Chapter 23 Riley
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Riley
“Here,” Conrad says, handing me a bottle of water. We’re all set up in their living room to do the first interview for this episode with Hadley and her men.
I have several cameras set up on tripods around the room. Most of the time, I have several people from my team with me to help with the filming. There was just something about this particular episode that begged me to keep it more intimate, a nod to the way everything started with Serendipity.
I don’t know if it is the hold Aspen Springs already had on my heart or something else, but I wanted to handle this on my own.
Conrad sits on the arm of the couch next to his brother. Hadley’s seated in the middle with Austin and Brooks on either side of her.
I’ve never been one to pose anyone in a particular way. I’d rather they be comfortable and show me who they really are than sit in a way that would create the most appealing video.
I’ve always wanted the stories I tell to come across as genuine and authentic. The interviews are more like conversations, just people talking about the love stories that shaped their lives.
I think that’s why the stories have resonated with so many. Everyone can find a piece of themselves in the stories I’ve devoted my life to sharing with the world.
I pull my legs up under me in the far corner of the sectional. Their overly active dog, Cash, who was running around for the last hour while we set everything up, is now curled up beside me. His large head rests against my thigh.
“Ready?” I ask.
All the humans in the room nod. Cash lets out a loud huff before snuggling in a little closer. I guess he’s ready for his part to play in this, too. My fingers slide over the fluffy, black fur on the top of his head.
We run through the introductions and the beginning of their story. Hadley and Conrad exchange a loaded look when they describe their mile-high romp that started everything.
Austin grabs Hadley’s hand when he talks about the moment he decided it was worth it to risk his friendship with his best friend for a chance with Hadley. Hadley tears up when she talks about how she fell in love with not only three men at the same time but also Austin’s little girl, Evelyn.
The love they all have for each other is seeping into every word they say.
“Was it hard settling into a relationship with more people involved?” I ask. The question wasn’t on my list, but I’m curious.
I’m not going to explore why that curiosity might exist. It definitely doesn’t have anything to do with the two men who gave me a mind-blowing orgasm yesterday, then let me sleep in the safety of their arms for over an hour.
No, it has nothing to do with that.
“I’m not going to say we all haven’t had our moments,” Austin says with a shrug.
“Mostly you have your moments,” Brooks says, smirking in Austin’s direction.
Austin just shakes his head. “But we were a family before Hadley became a part of our lives. Adding her into the mix just… made sense.”
“All of us together with Ev just fit,” Conrad says, running his fingers through his hair. “It was always supposed to be this way.”
“It wouldn’t work with any of us in a one-on-one relationship with Hadley. This works because we’re all together,” Brooks adds.
Hadley has tears in her eyes now. Brooks strokes her hair when she rests her head against his shoulder.
“Is that how you feel about it?” I ask Hadley.
She swipes a tear as it falls down her cheek.
“I have an individual relationship with all of them. They are all unique and match who we all are as people. What makes all this work, though, is the way we are as a whole.” A few more tears fall.
“Our puzzle wouldn’t work if any of the five pieces weren’t exactly as they are. ”
Now I’m tearing up.
The front door bursts open, and Evelyn comes sprinting into the room. Her dark brown hair bounces around her with each joyful step. She launches herself onto the couch, landing across Austin and Hadley’s laps, and she’s instantly wrapped in a tight hug from both of them.
“Mom,” Evelyn shouts, twisting to look at Hadley.
Hadley isn’t her birth mom, but the way she’s hanging on to the little girl’s every word, she sees her as nothing other than hers.
“Guess who crawled for the first time when I was at Auntie Sienna’s house?” Evelyn asks.
Brooks laughs. “Tucker?”
Hadley swats him across the chest, keeping her eyes on Evelyn the whole time. “Who?”
“Mia,” Evelyn says. “I’m so proud of her.”
Hadley’s face softens as she wraps her arms around her daughter.
The front door opens again. A breathless Sienna walks in with an adorable baby on her hip. “I’m so sorry. She ran in here before I could stop her.”
“It’s fine,” Hadley tells her best friend. “I’m glad she’s back.”
“Hey, Riley,” Sienna says.
“Hey,” I say, waving at her.
“Ev, go grab your snow clothes so we can go make snow angels,” Sienna says.
Evelyn goes down the line, giving all four adults on the couch a big hug before running upstairs. Five minutes later, they leave with Sienna making several more apologies for their interruption, which I wave off.
Other podcasters would probably be upset, but these are the kinds of things I love. This is real. It’s the embodiment of what their everyday life looks like.
“I’ll cut all of that out,” I tell them. “I don’t post any videos with kids in them.”
Kids are adorable, and honestly, it would help with views, but it just isn’t worth it to me because of how dangerous the online landscape can be for them.
“Thank you,” Austin says with a single nod.
“Are you guys good to keep chatting a little more?” I ask.
“I’m always game to talk more,” Brooks says with a huge smile, which earns an eye roll from his twin.
“Can we talk about what it was like for you three,” I say, pointing to Conrad, Brooks, and Hadley, “taking on an important role in Evelyn’s life?”
Conrad speaks up first. “It wasn’t ever anything we talked about explicitly. It just happened over time. Brooks and I have always been uncle figures in her life.” He tilts his head from side to side. “Things have shifted a little in the last year, but it hasn’t changed how much we care about her.”
“I would do anything for my Evie girl. Blood relation isn’t needed for my heart to know she’s at the core of this family,” Brooks says.
Hadley whacks him again. “Stop making me cry.” She looks at me. “You’re going to make me talk about it now, aren’t you?”
“Only if you want to,” I say with a shrug. I would never trick someone into discussing something they weren’t comfortable sharing.
“Ahh…” she groans. “I’m going to cry more.”
Austin wraps his arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her temple. The action seems to give her a little courage.
“Becoming Evelyn’s mom was easier than falling in love with these three.” She motions to the guys sitting around her. “And for the record, that was as easy as getting my heart to beat all day, every day.”
She snuggles into Austin’s side. “I love Evelyn with my whole heart. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I weren’t her mom. She might not have grown inside of me for nine months, but I know I will be at her side for every monumental milestone for the rest of her life.”
Tears are streaming down her face. “I’ll also be there for the little moments, too. I want the movie days, cuddled on the couch and laughing so hard we fall on the floor because we put salt in the cookie dough instead of sugar. She’s my daughter. It’s that simple.”
A crying Austin pulls Hadley into the comfort of his arms. Brooks and Conrad both have a sheen to their eyes as well. This family is just beautiful.
When the tears have dried up, I ask one final question. “What does the future look like for your family? More kids?”
They all shake their heads. “No more kids,” Hadley says. “We all love Evelyn so damn much. We don’t need anything else.”
“Our family is perfect as it is,” Austin says.
And they are. Showing how perfect their romance and chosen family are will be remarkably easy. Stories like theirs are the ones that make me love my job. They make me want to shout their story from the rooftops so that everyone can get a piece of the magic.