27. Carly

Ishouldn't have doubted Nate for a second. The bake sale was an overwhelming success, and we were all smiling as the three of us rode together back home. As we stepped through the front door of the house I was now sharing with Bennett in addition to my little girl, the lingering scent of freshly baked cookies still clung to the air—or maybe it clung to Nate, Ella, and me. Ella bounded ahead, her laughter and residual sugar high echoing through the hallway as she raced toward her room to play. Nate and I followed closely behind, our hands intertwined.

But as we entered the living room, I noticed something was different. Logan and Bennett were sitting on the couch, grinning like a pair of Cheshire Cats. Bennett lived here, of course, but Logan's presence was a surprise. My heart skipped a beat, a flicker of apprehension dancing in the pit of my stomach. What were they up to?

I exchanged a quick glance with Nate, who gave me an encouraging squeeze of the hand before we both turned to face the other guys.

"What"s going on, guys?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light despite the nervous flutter in my chest.

Logan leaned back against the cushions, his grin widening as he exchanged a knowing look with Bennett. "Ask Nate."

I looked up at Nate beside me, taking in his canine teeth peeking out of his grin as he said, "We"ve got a little surprise for you, Carly."

Bennett nodded along, too, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Yeah, we"ve been planning something special."

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Okay, spill it. What"s going on?"

Nate dropped my hand and stepped forward, joining Logan and Bennett in a united front. The latter two brothers stood from the sofa, all three of my guys forming a line in front of me.

Bennett started it off. "Carly, we"ve been talking, and we think it"s time for us to go on a proper date."

"All of us," Logan specified.

I blinked in surprise, my heart skipping a beat at the unexpected proposal. A date? With all three of them? The idea was both thrilling and nerve-racking, but above all, it filled me with a warm sense of happiness.

"But what about Ella?" I couldn"t help but ask, my maternal instincts kicking in. "I can't just… leave her. And I'm not sure Mom's available to babysit."

Nate smiled reassuringly. "We want Ella to come with us. It"ll be a family outing, Carly. All five of us."

The warmth of Nate"s smile and his brothers' matching expressions seeped into my skin, soothing my worries and filling me with a sense of belonging. They hadn"t forgotten about Ella, about us. They wanted to include her in this special moment, just as they wanted to include me. A rush of excitement flooded through me as I realized what this meant. A real date, with my men, and with Ella by our side. It was everything I"d ever wanted—a chance to create memories as a family, even if it looked a little less conventional than I'd always imagined.

A smile spread across my lips. "What's the plan?"

The plan, it turned out, was just as perfect as the incredible men who had made it. We all piled into Logan's sleek SUV and headed to an outdoor art fair that happened every year. I'd never been able to work up the courage to attend the fair before, even though it would have been a nice thing for Ella and me to do together. But now, I was sort of glad I'd never gone alone. I could hold on to the memory of this new first with my guys.

Under the golden rays of the midday sun, the art fair buzzed with life and energy. Vibrant tents dotted the lush green landscape, each one housing a treasure trove of creativity waiting to be discovered. The second we walked into the crowd, I felt a sense of possibility in the air. This was the perfect place for me. I was an artistic soul at my core, even now that my art had become less of a priority in my life. It felt like puzzle pieces had clicked together, one for each of my stepbrothers, and with the whole picture, I had more freedom to be who I really was. Not just a mother, a waitress, or a daughter. But just me, Carly Sanders, an artist, a woman.

Hell, maybe even a girlfriend.

As we wandered through the bustling crowds, Ella skipped ahead, her laughter echoing through the air like music. I called after her, making sure she didn't get too far ahead of us. Bennett's hand found mine as we walked, his fingers intertwining with my own as we strolled leisurely along the winding paths. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he pointed out a wooden sculpture from a Sierra Leonean artist, his enthusiasm contagious as he regaled us with a story of his work overseas.

Nate walked beside us, too, on my other side, his arm slung casually around my shoulders, his easy smile lighting up his face. His favorite thing was to crack jokes, to point out funny figures in paintings and say, "That looks like you, Logan. See the grumpy face?" or "Oh, that's Benny all the way. Look at the hair! Carrot top as hell."

I worried about Logan feeling less included as he trailed behind us all, his keen eyes taking in every detail of the crowd around us, playing the role of the protective big brother even now. But while Nate and Bennett were sucked into hearing a story from the owner of a local pottery studio, I made my way to Logan's side, slipping my hand into his and snuggling against his side.

"Thank you all for doing this," I told him quietly. "I'm having such a nice time. Are you?"

"Of course," he said, his serious face just as impassive as always, though his tone was sincere. "I hope you are having a good time."

"Of course," I echoed. "I'm with you guys. And Ella."

Just then, Ella bounded over to meet Nate and Ben at the next booth they'd finally escaped to once the pottery lady had found another person to preach to about the importance of a good kiln. Logan and I watched from a couple of yards away, standing together under a shady tree.

"She really is so much like Ben was at that age," he surprised me by saying. I whipped my head around to look up at his face, unreadable behind his dark beard.

"Did Nate tell you?" I asked, and Logan nodded without needing further explanation. "I told Nate not to tell anyone!"

"One thing about Nate," Logan started slowly, "is that to him, anyone doesn't include me. He tells me everything. We were best friends even before we were brothers, remember?"

When Logan put it that way, an uncharacteristic affection apparent in his deep voice, my anger deflated. I couldn't be mad at any of these guys. "Were you surprised to learn that Ben was Ella's dad? Did it… did it change anything for you?"

"Not a thing," Logan reassured me. He snuck a quick, chaste kiss. "Your past is yours, baby. We've all got one. And I'm not intimidated by my kid brother. Once you and Ella are mine, you're mine regardless of blood."

My heart ached with that sweet, strong sentiment. I smiled up at him, lifted his hand to kiss his knuckles, and tugged him with me back down the path.

Once the dust settled, Logan and I went back to enjoying the fair. I even teased him about enjoying the artwork just a little bit, and his serious fa?ade seemed to crack into an easier joy. Amid the sea of color and chaos, I found myself drawn to a stunning oil painting, its hues swirling together in a mesmerizing dance of light and shadow.

Nate came up to my other side and squeezed my hand, encouraging me to gush about the artist's skill to him while Logan took Ella to get a funnel cake and Bennett talked to someone at a wood carving booth. Together, Nate and I marveled at the intricate brushstrokes of the gorgeous still life, lost in the beauty of the artist"s creation. It was so special to share this creativity with him—his medium was food, but he was no less an artist than I was.

As the afternoon sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a warm glow over the scene before us, I couldn"t help but feel a sense of contentment wash over me. Here, surrounded by art and love, I knew that anything was possible as long as these incredible men were surrounding me and my daughter on all sides.

We made our way closer to an area where a local band was playing music, and people were dancing. Lost in the magic of the moment, I found myself drawn to the music drifting from the stage, swaying to the upbeat rhythms. Logan's hand reached out to mine as if drawn by an invisible force. Without a word, we moved together to the rhythm of the music, our bodies swaying in perfect harmony. The world around us seemed to fade away as we danced, caught up in the simple joy of being together.

Ella"s infectious giggles echoed through the crowd as she started to dance with Nate and Bennett, too, their smiles lighting up the space around them. Watching them as I held tight to Logan's large, warm body, I couldn"t help but feel a swell of happiness in my chest. This was what family looked like—laughter, love, and a sense of togetherness that transcended blood ties or societal conventions.

As I stole another glance at Nate, Bennett, and Ella, twirling and laughing in their own little world, a sense of unease began to gnaw at the edges of my happiness. It was a familiar feeling, one born of years spent navigating life"s uncertainties on my own, expecting the worst instead of hoping for the best. But today, surrounded by the people I loved most in the world, it felt like an unwelcome intruder I was desperate to shake off.

"I'm gonna go get something to drink," I told Logan when our song ended. I accepted a kiss on the cheek as I left the grassy dance area, hoping to quash the stupid anxiety trying to ruin an otherwise perfect afternoon. I left Ella in the capable hands of the guys as I wandered through the fair alone, my thoughts swirling in a chaos I couldn't even pin down. That"s when I passed a booth selling lovely, unique ceramic pieces that caught my eye. The brown-skinned woman working the booth approached me, and with a jolt of surprise, I recognized her as Yasmine, a blast from the past from my college days. She and Danielle, my then-roommate, had been sorority sisters, and Yasmine was a fellow art major. We'd worked together in the studio many nights, talking through our artistic visions for the future.

Yasmine's smile was warm and genuine as she greeted me, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Carly, oh, my goodness, it"s been ages!" she exclaimed, coming around to the outside of the booth so she could pull me into a tight hug. Her slim dancer's body jangled with all the jewelry she wore, and her wide grin eased my nonsensical worries for a moment. "Look at you, all grown up and stunning as ever! I can't believe it's been so long."

I returned her hug, a small smile playing on my lips. "Yasmine, it"s so good to see you! How have you been?"

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, fabulous. My art has kept me sane over the past few years. It's not much, but getting to sell a few pieces here and there and man a booth at events like this… it's amazing. As for the money part… well, I'm getting there." She laughed like tinkling bells.

I recognized the minor scale of her artistic career even as she launched into tales of her endeavors with the tone of someone recounting their summit of Mount Everest. Her passion for ceramics was evident in every word she spoke, and I couldn"t help but feel a pang of envy stir within me. Small though they were, she had found some successes in the field we'd both always hoped to pursue. I was sometimes making money as a wedding photographer, sure, but I hadn't even been prioritizing that in recent weeks. If Yasmine's career was small, where did that leave me, boothless and hardly finding time to take photos at all anymore?

"And what about you, Carly?" Yasmine asked, her gaze curious. "I remember how talented you were in our art classes. Are you still pursuing photography?"

Christ, I wished she hadn't asked that question. The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of unspoken dreams and aspirations. I hesitated, my mind racing as I struggled to find the right words to respond.

"I… I"ve taken a bit of a break from it, actually," I admitted, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "Life has been busy with my daughter Ella, and… and other things." Namely, three hot men who had been taking up most of the space in my brain I might have otherwise used to focus on my work.

Yasmine nodded sympathetically, her expression understanding. "I get it, life has a way of taking us down unexpected paths. But don"t give up on your dreams, Carly. You were always meant for great things."

Her exuberance served as a stark reminder of the dreams I had set aside, the passion for photography that still burned within me despite the years of neglect. But as much as I longed to pursue my artistic ambitions, a sense of responsibility weighed heavily on my shoulders—a responsibility to provide for Ella, to ensure her future was secure and stable.

"I wouldn't say I've given up," I assured Yasmine, forcing a smile that felt hollow on my lips. "Just… things change, you know? In fact, I"ve just been offered a promotion at work—a managerial position. It"s a big step, but I think it"s the right move for me and Ella."

Christ, had I just decided to take the job Logan had only sort of offered me what felt like forever ago? And why did I feel conflicted about it if it seemed like the right move in a practical sense?

Yasmine"s eyes widened in surprise, a smile lighting up her face. "That"s wonderful news, Carly! Congratulations!"

The words tasted bitter on my tongue as I forced myself to return her smile. "Thank you. It"s… it"s a big opportunity, and I think it"s time for me to start thinking about Ella"s future."

In reality, the thought of accepting the promotion filled me with a sense of dread and grief that threatened to consume me. The prospect of trading my dreams for a comfortable paycheck felt like a betrayal of everything I had once held dear. But my old friend's words echoed in my mind as we said our goodbyes, the weight of unfulfilled ambitions settling heavily on my shoulders. As I rejoined Logan, Nate, Bennett, and the now-sleeping Ella, who was thrown over Logan's capable shoulder, a sense of determination settled over me. No matter the sacrifices I had to make, I would do whatever it took to ensure Ella's happiness and security.

I felt sure, all of a sudden, that I'd been spending too much time lately with my head in the clouds. Following my bliss the way my mom always had. Getting entangled in an unconventional relationship with three men and letting myself be consumed by a fantasy future that likely wasn't even possible. If I kept going down this path, God only knew where Ella and I would end up—a copy of my mom and me before Ella ever came along, history repeating itself. And no matter how much it felt like things had changed for me lately, that was still the one thing I wanted least in this world.