Page 49 of Better Together

Camille looked at her watch. “I need to run. I promised Noah I’d try to make it home before bedtime.”

“Safe travels,” Remi said.

Abby waved one hand frantically. “Yeah, be safe.”

Camille waved back. “Bye!”

As soon as she turned toward her car, Ben shouted, “Ice cream!”

“Okay, okay. I heard you loud and clear,” Colt said as he ushered them toward the crosswalk.

His phone buzzed in his back pocket, and he pulled it out. “This is Brett.”

“You answer that, and I’ll take the kids. You want anything?”

“Nah. Thanks though.”

Remi reached for Ben’s hand as they crossed the street. Colt answered the call but kept staring after Remi and the kids. “Hello.”

“Hey, man. Did you place an order for the cabin roofing supplies? I was thinking it might take a while to get them in.”

“I ordered everything from Grady a week ago.” Colt rubbed the back of his neck, missing his cowboy hat in the bright afternoon sun. Colt was supposed to lead the crew replacing the cabin roofs during the off-season, but what would he do with Abby?

He’d almost forgotten he had Remi’s help in all this. If she couldn’t keep Abby with her during the days they were working on the roofing, they’d be able to figure out a solution together.

“How are the kids? You heading back this way soon?”

Colt sat on a bench in front of a water fountain in the center of the square. “Hopefully, we’ll be on our way back by this weekend. We have to go through all of the kids’ clothes and make sure we’re bringing everything they need with us.”

“How’s Remi? She keeping the kids entertained?” Brett asked.

“She’s great. She knows more about what they need than I do.” Colt looked at his ring again, still shocked by its presence. “Did you hear we got married?”

Brett let out a whooping laugh with a loud snort at the end. “You’re kidding!”

“Nope. And would you believe it was her idea?” That part still gave Colt a little thrill.

Brett made a dramatic show of trying to catch his breath. “It’s not nice to play tricks like that.”

“I’m glad it’s not a trick because she's officially mine.”

Boy, did it feel good to say that.

“What did you do? Show her your winning lottery ticket?”

Colt huffed. “You know I’m not a gambling man.”

“Except when it comes to Remi. Dude, you have kids now, and suddenly you’re a catch?”

“I think that was part of the draw, yes.”

“I can’t believe everyone is getting hitched. My only single friend now is Linc, and he’s a terrible wingman.”

“You’d be a good catch if you’d shut your mouth for a few minutes.”

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black if I ever heard it!”

Colt chuckled. “Maybe so, but my long game with Remi wasn’t a flirting game. It was…” What was it? Sit tight and have patience?

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