Page 65 of One Bride for Three Single Dads

Somebody got Harrison’s sock off while I was in the bathroom, so now I can see his swelling ankle in all its glory. He sits there with his arms folded over his chest, glaring at it.

“This might hurt a bit,” I caution him, biting my lower lip for strength.

I don’t want to hurt him, but I know that I have to get this compression cuff on before his ankle swells up any more. Depending on how bad the sprain is, he could be okay in two or three days if he keeps it elevated and iced. Or he could be…

Well, let’s not think about that.

The bandage was perhaps made for a slightly smaller man, and as I tug it over his foot, I try not to think about what I’m doing. I don’t want to think that I’m hurting him, even though I know this is good for him.

Alexis stares at me with worry in her eyes.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” I reassure her, as much as I am reassuring him. “Your daddy is super strong. Look, this doesn’t even bother him!”

She glances over at him, and he gives her a big, phony smile through gritted teeth.

“See, we are all done!” I announce, happy to see that she visibly relaxes.

I keep an eye on his toes for a couple of minutes, and gently place the ice pack over the swollen part of his ankle. I know that if his toes turn blue, we are in much bigger trouble.

But it is not so bad. I think the biggest wound is to his pride.

Just look at him. Like a lion in the zoo, grounded to one corner of the sofa that is far too small for him. One sock off. A juvenile pout on his face.

Somehow, really quite charming!

The tension in the air seems to gradually dissolve as we all realize this is the best we can do. Harrison has to sit here for a while. At least the next couple days, while his body repairs the damage. He won’t die or anything. He probably won’t even be in a lot of pain as long as he doesn’t step on it.

“You feel up to babysitting?” Ambrose suddenly asks him.

We all look over, especially Cole and Alexis.

“Babysitting? What are you talking about?”

“How many hours do we need?”

“I don’t know,” Harrison shrugs.

“Yes you do,” Ambrose insists. “How many hours? I know you have a number.”

Harrison chews on the inside of his cheek. I get the feeling the trip to the job site didn’t go very well. Is the job bigger than they planned? Definitely, Harrison’s sprained ankle is a unforeseen complication.

“About three thousand,” Harrison finally admits.

Ambrose takes a deep breath through his nose. I catch his eye and he winks at me. That same wink I saw on the first day. A flirtation? Or just a diversion?

Does it matter? It makes my heart race a little bit.

“Okay! Who is up for a trip to the public house?”

“What? Seriously?” Boone asks, suddenly intrigued.

I raise my hand tentatively.

“I want to see what a public house looks like,” I confess.

“That’s my girl,” Ambrose smiles. “Let’s go see if we can rustle up a local carpentry crew, okay?”

Suddenly, the day turns around.

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