Page 24 of Hat Trick Daddies

Nick steps in, trying to play mediator. “It’s not like he meant to screw things up, Brooks. It just happened.”

I shake my head, running a hand through my hair. “And that’s exactly the problem. You don’t think. Either of you.” I glance at their slightly flushed faces, catching the slight sway in Tyler’s stance.

“You’re both tipsy. You’re not driving.”

Nick frowns, holding up his injured hand. “I wasn’t planning to anyway. But Tyler?—”

“Tyler’s not driving either,” I cut him off, glaring at both of them. “Get in the truck.”

Tyler opens his mouth like he’s about to argue, but I silence him with a look. “Now.”

They grumble but obey, climbing into the passenger and back seats of my full-size truck. I settle into the driver’s seat, the leather cool beneath me as I start the engine.

I grip the steering wheel, my knuckles tight as I steer us onto the main road. The twins are unusually quiet.

But my thoughts aren’t on them.

Ally’s face flashes in my mind.

I shouldn’t be thinking about her, not like this, but I can’t seem to help it. There’s something about her that draws me in, something so damn sweet and good.

I know it’s wrong. She’s young, too young, and she’s the team doctor, for God’s sake.

There’s a hundred reasons why I should keep my distance, and yet…

I sigh, the sound heavy in the quiet cab. I know I come off as grumpy and detached, but I wasn’t always this way.

There was a time when I was different, when I believed in things like love and trust. But those days feel like a lifetime ago.

I glance at the twins, their heads tilted as they look out the windows on either side of the vehicle.

They’re noisy, messy, and immature, but they remind me of something I once wanted.

A family.

I wanted kids, a home filled with laughter, and someone to share it with. Instead, I’ve got a big, empty house and two overgrown children as roommates.

The memory of my ex-wife creeps in, uninvited and unwelcome. She was the only woman I ever really loved, and she threw it all away. Cheated on me. Shattered everything we built together.

The trust she broke, it’s not something I think I’ll ever get back.

I push the thought away, focusing on the road. But the ache lingers, a dull reminder of what I’ve lost and what I might never have again.

The cab stays quiet until Tyler and Nick start squabbling again, their voices cutting through my thoughts.

“Are you kidding me?” Tyler says, leaning forward. “That post was perfect. Of course she’s going to notice it.”

Nick snorts. “She didn’t even like it, man. And if she did, it’s because she’s into me, not you.”

“Please,” Tyler scoffs. “She’s clearly into charm, which means me.”

“Charm?” Nick retorts. “You mean your inability to keep your mouth shut?”

I sigh, glancing at them in the mirror. “Would you two knock it off? You sound like a couple of teenagers.”

They ignore me, their argument escalating into something about a model and whether she’d prefer Tyler’s “rugged charm” or Nick’s “brooding intensity”.

I tune them out, my focus drifting back to the road. They have no idea how easy they have it— in their mid-twenties, talented, with the whole world ahead of them.

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