Page 73 of Shootout Daddies
“Everything good?” Rhett asks.
“Yeah,” I answer, too quickly. I press my palms together, fingers worrying at each other. “Mostly.”
Hunter shrugs off his jacket, tosses it on the back of a chair, and glances between us. “That sounds like code for not good at all.”
I let out a shaky laugh. “Maybe.”
We move toward the living room together and I curl onto the sofa, tucking my legs under me. Rhett drops onto the cushion beside me while Hunter sits across, elbows braced on his knees.
For a moment, the silence stretches. They wait. Patient. Open. It makes me more nervous because I know I can’t hide.
I finally say it. “Landon came over.”
Their expressions flicker, almost imperceptibly, but they don’t jump in or interrupt.
“He said he wanted to apologize for last night,” I continue, twisting my fingers together. “But then… it got complicated. He admitted he saw me. On the balcony. With you both. And then…” My throat tightens. I force the words out. “We kissed.”
The room holds still. I can’t bring myself to meet their eyes.
After a beat, Hunter leans back, his hand rubbing over his jaw. “Okay.”
That’s it. No anger. No disbelief. Just that one word, steady, calm.
I blink at him. “Okay?”
Rhett shifts beside me, laying a hand on my knee. His touch is grounding. “We told you from the beginning that we don’t expect you to shut your eyes to the rest of the world just becausewe’re in your life. You came to Miami to breathe, to figure things out, not to lock yourself into something permanent.”
The breath I didn’t realize I was holding escapes in a rush.
Hunter adds, “If you like him, you should explore that. I’m not exactly a possessive guy, if you haven’t noticed.” His eyes soften, almost teasing. “You’re not property. You’re a person. If you’re curious about him, then you owe it to yourself to find out why.”
The knot in my stomach loosens a fraction. “I’m not even sure I want to pursue anything with him. I was just… confused. He’s so intense, and it happened so fast.”
“Confusion is normal,” Rhett says, his voice gentle. “Especially here. We know this city. People’s lives overlap in messy ways. If he’s someone you want clarity with, talk to him. If not, let it go.”
Their reasonableness stuns me. I had braced myself for jealousy, maybe even anger, but what I’ve gotten instead is calm acceptance.
“You’re not mad?” My voice comes out small.
Hunter’s mouth tilts into a half smile. “Should we be? You’re here with us right now. That tells me plenty.”
The warmth in my chest spreads, slow and steady, filling spaces I hadn’t realized were still cold.
Rhett leans back against the sofa. “The guys are hanging out on the beach tomorrow morning. Everyone’s bringing family and friends. They’re all eager to meet Chloe.”
I blink. “All of them?”
Hunter nods. “Yeah. She’s already kind of famous in the locker room. Word spreads fast. They want to meet the baby that has Rhett distracted between drills.”
Rhett grins. “And the baby who has Hunter scrolling through strollers in the middle of meetings.”
Hunter laughs, not even denying it. “We should take Storm, too. I’m sure he’d enjoy a beach day.”
My lips curve before I can stop them. The thought of Chloe toddling around on the beach, Storm racing circles around the players, makes my chest ache with something sweet.
Hunter continues, “And since we’ll be out there, you’ll have the morning free. That might be a good time to meet with Landon. Talk to him. Straighten things out. Because Rhett already invited him for dinner, and we want to be able to talk to him about Chloe without it being messy.”
I nod slowly, their logic sinking in. It makes sense. “So you think I should… clear the air before then.”
