant. Trying to appeal to her feminine wiles. Well played.
“A local designer asked me to model his clothes. He’s up-and-coming and trying to get into a few of the larger fashion shows. It’s not like I’m in magazines or anything.”
“Yet.” He glares at me, and I wink at him over my cup.
“That’s really cool. What do you do when you’re not modeling?” She’s got her body angled towards him, a clear sign of interest, even if she’s not doing it purposefully.
I watched a lot of those body language videos online. Guess it’s paying off.
“I’m a pharmaceutical sales rep. I don’t love it, but the money is good, and I’m always meeting new people.”
I shove my hand in the air, like I’m asking for permission to speak. “I am a very expensive pencil pusher for a cell phone company. Not the dream job, but I get to work from home, so it’s awesome. And Derrick is a physical therapist, but you knew that already.”
She winces a little. What did I say?
“Ah, I was wondering which of you…” Her words trail off, and she takes a small sip of coffee. “Anyway, I’m assuming that’s how you met Derrick, at work?”
Grant shakes his head as he clutches his cup. “No, we met in college. We had a few of the same courses, and once we found out we were scent matches…”
Her cup clatters to the table. “Scent matches?”
Maybe we should have started with that.
“Yeah, uh. All of us? I mean, not Derrick and Ivan, obviously, but I’m scent matched to both of them.” Grant rubs the back of his neck.
What if she’s not okay with sharing her Alphas? It wasn’t something she ever talked about, because she would never entertain the idea of being with an Alpha.
Is this going to be over before it starts? Asking Derrick and Grant to choose between her and one another would be not only cruel but also impossible. Not that I’m keen to give up Grant, either.
“So you’re all together?”
Grant’s voice is cautious. “Ivan and I aren’t romantically together, but we’re still… together together.” Polite way to avoid saying we fuck when we want to. “I’m in love with Derrick. We’ve been in a relationship since we met.”
She swings her head toward Derrick. “That’s when you stopped texting, right?
Freshman year of college.” I guess it’s impossible to pretend like we have no history together, especially not the two of them.
He had Onion to himself for two years before he met Grant, and they had her for a year before I came into the picture.
Seven years.
I’ve known her for seven years, and she just learned my name.
Their relationship is going to be the hardest to repair, because not only is he the face of our deception, but he’s the one she fell in love with first. I fully believe she will realize she loves Grant and me, but it may take her a little longer.
“It felt wrong to continue talking to you like we were, when I was with Grant. Dishonest. But I missed you too much, and he encouraged me to get back in touch with you.”
“Dishonest.” The word echoes around us. “Right. Dishonest. Because you care so much about honesty.” She pushes her coffee cup away and stands. “I’m glad you respect him more than you respect me.”
“Wait. That’s not-”
But she’s gone before he can justify himself.
He slams his fist on the table. “Fuck! Fucking fuck.” His face is lined with frustration and disappointment. This won’t be our only setback, I know that, and what he needs right now is to know that all hope isn’t lost.
“We’re going to trip up. We have to keep being honest with her. It’s all we can do.”
Grant places his hand on Derrick’s arm to settle him.
“She’s not wrong, though. You were honest with me, and had the chance to do the same with her, and didn’t take it.
You’re not the only one at fault. We all agreed to do it and fed into the lie.
But she’s right to be upset about it. In a way, it makes the lie she was told worse.
I bet it makes her feel like she’s not on the same level as me. Like you care about me more.”
“That’s ridiculous. It’s different, but no less.”
“Don’t tell me that!” Grant points at the room Ariana disappeared into. “Go tell her. I’m not the one you need to convince.”
I clap my packmate on the back. “He’s right, man.
I think you two need to clear the air before we move forward.
I thought we could start over, but I don’t think that’s gonna work, at least not with you two.
There is too much history and hurt there.
” I clear everyone’s cups before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. “Bring her this. Clear the air.”