Page 42 of A Knotty Road Trip

Shaking his head, he groans and removes his glasses, then rubs his temples.

This is a tick of his that shows me how affected he is by everything. “What if she rejects me, Tate. I never imagined we would get to spend this much time together, and the more we talk the more I like her, but…”

“She won't reject you, baby. If anything I think she will be excited. She's falling for us, Beck. I can tell. Which makes this so much more fucking complicated.”

Ken puts the partition window down and gives us a look. “I'm going to pick up Rich in the next hour. He's going to drive us through the night.”

“Rich is coming?” I say with a big grin. I've missed my friend and bodyguard. He's been quiet in our group chat, and I was worried he's been pissed off at us.

“Yes. He flew in this morning. LA flights are running on schedule, and the weather here is a lot better,” he says, then yawns, and I can see how tired he is.

“Sounds good, Ken, thank you for everything. Remind me to give you a raise,” I joke, and he cracks a smile. We already pay him well, and he never accepts a raise from us.

He lost his family in a fire about ten years ago, and he looks at us like his sons. He's family. Blood isn't always thicker.

“Since we are alone we need to discuss the event next week. Poppie is scheduled to sing three songs with you guys, then she asked if she could do an original with Angel. I guess she's wanting to branch out on her own.”

“Yeah, that's fine, but move her to the end. She can be our closer. I don't know how this omega meeting is going to go. We may have to increase security.”

Beck nods, taking his tablet and writing something down. He's always so proficient. Even if he wasn't pack, he would have had this job.

There is no one better.

Ken sighs, and I look over at him. He's frowning and looks genuinely upset. “Ken, is everything okay?” I ask, and he grunts.

“I think you should tell Miss Belle. I can see the way she's falling for you all, and if you're going to break her heart in the end she needs to know now, so she may decide whether to continue this trip with you. We can put her on a flight to LA at any time now.”

I didn't even think about that… Maybe we should all just fly back. I'm about to speak my thoughts when Beck growls.

“No, I’m not ready for her to go yet. We will continue the drive to LA. End of topic,” he snaps, then winces. “I'm sorry, Ken. But no, Belle stays until we reach her home.”

Ken nods, then turns back to face the windshield. Beck turns his tablet off and puts his glasses back on before sliding down in the seat.

“We better piss before we get back on the road,” he mumbles, and I nod, following him. I can see his shoulders are slumped, and this is weighing on him.

Angel has Belle in his arms, swinging her around as she laughs. Her cheeks pink from the windchill and her hair messy. She looks beautiful, and happy.

Beck freezes watching the same show and I can see how sad he is. Reaching for him, I take his hand. “I have to at least meet with this omega, but it doesn’t mean that you have to accept her. Belle is yours, Beck.”

“And you’re mine, Tate. I’ll be fine. I guess it’s a good thing that she doesn’t know who I am to her, huh?”

He lets me go and takes off for the bathroom, the long way, avoiding passing Angel and Belle. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone and make a call. If I am going to be marrying someone then it’s not going to be a stranger.

BELLE

“What’s taking so long? I hope they aren’t sick,” I say as we wait for Tate and Beck to come back to the car. It’s been over an hour of us sitting here. I look at Angel, but he doesn’t seem bothered.

“They are probably fucking in the bathroom, Vixen.” My eyes widen and I have to squeeze my thighs together.

“In a public place?! Really? Wow,” I gasp, and he laughs at me. Pulling me into his arms, he presses a kiss onto my head and sighs.

“You are seriously so innocent, Belle. How did I get so lucky?” he mumbles and I laugh, pulling away from him.

The way he talks has me wishing for things that can never be. Ken clears his throat and I look his way.

“Is everything okay, Ken?” I ask and he nods, then rubs his eyes.

“Yes, Miss Belle. I’m just getting tired. I think I need to make a coffee run,” he says, then yawns and I frown.

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