Page 100 of My Ex's Brothers

“It’s all in the sauce,” I say with a shrug. “It’s really not that hard.”

Dane asked me to join him and Richie at practice again, but I’d declined. Richard backed me up, telling Dane I needed somealonetime to rest and get acclimated. I don’t think Dane understood entirely, but he relented, nonetheless, and I have to admit it was nice to just relax here without any distractions.

And three, hot, hunky hockey players who are all hell-bent on hitting my orgasm quota for the year in the span of a week are definitely…distracting.

I took the respite to call Sam. To spill the beans about everything that’s happened in the…last couple days. It feels like it’s been longer than four days, but in a way it feels like it’s been no time at all.

I thought my being here with Lyla would be a transition. That as soon as she was crying in the middle of the night, in the wee hours of the morning, and in the perils of afternoon, they’d tire pretty quickly.

But it’s been the opposite.

Last night I woke up to Lyla crying, and when I got to her room I found Dane with her in his arms, rocking her back and forth.

This morning, I overslept and woke up to find Richard trying his hardest to feed Lyla a bottle while Tripp kept insisting he was doing it wrong. I thought the man was going to blow his top off at Tripp, but he didn’t. Instead, he shoved Lyla and her bottle at Tripp, who seemed more than happy to help.

And then of course, Richard headed the the garage to work on my car.

I wish I could say it was awkward. But the more the days go on, the less awkward it feels.

While Richard is less likely to kiss me or touch me in front of his brothers, I’ve enjoyed our little garage dates. I’ve enjoyed talking to him while he works on the car. And the sex…

There’s a comfort there I can’t deny. I’m not sure if it’s the security of knowing I can’t get pregnant, or if it’s the thought of wanting to but knowing I won’t where Richard is concerned, or if it’s simply the ease of letting go and letting him run the show, but it’s more than cathartic.

It’s our little bubble. I love it. I love feeling like we’re the only ones who exist there.

Dane and Tripp seem to be in some kind of unspoken competition to see how many kisses they can land on me before I stop breathing. And while I spend more time with Dane than his brothers, due to him being around more, I can’t say I don’t enjoy the moments I get to steal with my “golden retriever” as Richie called him.

Tripp is like sunshine in a bottle, and I find myself laughing all the time when we’re together. He’s hilarious and always making both me and my daughter laugh.

And he’s surprisingly good with Lyla. His enthusiasm is not missed. There’s a lot for him to learn about taking care of a baby, but he’s interested. Authentically. It’s endearing and sweet, and I know it has nothing to do with trying to impress me or getting in my pants.

Though I have yet to get into Tripp’s pants.

Not that I don’t want to, it’s just…

He hasn’t made a move to push the issue, and I guess I haven’t either. I’ve been too preoccupied with applying for jobs, taking care of my daughter, and being swept off my feet by his brothers.

But Iwantto connect with Tripp. I want him the same way I want them, but our schedules aren’t exactly meshing. I see him mostly before he leaves for class. He’s gone most of the day between school and practice, and by the time he gets home, I’m heading to bed.

Still, it all feels good.

Richie, Dane, Tripp…they all feel good and right in so many different ways.

After everything that’s happened, who would have thought having three men lavish all their attention on me and my daughter would feel so good?

“You didn’t have to cook, you know,” Dane says with a grin as he stabs his chicken.

“I know,” I say as I sit next to him with a glass of wine. Lyla coos and squeals in her high chair. “But I wanted to. It’s the least I could do for you guys. I mean after everything you’ve done for me…”

“You might be giving Dane a run for his money on the dinner thing,” Richie says with a grin. “Especially with a sauce like this.” He laughs. “Spicy as fuck.”

“Language, Richie. There are children present,” Dane mutters.

I laugh. “It’s fine, I slip up sometimes too,” I say.

Richie rolls his eyes. “It’s spicy as heck,” he drawls, enunciating the words to embellish them with sarcasm.

I shake my head. These men are something else.

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