by Ali Parker
My hands had been shaking as I buckled Hanna into her booster seat. She was in a good mood, kicking her feet playfully as I drove down to the station white-knuckled. I tried to keep my tone cheerful, but the anxiety in my chest made it nearly impossible.
I needed to see him and make sure he was all right with my own two eyes. Then, I could relax.
I parked the car outside of the station and hurried to unbuckle Hanna.
“We’re going to see Axel now, okay? Are you excited?”
Hanna nodded and smiled up at me as I helped her out of the car. Her feet hit the sidewalk, and she took my hand. The two of us turned to begin making our way up the cement stairs to the front doors of the precinct.
I looked up as my foot hit the bottom stair, and just as I did, the doors swung open, and out strode Axel. His eyes fell on me, and then he was hurrying down the steps, a smile plastered on his face.
I let out a joyful squeal as he met us at the bottom of the stairs. He swept me up into his arms and spun in a circle. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him hard until he put me down. Then I stood back to look him over as he crouched down to hug Hanna.
The little girl threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. He held her to him and looked up at me. There was something different in those eyes of his now. Something happy. At ease. He pressed his lips to the side of Hanna’s head and looked back down as his eyes turned glassy.
Axel Cooper wasn’t about to get emotional, was he? Surely not.
Axel got to his feet, but Hanna ran around his legs before tugging on his jeans. She stared up at him as he peered down at her, and then she stretched her arms over her head, her fingers flexing as she reached for him.
“She wants you to hold her,” I leaned in to tell him.
His surprise was obvious in the widening of his eyes. Then, his expression softened, and he bent at the knees to scoop the little girl up in his arms. He looked like a natural as we made our way back to the car.
Hanna was leaning away from him so she could look at his face. Her fingers reached out and traced his features like she was really seeing him for the first time. I stopped walking, frozen by the intimacy of the moment, and held my breath as Hanna chewed on her bottom lip. She was about to say something.
“Are you okay, Daddy?” she asked in that soft little voice of hers.
Axel blinked.
And then he looked at me.
I was a mess. Tears were streaming down my face as soon as the word left her lips, but I was smiling too. This was what I had been waiting for. I knew it wouldn’t take long for Hanna to warm up to Axel, but I suspected it might be a while before Axel was willing to hear his new title on his daughter’s lips.
Instead of freaking out, Axel bounced Hanna in his arms. “I’m okay, you don’t need to worry about me. But you know what I do need?”
Hanna waited for his answer. “What?”
“Food,” Axel groaned, poking her in the ribs and earning himself some high-pitched giggles. “What do you say? Stop and grab some lunch?” He turned back to me as he asked the question.
I nodded. “I haven’t been able to eat in over a day and a half. Yes please.” At that, my stomach growled.
Axel chuckled. “All right. Let’s get you in the car, and we’ll fill our bellies.”
Axel buckled Hanna into her car seat, and the two of them chatted as he did so. I slid into the passenger seat and listened to Hanna tell Axel all about the princess in one of her favorite cartoons. Axel was attentive and sweet as he listened, and when the story was done, he bopped her on the nose. “You’re a good little storyteller, you know.”
“I know.”
Axel and I laughed, and he got into the driver’s seat beside me. His hand found mine after he turned the engine on, and we pulled away from the curb, heading out down the street to find the right place to stop for food.
Axel didn’t let go of my hand until we had parked the car at a family restaurant not far from his house. It definitely wasn’t the sort of place Axel would have ever gone to before Hanna was in his life.
He beat me to the back seat once more to unbuckle Hanna, and he picked her up and met me at the front of the car. He took my hand, and we entered the restaurant together.
As a family.
My heart had never felt so big.
Eating at the restaurant was pleasant. Axel played with Hanna and me, grabbing my knee and squeezing to get a rise out of me. I slapped his hand away as he went to try it again, and he laughed and returned his hand to his lap.
As Hanna’s attention drifted to the coloring mat and crayons in front of her, I wrapped my hands around Axel’s arm and pressed myself against him. I rested my chin on his shoulder so that when I spoke, my words were only for him.
“I’m so glad you’re okay. I was worried.”
Axel turned to kiss my forehead. “Did you ever doubt me?”
“Never. But I didn’t doubt Watson, either. It could have gone down any number of ways. It was scary. You’re sure you’re not hurt?”
Axel shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing I can’t handle. A couple bumps and bruises.” His hand went absently to his throat, which was discolored. I knew what that meant. Someone had gotten their hands around his neck and given him a good squeeze. I leaned in and kissed the purpling skin. He smiled and patted my hand on his arm. “I’ll be fine.”
“You still seem tense.” I wanted him to open up. He didn’t need to carry anything by himself anymore. I was here to help, and I planned to be here forever if he would let me.
“Watson puts me on edge. He’s weaseled his way out of situations like this before.”
“But before, Dani wasn’t calling the shots. This time, you have someone personally invested working on the inside. That has to count for something, right?”
Axel nodded. “You’re right.”
“Everything’s okay now.” I kissed his cheek. “I promise. It’s just the three of us you have to worry about. No more psychos with guns.”
“No more psychos with guns,” he agreed with a grin and then reached for his glass of ice water. I grabbed mine, and we tapped our glasses together in the strangest toast of my life.
After lunch, Axel took us to the park. The sun was shining, and the day was warm, and it was the perfect day to squeeze in some play time. Hanna loved the winding plastic slide from the top platform of the playground. I walked her up, and Axel would catch her at the end as per her request. If Axel wasn’t at the bottom waiting for her, she wasn’t sliding.
I knew this request was the highlight of Axel’s day. I stood on the top platform, watching as Hanna slid into his arms. I had never seen him look so happy.
After the park, we went home. We curled up on the couch, all three of us, to watch Disney movies. I fell asleep after a while. I was exhausted, after all. I had barely slept at all the night before because of how worried I was for Axel. But now, sleep washed over me and hugged me tightly as I lay against Axel’s right side.
Hanna was on his left, and both of us were tucked under his arms. His girls.
Axel woke me up late in the evening by gently shaking my shoulder. I sat up, rubbing sleep out of my eyes with the heels of my palms.
“What time is it?” I mumbled.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me gently to my feet. “Almost midnight.”
“What? Aren’t you tired?”
He shrugged as we walked down the hall to the bedroom. “I didn’t want to wake either of you up. It was nice just having you both with me. Hanna’s in bed already.”
We brushed our teeth, gazing contently at one another’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. After flossing and swishing some mouthwash around my mouth, I padded into the bedroom and slipped under the blankets.
Axel joined me and rolled on to his side. He drew me into him, curling himself around me. I fit perfectly in the groove of his body. I reveled in his warmth and the feeling of his skin on mine. I had been so terrified I might
not ever have another moment like this with him. I had been so afraid Watson was going to steal that from me.
But I had him back. He was mine. And he was Hanna’s. Everyone was safe.
I snuggled deeper into him, and he rested his chin in the groove of my shoulder and neck. I listened to his even breaths and felt his heartbeat on my back. I sighed, pushing away all the stress of the day with the slow exhale of breath.
Then, I sank deeper into the mattress, feeling nothing but gratitude.
Axel was alive and well.
If I had lost him today, I had no idea what I would have done.
Chapter 29
Axel
I arrived at the bar at five o’clock on the dot, as agreed. Hanna and Ellie were with me, but I asked them to hang back for a bit. Once we were done discussing business, the girls could come join us, but for now, it was best if they waited outside.
Ellie didn’t protest. She nodded and kissed me before I slipped through the doors and paused to let my eyes adjust to the dimness of the place.
All of the MC was already there.
They were taking up almost the entire place. Beer pitchers sat in the middle of nearly every table, and as the doors closed behind me, all heads turned in my direction.
Johnny, dressed a plaid shirt and old blue jeans, got to his feet and picked up his glass of beer from the table. He held it up high and then without saying a word, took a sip. The others all followed suit in saluting me.
I didn’t like the attention, but I had been expecting it.
I walked through the tables to where Johnny sat and dropped down into an open chair beside him. Across from me sat Jax. He was grinning like a fool as he picked at French fries in front of him in a red basket. Also at the table was Hyde and Derek, both of whom looked pleased to see me.
“So, Dani is pleased with how shit went down yesterday.” Johnny took another swig of his beer, and a little bit of foam lingered in his dark facial hair. “Says you had a bit of a fight on your hands when she showed up.”
“Had to make a call. Shit was going to go sideways real quick if we went into that bank.”
Johnny nodded almost sympathetically. “The bastard didn’t do any real damage, did he?”
Jax chuckled and popped a fry into his mouth. “You all worried about the well-being of our Axel?”
Johnny scowled over at Jax. “Shut up.”
Jax shrugged. “Just saying. The concern is sweet. I hope you’d feel the same about me if I was ever—”
“Shut the fuck up, Jax. Nobody’s talking to you.” Johnny’s glare was darker now, and Jax obeyed by clamping his mouth shut and swallowing his French fry.
I started laughing. Everyone looked over at me with surprised expressions. I suppose it made sense. Laughing wasn’t something I did very often.
“Let’s just get this meeting over with,” I said, and I got to my feet.
As soon as I stood, all the chatting, deep voices around us fell silent, and all eyes fell on me. I had the attention of everyone in the room without having to speak a word.
“So, I’ve called a meeting today to give you all an update on everything that went down yesterday concerning the Black Hearts new leader. Watson Young is going to be looking at the inside of a prison cell for a very, very long time.”
The men in the bar roared and cheered as they clapped in celebration.
I raised my hand to silence them once more, and they fell quiet. “Of course, this doesn’t mean his crew won’t still be out on the streets looking to start a fight. I don’t know where this leaves us with them.”
Jax cleared his throat, and I glanced down at him. “I’d like to say something about that, if I could.”
I nodded and Jax got to his feet so that the room could hear him. “I ran into a Black Hearts boy on the street this morning.”
Mumbling broke out in the room at those words.
“Shut up, you bastards. You gossip like high school girls at a dance.” Jax said, and then waited for silence again. When he had it, he lifted his chin and continued speaking. “He approached me. And then he thanked the MC for taking care of Watson. Apparently, the guy put a bad taste in a lot of their mouths, but they weren’t exactly in the position to do anything about it. Axel, you’re kind of a household name over there now.”
I blinked in surprise. I hadn’t been expecting that.
“So,” Jax continued, “As it stands right now, there’s no bad blood between the MC and the Black Hearts. I, for one, am happy to keep it that way. Peace sounds like something we should all try, you know?”
I was nodding before I even realized it.
I had bigger problems now than petty gang disputes. I had Hanna and Ellie to worry about. When I wasn’t working in the shop, those two girls would have all of my time and energy. Plain and simple. They deserved at least that.
Johnny stood once more. “A state of peace between us and the Black Hearts?” He shrugged and then grinned. “Crazier things have happened, right?”
“Right,” Jax and I said in unison.
Then the whole bar was toasting to peace, and all of us were settling down into our seats to enjoy the company of our brothers.
Jax nudged my shoulder with his. “Crazier things like finding out you have a daughter.”
I chuckled. “Yeah. Well. Doesn’t feel so crazy anymore.”
Jax’s eyebrows crept up his forehead, and he and Johnny exchanged a look. “No?”
“No.” I shook my head. “She’s mine, and I love her. And now that Watson is out of the picture, I finally feel like I have the space to let her into my life. I know that probably doesn’t make sense, but—”
“Makes sense.” Johnny patted my back. “You’re a thick-headed fucker, you know that? But we’ve got your back. Always got your back.”
“I know.” I sipped my beer.
Daylight illuminated the bar for a brief second as the doors opened again. I turned in my seat to see Ellie standing with Hanna. The little girl was hiding behind Ellie’s legs, and Ellie was doing her best to coax her out. I suppose it might be daunting for a three-year-old to walk into a dimly lit bar surrounded by obnoxious men.
I got up and wasn’t oblivious to the stares I received as I went to meet my two girls. Ellie smiled at me as I dropped down to Hanna’s height and peered at her from between Ellie’s knees.
“It’s all right. These people are all my friends. Which means they’re your friends, too. I know they’re really loud, but this is a good place to be.”
Hanna still looked nervous, but she let me grab her hand. I pulled her to me and picked her up. Then, I took Ellie’s hand and the three of us went back to the table I shared with the guys.
Jax pulled up a chair for Ellie, and she thanked him before dropping down into it. Then, he poured her a beer and slid the glass across the table. She caught it, lifted it to her lips, and drank thankfully.
I sat down with Hanna on my lap and bounced my knees.
“This is my daughter, Hanna, everyone. Hanna, these are my friends. This is your Uncle Jax. And this ugly guy right here is your Uncle Johnny.”
Johnny scrunched up his nose. “Who are you calling ugly?”
Hanna giggled, and all the men at the table became softer at the sound.
“Fuck, she’s cute,” Johnny muttered.
“Language,” Ellie snapped.
“Sorry,” Johnny said, holding his hands up apologetically and leaning back in his seat. “Just sayin’. Didn’t think Axel had it in him to make something so sweet. Which reminds me,” Johnny reached under the table and withdrew a brown paper bag with twine handles. Then he pulled something out that was wrapped in pink tissue. He pulled his chair closer to me and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, so that he was eye level with Hanna.
She didn’t try to press herself against me to get away from him. Instead, she watched him as he started speaking to her.
“You know, Hanna, your daddy is a cool guy. He’s part of our … Kingd
om. And do you know what every Kingdom needs?”
Hanna shook her head, her strawberry blond curls dancing around her pink cheeks.
“A princess, of course,” Johnny said, and then he handed the wrapped object to her. “And a princess needs to wear the colors of her Kingdom.”
Hanna stared down at the package in her lap and then looked up at me. “Go ahead. Open it,” I encouraged.
Her little fingers dug into the tissue, and she worked to unwrap it. I knew what it was as soon as the first piece of pink tissue was stripped away. Black leather emerged, and when all the tissue was gone I couldn’t help but laugh.
Johnny had got Hanna a leather jacket to match the ones we all wore.
“I want one,” Ellie scowled beside me, crossing her arms under her breasts.
“Sorry, beautiful, there’s only one princess in the Kingdom, and that goes to Hanna.” Johnny leaned back, pleased with himself, and crossed his hands behind his head.
Hanna smiled up at me. “It’s just like yours, Daddy.”
“Yeah, it is. Now we match. Want to put it on?”
Hanna nodded gleefully.
I slid her off my knees, and she stood in front of me as I held out the jacket. I had to guide her little arms through the sleeves, and then I straightened out the jacket for her.
“Show everyone how awesome it looks,” I said.
Hanna turned around, and Johnny and Jax started clapping. Derek joined in, watching with a humorous expression as my daughter performed a curtsy that contrasted the edgy leather jacket she was wearing.
Johnny slid off his chair and dropped to one knee. He bowed his head to Hanna. “Welcome to the Kingdom, Princess Hanna. We are all here to keep you safe.”
Hanna giggled and raced back to my chair. She grabbed on to my leg and peered up at me. “I’m a princess, Daddy.”
I put my hand on her head and looked at Ellie, who was watching both of us with a giant smile. “Yeah, you are.”
Epilogue
Ellie
I rolled over to roll into him but found Axel’s side of the bed empty. Still half asleep, I searched his side of the bed with my hands before finally managing to open my eyes.
