Page 46 of Something to Believe In
Axel sat in the same chair he'd been in previously, a guitar in his lap, his notebook in front of him on the side table, which he'd moved in front of him. She found the matching chair to the one Axel sat in and curled her legs under her, and sipped her coffee.
Without a word, he strummed his guitar and began singing to her. He stared into her eyes often as his words of love and longing and sorrow flowed from him.
"Watching you walk away with him...it killed me. Wanting you by my side...it was all I dreamed of."
Tears formed in her eyes as his words floated in the air. His deep, raspy voice infused emotion into his song. Just like the gnarly vocals he brought to every song the band sang. She loved his voice. She loved every note he sang. But this song, this was personal. It was raw, and his eyes glistened as he stared into hers, singing the words he needed to sing. His hurt and frustration at not being with her. His frustration at the pledge he'd made when they were twenty years younger and full of hope and dreams to be a band, doing what they loved, and making enough money to have good lives. Never realizing they'd fall in love with each other.
"My broken heart won't heal until you're mine."
She swallowed the lump in her throat. She took slow, even breaths to keep her sobs from bursting from her chest. When he'd sung the last note, a tear, a single, silvery tear, trickled down his cheek. She watched it leave a wet path and drop onto the gray t-shirt he wore. The dark spot a memento of the emotion and heart he'd put into his song. They stared at each other for a long moment. Words refused to come to her. She could only stare at his handsome face. What had they done to each other all these years? The hurt. The sorrow. The frustration. My God, they'd hurt each other over and over without knowing they were. They'd been living a torturous existence.
Finally, she went to him. He set his guitar aside as she moved toward him. She straddled him in his chair. Her arms flew around his neck. Her cheek pressed against his. Their bodies melded together, and she let her tears flow. She whispered, "It was beautiful. Heartbreaking. And haunting."
His arms squeezed her tighter. He sniffed and swiped at his tears as she clung to him.
Finally, she leaned back slightly. She held his face in her hands and stared into his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Axel. I'm so sorry for the way we hurt each other. I'd never have hurt you, had I known."
"I know, Baby. I know. I never would have hurt you either. Never in my life would I have wanted to hurt you."
His throat constricted as he swallowed, and she took in a deep breath. Slowly so as not to cause pain, but enough to get her emotions in check.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Axel's phone pinged alerting him that someone was on his camera. He looked at the person walking up to the house and recognized Mitch.
"Baby, Mitch is here."
Mads nodded. "I'm going to get dressed."
She disappeared down the hall, and he hurried to the door to let Mitch inside.
He opened the door just as Mitch knocked. "Good morning. Come on in."
"Good morning. Is Maddyn here?"
His brows pushed together. "Yes, of course. Is anything wrong?"
Mitch took a deep breath and nodded. "I'd like to speak to both of you about it."
He swallowed the dry lump in his throat and nodded. "Please come on in. I have coffee in the kitchen. I'll go get Mads."
Mitch closed the door, and Axel strode down the hall toward the bedroom. Stepping inside, he saw Mads holding a T-shirt, but looking in the mirror above the dresser. She had a deep purple stripe from her right shoulder to her left hip from the seatbelt. She turned to him. "It's just a bruise."
"A big fucking bruise."
She nodded. "I know."
She lifted the T-shirt over her head and pulled it down her bruised body. His stomach twisted at the sight. "Mitch needs to speak to both of us."
"Oh no. What's happened?"
"I don't know, baby." He stepped to her, pulling her gently to his body. His arms wrapped around her, and he held her close. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together."
She whispered. "Okay."
His gut twisted. Would this be another obstacle their newly formed relationship would have to endure?
She stepped back and nodded. "Let's go do this."
