Page 108 of My Three Hometown Alphas

It feels weird to stand there, looming over the grave. I sit down on the grass, pulling my knees up to my chest.

I had no intention of coming here today, but in some way, it feels like this is where I’m supposed to be.

The flowers arranged near the stone are starting to wither. Will told me he brings her fresh flowers every few weeks.

When she was sick, he took it on as his duty to make sure she always had fresh flowers at her bedside. He continued even after she passed.

I know other members of his family would bring her flowers, but I think they let him have this as his way of still connecting with her.

Based on the state of these flowers, he’s probably going to be stopping by any day now. Hopefully, he holds off for a little bit because there are some things I’m burning to tell her.

“Hi Olivia,” I say. It might be weird to talk to someone like this that I never actually met, but it feels like I’ve gotten to know her through the people she loved most in this world.

I run my hands over the blades of grass. “Lyla is wonderful. You made a pretty amazing kid,” I tell her. I have no idea if she can hear me, but I feel like the words need to be said regardless.

Once I start talking, there’s suddenly so many things I want to tell this person I don’t know but desperately wish I did.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Will

The ladyat the grocery store checkout gave me a funny look when she saw I was buying four bouquets of flowers. She said I must have messed up badly if I needed four bouquets to make up for it.

I just laughed and said they were for the only four women I’ve ever loved. She didn’t need to know the specifics of who those women are.

I bring fresh flowers to Liv’s grave every few weeks. It might be small and rather silly, but it’s important to me. I want her to know that I’m still thinking about her. That I miss her.

I pull into the cemetery parking lot so I can deliver my first bunch of flowers. My foot stutters on the brake, seeing Avery standing at the entrance. She starts to walk away, but she quickly turns back around and passes through the arch.

I inch the truck the rest of the way into the parking spot before hastily grabbing the flowers and follow Avery. I find her sitting on the grass by Liv’s headstone.

I’m about to close the distance between us when her words stop me in my tracks.

“Lyles—that’s what I call her most of the time—she makes me smile more than I thought was possible. She’s so smart it makes me worried for when she’s older.”

You and I both…

“Hopefully she’ll use those skills for good and not evil.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing when I hear Avery start to giggle. I don’t want to interrupt her.

“She is sassy as hell. Your brothers say she got that from you. I believe them, but I think some of that might have come from Miles, too.” She shakes her head. “He won’t admit it, but he’s a little sassy, too.”

I bring my hand to cover my mouth because she is so right. Miles isn’t anywhere near as sassy as Liv was, but he has his moments where it shines bright and clear. I love that she sees that part of him.

Her tone turns more serious. “I know what it’s like growing up without a mom. I’m never going to try to replace you in her life. I just want to be there for her in any way I can. She makes my days better when I’m around her, and I want to do the same for her for as long as she’ll have me.”

Her words tug at every single one of my heart strings. It’s easy to forget everything this woman has gone through. She’s strong and fierce, but she had to go through a lot to get to that point.

I want to hug the woman standing a few yards away, but I also want to hug the little girl who lost her mom when she was just a kid just like Lyla did.

Maybe that’s why the two of them get along so well. They understand each other on a level most wouldn’t.

She tilts her head, resting her cheek against her bent knee. “I get why you wanted all three of your brothers to raise her. They’re kind of the perfect team in their own way. It just works.Being their own family helped them all heal after you were gone. I know you did that on purpose.”

Liv never outright said it, but I know that was part of her intention behind her final wishes for us to raise Lyla together. She knew it was best for all of us, not just her little girl.

“I love them… all three of them,” Avery says. “I know that’s probably weird to hear about your brothers, that I love all three of them in that way, but I think if I had siblings, I would want them to be happy and loved.” She pauses for a second. “I am so in love with all of them. It’s hard to remember what it felt like before they all consumed my heart.”