Page 7 of Axel

“Now that you are thinking about her, I’m serious when I say if you wait too long, every one of us is going to ask her out. Doubtful that she’d go, she might not even go when you ask her, but I think that the two of you are more suited than any of the rest of us.” He asked him what he meant. “I really don’t know either, but I can see the two of you having a long-term relationship—perhaps even going the extra mile and marrying. Your kids would be hellions. But they’d be well loved and taken care of.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Stamos told him to ask her out. “I think I will. She’ll more than likely turn me down, but I’m not going to give up so easily. How did you get to be so smart?”

He knew that she was going to be at the downtown building today. She was supposed to be taking it easy, but he knew that he’d be doing the same thing. Working kept the demons away. Overthinking was his biggest problem, as was overworking. Taking a trip to the building, he was shocked to see how much had been done. Asking where Mac was, they told him that she was on the second floor pluming in the new shower stall that had finally arrived.

She was working when he found her. Cursing too. She was funny when she was flustered, but he didn’t comment on that. He liked his head right where it was. As soon as she stepped back from the job, he cleared his throat. Almost as if she knew that he’d been there, she turned around and asked him if he really needed to have hot and cold water in the shower.

“I’m reasonably sure that I’d need them both. The thought of taking a shower with only one of those sounds very painful. Would you have dinner with me tonight?” She asked him what he said. “The shower? I’d really like to have both hot and cold if you can manage it.”

“No, the other part. Where you asked me out. Are you insane?” Axel told her that there were days that he’d asked himself that same question. “I’m not much of a dating person. I mean, it’s been a long time. I was hurt once, and the thought of getting tangled up with a man again has me a bit gun-shy.”

“Your dad told me about Richardson. He seemed to think that you were also kind of glad that he left when he did.” She nodded and cocked her head, and looked at him. “Do I have something in my teeth?”

“No. You really are an odd man. Where would we be going on this date if I were to say yes?” He asked her where she wanted to go. “I don’t care, but I think I’d like to go to a place that has cloth napkins. I’m sick to death of fast food.”

“I can arrange that. What time are you getting off today?” She told him that it wouldn’t be too much longer after five. “Good. I’ll pick you up at six, and we can have dinner together.”

“You know, when your brother Kahana asked me out, he said that I’d have to figure out where I’d like to go, and he’d take me. I don’t want to have to pick everything out. If I were to ask you out, then I’d pick, but since you…never mind. You must think I’m off my noodle.” He told her that he didn’t think that at all that it made sense to him. “Thanks. I’ll see you…I live with my parents, as you know, so don’t expect to be able to spend the night or anything. And your home isn’t up to par yet so no hanky-panky until we get to know one another a bit more.”

“I can handle that too.” He gave her a quick kiss on her mouth, careful of her stitched-up lip, and before she could chastise him for it, he left her to finish up her work. Now, all he had to do was sometime in the next six hours, he had to find someplace that had cloth napkins. He didn’t think that would be so difficult. Pulling out his phone, he called his mom. She’d know the perfect place. He didn’t know how she’d take him dating Mac, but it was only a date between them and nothing more. “Mom? It’s Axel. I have a date tonight with Mac, and the only stipulation that I have from her is that there needs to be cloth napkins. I’m assuming that counts out all the fast food places around.”

“I should hope so. Cloth napkins, huh? How about I think about that and call you back? Did she tell you if she’s allergic to anything?” Axel told his mom that he’d not asked. “Might want to get withher mom then. Find out that and her favorite food.”

“You don’t seem surprised that I’ve asked her out.” Mom told him that she was glad that he was getting out there and that she and his dad really enjoyed being around Mac. “It’s nothing serious. I swear. Just that I’d like to see her, and this might not be anything at all.”

“I understand that. But do you?” He asked her what she meant. “Axel, you’ve been hanging out with her since you met her. You’ve been to that job site more times than I think you’ve been to your own home being taken care of. Of course, you like her.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll call her mom right now. I just want this to be special. Don’t ask me why, I don’t have an answer but I do want to make this date better than she’s had before.” She told him that she’d be awaiting his call and to not screw this up. “I won’t. I swear it. I really am excited about this, and I don’t know why either.”

After talking to Dani, she told him that when Mac wanted cloth napkins, that usually meant comfort food. Or steak. While she wasn’t a big red meat eater, she did like a good steak on occasion and her favorite side dish was baked sweet potato. He thanked her a great deal, and again, she didn’t seem to be surprised that he’d asked her out. Was he that obvious?

Calling his mom back, she had two names of restaurants that she thought would suit the bill. He told her too that her mother said that she didn’t care for over-the-elegance when dating, not unless it was a celebration of some sort.

“That’s what your dad told me when I mentioned that you were going out. That she’d be more of a woman that didn’t care for that sort of stuff but would fine with paintings for sale on the walls sort of restaurant.” Axel asked her if she thought him dating her was a bad idea since she was working for him. “Axel, you’re a grown man. You should be able to figure that one out on your own. Do you like her, or are you just hoping to get into her panties?”

“I don’t think that’s the reason, no. I’m going to tell you the truth mom, the thought of her dating or even seeing someone else has me wanting to find them and tell them to back off. And I’ve never had a date with her yet. Is that insane?” She laughed, and he felt his own humor tugging at his mouth. “I’m going to take that as a no. You don’t think that I’m insane.”

“You’d be correct.” She laughed a bit more. “I do see you two having a long-term thing. Will it result in marriage? I don’t know. But I do want you to know that you have my blessings.”

“Thanks, Mom. You’re the best, and I love you very much.” She told him that she loved him as well and that he needed to get his ass in gear before their date was on. “I was going to get her flowers, but I have a feeling, like me, she’d not want to see them die. Now that I think about it, I’m not going to get anything. It’s our first date and I don’t want her to be upset with me over a box of chocolates or even some kind of flower arrangement.

When he closed his phone, he thought about where they were going. He didn’t think that it was a sexy dress kind of place, but he did want to see her in a dress. While sitting at the light in town, the only one, he thought about what she’d look like in something tight-fitting and red. When the car behind him blared on their horn, he realized that he had a hard-on. Things were getting out of hand.

Axel hadn’t been a person that was a big dater. He did enjoy the company of the opposite sex and, on occasion did think about that when going out. But he found himself wanting more than that with Mac. He thought that she could hold her own in any kind of conversation and wouldn’t speak if she had nothing to say. She wouldn’t mince words either but tell him what she thought of him no matter what the circumstances were.

By the time six rolled around he had himself in a tizzy. He’d been out before, with beautiful women, too, but this date—he didn’t want to put too much thought into what that meant, but he wanted things to progress to some other level with Mac. Not necessarily sex, but close to it. The thought of some heavy petting, like he was in high school, did appeal to him a great deal. He left to pick her up at a quarter past six and was glad that he’d not arrived too early.

She was still getting ready, he was told, when he was let into her family home. Charlie said that he was glad to see them both together but promised not to look into things too deeply. His smile saidsomething differently and Axel laughed. Sitting in the living room with her parents, they told him how well his home was coming along. He was glad that someone knew, as he’d not been out there since he’d been the first day. Christ, he needed to get out more. Especially since he was paying so much to have the house finished up before fall.

He heard her in the hall before she entered the room. He closed his eyes for a moment, unsure in that moment why he’d asked her out. But as soon as he opened his eyes, it was all he could think about was how much he wanted the things between them to go the extra step. He wasn’t entirely sure what that step would be, but he wanted to go there with Mac.

“You look beautiful.” She told him to behave. “I am, I promise.” She had on a dress, but it was far from what other women he’d dated had worn when out with him. Her dress wasn’t short, but it was longer in the back. There were tiny strings holding it up with just enough lacy ruffle to hide the fact that she was wearing a bra. Having her shoes in her hand when she’d gotten to the living room, he laughed when he saw that they were tennis shoes. Axel was glad that he’d only worn jeans and a shirt and tie as he felt like they did well together on what they were wearing.

Getting into his car after helping her into the passenger side, he had to take several deep breaths before he got in as well. She asked him if he was all right as soon as he got the car started up. He looked at her and smiled.

“I’m not sure. I’m not even sure that I’ve ever been all right. But this, going out with you is going to be the highlight of my life.” He kissed her again, this time letting himself linger just enough that she knew that it was more serious than the first time he kissed her. When Mac put her hand on his arm, he turned off the car and pulled her into his arms to deepen the kiss—still careful of her mouth. It was awkward, but it didn’t seem that either of them cared. When they pulled apart, he was glad to see that she was breathing as hard as he was and had the same confusion on her face that he was feeling. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but please don’t date my brothers.”

“I won’t.” He nodded and started the car again. They were pulling out of the drive when she spoke again. “I’ve been asked by them all, so you know. And it wasn’t until you asked me that I realized that I was waiting on you to get your ass in gear and ask me out too. What took you so long?”

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