Then maybe Tobias would have the opportunity to explain what needed to be explained.

It had been a long, trying day. Karoline had invited Axel to come over to the house after Harper had a few hours of sleep, and he did—to see the kids. But he was sulking, and that made it difficult for the girls, as well as Harper. She kept hearing Everly say, “What’s wrong, Daddy?”

He’d claim nothing was wrong, but the girls could see the looks he tossed her and feel the tension between them, and that made her sad. It was nearly Christmas. They had their daddy in town. She wished he could shake off what he was feeling for their sake. Lord knew she’d done a lot of that over the last six months. He was the one who’d requested the divorce in the first place, so he had only himself to blame for how he was feeling.

But Axel wasn’t used to being denied. He felt he should be able to change his mind and have no repercussions from any decisions or actions that had happened before that point.

When he announced that he was taking them all to dinner, Karoline and Terrance begged off. Karoline said that she’d committed her family to wrapping presents for the underprivileged at the church, where there’d be pizza.

Harper tried to beg off, too. It was awkward being with Axel while having no privacy to discuss what had happened last night, or what was going on between them. But Axel wouldn’t hear of it. He said he’d come all this way to be with his family, and he wanted them to stay together.

“Can we go to that place that has the milkshakes and the curly fries?” Everly asked when they were discussing the various restaurants.

Fatboy Burgers. Harper had taken the girls there after they first arrived in town, and they’d loved it. “That’s fine with me,” she said.

Axel’s pained expression suggested he wasn’t thrilled with the idea. “Are you sure you don’t want something more festive than a burger?” he asked Harper. “There’s a nice Italian place near my hotel.”

“I’m happy with a burger,” Harper said. “It’s what the girls really like. I think we should go there.” He was going to be in town for such a short time she felt he should indulge them. He was away from them so much—and he had plenty of opportunities to do and eat what he wanted.

In the end, he agreed, grudgingly, and Harper drove. Although Axel generally preferred to be in control, he didn’t know the area, so it made more sense for Harper to take the wheel.