Page 16 of The One Who Risked it All

Carla’s lips twitched, but she didn’t smile. She knew me too well, could see the struggle behind my attempt at humor.

“Eli,” she said softly, “are you sure about this? Three boys is a lot to handle.”

I straightened up, pushing down the doubt that threatened to overwhelm me. “I can do this, Carla.”

But even as I said it, I couldn’t help wondering if I was in way over my head. Three energetic boys, a disapproving father, and ten days of chaos ahead. What could possibly go wrong?

I watched Carla’s face as she processed my words. Her dark eyes flickered with uncertainty, and she bit her lower lip—a telltale sign of her inner conflict that I remembered all too well from our high school days. She shifted in her seat, her fingers absently playing with the hem of her shirt.

I pushed away the hurt that her hesitation caused. “I’m going to call Nathan and Rebecca and give them an update. Can you make sure these guys behave for a bit longer?” I pulled out my phone and made the call.

Nathan’s face came across the screen. “Eli? How’s Dad?”

“He’s stable but needs rest. Which, as you could imagine, means the boys need a new plan.”

I explained the situation, with Carla occasionally chiming in. Rebecca joined the call, her worry evident on her face.

“Are you sure about this, Eli?” Nathan asked, his tone cautious. “Three kids is a lot of responsibility.”

“Maybe we should just come home,” Rebecca said.

I felt a flash of irritation. “I’m not completely useless, you know. I can handle this.”

Rebecca still seemed unsure. “I don’t know…”

Seriously? I was so untrustworthy that she would consider canceling ten days in the Bahamas?

“Can I talk to Carla for a second?” Rebecca asked quietly.

I shrugged, handing the phone to Carla, who quickly took the call to another corner of the room. I distracted myself with the boys so I wouldn’t be tempted to eavesdrop.

A few minutes later, Carla came back. I raised an eyebrow with an unspoken question.

“Eli, Carla has agreed to help you take care of the boys for the rest of our trip,” Rebecca said.

My mouth fell open. “What? That’s really not–“

“Look, man,” Nathan jumped in, “it’s either this, or we come home. And I really don’t want to come home yet,” he admitted.

I ran a hand over my face. “Fine. So what? We’ll trade off nights or something?”

Rebecca grinned. “You can all stay at our house. It’ll be easier on the boys, and with both of you, it should be a breeze.”

“Two adults are better than one when it comes to three rambunctious boys,” Carla admitted.

I sighed. “Are you sure you’re okay with this, Putters?” She hadn’t exactly seemed thrilled when she came back from the sidebar with her bestie.

Carla nodded, but her expression was unreadable.

There was a pause, and I studied Nathan’s expression. “We’re trusting you, Eli.”

My heart swelled hearing his words, before the full truth hit me. He trusted me, as long as I had a chaperone.

His eyes darted slightly to the left, where I knew Carla would be shown on his screen. “Just… be careful, okay?”

I knew he wasn’t just talking about the boys. He knew the history with Carla better than anyone. “We will, Nate. Don’t worry.”

As I hung up, I caught Carla’s gaze. There was a mix of determination and something else in her eyes—something that made a twist of nerves coil tight in my belly.

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