The St Patrick Series Book #1: The St Patrick Bride

Chapter Sixty Nine: Play Date

Christopher's POV
"Bu."

"Not Bu baby girl. His name is Bruce. Say Bruce." Francis insisted with an irritated frown on his face. The little girl also looks frustrated.  Bruce has no idea what is going on. He's more interested in the red little shovel that is part of his playset. I ran my fingers through the mess of curls on his head. He looked up at me with his intriguing green eyes and smiled. It's not Court's green. It's a captivating strange shade of green. I smiled back at my son.

"Bu." She emphasized what she thinks my son's name is with force. At this point my friend shook his head. He looked at me with dismay in his expression but Coleen looks satisfied with the name she pronounced.

"Don't worry about it. I know she heard you. She just has a strange way of pronouncing things."

"We have a stubborn one here, that's what this is. What about her? Do you know her name?" Frank carried on the fruitless conversation with his daughter.

Coleen shook her head. "Tell me." She whispered into his ear and turned her ear to be told.

"Aubrey."

"Auby!" She announced with a pleased expression.

Frank didn't even bother to correct her this time.

His children are well into their first year. Coleen is a chatter box. Cole doesn't say anything. He sits close to his mother most of the time. He is shy.

I invited them over for a play date.

I love Sundays.

It's an easy day.

I get to sleep in. I get to lazy around all day shirtless and in my favorite pair of linen shorts. Court isn't with us today. She's hitting the books seriously. This is the most serious I've ever seen her where her studies are concerned. She will be through in a few weeks and she's full throttle ahead.

"Have you been hitting the gym?" Frank punched my torso.

"Dude that hurts!" Physical exercise is brutal. I have lost track of how many push-ups and planks I have done this week alone. Every time a recruit slacks off - many of those weak little things slack off on their physical training-  I have to do double what they are supposed to do so that Commander Holt can yell 'this is how it's done'. My abs are sore! On the plus side, Court likes it.

"Sorry princess. I'll be gentle." He teased me. He lifted his vest. "Nothing is happening for me. I'm in a suit all day drinking sweet smoothies and sitting behind a desk. The only thing that hurts is my butt at the end of the day."

"Make time for the gym or you'll have a dad bod." He laughed it off. "I'm getting punished by the army."

"Why?"

"I defied orders and I almost got arrested."

"You've been busy."

"I have. You haven't been around. This happened." I looked at my daughter. She's trying to get the shovel from Bruce but he won't share. Coleen is playing alone in the sand.

"So I see. She's a pretty little number."

I think she's too pretty if any father can complain. I know what I'll be in when she's a teenager. "How is London?"

"London sucks. It rains all the time. I missed the sun. But the Harrington Hotel is up and running."

"I haven't been to the St Patrick Group in weeks. I don't think I can pull it off. My sentence ends in five months and two weeks. If I'm not dead from physical exhaustion... Strangest thing. I woke up on the bedroom floor and I don't remember falling off the bed... Yeah. I want to tell my old man I can't do it anymore. It's not fair to the company. Two kids from different moms, the army and then the company? It's too much."