Page 55 of One Bride for Three Single Dads

“Figure it out, jackass!”

But mostly what I hear is something like a waterfall in my ears. Loud, rushing noise. Static.

“There, there,” Boone murmurs supportively.

“Jolene?” That’s Cole.

“She’s okay, buddy,” Boone tells him. “Jolene just needs a nap.”

I want to laugh, but my arms have turned to sandbags. This is the weirdest feeling.

When Boone helps me up, Harrison arrives with a glass of water. I drink it down, and it seems to sparkle all through my chest. It’s so blue. It makes me think of dragonfly wings.

And then I remember, I may just be a little bit high.

“Come on, lie down for just a minute,” Boone suggests.

I let him guide me into the bathroom on the right side of the parlor. Helpless now, I just let things happen. I know that sometimes cannabis can make people a little bit anxious. I probably just hyperventilated for a second.

You know, when I realized how completely fucked up this place was, how tiny, how remote, how totally on the other side of the world…

Okay. I’m not gonna think about that.

“Breathe, baby,” Boone suggests tenderly.

He pushes the glass of water into my hands again. This water is delicious. Irish water? I recommend it.

Cradling the drink in my hands, I sit on the toilet lid while he draws a bath for me. I step into the water which is not too deep or hot, just enough to refresh from the long trip. He takes a washcloth into the swirls of soap and water and lets it drip over my shoulders, gradually bringing me back into existence. Then I’m being wrapped in a warm towel and led into the bedroom.

Things seem to be falling into place again. The bedroom is surprisingly spacious, with a giant bed in the middle. Handmade, by the looks of it. Kind of a strange size.

Big enough for four people, you might even say.

“That’s a bed,” I say out loud.

“Um, yes,” Boone chuckles. “You want to lie down?”

“Yeah….”

He picks me up. He literally sweeps me off my feet. I drape my hands over his shoulders and squeeze him tight, breathing him in. Suddenly I feel okay. I feel more than okay.

“Let’s just get you over here…”

He’s like a big mountain man. Like a character in a fairytale. Like the mysterious caretaker who lived in this cottage, and I just came along with my basket of goodies for my grandmother. Just walking along the cliffs, looking at the ocean… And then I got lost, and then I came here…

And now he has swept me away into his fairytale bedroom!

He places me on the fluffy mattress, but I don’t let go. I like the feel of him in my arms. I like him close.

“You should take a nap,” he says, but I can see his eyes are half-closed.

He looks at me, lying across the bedspread. He bites his lower lip.

“You should eat my pussy,” I say, shocking myself.

“Damn right!”

My skin is all sensitive and buzzy. Every time he touches me, I feel like I can see it, like the impression left on an LCD screen when you touch it. Or like when you brush the top of a pool of water, and the ripples go all out.

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