Page 55 of My Three Mountain Men

And I couldn’t believe that Brooks and Ryder didn’t want to know.

Ryder already seemed convinced that she would be returning to the city, but that was always the way he was, assuming the worst. Would Ryder be open to letting Simone stay if she wanted?

Could we ask for a more perfect situation? We all liked her, and she liked all of us—even with our idiosyncratic faults. She displayed an unwavering commitment to chipping in with the work that needed to be done. Her infectious laughter and vibrant spirit infused our home with joy, making every moment an adventure. In her presence, we all felt a sense of ease, as if the weight of the world momentarily dissipated.

And fuck, she was good in bed.

How could Brooks and Ryder just let her go? There were so many questions that we should answer before spring came around.

But then again, if the answers were not what I wanted to hear, did I really want to know them?

I gritted my teeth and focused my full attention on the modem.

I just had to let nature take its course—whatever the hell the outcome was. I’d hope for the best but expect the worst—just like always.

CHAPTER24

Simone

Ibanished the men from the main floor for the afternoon, confusing all three.

“Just humor me,” I insisted pleadingly, my gaze fixated on Ryder, who would be the hardest to convince. “Use the back stairs and hallway if you need to go out, but leave me with the living room and dining room—and try to stay out of the kitchen.”

“Why?” Ryder demanded, not liking being kept in the dark.

“Why do you have to be such a killjoy?” Brooks asked, jumping to my rescue as he read the helplessness on my face as I almost relented and explained what I had planned. “Can’t you see she’s trying to plan a surprise?”

“I don’t like surprises,” Ryder grumbled.

“Bullshit,” Knox quipped. “Everyone likes surprises. As long as they’re good.”

“What do you know about what everyone likes?” Ryder countered. “You know three people.”

“Ryder…” Brooks raised an eyebrow, and his older cousin sighed deeply.

“Fine,” Ryder agreed. “But how long—”

“Oh, shut up,” Brooks interjected, steering both his cousins out of the kitchen and winking at me. “I’ve got this, Simone.”

I smiled at him gratefully and waited until I was sure they were out of sight before I got to work, my smile remaining as I cooked and cleaned and staged. It was impromptu and difficult to organize a Valentine’s Day date for three men when they were literally living on top of me, but I wanted to do something special for them, something memorable. I was fairly sure that Brooks and Knox hadn’t had a proper Valentine’s Day date in their lives—certainly not outside of high school. Ryder probably hadn’t seen one in a decade, at least.

“Can we come down yet?” Ryder called a couple of hours later from the top of the back stairs.

“Did I call you down yet?” I replied teasingly.

“No. But I wasn’t sure if you were just enjoying having banished us to the second floor.”

Knox tittered from somewhere upstairs, and I couldn’t help but laugh myself. “I’m almost done,” I promised. “Give me another half hour.”

“Whatever you’re cooking smells good,” Ryder added begrudgingly.

“Yeah, it tastes good, too,” I joked. “I’ll let you know when I’m finished eating.”

“You brat,” Ryder grumbled, but I heard his heavy footsteps retreat to his bedroom, and I picked up the pace as the afternoon light began to fade away.

By the time I laid out the meal on the dining room table, the weak, gray winter sun had begun to fade, and Ryder’s grumbling resumed.

“Come on, Superstar! You’re killing us up here!”

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