Page 77 of Ten Hammers

“Morning, Win,” Gunnar says. “Ignore this doucheface.” He elbows Cruz in the side hard enough to make him wince. “Told you putting coffee beans and an energy drink in your smoothie was a fucking stupid idea.”

Gunnar’s stormy blue eyes avoid my gaze.

I march over to Cruz and hold out my hand. “Give me your phone.”

“I–”

I cut him off. “Show me what you two were looking at on your phone.”

“It was a new card game app I found, alright?” Cruz says. “I was going to buy it and surprise you. No big deal and we’ve got to get back up to–”

My eyebrows rise like an elevator zooming to the top floor. “A card game app, huh? What’s it called, Liar Liar Pants On Fire? What is going on? We agreed to open and honest communication, remember?”

Gunnar’s stormy eyes are close to thunderous. “We’re not showing you the phone. Period.”

Which makes me more scared than mad, frankly.

“What is it?” I ask, my voice rising with the panic I feel. “Is it something about us? You know I can just google on my own phone and likely find whatever it is in two point five seconds, right? You might as well show me.”

They exchange a glance and Gunnar, lips pressed together. He gives Cruz an almost imperceptible shrug.

Cruz sighs and pulls out his phone. He unlocks it, but as I go to take it, he seems to change his mind and we have mini tug-of-war with it for a few seconds before he relinquishes it with another sigh.

I blink at the screen.

It’s a post on c-list celebrity scandals. Some blog devoted to people who are famous for being famous; has-beens and reality TV stars. Puzzled, I stare at a picture of a fat girl between two gorgeous guys.

It takes a moment for me to realize it’s me in the photo, between Theo and Leo.

The image blurs before I can stop the tears that well up. That night, I felt so sexy and desirable.

Sexy and adorable is not how I look in the photo. In the split-second captured for all time, it looks like I have three chins. The skirt I bought years ago and dared to wear for the first time, thinking I looked hot, looks like it’s a size too small for my ass.

My ass that Leo was obsessed with.

My ass that Leo and Theo both saw naked.

I blink away the tears. The worst part of the photo is that my face is flooded with pure pleasure. My unadulterated joy. But in a stunning case of bad timing, both Theo and Leo are grimacing like they just smelled a particularly rank fart.

My insides have shriveled into a painful knot. I’d had a brief moment last night, where I’d worried that my boys might be comparing me to the other women they’ve been with. How could I not think that, at least once?

But at least that moment, and the wrenching doubt it gave me, was fleeting. I believe with my whole heart they aren’t thinking of anyone but me when they’re with me.

But just because they aren’t making that comparison doesn’t mean the internet isn’t.

“Win,” Cruz says, making the grabby motion with his hand. “Give me my phone back. Now.”

“C’mon, Winifred. That’s long enough,” Gunnar echoes.

They don’t want me to read the comments.

A lot of meat in that sandwich hahaha!!!!

Guess Theo and Leo couldn’t get real dates!

The bros have always liked fixing hot messes… hopefully this will lead to a serious makeover on that house!

The comments get more and more brutal from there.

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