Sealed (The Boys of Bishop Mountain #4)
Prologue
HARRISON
There are pivotal moments in a man’s life.
And no, despite popular misconceptions, they have nothing to do with getting to bases one through four.
They have everything to do with who you run toward when things go wrong.
And who you refuse to leave behind.
Take the first day I learned how to swim.
On my own.
Because when my twin sister slipped into an ice-cold lake at age five, I jumped in after her.
I saved her life.
Right before I nearly drowned.
Three days in a coma will clarify a lot of things.
I returned from the brink of death forged with two undeniable truths.
First, protecting the people I love is not a choice.
It is in my blood.
And second? Clearly, I’m invincible.
Which explains why, when danger shows up, I have a long-standing habit of running straight at it.
I became a SEAL.
Adventure. Mayhem. A perpetual adrenaline rush.
Hell, yeah. Shaken, not stirred.
I’ve stared death in the face so many times it’s become a revolving door.
I’ve dragged men back from the edge.
They’ve done the same for me.
Then, I took the ultimate test of courage.
I had children.
Three of them.
And when they fall hard enough to make my chest seize, I don’t pick them up.
I let them stand on their own.
Most times. Not always.
I’m not a monster.
Especially when my little girl cries. Every instinct in me wants to become her permanent rickshaw.
Because nothing tests bravery like loving someone you can’t protect forever.
And all it takes is a small, well-placed piece of kryptonite to shatter the illusion.
I know firsthand how hard it breaks.
So, when a happily ever after presents itself for the gift it is, I don’t assume it’s bulletproof.
I know it’s not.
And I don’t take it for granted.
I honor it.
I guard it.
I hold it with both hands and cherish it.
Because true bravery isn’t measured in fists or firepower.
It’s the willingness to throw myself between the people I hold dear and whatever grenade comes through that door.
To love.
No matter the cost.