Page 95 of Enemy Ex's Secret Baby

“Thanks for watching Stella tonight.”

“Any time, you know it,” Lola says with a firm nod.

“Okay, gotta go,” Axel says to Stella, giving her a big smooch on the side of the head. “Love you.”

“Love you more!” Stella chirps as he sets her down.

“No, I love you more.”

“No, I –“

“I love you both more than either of you could possibly love each other,” I cry out. “Now, come on or we’ll be here all day.”

Axel rushes over to me and grabs me by the hand. We both cry out a few more goodbyes and “I love yous” to Stella as we go out the door, beaming all the way to the car.

Once we’re settled inside, I expect Axel to turn on the car and peel out of the driveway at top speed. But for a second, he just sits. Takes a breath. Gives me a moment to admire him. Dark hair, those eyes I’d like to get lost in as if it’s the densest forest in all the world, cheekbones as sharp as diamonds.

The silence ends with Axel taking a deep breath and dropping his hands on the steering wheel. “Alright, ready?”

His eyes meet mine and I can’t help but smile. “Ready.”

* * *

I know something is up when we hit Malibu and Axel says he’s lost.

“What do you mean, you’re lost? It’s the PCH. You just drive,” I say, gesturing the sprawling beachfront highway.

“Where is the place again?” he asks.

“Pull over.”

Axel does so while I open the family text and scroll through for the name of the restaurant. “Paulo’s. It should be–” I look up for the cross street and then back at the image of the map in the group text. “Wait. It says it should be here, but that’s not possible because…”

I look around. I know this spot. I’ve been here many times before.

This is where we park for our spot. The cove of the beach.

“What’s going on?” I frown and look at Axel.

He doesn’t seem to be confused. In fact, he’s smiling. “They must have given us the wrong directions.”

“I…I’ll text them.” I send off a text quickly and then stare at my phone, waiting for someone, anyone to reply.

Nothing.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” I mutter.

“It’s okay. They’ll get back to us.”

I put my phone in my lap and look around. “Well. Guess we just wait.”

Axel glances out at the beach. “You want to go for a quick walk to our spot?”

I shake my head. “I won’t get service out there.”

“It’ll be quick.”

I huff. It’s my own fault that we’re late but it’s not my fault we’re lost. That can fall squarely on Kira’s shoulders. “Axel, I really just want to get this figured out before we–”

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