Page 57 of One Bride for Three Single Dads

Boone took care of her and then let her sleep.

Harrison looked at me.

Cole and Harmony were fine, but Alexis just stared at me, blinking, too polite to say anything. But fully aware this was not the “jig-dancing and charming accents and possibly leprechauns” vacation she had in mind.

And now we are trapped here. For months.

Three months, to be exact.

I’ve got to get a plan.

I look around, aware that everybody is looking at me. The kids, the guys. It’s up to me. I have to do something.

“Okay, what do you think was in the garage?”

Harrison raises his eyebrows. “Garage?”

“Yeah, the little building off to the side? Did you think that was for leprechauns?”

I see Cole perk up. Note to self: Don’t joke about leprechauns.

“I was just making a joke there, Cole. It’s a garage.”

Cole nods silently, his expression mature beyond his years. That kid needs a nap for sure.

I take Cole’s hand and usher him toward the bedroom where Jolene is sleeping. Harrison picks up on what I’m doing, and he places his hand on Alexis’s back to follow us.

The ancient hinges creak when I push open the bedroom door. Jolene squints at me and raises her head.

“We’re going to check out the job site, and I think the kids wouldn’t mind taking a nap with you.”

She nods with a small smile and moves aside so Cole and Alexis can snuggle in next to her in the giant bed. I leave the door open in case Harmony fusses from where she’s sleeping in the crib and Jolene needs to check on her.

“Let’s go look at the garage,” I suggest to Harrison.

It feels good to be outside. I’m doing something. I’m getting something done, I remind myself. I’m making it better for us.

That’s my job. I’m a man. That’s my whole fucking job.

The sea air stings my cheeks as we walk around through the long, scrubby grass to the small building. It is a garage, I’m pretty sure. Almost more of a shed.

“Check out that view,” Boone says in a low voice when we reach the white door with the painted iron hinges.

Following his gaze, I turn completely around and look out toward the ocean. I have to admit, it’s gorgeous. Immense. It just stretches out and out, smudging at the horizon and turning into the sky. I suppose somewhere that way, a few thousand miles or so, is everything we left behind.

“I guess that’s why they decided to build up here,” Harrison adds. “It definitely wasn’t for the accessibility or cosmopolitan lifestyle.”

“Access to shopping… Museums and theaters…” Boone smirks.

I glare at both of them until they look back at me.

“What?” Boone asks uncomfortably.

“Okay, new rule,” I begin calmly.

“Here we go,” Harrison rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, this is mostly about you,” I continue, pointing right at the center of his chest. “This is where we are, you got that? This is where we all wanted to be. You remember? You remember that?”

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