Page 128 of Ten Hammers

“They’re not doing Who Wants To Marry A Hammer Brother,” I say. I don’t feel right adding that when I’m sleeping with all of them, I don’t want to watch Max or Mason kissing dozens of other women, even if it’s just for show. But then I remember the whole open, honesty thing. “I don’t want to watch either of you kissing other women, even if it’s just for show. Sorry if that’s hypocritical.”

“Wait,” Jack says. “What Gun said just gave me an idea–”

My phone buzzes.

Lexie.

We all hold our collective breath. She works quick, but, even for her, to have gotten an answer this fast is astonishing. Rejections tend to come quicker than acceptances, though, so I brace myself.

“Lex, you’re on speaker. You’ve got us all,” I tell her when I answer.

“Sorry, Win. It’s not enough,” she says flatly.

“Damn,” mutters Leo, who’s been quiet about the whole thing.

“Hey, Lex. It’s Jack,” he says. “Find out if that no would change to a yes if we could give them the 1 Girl, 10 Hammers romance storyline they’ve always wanted.”

I look at Jack, bug-eyed. All of the guys are gaping at him too.

“Jack, what the hell are you doing?” I whisper, frantically.

Though we all hope there will be a day where I can go to the movies and sit in between Cruz and Axel and hold both their hands… the day when I can go dancing again with Leo, Theo, and whoever else wants to go and make out with them all out in the open… the day where we can take our unconventional love public… the day when we can tell the world we’re us and if they don’t like it, they can fuck off… none of us are quite ready for that day to be today.

Except maybe Jack?

Jack holds up a finger to shush me.

“If you’re talking about some fabricated storyline, Jack, the audience will never buy it.”

Then how come we were pushed to do just that for almost all eight full seasons, I wonder.

Jack takes my phone and presses the mute button. “Do you all trust me?”

We all say yes, though some of us are more hesitant in our reply than others. Gunnar, especially, probably because of the Great Nail Gun Accident of Season 3. I don’t think he 100% believes it was a total accident on Jack’s part.

But Jack is Mr. Man With A Plan.

“Lex, Winnie and Leo are a couple,” Jack says, smoothly, after unmuting.

It’s nothing short of a miracle if Lexie didn’t hear at least one of us gasp.

Before Lexie–or any of the rest of us–can say anything, he goes on smoothly and part of me is wondering what the fuck he’s up to, but the rest of me thinks, damn, the way he takes charge is so sexy. I can’t wait for him to boss me around in the bed…Okay. Not the time for fantasizing.

“They’ve been together for a while but wanted to keep their relationship private. That night at the club and that whole picture fiasco… they were on a date. Theo was really just there as a third wheel so no one would suspect anything if they were spotted.”

Theo makes a face and gives Jack the middle finger.

“Are you shitting me?” Lexie asks and I have that anxious twist in my stomach. Even Lexie isn’t going to buy that Leo would choose me as his girlfriend? I shake my head. Because what she buys or doesn’t won’t matter in the long run. He has chosen me as his girlfriend. They all have.

This IS my life!

“No,” Jack says. “That’s why we were so against doing the Winnie’s Favorite Hammer spin-off.”

“OH MY GOD,” Lexie shouts like she’s mid-orgasm. “I knew it. I knew it. I knew one of you had to be banging her. The sexual chemistry amongst you all… Wait, Winnie, Leo, you are willing to go public? On the show?”

Now it’s Cruz who lurches forward, snapping up my phone and muting it. “This will make the internet trolls double down on attacking Win,” he says, his tone fiercely protective.

“I promise I won’t read the comments, Cruzie,” I take my phone back from him, unmute again, and say, “Lexie, if it will undo the damage Max and Mason have done,” I say, pause to mouth sorry at them both, then go on, “Leo and I will do anything on camera you want us, too.”

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