Page 113 of That Moment
“Anytime, baby.”
“Hey,” she spins around, hooking her arms around my neck. “Do we have time for you to stop by my place so I can change and maybe do a little something with this wet hair before work?”
“Yeah, of course, I’d planned on dropping you at home.”
“No, I mean—will you wait? I’ll be quick, then you can drop me off at work. And then maybe pick me up after work?” She peppers every few words with a kiss.
“I’d like that very much,” I say with a smile so wide it almost hurts.
I drop Adrienne at her place so she can change, wait like I promised, then take her to work. She kisses me once more on the curb, fingers brushing the locket like it’s a secret between us. I sit there for a second after she goes in, grinning like an idiot at my windshield, then shake it off and head to the shop.
I pull into the lot, kill the engine, and that’s when I see him.
Axel’s posted up against the building near the bay doors. My shoulders lock, just for a breath. Then I roll it off and climb out.
“Morning,” I say, tossing my keys in the air and catching them. “You need an oil change, or is there another hydraulic issue at the brewery?”
He doesn’t offer any pleasantries. “Got a minute?”
“Yeah.” I nod toward the bay doors. “Back office.”
We cut through the shop. The guys look up from the lifts, offer a couple of chin lifts, and morning grunts. In the office, I shut the door with my boot. The room’s cramped and a mess. There’s my desk, which I’m never at, two mismatched chairs, and an out-of-date wall calendar. Axel stays standing. So do I.
“Heard you fixed up Mrs. Arthur’s Buick the other night. She said you wouldn’t take extra for the after-hours call.”
“She tried to pay me in oatmeal raisin cookies,” I say. “I’m not above bribery, but those were a crime.”
He smirks. It fades as fast as it came. His eyes go serious again. “I’m gonna skip the dance, man.”
I set my palms on the back of the chair, bracing myself. “All right.”
“I can see what’s going on,” he says. “Between you and Adrienne. She’s my sister, Scotty,” he adds, like I might’ve forgotten.
“I know who she is.”
“Then you know why I’m here?”
Silence stretches. Somewhere outside, a ratchet clacks; somebody swears, then laughs it off. Axel doesn’t look away. He exhales through his nose, voice even but with a warning. “I don’t want to watch her get hurt.”
“I’m not?—”
He lifts a hand, cutting me off without heat. “Listen. You do what you want with your life. God knows we’ve all done our share. But Adrienne?” He shakes his head once. “She’s not playing. Whether she’s said the words or not, it’s written all over her face.”
The chair bites my fingers where I’m gripping it. A muscle in my jaw ticks. “What is?”
“You know. You know she’s in love with you, Scotty, she always has been.” He steps in half a pace. “She looks at you like you hung the damn moon. It was all a joke and nothing serious when you guys were growing up, but things are different now, and you know that. And I need to know if you’re gonna be what she deserves, or if you’re gonna be the reason she ends up hating me.”
Heat rises under my collar. “Why do you always say shit like that?” The words come out harder than I plan, tight and raw. “Like I can’t take care of her. Like, I don’t know how a relationship works.”
His brows flick up. “I didn’t say?—”
“I know what people say about me.” I tap my chest with two fingers, sharp. “Yeah, I’ve—” I drag a breath. “I’ve had my fun. I’ve made mistakes. But I’ve never been a cheater. Not once. I don’t make promises I can’t keep, and I don’t lie to the women I’m with. So don’t stand in my shop and act like I’m going to forget how to be decent the second your sister looks at me soft.”
The room hums with the muffled noise of work. Axel studies me quietly. The hard line of his mouth eases. “I didn’t come here to pick a fight,” he says, voice lower. “And I’m not calling you a cheater. I know you. You show up when it matters. You’ve shown up for me more than once.”
I breathe a little easier, but the adrenaline’s still there, buzzing.
He nods, slowly. “I meant what I said, though. She comes first. That’s not about you and me. It’s about her.”
