Page 98 of My Three Hometown Hard Hats

Another surprise. A girl can only take so many in one day.

Evelyn is bouncing with excitement, her hand clutching mine.I guess she knows what the surprise is.

Just when I start to think of what it could be, the front door swings the rest of the way open. A very familiar blur of black fur darts into the house.Cash.

I drop to my knees, and he sprints toward me. He screeches to a halt just before he tackles me to the ground.

My face is buried in his soft fur. I don’t know why he’s here, but I’m so glad I get to see him.

“Hey, boy. I miss you,” I mumble into his fur, teary-eyed for the umpteenth time today. Over his head, I turn and look at all the men in the room. “What is he doing here?”

“Grayson was bringing him back home,” Austin says.

Home. Home?

My jaw hinges open. “You guys adopted him.”

Conrad, Austin, and Brooks all nod.Just when I thought I couldn’t love them any more.

“Thank you,” I mouth to them. Standing up, I watch as Cash and Evelyn run around the sectional together.

“Is Nova okay with this?” I ask, trying not to laugh.

Brooks shrugs. “She gets kind of annoyed by him, but I think she’s happy to have someone else to play with Evelyn. Then, she can sleep in peace.”

I glance over to the corner of the room, where Nova is doing exactly that in her dog bed, ignoring all of this chaos.

Grayson stares between all the men behind me. “Remember what we talked about,” he says, pointing a finger at them.

A glance over my shoulder shows them all just nodding.When did they talk to him?

“Bye, Evelyn. Thanks for hanging out with me,” he tells her as she takes a break from chasing Cash around to give Grayson a hug.

I follow behind her, wrapping my arms around him when he stands back up. “Thank you,” I tell him, hugging him tight.

He nods, knowing I’m thanking him for more than just taking care of Evelyn today. I’m thankful for him always being there for me, for accepting this unconventional relationship that’s found me, for just being him.

His hands slide around either side of my face. “Just be happy. Okay?”

I want to tell him I want him to find whatever makes him happy too, but I don’t think he’s there quite yet. Maybe someday soon.

I nod, blinking away my tears. He kisses my forehead and heads out the front door.

Turning around, I’m faced with the sight of my future standing before me. Conrad. Brooks. Austin. Evelyn.

This world might not be perfect, but as long as I have them, I know it’s going to feel damn near perfection every single day.

Epilogue

BROOKS

“Is this all of the eggs?”Con asks. Pouring jelly beans into the last one, I snap it shut and toss it in the basket.

“Yup, that’s all of them.”

“And the, um… golden egg,” he asks, eyes widening a little.

I pat the pocket of my hoodie.The egg’s ready. The ring’s ready. Now I just need to be ready.