Page 28 of Something to Believe In
She pushed the button and turned to make her way to the Mustang. His heart twisted slightly as he held open the door that had slut scratched into it. But she didn't flinch.
Chapter Eighteen
Maddyn snuggled on the sofa of their hotel room. Axel brought her a drink and sat next to her. His arm slid around her shoulders, and he tapped his glass to hers. "Here's to a quiet night."
The grin on his face made her chuckle. It had been anything but quiet so far. Axel's phone buzzed, and he lifted it off the coffee table and read the text.
I've gotten about five calls from Doug this afternoon. I haven't answered any of them, and he hasn't left a voicemail. Do you happen to know if anything is going on between him and Maddyn?
Axel turned to her and held his phone up for her to read the text. "It's from Jami."
Maddyn's stomach twisted as she read the text. She laid her hand over her tummy, and her eyes looked into Axel's. "Oh no."
"Should we call him?"
She sat up straighter and sucked in a deep breath. "So much for a quiet night."
"Right."
He tapped Jami's picture and held his thumb over the call icon. His brows rose as he waited for a response from her. Her stomach twisted painfully, and her throat tightened up. Not good for a singer! She closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath.
Letting it out slowly, she nodded. "Let's get it over with."
He nodded and tapped the call icon, then the speaker icon.
Jami answered immediately. "Hey."
"Hey. So listen, here's what's happened today. You may want to sit down because it's a lot."
Jami chuckled. "Okay."
Axel took her hand and squeezed. "Maddyn and I are together, Jami. It's new. Very new, but not really. I know that sounds ridiculous, but Mads and I have been thinking about each other for a long time. As in years. We've honored the band's no frat policy. But Tony and Livia got together, and it's made me think differently about the policy. But mostly, I've been in love with Maddyn for years, Jami."
He turned and looked into her eyes. Tears formed in her eyes, and her nose tingled. She swiped at the tears, but she didn't look away from him. He was in love with her. Her heartbeat increased and her tummy fluttered. He loved her.
Jami responded after a pause. "Okay." He huffed out a deep breath. "I've got to say I'm not surprised. We can all see how close you two are, and Tony and I have had conversations about it. So, I'll say we've been waiting for you to admit what we can all see." She stared into Axel's brown eyes. He never looked away from her. Steadfast, he dove right in and put it out there. She was blown away, but she knew that about him. He was a straight shooter.
Jami continued. "But that doesn't mean I don't have concerns."
Axel nodded. "We've been discussing all of this, too. We're aware it might affect things. We're aware that if it doesn't work out, it could be messy, and with the tour coming up soon, we want everyone to be on solid ground."
Jami blew out a long breath. "Is Maddyn with you now?"
She leaned forward and brushed the moisture from her face. "I'm here, Jami."
"Mads, we've all been solid for years. I want you both to know I'm cautiously optimistic that you two will be happy together and stay together, but you both have to promise you won't let it affect the band. You won't tear us apart."
She stared at Axel and nodded her head, as a promise to him as well as Jami. "We've had the discussion, and the nice thing about us being more mature than most bands is that we have promised each other to be discreet with any disagreements and discuss them in a mature manner. I promise you, Jami, we'll make this work."
A tear slipped down her cheek, and Axel's eyes followed it. "I love him, Jami. I have for years."
Axel's eyes snapped back to hers. Chills ran the length of her arms and legs as his gaze grew in intensity.
"Who am I to stand in the way of love?" Jami finally responded.
Axel brushed the tear from her cheek and nodded. "So, back to Doug. He dropped a box of stuff at Mads' apartment this afternoon, and I was there. He saw me kiss her. So, I'm sure he wanted to break the news to you about us."
"Ah, okay. That makes more sense. I couldn't figure out why he was calling me. So he wanted to tattle."
