Page 61 of Rex

“She’ll be fine, and I might add, in a much better mood than you are,” Drew responds before taking another bite of his apple.

“Aria? Your next patient is in exam room two,” Lynette, one of the dental assistants, says from the doorway.

“Thank you. I’ll be right there,” I answer before turning to Rex. “I’ll be about forty-five minutes. Will you still be here?”

“Yeah. We have a few hours of work yet. I’ll walk you through the changes before I leave.”

I give him a brief nod, smack the back of my hand against my brother’s gut, and exit the room.

After work, I run a few errands but keep a close eye on my surroundings while doing them. Arriving home, I note the motorcycle parked nearby and know it belongs to a Devil’s Angel, but I don’t know which member. The beautifully painted gas tank screams Bailey, so I know I’m not wrong. Climbing out of my car, I grab up my shopping bags while scanning the area around my condo. Finally spotting a large guy in a cut sitting in the shade of the trees, I wave. Axel stands and approaches me.

“Hey, Axel. Were you waiting for me?” I ask.

“Yep. Thought I’d check in on you and make sure you’re okay with everything going on lately.”

“I’m good but thank you. Shouldn’t you be staying close to Bailey since she’s about to pop out another Axel-sized child?” I query with a grin.

“Not due for another three weeks. She’s at the gym finishing up her last day until after the baby is born,” Axel answers with a wide grin.

He’s obviously happy and excited about another child. Their first child, little Alex, is absolutely adorable, so I can see why they decided on more. While we all give him a lot of grief, the man is the best father possible. He’s a dad through and through, and it doesn’t matter how many kids Bailey gives him. They’ll be loved thoroughly and equally.

“Not sure I mentioned this before, but I think it’s really cool that the club, and especially you, have invited Candy to join. She needs a family-type structure in her life, and she’ll get that with the club,” I say in a soft voice.

“Yeah, she will. Can I ask you a question?” Axel asks with a tilt to his head.

“Of course.”

“Is Chubs going to hurt Lucy again? I know why he did it the first time, but the way he did it still rubs me wrong. Don’t misunderstand me—he’s a great guy, a great brother. I love and respect him, but I can’t forget how hurt Lucy was when he left. That woman was crushed, and I wasn’t sure we could keep her all in one piece. I don’t want to be in that position again,” Axel explains.

“No, he won’t. His blood family is safe now, thanks to his decisions and the club. He knows how lucky he is that she gave him a second chance. He’ll never run the risk of losing her again,” I answer sincerely.

I watch as the tension drains out of Axel’s body, and I realize how much this has been on his mind. Instinctively, I reach out a hand and grip his forearm.

“They’re doing great, Axel. Lucy has forgiven him, and they’re moving on with their lives together. It’s okay for you to forgive him too, you know. You protected Lucy the best you could, and I’m sure she’ll never forget that,” I state.

Nodding slowly, I watch quietly while Axel processes the moment. When his eyes meet mine again, I see the humor shining through. Here we go.

“You know I didn’t mean to imply you’re overweight, Aria. You’re beautiful and smart and family as far as I’m concerned. I just say stupid shit sometimes, but I never meant to hurt your feelings if I did.”

“I know you didn’t mean how it came out, Axel,” I answer softly.

“Does this mean you’re not coming after me now?” he questions. “Because I was such an upstanding man?”

“No, it doesn’t mean that at all. One thing has nothing to do with the other. You’ve heard of the phrase, ‘Fuck around and find out?’ Yeah, that’s where you and I are at,” I respond and give him a wicked grin.

“No offense, Aria, but bigger people have tried to take me down before and never succeeded. You have nothing on me, and you’renot a physical threat, so excuse me if I’m not shaking in my boots,” Axel answers with a cocky grin.

“We’ll see. Go home, Axel. I’m okay,” I say while releasing his arm and repositioning the shopping bags in my hand.

“How many pictures do you need to hang to have bought that many frames?” he asks while looking at the bags in my hand.

“You’ll soon know the answer to that,” I say with my own cocky grin before using my new key to enter my home.

A few hours later, I’m entering Rex’s home, excited and more than a little nervous. Finally, we get a night together even if we haven’t had our proper date yet. We’ll get to it eventually, I’m sure. Before I can set my overnight bag down, Rex takes it from my hand and tosses it on the couch. Reaching behind me, he shuts the door and gives me a sweet smile.

“Hi,” I say, returning the smile.

Rex’s hands land on my ass, and I’m lifted from the ground.

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