by Kim Fox
“I’ll be surprised if I ever get warm again,” Zane said through chattering teeth. “I feel like my insides are frozen.”
“Because they were,” Jax said, shooting Axel a scowl. “Remember when we saw that shattered grizzly bear? His insides were frozen solid.”
A thickness settled into Axel’s throat as he thought back to earlier that day in the forest when they saw the shattered remains of the frozen bear’s dead body.
“He could have done that to us,” Zane said, looking pathetic as he held his cup of coffee in his shaking hands. “One hit to that block of ice with us inside would have shattered our frozen bodies to pieces. He spared us.”
“Thank God he did,” Axel said, swallowing hard.
Jax turned to him with a glare. “Yes,” he said in a tight voice. “Thank God is right. It’s no thanks to you.”
Axel’s chin dipped to his chest as guilt sank in. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. He had abandoned his friends when they had needed him the most and they had nearly died because of it.
And it was all for nothing. He didn’t get anywhere with Hadley. If anything, he had gone backward after that failed, embarrassing attempt at a kiss.
“You should have been here,” Jax said, shaking his head as he looked at him in disgust. “I’m going to recommend to Draven that you get kicked out of the crew.”
Axel’s chest tightened with his words. The firehouse crew was all that Axel had left. It would kill him to lose it, but he knew that he had it coming.
He shouldn’t have left. He should have been there for his friends.
“Let’s not let things get out of hand,” Zane said, giving Jax a look. “If Axel had been here, he would have been frozen as well and we would have had no one to thaw us out.”
Jax shook his head. “Maybe with three we could have—”
“Come on, Jax,” Zane said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “You were there. A whole crew of shifters wouldn’t have been able to slow him down. Axel is here now and we’re going to need him more than ever. Valerius will be back.”
“What happened?” Axel asked, wanting to know everything.
Zane’s eyes glossed over as he stared down at the coffee mug in his hand. “He just came walking up the street,” he said with a shiver, “and asked for Draven.”
“We told him that Draven had moved away three months ago,” Jax added, “but he didn’t believe us.”
“That was when he released his dragon,” Zane said, cringing with the memory.
They explained how they had tried to fight back, but he was way too strong and fast for them to handle.
“We couldn’t see,” Jax said, shaking his head. “There was ice everywhere. Coming down from the sky like blue fire that froze the instant it touched anything. How can you fight something like that?”
“We have to let Draven know,” Zane said.
“But we don’t know where he is,” Axel answered as he held his breath. “He could be anywhere in Europe right now.”
Jax looked from Zane to Axel. “I think we’re on our own for this one, boys,” he said with a look of dread on his face. “It’s time to pull out our snowsuits and sharpen our ice skates.”
Axel’s face reddened as Zane turned to him. “Can we count on you this time?”
“Yes,” he said with a nod. “Absolutely.”
“The date didn’t go well?” Jax asked with a condescending laugh.
“No,” Axel said, feeling his heart break all over again. “It didn’t.”
“Cheer up, buddy,” Jax said, giving Axel a hard slap on his shoulder. “Because you have a date with a dragon.”
Zane was watching Axel closely. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You look like you just got your heart broken. Who was that date with?”
Axel cringed. “With Hadley.”
“The girl from the auction?” Jax asked, tilting his head to the side. “I thought she went back home. Don’t tell me she came back to see you.” He laughed.
“She’s pregnant,” Axel blurted out. “And it’s my kid.”
Zane sucked in a deep breath as he leaned back in his chair. “So, that explains why you left.”
“Don’t tell me we’re going to have a fucking kid running around here now,” Jax said, looking annoyed. “I’ll quit.”
Axel just sighed. “You’ll be happy to know, Jax, that she’s going back home tomorrow.”
“Oh, thank God,” Jax whispered under his breath. His face softened when he saw how devastated Axel looked. “I mean, I’m sorry, bud. That really sucks… for you.”
“She’s leaving?” Zane asked, ignoring the rude lion shifter. “Are you going to see her again?”
“I’m not sure,” Axel said, trying to hold himself together. It wasn’t an easy task after the night he had. “She lives in Philadelphia and is planning on raising my kid there. I’ll be lucky if I see him or her once a year.”
His head drooped down and he closed his burning eyes. If only there had been a spark. If only they had connected. Axel could be telling them the news and instead of sad faces and whispered condolences, he could have been getting slaps on the back and shouts of congratulations.
“Don’t look so glum, Axel,” Jax said, trying to make him feel better in his own flawed way. “It’s better this way. Really. Kids are the worst.”
Zane rolled his eyes. “Come on, Jax. Don’t say that!”
But Axel’s curiosity was piqued. “Why do you hate kids so much?”
He had always wanted to know. Jax was always going on and on about how horrible kids were and how they would ruin your life if you were stupid enough to have any. There had to be a reason why he was so anti-children.
“They’re stinky, sticky, whinny, crying, blobs of germs,” Jax said, crinkling his nose up in disgust. “I can’t stand kids.”
“Jax didn’t have the best experience with children when he was growing up,” Zane said. “The kids in the orphanage were a little bit cruel.”
“A little bit?” Jax shouted, raising his voice higher than even he seemed to expect. “No. They were more than just cruel. They were straight out of my nightmares.”
“Not all kids are mean like that,” Axel said, wondering what happened. “You can’t hate all kids because of the actions of a few.”
“Oh, yes I can,” Jax said with a huff. “Watch me. I don’t want to be around any kids. It’s better that your little girl is not living here.”
“How do you know it’s a girl?” Axel asked. “It could be a boy.”
“That would be even worse!” Jax shouted, getting all worked up. “She’s raising the kid in Philadelphia. Let her stay there and you stay here. You dodged a bullet as far as I’m concerned.”
Axel’s head was starting to hurt from talking about this. All he wanted to do was lay in bed and drown in the beautiful obliviousness of sleep. He just hoped that he would be able to fall asleep with the way his mind was racing.
“I’m going to bed,” he said as he stood up from the table. “I’m really sorry I wasn’t there for you guys. I’ll be there next time.”
And since Valerius was still around, there probably would be a next time.
“It’s okay, Axel,” Zane said with an understanding nod. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you tonight.”
“His kid is gone and he didn’t get turned into a shifter popsicle,” Jax said with a glare. “It seems like it worked out pretty well for him.”
“You still have some ice on your head,” Axel said before smacking the lion shifter hard across the back of the head with his hand. “That’s better.”
Jax frowned as he held his head and watched Axel walk to the stairs.
Chapter 6
Hadley
“Look, lady,” the pissed-off looking elderly man in front of Hadley said. “I have to get to Philadelphia today.”
Hadley cringed as the airline employee at the desk looked away with disinterest, not seeming to give any shits about where the rude man had to be
. She just kept spewing out the standard cookie-cutter corporate lines of fake sympathy. “On behalf of everyone at Montanya Airlines, I’m sorry for any inconvenience you’ve experienced.”
“I’m sure you are,” he muttered as he charged away from the desk with a huff.
The whole airport was in an uproar. All flights had been delayed indefinitely.
It was a gorgeous sunny summer day in Montana and all of the flights had been grounded due to extreme weather. None of this makes any sense.
The manager of the airline stepped up onto a platform and the crowd of outraged commuters quieted down for the first time since Hadley arrived at the airport that morning.
“There’s been a… situation,” the manager said, looking unsure of how to explain it. “All of the planes are non-operational.”
“It must be a terrorist attack,” someone behind Hadley whispered.
Hadley’s eyes widened in panic. What if it’s a terrorist attack?
“It’s not a terrorist attack,” the manager said. “At least, I don’t think it’s a terrorist attack. All flights arriving at and leaving Green International Airport have been canceled.”
The crowd exploded into angry shouts.
“What?!?”
“You can’t do this!”
“We have rights!”
“I have to get to Dallas for a wedding!”
Someone even threw a water bottle at the poor manager who was suddenly at the head of an angry mob of stranded travelers.
“Please!” the manager said, looking increasingly nervous. “This is beyond our control. The weather—”
“The weather is perfect you idiot!” the mom of four beside Hadley screamed out. “Where are we supposed to stay?”
The crowd pushed forward, overwhelming the balding manager who retreated behind the desk.
There were hundreds of stranded travelers in the airport who needed a place to stay and a cab to get there. Hadley hurried over to the line-up for the taxis and it was already around the corner with only one overwhelmed cab driver left.
Oh, crap. I’m really screwed now.
Then she saw him. Winding through the crowd like the savior that he was.
“Axel!” she shouted, waving her hand in the air.
His searching face lit up in a smile when he spotted her. Hadley had never been so relieved to see someone. Maybe there was nothing between them romantically, but she knew that Axel would take her out of there and give her a place to stay until the flights were up and running again.
“What’s going on in here?” Axel said after he pushed through the crowd to get to her. People were looking even more panicked now that their amount of options were quickly declining.
“All of the flights are canceled due to the weather,” she said, shaking her head. “Maybe too much sun? I don’t get it either.”
Axel took her arm and pulled her protectively against him. There were people rushing by with bags and suitcases, which could bump into her stomach and hurt the baby. She wasn’t very far along and the odds of that happening were pretty slim, but Hadley was already beginning to worry like a mother.
“You can stay with us until the planes are running again,” Axel said, holding her close. Her chest fluttered at being held by the muscular man like she was the most important thing in the world. He kept his thick arms out, protecting her and their baby against the unpredictable crowd.
“Thank you,” she said, getting a whiff of his masculine scent. “I really don’t want to sleep here.”
Axel took her bag and guided her to the exit, making sure that nobody bumped into her.
“What are you doing here anyway?” she asked when they were outside where it was less crowded.
“I came to see you off,” he said, looking at her with his soft brown eyes. “Did you really think I was going to leave without saying goodbye?”
Hadley didn’t answer. She just turned away as her cheeks got warm. She wasn’t used to men being so thoughtful and acting so chivalrous. The men she dated back in Philadelphia hadn’t been like this.
As they walked to Axel’s truck, she thought back to last night, wondering why there hadn’t been a spark. You know why.
The truth was that she was attracted to the hot firefighter and she did often think about him, even when she was back at home in Philly. But last night, she was too busy trying to convince herself that there was nothing there and pretending that she wasn’t interested to actually see if there was anything between them. Hadley was convinced that it would be easier that way in the long run.
Having a boyfriend in Montana, or feelings for her child’s father was just too complicated. It was bound to go all wrong.
Sure the feelings were real now, but what would happen when the attraction eventually faded and they were stuck in a hopeless marriage? She would be stuck in a loveless relationship like her mother and that was something she wasn’t willing to risk.
Still, a small part of her wanted it to work out. It was the part that took over when she was tired and her defenses were down. It was the part of her that showed itself whenever she saw a happy family walking down the street or an elderly couple holding hands. As much as she told herself that it was a bad idea, she still couldn’t help picturing moving out here to the beautiful town of Colwood, marrying a hot fireman, and becoming a happy family.
“Where are you going?” she asked as Axel pulled her away from the parking lot. He stepped onto the grass and was walking toward the fence, pulling her along with him by the hand.
“I want to see what’s really wrong with the planes,” he said as he glanced up at the impeccable blue sky. “Because it certainly isn’t the weather.”
Hadley was curious herself so she grabbed onto the top of the fence when they arrived and pulled herself up.
“Wha-?” she gasped when she saw what really caused the flights to be canceled. “How is that possible?”
There was ice everywhere. Covering every plane in thick frozen blocks, coating the runaway, even turning the tower into a frosted igloo. It was the middle of July and she was wearing a t-shirt. How could there be that much ice?
Axel nervously ran his hand through his mohawk as he watched with a tight expression on his face.
“What do you think happened?” she asked, staring at him in shock.
“Not sure,” he muttered as he got down from the fence. “Must be a freak ice storm or something.”
Hadley frowned as he helped her down off the fence. Freak ice storm? She had never heard of a freak ice storm in the middle of July. Maybe it was a Montana thing…
“Let’s get out of here,” Axel said, looking shaken up. He took her hand and hurried to the truck.
“It’s probably going to take a few days for them to clear that ice and check the planes,” Axel said once they were in the truck and driving down the highway. “You can stay with us in my room. I’ll take Gunner’s room.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” she said even though that sounded like fun. “I don’t want to put you out. I can stay at the inn again while I’m here.”
Axel shook his head, looking like he wasn’t about to take no for an answer. “You should save your money for the baby. I have a free room and free meals.”
Hadley thought about it as she looked out the window at the tall cedar trees whizzing by. She did need to save her money for the baby. There were going to be a lot of expenses coming up, and she had to start getting her finances in order—one more thing to worry about.
“Okay,” she said softly. “I’ll stay with you guys if it’s not too much of a burden.”
“Not at all,” he said, looking happier than he had all morning.
A few minutes later he pulled into the parking lot of a drug store. “I’m sure you’re going to need a few more things for your stay.”
“Thanks,” she said, looking at him in surprise. He definitely was thoughtful and attentive to her needs.
They walked in together and Hadley began picking up some stuff. S
he had only planned on staying for one night, so she was seriously understocked on deodorant, shampoo, and body wash.
Axel had disappeared down another aisle and she went to find him once she had everything she needed.
She let out a soft laugh when she found him in the baby aisle with an overflowing cart. It was packed with bottles, baby pajamas, diapers, spoons, cups, and a bunch of other stuff that she didn’t even realize she needed.
He’s cute. I’ll give him that.
Hadley leaned against the shelves and silently watched him as he read the labels on two different brands of formula. “Excuse me,” he said, calling over the woman who was stocking the shelves at the other end of the aisle. “Which formula is better for babies?”
“Let me see,” the woman said as she walked over. “This one is a little bit better, but it’s much more expensive. Your baby should be fine with either one.”
Hadley smiled as he tossed the more expensive one into the basket.
“How old is your child?” the woman asked with a big smile on her face.
Axel smiled back even wider. “Zero,” he said with a laugh. “It’s still cooking in the oven.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” the woman said, clapping her hands together. “When is your wife due?”
He took a second to count on his fingers and then turned back to her. “April,” he said with his face beaming.
“What a delight a baby is,” the woman said with a smile. “There’s no better feeling than when you first hold your newborn baby in your arms.”
Axel’s face dropped as the woman congratulated him and went back to work. His big round shoulders drooped down as he stared at the full cart with an empty stare.
Hadley knew what he was thinking. He wouldn’t be there to experience any of it. The pregnancy. The birth. The first smile, the first step, the first word. He would miss it all.
She walked over with a tight smile, feeling guilty for keeping him and his baby apart.
“What’s all this stuff?” she asked, trying to get a smile back on his face.
The smile returned when he turned and looked at her. “I hope you brought a big suitcase,” he said with a grin. “You’re going to need it.”
