Page 20 of Axel

I’ll just check.

Yup… my baby boy is fast asleep.

Axel very carefully placed the book to one side and allowed his head to tilt to one side. Arlo might have already been soundly asleep and taking a much-needed nap, but judging from the way his own eyes were feeling heavy it might well have been the case that Axel was a due a little snooze too.

So with no further ado, Axel duly allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

Axel knew that Nick and Beau wouldn’t mind him and Arlo taking a nap. In fact, the reading corner was pretty much designed with that in mind. Axel hadn’t fallen asleep with a lightly snoring Little by his side for a long, long time and he was now realizing just how much he had missed the feeling.

Except this was different.

This nap felt extra-special.

And it was all down to one mischievous, sassy, adventurous young man.

Axel couldn’t deny it any longer. He was catching some very real feelings and there was nothing he could do about it either. Things were about to get very complicated indeed…

The hot sun was overhead, and Axel was in the mood to power up the mountain and take in the breathtaking views. Accompanied by two of his best Daddy friends and with their trusty canine companions zooming around, it was the kind of afternoon adventure that Axel relished.

After waking from their shared nap, Axel had left Arlo and Nick to have some fun in Beau’s Books together. And with the Daddy hike plans already in place, there was no better place to be than out in the great outdoors.

‘Nick’s a sweet boy,’ Kipp said, wiping the sweat from his brow and handing his dog Brutus a crunchy dog treat. ‘I’m sure he’ll be looking after Arlo.’

‘Beau’s a lucky guy,’ Max remarked, his charismatic grin telling everyone that he’d more than once considered what it might be like to spend some Daddy and boy time with Nick. ‘And maybe he’s not the only one…’

Axel saw Max and Kipp exchange a knowing look.

And while it might have been as predictable as the sun rising and falling every day, Axel knew that at some point he was going to need to address the topic of his burgeoning relationship with Arlo.

‘Right, right…’ Axel said, a sarcastic tone to his voice. ‘I wonder what you mean by that?’

Max and Kipp both laughed.

The truth was that the three of them would often share their thoughts and feelings. Putting aside their gruff, macho exteriors from time to time felt good and between them they had helped one another to get through tough times and a few tricky situations over the years.

‘Okay, you got me,’ Axel said, stopping for a moment to admire the view down toward Eagle Falls and Sunset Forest beyond that. ‘Yeah, I think Arlo’s pretty damn special. It’s pointless even trying to deny it. And yes… something did happen. But you’d have to ask his butt cheeks for more details.’

‘Hell yeah,’ Max responded, playfully slapping Axel on his shoulder. ‘Now that’s what I’m talking about.’

‘Let me guess, it was after the camping incident?’ Kipp asked, his eyes telling their own story. ‘I had to administer a firm reminder to Dale over that excursion.’

The three friends laughed and continued to talk. It felt good for Axel to open up and explain how Arlo was making him feel. And for the first time in a long time, Axel didn’t even think about bringing his ex-Little into the discussion. It wasn’t that Axel was trying not to, it was just a case of him not coming up. This was all about how Axel felt toward Arlo, and potentially the roadblocks that might be headed his way very soon…

‘I’m not going to try and stop him from leaving,’ Axel said, in between glugs from his water bottle. ‘He deserves to find his happiness. And if it’s not in Eagle Ridge, then so be it. I’ll have to accept that.’

Kipp and Max nodded in agreement.

However Kipp did offer one counterpoint that Axel couldn’t deny…

‘But what if Arlo’s happiness is with you?’ Kipp asked. ‘If you want to be Arlo’s Daddy, then you owe it to him to show him what that could be like. And to be honest, you owe it to yourself to, brother.’

‘Shit. Kipp’s right on the money,’ Max added. ‘As fucking usual.’

The three friends laughed and continued on with their walk. Axel had a lot to consider. And knowing that he was meeting up with Arlo later at Kipp’s ranch, Axel knew that he’d better be prepared too…

‘I’m impressed.Veryimpressed,’ Axel said as he steppedinside Kipp’s ongoing project to convert one of his ranch’s barns into a fully loaded Little play barn.

As he scanned his eyes over the refurbished soft floor and recently added ball pit, Axel couldn’t help but notice Arlo crawling on all fours in a short-sleeved romper that came down to his knees. To say that Arlo looked cute would have been an understatement…

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