12. Hadley
CHAPTER TWELVE
Hadley
Exhaling heavily, I put the car in park. I hate parallel parking, but there weren’t any other spots this close to the parade route.
Mom was in a lot of pain this morning, but she wasn’t about to miss the Miner’s Day parade. Growing up, Miner’s Day was one of my favorite times of the year in Aspen Springs.
It’s a typical small-town festival with vendor booths and food trucks lining the streets. There’s a parade and kids’ activities, all to celebrate the mining history by which the town was created.
I grab the camping chair from the backseat, slinging it over my shoulder. By the time I get to the side of the car, Mom is already getting herself out.
I tried to talk her into using the wheelchair she has stored in the garage, but she gave me a look that I swear shriveled half the bones in my body.
Slowly, we make our way down the half block toward Hickory Avenue, where the parade will go by in a few minutes. I pull out the chair, setting it on the sidewalk in a spot where I think she’ll still be able to see everything, even while seated.
As soon as my mom is settled, a small body slams into the back of my legs. “Ooommfff,” I grunt, turning to see who ran into me.
Evelyn looks up at me with her big green eyes, two braids running down either side of her head. “Hi,” she says, smiling even wider.
“Hey, you.”
All three of the men who have a chokehold on my heart—and my vagina, apparently—step up behind her.
“You need to stop running away,” Austin says, serious eyes trained on his daughter.
“I wasn’t running away ,” she says, her fists resting on her hips. “I was running to Hadley. That’s very different.”
“Someone needs to be a lawyer,” my mom chuckles.
“What does a lawyer do?” Evelyn asks my mom, leaning against the side of her chair.
I turn back to the wall of men behind me. “Hi,” I say, my eyes tracking back and forth over all of them.
Austin gives me a curt nod as if he’s trying to hold back from what he really wants to do or say. Conrad says, “Hey, sweetheart,” but stays where he is at Austin’s side.
Brooks clearly doesn’t give a single fuck. He pulls me in for a hug, kissing the top of my head. “I missed you,” he whispers into my hair.
It’s only been three days.
“I missed you, too,” I whisper back.
He steps back into the line of delicious man muscle. How are three men allowed to be so hot and so right there in front of me?
The police sirens blare, and we all turn our heads to see the parade heading our way.
Austin laughs loudly at something my mom says as he walks with her back to the car. She moves toward the driver’s side.
“Mom, what are you doing?”
“You stay and enjoy yourself. I’m just going to go take a nap anyway.” She glances between all three of the men. “I’m sure these three will get you home safe and sound later.”
“Of course we will,” Austin says, opening the door for her.
She rolls down the window, beckoning me over with her finger. “Go live that life of yours that we were talking about,” she says, squeezing my hand where it grips the open window frame.
“Okay,” I say, giving her hand a squeeze in return. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I will. I will.” She leans her head to the side, yelling at Brooks, “Come grab her, so I don’t hit her with my car.”
“Sure thing, Mags,” he says, wrapping both his arms tightly around me.
My arms are trapped beneath his hold at my sides, my feet dangling without purchase on the ground.
“What the heck are you doing?” I squirm in his hold, trying to break free. Even when my feet touch down again on the sidewalk next to the rest of the group, his arms stay wrapped around me.
Relenting, I relax against him, watching as my mom pulls a U-turn. She waves out the her window, pulling away from us.
“I’m starving,” Evelyn whines.
“It isn’t even lunchtime yet,” Conrad tells her.
She wiggles her head from side to side at him. “So?”
“I could go for an early lunch,” I tell her.
She whips around, beaming up at me. “Yes, this is why you’re my favorite.”
She grabs my hand, forcefully pulling me away from Brooks. With her hand in mine, we start to make our way to the food stands set up along the avenue that’s currently closed off for the festival.
“Hey, I’m hungry, too,” Brooks speaks up from behind us. “Can’t I be a part of your favorite group?”
“No, you’re a boy. Walk with the boys.” She gestures to Conrad and Austin, who are both trying not to laugh.
We split up to get a couple of different kinds of food and meet up on the lawn behind the food stands. When Evelyn and I walk over with our corn dogs and lemonade, we find the guys all sitting in a shaded spot under a big pine tree.
“Picnic time,” she says, shimmying into the space between Brooks and Conrad. Obviously, she loves them. I can’t blame her.
We all sit in a circle, sharing all the different foods. I lean forward, taking a bite of the gyro.
I can feel sauce on the side of my mouth, but before I can wipe it away, Austin is there swiping it with his thumb. His hand lingers there a beat longer than necessary.
“Always cleaning me up,” I tell him.
“I guess so.” He stares at me with such a mix of emotions, I can’t even begin to wade through all of them.
“Can we go shopping now?” Evelyn asks, taking the last bite of her corn dog.
Austin turns to look at her. “Sure, if that’s what you want to do.”
We clean up all our trash and head for the nearest street lined with vendor booths. Evelyn eagerly skips, getting a bit ahead of us.
“If you can’t see us, then I can’t see you, Evelyn,” Austin says, not freaking out about her having a little independence.
He’s such a good dad, and that makes him even hotter. If that’s even possible.
Evelyn finds a stand with flower crowns for kids and yelps with excitement.
“There goes twenty bucks out of my wallet,” Austin chuckles beside me. “What color do you want, honey?” he asks her.
She points to one with a mix of blue and purple flowers. The woman makes sure the crown is the right size for Evelyn, fitting it perfectly for her.
“You look gorgeous, Evie Girl,” Brooks tells her.
She grabs his hand, walking back up the opposite side of the street, not wanting to miss any of the booths.
I find myself walking between Conrad and Austin. The urge to reach for both of their hands burns through me, but I resist, keeping my hands at my sides.
Moving down the next street, Evelyn stops at a face painting stand. “Hadley, will you get your face painted with me?”
“I think you should ask your dad if it’s okay first.”
“Oh, right.” Her head swivels to Austin. “Is it okay?”
“Don’t do your whole face like last year. That was a mess in the car seat,” he groans. “A small one on your cheek is fine, though.”
She looks back at me. “Please, do it with me.”
“Of course.”
Evelyn sits down in the chair first, choosing a butterfly. She talks nonstop as the lady starts painting the design.
“What cheek are you getting yours on? Because I know which one I’d like to see it on,” a voice comes from over my shoulder.
Did he just say he wanted to see my ass cheek painted?
Turning, I expect to see Brooks, but it’s Conrad. My eyes widen. So quickly, I’m sure no one notices, he kisses my temple.
My hand searches my wrist for a hair tie. I curse under my breath, realizing I don’t have one.
“What’s wrong?” Conrad says from my side.
I sigh. “I was going to put my hair up to keep it out of the paint, but I forgot a hair tie.”
“I’ve got you,” Brooks says, moving behind me. His fingers gently comb through my hair.
He expertly sections off and French braids it, securing it at the bottom with an elastic from his own wrist. The intimacy of the moment feels out of place in such a public setting, but there isn’t a single part of this that feels wrong.
I don’t think anything with these men could feel wrong.
His hands land on my shoulders when I peek back at him. Not wanting to spoil the moment by speaking out loud, I just mouth, “Thank you.”
He nods, gently kneading his hands into my muscles.
With the new flowery decoration on my face, I lean against the tree on the side of the park where all the kids’ events are happening.
Evelyn dragged the twins with her to go mine for gold in the treasure pit. They’re all huddled together, using a screen to sift through the wet sand.
I don’t have my nice camera with me, but I want to capture the moment. Holding my phone up, I take a few shots of the three of them.
Austin leans against the opposite side of the tree trunk, handing me a bottle of water.
“Thanks. That kid is wearing me down,” I say, taking a sip.
“That’s how I feel every day,” he says.
I shift my shoulder, so I’m facing him a little more. “You’re a really good dad, Austin.”
He looks at me like he doesn’t believe a word I’m saying.
“I mean it. You are. That little girl adores you.”
He sighs, nervously adjusting his ball cap like my comments are making him uncomfortable.
“I try to do the best I can, but…” He pauses, dragging in a deep breath. “Even though she has no idea who her mom is, I don’t want her to miss having that person in her life.”
With my free hand, I grab onto his forearm, making him look at me. “She has so many people in her life who love her. I’ve seen how much my mom and brother care about her.”
I point at Conrad and Brooks, who are still engrossed with Evelyn.
“Look at those two guys over there. They love her so much, they would go to war for her. She might not be their blood, but they don’t treat her any different.”
He closes his eyes, sucking in a deep breath. I swallow heavily, feeling wetness building in my own eyes.
“Take it from someone who grew up only having one parent in their life. I’m not going to say I’ve never wondered about my dad, but he was never here. My mom has always been more than enough of a parent for Grayson and I both.
“And Evelyn has the best dad in the whole world. She isn’t missing anything, Austin. Stop beating yourself up for something that isn’t your fault. Evelyn has experienced more love in five years than some people do in their entire lives.”
“Fuck me,” he grumbles, wiping his eyes.
His arm wraps around my back, pulling me into his chest. His chin rests against the top of his head as he processes what I just said.
“You’re a lot more emotional than I remember,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.
His chest vibrates against my cheek. “Have a kid. It happens.”
Looking over at Evelyn, my heart aches with the desire to be a bigger part of her life. I know she has a lot of important people already, but I want to be one of them, too.