Page 71 of My Three Hometown Alphas

We all quickly follow behind her, leaving the dumbstruck dumbass standing in the same spot. She mumbles something about someone needing to beat him in the next election.

Lyla skips forward, grabbing Avery’s hand as they walk toward the check-out.

“Holy fuck,” Will mumbles.

“That was…” Owen starts but can’t seem to find the words to finish his thought.

“Hot as fuck,” I say, and they both grunt in agreement. “I think I’m going to get a boner in the middle of the store.”

Will glares at me, but I can see the amusement lingering in his stare. Owen grumbles something so quietly I can’t quite make out, but it sounds suspiciously like, “Me too.”

This. Fucking. Girl.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Avery

In the mornings,I usually find the kitchen bustling with activity and conversation while the brothers and Lyla get going for the day. The last few days have been different.

I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly has changed, but they all seem quieter, more subdued. Conversations and smiles are still shared, but there seems to be a heavy cloud looming over all of them, especially Owen.

At first, I thought maybe the guys were starting to pull away from me. Their touches and reassuring smiles, even if small, were enough to push those worries to the side.

And Lyla has also been acting a little moodier than normal, so I don’t know what’s going on.

The morning chill bites at my skin as I make the trek from the guesthouse. It might be summer, but the temperature drops a lot overnight here. Stepping inside, I welcome the change.

Moving into the kitchen, I find all three of my guys silently working together to make breakfast and get their lunches put together to take to work. Lyla is nowhere in sight, so either she’s sleeping in unusually late or she’s upstairs getting ready.

Miles gives me a warm smile, pulling me in for a hug. “Morning, gorgeous.”

“Morning,” I say, leaning up to give him a quick kiss.

He kisses me back but pulls away a few seconds before I’m ready to let go. Shaking my head, I step over to the stove where Will is cooking some turkey sausage.

Without even turning to look at me, he switches the tongs to his left hand and wraps his arms around me. My head falls against his shoulder.

“How did you sleep?” he asks. His voice has a hollowness to it that makes my heart hurt even though I don’t know why it’s there in the first place.

“I slept okay,” I say, leaning into his side a little more. His strong fingers tighten around my shoulder, like he needs me closer. “Where’s Lyla?”

“In the shower,” he says, tilting his head toward the stairs. “Her hair looked like an actual beehive this morning that I didn’t want any part of.”

“I believe that,” I say, starting to step to the side. He holds me against him for another beat before pressing his lips to my forehead.

Taking a breath, I walk over to Owen, who’s had his back to me this entire time.

When I walked in, he was making sandwiches, but now he’s just standing there gripping the counter with enough force to turn his knuckles white. His shoulders are rigid, head hanging low.

When I gently place my hand on his arm, he looks at me with complete confusion. It’s like he was so lost in his own head, he had no idea I was even here.

“Hey,” I say, locking onto his light blue eyes that are currently swamped with anger, sadness, and despair. Sadness outweighs everything else.

I duck my head under his arm until I’m standing between him and the counter he’s still gripping. I wrap my arms around him, burying my face against his threadbare T-shirt.

I don’t know how long I stand there hugging him, but finally his arms move from the counter and wrap around me. He holds me almost painfully close, like his grip on me is the only thing keeping him standing.

Maybe it is…