Page 32 of My Three Hometown Hard Hats

“She had a pretty shitty day before she came home. I guess she got laid off and found out her boyfriend was cheating on her all on the same day.”

“Who the fuck is he?” he sneers, his face turning red.

“Calm down, Rambo.” I chuckle. “He isn’t in her life anymore. She made that very clear on the plane. Plus, what he did landed her in our lap, so I’m not going to complain.”

“I still want to murder him.”

“Just focus on her now.”

We look over to the dance floor where Brooks is swinging her around the floor to a fast-paced song. The smile plastered on her face is unmistakable.

“Do you really like her, or is this just messing around for you?” he asks.

I could joke around with him and say that I’ve already messed around with her, so if that was the goal, I would have been done when the plane landed in Colorado. That wouldn’t do either of us any good right now, though.

“I like her. A lot.”

“And Brooks?”

I look over at my brother, who now has Hadley held tight against him as they sway to a slower song. The look in his eyes is something I’ve never seen from him before.

“I’m pretty sure he’s already falling for her.”

Austin nods. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to hurt her. I don’t want to punch either of you.”

“What about you?”

He tilts his head back, staring up at the old ceiling. “I don’t think we have enough time to get into that.”

“Well, I think you either start talking or you go ask our girl to dance.”

“Dance it is,” he says, sliding off the stool.Avoider.

He taps Brooks on the shoulder. Words are exchanged, then my brother is striding back toward me with a huge smile.

He downs the rest of his beer, and then Austin’s.

Hadley has her hands wrapped around Austin’s neck, her fingers mindlessly playing with the short hair on the back of his head. They are swaying back and forth, staring into each other’s eyes like no one else in this bar exists.

“He’s halfway in love with her,” Brooks says, reaching for my beer.

I swat his hand away. “So are you.”

He doesn’t even try to deny it. “I could say the same about you, brother.”

Ding, ding, ding. One point for Brooks.

My hand slides into my pocket, toying with the delicate bracelet I bought earlier.

At one of the booths, Hadley kept staring at this thin rose gold bracelet with colorful flowers woven throughout the chain.As soon as she was distracted with Evelyn at the next booth, I quickly bought it.

It’s been in my pocket ever since. I don’t know when I’ll give it to her, but I know I want to see her face light up until her eyes crinkle at the sides.

I like things in my life to be planned out and methodical. I like things to go at a certain pace. Nothing with Hadley has followed any of those norms in my life.

Usually, that would have me running for the hills, but with her, I’m not running from anything. I’m jumping on the wayward train as it speeds from the station.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN