And now, it’s ending.
The ship’s docked. We’re on the main deck, bags packed, wristbands tucked away, standing in the half-shade of an awning while disembarking groups get called. The wind smells like land—warm and grassy and not at all like the salt and sunscreen and coconut rum I’ve grown accustomed to. Gunner nuzzles his wet nose into my palm as if he knows I need the comfort.
Any second now, they’re going to say, ‘That was fun. Have a good life. This was just for the cruise.’
And I don’t think I’ll survive hearing it. Because this time won’t be like it was with my teammates. This time, it’ll hurt. It’ll destroy me.
Knox shifts beside me, adjusting the strap of his duffel bag. “I hate this part.”
“What part?” Emily asks, leaning her head against Ava’s shoulder.
“The end,” he says simply. “The part where everyone pretends they’re not bummed.”
Ava lets out a soft laugh, but it sounds forced. “We could not end it.” The words come out a little strangled, as if some old part of her is trying to keep them in.
Gunner lifts his head, sniffs, and trots over to Ava. He can probably smell her distress, though I’m not close enough to pickup on it myself, especially since she’s slathered a full bottle of scent neutralizers over herself. She declined Declan’s offer for drugs, but also doesn’t seem ready to just walk around as a proud omega yet.
Emily lifts her head, blinking. “What do you mean?”
Ava shrugs one shoulder, suddenly looking shy in a way that doesn’t match her usual fire. “We don’t have to go back to how things were before. We could… I don’t know. Try?”
Declan makes a quiet sound that might be agreement or caution. Hard to tell with him.
I take a breath, then plow ahead with the obvious. “Logistically? I live in Brazil.”
Emily lets out a dejected sigh. “Yeah. And Declan’s hours away. Knox is on the far end of town. Ava and I are the only two who live near each other.”
Ava snorts, wrapping her arm around Emily’s waist and pulling her into her side. “Right, because thirty minutes away is so close.”
Emily looks at Declan. “I know you said you wanted to make this work, but how? We can’t cram five people into my two-bedroom.” She glances at Ava. “Not that all five of us—I mean…” Her words catch and trail off, like carrying the whole weight of what that means is almost too much to say aloud.
“How will I survive without my Disaster Buddy?” I nudge Ava with my hip.
“You could stay,” she whispers. “With me.”
My heart flutters, hope swaying like a tree in the breeze. “Really?”
Ava shrugs, a half-smile tugging at her lips. “Don’t get your hopes up. I live in a tiny one-bedroom studio. It’s half the size of the bedroom we had this week.” She bites her lip. “But I don’t want you to leave. So…”
“Are you asking me to move in with you,benzinho?” I tease, grinning as I reach out and twist a lock of her hair around my finger.
She huffs, trying to pull away, but there’s a spark in her eyes. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds ridiculous.”
“I like being ridiculous.” I kiss her cheek.
“So you’ll cancel your flight and stay?” Emily asks with hope in her eyes. “You could both… I, um, still have an empty bedroom from when Meggie moved out.”
“Is that too fast for you,docinho?” I ask Emily.
She wrinkles her nose while shaking her head, hand reflexively digging into Gunner’s fur. The dog has been watching the conversation, gaze bouncing from person to person almost as if he understands.
“I don’t know,” Emily says slowly. “I don’t think so. I mean…” She looks at Declan and Knox. “I’m not ready to say goodbye. I want you to stay with me, both of you. I mean, for a bit. If you want. Until we figure out what this is. If it’s even anything…”
“It’s something.” Ava steps into Emily’s space and kisses her.
“So it is settled. Ava and I will go home with Emily. And…” I look to our alphas, waiting for them to volunteer how they propose continuing.
“We need to deal with Glenn,” Declan looks toward the shore, offering no reassurance, pointedly turning away from Knox.
