Page 62 of Knot Our Reality

I shake my head. “Do you really think it’s just going to stay in place when I start moving?”

She wrinkles her nose. “No, I guess not. Either way, you look spectacular.”

“Thank you, Evangeline.”

“Evie,” she reminds me. “All my besties call me Evie.”

“Right. Evie. Eventually, I might remember, but with this pregnancy brain, who knows?” I laugh, running my hand over the rose-colored velvet. It feels amazing under my fingers, and I can’t stop touching it.

Which is apparently driving Evangeline crazy.

If she didn’t want me touching the dress, then she should’ve put me in a different material.

“Are you ready for this?”

“For what? The rose ceremony?” At her nod, I wave her off. “I’m not worried about that. It’s not like I’m sending anyone home, and I’ve already decided who I want to give which roses to. It’s not like I’m going to be flying from the seat of my pants.”

A knock cuts me off, and we both head to the door. Bree and Tessa stand on the other side.

“Evangeline, you need to head back to the cabin. Thank you for your help.” Tessa kisses Evangeline before steering her toward the front door, while Bree leads me over to the ballroom beside the dining room.

We join Reginald outside the closed door. “Before we head inside, do you have any questions or concerns?”

I shake my head. “Nope. All good.”

“Well, in that case, allow me to escort you inside, Emilia.” Reginald offers me his arm, and I smile up at him as I slide mine into it.

Lucas nods as he opens the door, allowing us to step inside. I’ve seen a few of the rose ceremonies while watching with Remington, and it looks much the same.

There’s a raised stage in the middle of the room with the suitors lined up in front of it. The lights have been dimmed so they don’t feel harsh against my eyes. The curtains are all open, allowing moonlight to filter inside. Fairy lights and LED candles give the room a warm glow.

Not that there aren’t bright lights on the cameras that nearly blind me as they turn our way. I stumble, but Reginald keeps me upright, and I don’t think anyone will notice the tumble I almost took.

He leads me to the stairs beside the stage, helping me up them and walking us toward center stage. A table is set up beneath a spotlight that holds six bouquets of roses.

When we reach the table, he releases me and turns to the cameras and suitors. “Welcome back toHeated, viewers. We’ve gathered for this season’s first rose ceremony. Emilia has met her sixteen suitors—fifteen from seasons past and one new face. Now, it’s time for her to make her first decision about what comes next for each of the suitors. Emilia, will you begin by explaining the significance of each rose on the table? This might be old news for most of the suitors and some of our viewers, but for those of you who are new to the show, this will be good information for you to have.”

Reginald steps back, leaving me front and center. I knew this was something that would be expected of me. I pluck a black rose from the vase and smile.

“The black rose is the one no suitor wants to receive because it means their time on the show is over. Just to set everyone at ease, I won’t be handing any of these out today. Due to Daniel’s behavior, he was sent home prior to the rose ceremony. Otherwise, he would’ve received this exact rose tonight.” I set it aside and pick up the red rose next. “The red rose means I want you to be a part of my pack. I also won’t be handing any of these roses today. I’ve enjoyed my time with the suitors, but I don’t know any of them well enough to invite them to be a part of the pack I’m building just yet.”

Next, I grab the white rose. “The white rose is an invitation to my suite. These and the following three roses can be handed out at any time, but I’m more of a planner. While I may hand out a white rose between ceremonies, I intend to hand out the others only during the rose ceremony. If I hand out a yellow rose, it means I want you to remain on the show, but I won’t be inviting you on a date this week. This doesn’t mean I’m not interested, it just means there are only so many hours in a day and days in a week.

“As for the peach and lavender roses,” I say, plucking them from their vases and holding them up, “they mean I want to invite you on a date in the coming week. Peach roses are for individual dates, while lavender is for group dates. Now, as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, this season is different from the prior seasons. That I’m different from the previous omegas. Because of this, there will be some alterations made to the schedule. Saturdays will remain the days we hold the rose ceremonies, and we’ll likely hang out as a group beforehand if we’re feeling up to it.

“Sundays are family days for me. My sons, Hawk and Jasper, are staying with my brother, Remington, who you’ll remember as last season’s omega. I will spend the day with them, not just because I hate being away from them, but because growing boys need their moms. Yes, this means one less day with my suitors—at least for now. There will come a time when I will introduce suitors to my boys, but not until I get to know them a little better. This will leave Mondays for us to hang out as a group, with dates happening Tuesday through Friday.

“Seeing how the suitors interact with each other is an important part of my decision-making process. A pack isn’t just about its omega. It’s about all the pieces that make up the whole. Each member brings something to the table, and if there is animosity between any pack members, it will affect everyone. I plan to build a cohesive unit when choosing my mates. I’ve seen what it’s like to have a well-functioning pack, and I refuse to not have my next pack be the same.”

Reginald waits for my nod before stepping up beside me again. “Suitors, tonight you’ll be called up in the order you arrived. Emilia will give each of you a rose, and she may or may not have something to say to you along with it. With that being said, why don’t we get started? That means our first suitor will be Malik Bakir. Malik, if you’ll please join us on stage.”

I shoot Malik a smile as he stops a few feet away from me. “I couldn’t have asked for a better first suitor, Malik. You were kind and easy to talk to. You completely set me at ease. As I said before, there are only so many days in a week, so this week, I’m offering you a yellow rose.”

“Thank you,” he says softly, bowing slightly as he takes it. “I will gladly wait my turn to be able to go on a date with you.”

Then he’s gone, and it becomes a virtual train of suitors as I hand out rose after rose.

Bradley and Lee both graciously take their yellow roses. I can see a bit of disappointment in Lee’s eyes, but he just offers me a smile before leaving the stage.

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