Page 84 of Twins for the Mountain Daddies

There’s a long beat of static before Hank’s voice comes through, rough as ever. “What?”

Wyatt grins like he expected nothing less. “We’re stayin’ down the mountain tonight. Roads are bad.”

Another pause. Then, “Figured.” A beat of static. “That it?”

I can almost see Wyatt’s smirk as he leans closer to the radio. “Aw, you worried about us, old man?”

Hank’s sigh is audible even through the crackle. “Worried ‘bout my damn truck. Don’t put her in a ditch.”

Holt shakes his head, arms crossed, but he’s listening closely. I can tell he’s waiting, just in case Hank has more to say.

I bite my lip, nervous. Hank hasn’t acknowledged me, hasn’t even asked where I am. But I shouldn’t be surprised. He made his feelings real clear earlier.

Wyatt, on the other hand, isn’t about to let him off easy. “Nothin’ else you wanna say?”

Another long stretch of static. Then, finally, Hank mutters, “How bad’s the road?”

Holt answers this time. “Icy. Not worth the risk.”

Hank grunts, like that settles it. “Stay put.” Another pause. “Don’t do nothin’ stupid.”

Wyatt barks out a laugh. “That’s asking a lot.”

“Damn right it is,” Hank mutters. Then the line goes dead.

Wyatt chuckles, setting the radio down. “Love you too, Hank.”

Holt exhales, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “He’ll stew on it,” he says, glancing at me. “Doesn’t mean he’s not thinking’.”

I nod, my throat tight. I want to believe that. Want to believe this isn’t the end of everything we’ve built. But I also know Hank, and I know he’s stubborn as hell.

“Come on,” Holt says, pulling me to my feet. “Let’s head upstairs.”

We make our way up, leaving Mason and Lily to their own evening. The guest room is small but cozy, and I try to picture the three of us squeezed into that tiny bed. It’s a ridiculous thought, and I can’t help the giggle that escapes me.

“Hope you’re ready for a tight fit, City Girl,” Wyatt teases, flopping onto the bed and pulling me down with him.

Holt settles on the floor, his hand finding mine. This…this is everything.

Chapter 40

Hank

The cabin is empty. Silent.

Holt’s gone. Wyatt’s gone. Ivy’s gone. And I’m left with nothing but my own thoughts.

No more waiting for the other shoe to drop, for her to pack up and realize this life ain’t for her. No soft footsteps, no clumsy banging around in the kitchen. No loud, tempting sexcapades that I can’t join.

I should be relieved, happy even. But here I am, more miserable than I’ve ever been.

Even Gremlin’s pissed, yowling from her corner like the traitor she is.

I knew Ivy was hiding something, but this? This is not what I expected. She’s not who I thought she was. Hell, she’s not who anyone thought she was. Ivy Blake. The Ivy Blake, apparently. The same girl plastered on tabloids and TV screens, and I was too stupid to see it.

Now it all makes sense—the way she showed up out of nowhere, looking the way she did. I should have known a woman like her couldn’t be happy in the middle of nowhere.

Finding out about the babies—hell, just thinking the word makes my stomach twist—set something off in me. Not just theshock of it. Not just the fact that I never thought I’d be in this position. It was the lie. The feeling of being played for a fool. Again.

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