“No idea. I figured he’ll have more questions than we do.”
Before Grant can respond, the line clicks on.
“Guys!”
“Hey, Alpha.” Even though it’s only been two days, I know Grant is missing Derrick. He’s crawled into my bed to sleep both nights. “Are you doing okay?”
“Uh… Well. Define okay.”
“Not broken? Not crying? What else could it mean?” I try to turn so that Grant and I face the camera, not the speaker, but it’s hard not to look at it when I talk.
“Well. I quit my job.”
Grant’s jaw drops open. “Why would you do that?”
“Ariana told me she lives in Hollywood, Florida. So I’m moving to Hollywood. I’ve got a short-term rental right now.”
“Oh, hell yeah.” I can do my job from anywhere. And if, for some reason, my company doesn’t accept a changeof address, data analyst jobs aren’t that hard to find. “So we need to put the house on the market.”
“I’d love it if you guys came with me, but I’m not going to force you. Grant would need a job transfer, and he’d lose his modeling gig.”
Our Beta does not look bothered by that at all. “Hollywood isn’t far from Miami, right? Miami is kind of a fashion hub. They have their own fashion week. And I’ll apply for a transfer at work. Let’s do it.”
“Just like that? You two are sure you’re all in?”I’m a little offended that Derrick feels the need to ask that. We’ve all been in love with Ariana for years. Why would that have changed while spending time with her?
I run my fingers through Grant’s hair to give me something to do. “Of course we are. She’s everything. We’ve really been connecting.”
“Good. Because the movers are already on their way.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Oh my God!Tell me everything! I’ve missed you so much.”Marlie’s voice reverberates around the small room.
“I only have ten minutes, so you’ll have to settle for the top line.”
“Spill, spill, spill.”
I press my feet against the wall and slip a little down the chair into a reclining position. “Well, Sax is real, but he’s three people. And he’s an Alpha.”
“Oh, no, I can’t believe it.”Her words are a little strangled, which is an odd change from the exuberance she possessed just a moment ago.
“Yeah. Imagine my shock. Add in the fact that he’s my scent match…”
Her horrified gasp is a little validating, honestly.“I need you to know that I am so sorry for signing you up for this show, Ariana. This was your worst fear, and I’m responsible for making it happen.”
“I appreciate the apology, and I’ll figure out a way to get you back one day, but I’ve had to admit to myself that I wouldn’t have held out much longer without meeting Sax.At least you helped me do it in a controlled environment where I was forced to hear them out.”
I would’ve run in any other situation.
“Then tell me all about them.”
“Grant is a Beta, scent matched to Derrick, who’s the one from the pictures. He’s gorgeous, Marlie. Like, an actual model. And he’s also scent matched to Ivan, another Alpha who is so hot. Pure masculine perfection, I swear. And they’re all my scent matches.”
She makes a clicking noise with her mouth that almost sounds like she’s grimacing.“What are you going to do?”
That’s the question of the week, isn’t it? What am I going to do? It’s easy, in the vacuum of theExpectedhouse, to say I’m going to give them a chance and get to know them. What is going to happen when we’re out of here, and everything is long-distance again?
“I’m getting to know the guys.” I have to make sure that I don’t mention Derrick leaving the house. Even though she signed a non-disclosure agreement and they’ll edit out a slip, they want to make extra sure that doesn’t leak before the episode airs. “I’m learning which parts of Sax each of them is. And honestly, talking to them feels like talking to Sax. It’s like I know them, their souls, even if all the facts aren’t there.”
