Rafe brushes a strand of sweaty hair from my cheek, smiling down at me. “You good?”
“Better than good,” I sigh.
“Ready for tonight?” Elliott asks, settling next to me, his arm propping him up.
“Remind me again what tonight is?” I joke. I know what tonight is. The reunion show.
Miles leans back on the bedpost, one knee drawn up, still completely naked, just the way I like him. “We could skip it.”
“No. I want the world to see what we have. There are thousands of people that need to see the happily ever after to know it exists.”
The live audience’svoices filter backstage, and I draw in a nervous breath as Greta puts the finishing touches on my makeup. It’s soft again. Yet there’s still the slight boldness to the sharp lines of my eye makeup. I’m not sure where the guys are, they separated us the second we stepped foot into the building. It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the flurry of action surrounding me. All the other omegas are getting ready for the night.
There’s an energy of excitement in the air. Or maybe that’s just me. Because this ending is a fairy tale. Being the only choice for my guys healed me in ways I can’t describe. All the broken pieces mended. Every doubt evaporated. It feels a lot like basking in the sun without a care in the world.
Chad and Willow join me, both looking like models in their clothing.
“Damn, Greta, you have made this bitch sexy as hell,” Chad says with a wide, toothy grin. He tucks his hands into his pockets and leans against the counter, while Willow drops into the chair next to me. “Not that you haven’t always been sexy.” He winks at me, and I roll my eyes, earning a chastising from Greta.
“Why are you so late?” I ask. “I’ve been here for hours.”
“Perfection doesn’t really take much to improve.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “And we already touched on that. I’m perfect.”
“Lucky for me, my guys weren’t looking for perfect,” I joke.
He nods, and Willow swats him. “Do you really think you would have attached to someone that wasn’t perfect?” she asks him.
He shrugs, giving her the win. “True.”
“That would make all three of us perfect,” I say.
Willow laughs. “You should tell that to Ivan.” Her attention shifts to the cameraman watching her.
“I’m sure he already knows.” I look between them. It’s clear they are head over heels for each other. I’m sure they will work it out.
She waves off my words and straightens in her seat. “Enough about that. Are you excited for tonight?”
“I’d rather be at home in bed,” I reply. My thoughts drift to earlier, my body still fully aware of everything we did, because no amount of showering can remove them from my soul. “But showing the world what is possible—it feels like something I need to do.”
Our conversation easily shifts to different topics, and before I know it, Shelly’s calling for our attention and ushering us out onto stage. The lights are bright, and the crowd is loud. My name’s being cheered as if I’m some sort of celebrity like my sister or Rafe. Waving slightly, I settle onto the long couch, nearest to Tucker. The other omegas are across from me, some smile and curl their fingers in a half wave, while Hailey and Blair watch me with what can only be called jealousy.
I guess Hailey wanted the guys to beg her to change her mind when she told them they weren’t a match. When Tucker clears his throat, I shift in my seat to give him my full attention.
“Lilah,” he says with a smile, “Tell us what it’s like to be the omega that captured their attention from the very start. Was the connection immediate like the show portrayed?”
I withhold a smile as I nibble on my lower lip. “Well, as everyone probably already knows, I had a run in with Rafe a few weeks before the show. So it wasn’t quite the connection everyone thinks. Did I find them all unbelievably attractive? I would have been blind not too. And I basically told them that straight out of the limo that first night. But—” I swallow and look at the gathered audience. “I didn’t come on the show expecting to find my mates.”
“You didn’t?” Tucker’s eyebrows go into his hairline with his feigned shock.
“No. I ended up onOmega in Paradisebecause my sister wanted me to stop sulking on her couch.”
A round of laughter greets my words, and I smile.
“I’m sure all of you watched the hometown visits,” I say to the audience. Murmurs of agreement echo back at me, and I nod. “Jared and Tabitha—the two that showed up as a surprise to ask me to form a pack with them—they are not only the ones that broke me in the first place, but they also made me realize how in love I was with the guys.”
“You didn’t know before then?” Tucker asks.
I shrug. “I knew I was falling. But I just didn’t realize I had also been healing.”
