Page 29 of His Love

I shot him a cheesy grin and he knelt to kiss my forehead. “I’m so sorry you were hurt on your play date, but I’m really glad we got to spend this time together.”

“Me too, Uncle Axel.”

A soft knock on his open office door made us both look up.

“Hi!” Regan squeaked from the doorway.

“Hi!” I exclaimed back. She rushed forward and gave me a big hug. I had just seen her yesterday, but it made my heart really happy that she was so excited to see me again.

“My Daddy had to drop something off for Uncle Pike and he said I could come check on you if I promised to come here and then straight back,” she explained. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” I answered. “I love my bead kit.”

“Alright, Little loves, I am going to go downstairs. Text me if you need me.”

“Bye, Uncle Axel,” we both replied as he left the room.

“How’s it going?” she asked, peering at me with questions in her big, expressive eyes.

“It’s okay. The crutches make my arms hurt, though.”

“No, silly. How’s it going with Axel? He seems less grouchy… well, a teensy bit less grouchy.”

I felt the heat rise to my face. “Oh, it’s going good,” I replied, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.

“You’re nervous,” she pointed out.

I was always nervous. “Yeah.”

“You talk to him, though. Like for real.”

“Yeah.”

“You never talk to the other Daddies.”

“No,” I agreed.

“So does he make you less nervous?”

“He doesn’t make me nervous at all.” It was true, I realized with a start. I hadn’t been nervous around him since I woke up in his nursery. He was so kind to me even though I had wet the bed. I didn’t tell Reagan that, though. It was still embarrassing.

“Do you like him?” she asked.

“Yes,” I mumbled. “So much.”

“Does he know?”

“Ray Ray, I think maybe you’ve interrogated poor Paisley enough, don’t you think?” her Daddy asked as he stepped through the door.

She had the grace to look sheepish. “Oh, sorry, Paisley.”

“Is okay.” I was glad Maddox had shown up. That had been a lot. I yawned.

“How are you feeling, Little one?” Maddox asked.

“I’m good. How are you?”

He chuckled and sat on the cushy rug beside us. “I am also good. How’s your ouchie? Ray-Ray has been praying for you during our bednight prayers.”

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