“I won’t disappoint you,” I say, even though my pulse is doing backflips. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to make the celebration perfect.”
Giuseppe studies me for a long heartbeat, then nods once. “Good,” he adds. “Because if you can pull this off with Scot sulking on the sidelines, there won’t be much this town, or anyone else, can throw at you that you can’t handle.”
No pressure. And I read between the lines easily. He wants me to win. Prefers me over Scot. But he can’t just cut his nephewout and hand me the crown without a reason. He has to be able to point at the celebration and say the event decided it, not him.
We’re outside moments later, walking back to Kane’s truck, and I exhale so hard my breath clouds in the cold air.
“God, that was intense. Not how I expected it to go at all.”
“You were incredible,” Kane assures me, opening my door for me. “So strong. Watching you stand up for yourself, fight for what you want, fuck, Hannah. That was sexy as hell.”
I climb into the truck, and he’s in the driver’s seat in no time, starting the engine.
“I’ll help you with anything you need to pull this off,” he adds as we drive away from Giuseppe’s house. “Research, planning, stalking Scot, late-night sex, whatever you need. I’m yours.”
My heart does a weird little flip. Everything blurs for a moment under the heat of his promise.
Maybe I reallycando this.
Assuming Scot doesn’t blow up my world first.
“And it’s another excellent reason for you to stay living with us. You’ll probably need to meet with council members, do site visits, all kinds of things that are easier when you’re based in town instead of an hour away in the mountains.”
That’s… actually a valid point. I nibble my lower lip, thinking through logistics.
Kane is staring at my mouth again like he might pull over and kiss me senseless.
“Let’s go get your stuff from Lily’s,” he says, voice rough. “Bring it all home where it belongs.”
Home.
The word settles warmly in my chest, spreading like hot chocolate on a cold day.
I should probably be panicking more about how fast this is moving. About how I barely know these men and I’m already considering living with them permanently.
But sitting here in Kane’s truck, his scent wrapped around me, his confidence in me making me feel capable and strong, I start to think that maybe things might actually work out.
12
HANNAH
It’s past midday, and I’m sitting cross-legged on my bed in what’s apparently my new room, surrounded by boxes and bags and the scattered pieces of my life.
Kane helped me haul everything up from Lily’s place about an hour ago. Boxes of clothes, my laptop and charger, stacks of event planning books and magazines I’ve collected over years, the few kitchen gadgets I’d accumulated, framed photos of Mom and Lily and Dad. Along with new baby photos of Sage and Blake that Lily framed for me. It all looks pathetically small spread out in this enormous space with its Omega-size bed and walk-in closet and attached bathroom.
I just got off the phone with Lily, who, instead of freaking out like a normal person, kept insisting that I’m doing the right thing.
“If you feel like they’re your scent matches, Hannah, you need to give this a real chance. You can’t run from biology forever. And from everything I’ve seen, those guys are obsessedwith you. Like, completely gone for you. Don’t throw it away because you’re scared.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“You’re terrified. I can hear it in your voice. But you’re also excited, and that’s what matters.”
Now I’m changed into comfortable jeans and a soft blue sweater that’s seen better days but feels like a hug. I’m barefoot on the plush carpet, trying to convince myself I haven’t made a massive mistake.
And I’m pretty sure there are still crumbs from the pork rollbanh miwe grabbed for lunch down my bra. Kane took me to this tiny Vietnamese place tucked in a strip mall between a laundromat and a nail salon, and the sandwich was so amazing—crispy bread, savory pork, pickled vegetables, cilantro, jalapeños—that I devoured it without caring about being ladylike. Crumbs everywhere.
A knock sounds at my door.
