Page 71 of Axe
“He is just the cutest,” Ellie said as I came into view carrying all three of the mugs like I had the grace of a cat.
Tank was standing off to the side, watching from a safe distance.
“Here ya go.” I handed Tank one of the cups and set the others on the side table next to the couch.
“Thank you, Allison.” His smile was nice and I could tell by the crinkle lines on the side of his not-so-old face that he smiled a lot.
“Thanks for bringing her over,” I replied with a playful smirk letting him know that I understood just why he was there.
“Yeah, we should, uh, keep this between us,” Ellie piped up. “Diesel is still a little, um, standoffish. I’m sorry.”
Axe came back with a nice sized bruise on his face and after I asked him over and over, he finally broke and told me a bit about what happened in the meeting. So, I had an idea of what she was talking about.
“Well, I don’t want to get either of you in trouble.” I flinched as I said the words.
Ellie’s light laugh filled the air as she waved her hand at me like I was being silly.
“She knows how to distract him. By the time she’s done with him, he will either have forgotten or be so worn out that he won’t care,” Tank said with a playful wink at Ellie.
I laughed, it came out a little awkward, but still. I totally got what he was implying. Ellie’s face turned as red as a tomato and she ducked her head, using Fate as an excuse to hide.
They stayed for about an hour before Ellie had to leave to put Fate down for a nap.
We mostly talked about nothing and it was so nice. I wouldn’t have cared if we had carried on about the weather the entire time, I was just happy to have someone to talk to.
Since Brand had stopped by earlier to let me know that Axe had a few things to take care of, I had no idea when he would be home. I found myself a little giddy and anxious for his return. I couldn’t wait to see him.
It started to get late and I decided that I needed to make dinner. Even if Axe wouldn’t be home soon, Neiryn and I still needed to eat. I figured I could make enough and heat it up for him when he got back.
“Whatcha want to eat, buddy?” I asked Neiryn.
“Pa-ta,” he said with a clap of his hands.
“Pasta. Got it,” I said back with a firm nod. “Green?”
His face scrunched up like he was thinking really hard about his answer. Then he shook his head letting me know that broccoli wasn’t going to fly tonight.
“O-ange,” he said with confidence.
“Oh, yes. Carrots, I can do that. Sounds delicious, buddy.”
I got to work making spaghetti and meatballs—because I knew he liked meatballs over meat sauce, always—and steamed carrots for the side. I kept an ear out, to make sure he wasn’t getting into something he shouldn’t have. For the most part, he was a good kid, but I understood that kids sometimes had a curiosity that couldn’t be tamed.
Just as I was cutting the stove off and getting ready to plate everything, I heard Axe’s bike pull up to the curb out front. I smiled thinking how perfect his timing was.
“Allison?!” His voice sounded shaky and panicked as he rushed into the house.
“Hey,” I said as I popped out so he could lay eyes on me. “You alright?”
Axe’s eyes were wild as he scanned the area, then his feet were taking him towards Neiryn. He still hadn’t answered my question and my heart began to race. He picked Neiryn up and held him so close I was sure he was about to squash the kid.
“Baby,” he breathed out as he took long, fast steps to reach me. “You okay?”
“Yes, we’re fine? What’s this all about?”
I could see the panic in his eyes.
“Nothing,” he murmured as he bent down and kissed my lips.
