Page 40 of My Three Hometown Hard Hats

The moan she makes after taking her first bite has me getting half hard from that single sound alone. The way she’s licking at the chocolate that’s dripping down the sides has me sporting a full-on boner in my jeans.

As discreetly as possible, I adjust myself in my pants.

I can’t help but laugh, though, when I look at Austin and Conrad and they’re both staring at her like they’re sixteen and she’s the first porno they’ve ever seen.

Finishing her last bite, she licks the last remnants of sticky goodness off her fingers, and I swear I almost come on the spot because all I can think about are those luscious lips wrapped around something else right now.

Austin shakes his head, looking over at his daughter, who’s in her own world, building something with the unused chocolate bars.

“Evelyn, it’s past your bedtime. We need to get you to bed.”

She groans, but I can see how tired she is as she moves around the circle, giving all of us hugs. When she gets to Con, she stops.

“Can you finish reading that book you started last night?”

“Of course, honey.”

She runs over, giving her dad a big hug before walking into the house with Con. Austin makes sure the fire is completely out while Hadley and I haul everything back inside.

“That was so much fun,” she says, stepping into the pantry to put the extra candy away. I step in behind her.

“Not as fun as this,” I say, spinning her around and pressing her against the shelves.

She sucks in a breath a second before my lips land on hers. She laughs into the kiss as a box of cereal falls over onto us, but we don’t stop.

Luckily, I don’t think it spilled anywhere—but even if it did, I still wouldn't stop.

I nip at her bottom lip, then pull back. She smiles up at me, still giggling. Bending down, she grabs the box of cereal and returns it to the shelf behind her.

“Thanks for always making me smile, Brooks.”

I’ll make you smile every day for the rest of your life if you’ll let me.

All three of us stand waiting for Hadley as she grabs her purse from the kitchen.I don’t want her to go.

“I can give you a ride home,” Austin says.

“I need to get my mom’s car back to her house in case she needs it. Plus, it isn’t that late. I’ll be fine.”

“You could always just stay here,” I state, raising my shoulders and letting them fall.

She lets out a nervous laugh. Her eyes roam over all of us, but no one else says anything.Great, thanks, guys.

“I think it’s best if I go,” she finally says, slinging her hand over her shoulder. She looks at us again before turning toward the door.

Her hand rests on the handle, but she pauses. Her shoulders rise as she sucks in a sharp breath and exhales heavily.

When she turns around to face us, her expression is pure determination.

“Okay, I’m just going to say this. Yup, just say it,” she says, like she’s talking to herself. Her eyes snap up to all of us. “I’m only going to say this once.”

We all nod, keeping our mouths shut.

“I like all of you. Yes, all three of you. I don’t want to choose between you, so please don’t make me. I don’t think I could even if you wanted me to. I want to be with all of you, but I know that’s a pretty selfish thing to ask of you guys. So, I’m going to leave now and let you think about what you want. Let me know when you guys figure out what that is.”

She turns back to the door, but Austin grabs her arm. He spins her until they’re chest to chest. He shocks me by pressing a kiss to her lips.

Well, fuck me. Maybe he’s going to be more on board with this than I thought. Or maybe he’s just 100% on board the Hadley train, no matter what that involves.