Page 101 of Daddies' Little Troublemaker

“No, it’s a good talk,” I say.

“We love you,” Lincoln says, his gaze fast on hers. “I love you. So goddamn much.”

She opens her mouth, closes it again. Her eyes are shining with tears, but I can’t tell if they’re tears of happiness or despair. Fuck. The idea of her feeling sad absolutely wrecks me.

“Evie,” I whisper. “Is it okay? We can’t help our feelings, but if you say the word, we’ll back off. We just want you to be happy.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t—no. I mean, I know. I’m just saying, I love you, too.”

Toying with the little shoulder strap on her dress, I say, “Those words are just what I needed to hear.”

“My dad doesn’t fully understand, but I talked to him,” she says.

Lincoln grins. “I talked to him, too. He’s not cool with this exactly, but like us, Evie, he just wants you to be happy.”

“Happiness looks to be within my reach.” She takes both of our hands. “Yep. I just reached it.”

“Can we kiss you, out here in front of everyone?” I ask.

She nods and says, “Yes.”

It feels almost like our own private wedding ceremony, standing here together among the roses, as Link and I take turns kissing our future bride.

No, we haven’t proposed, not yet. But from the very beginning, I’ve had the same thought: she’s the one for us.

The three of us walk, linked together, along the sidewalk, enjoying the roses and the beautiful summer day.

* * *

Evelyn

The following Friday, the doorbell rings.

“Your dates are here, Evelyn,” Dad calls up the stairs.

Dates. Yep, my dad is on board. Maybe he doesn’t love the idea if he thinks too hard about it, but he’s accepting me and the guys as a romantic unit, and that’s enough.

He didn’t even freak out when I told him that I’m going to move in with them next month. The only reason I’m waiting that long is because he’s going back to Japan, and I want to spend more time with him before he goes. Even then, though, we won’t be far apart. I won’t let anything come between me and Dad ever again. Not my mother, not lies nor hang-ups about my relationship with Lincoln and Caleb, nothing.

I hurry down the stairs, my dress swishing around my thighs. The white dress is new, a gift from Caleb because tonight there’ll be black lights all over Vice, and he wants me to stand out.

Dad, Lincoln, and Caleb are standing in the entryway, chatting, but their talk comes to a halt when I come down the stairs.

“Hi,” I call.

“Hey, Evie,” Lincoln and Caleb say.

“Guess, what, I have a job!” I squeal, throwing myself at them.

Behind me, my dad chuckles. I’ve been going on and on at him for the past thirty minutes.

Earlier today, I was chatting with Maya and Sawyer by the pool, and Sawyer mentioned that her favorite author, Sammie Starr, was looking for German and French translators for her books. One introductory email later, and I was on a phone call with none other than Sammie herself.

“My books are really steamy,” Sammie said. “Like, there’s a story to them, but there’s a lot of sex in each book. Are you comfortable translating high-heat sex scenes, many of them kinky and taboo?”

I didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes, that won’t be a problem for me.”

Not going to lie, I’m super curious now as to what she writes. But after the way she cautioned me so strongly about the high-heat sex scenes, I’ve been afraid to look.

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