Page 20 of Hard Rain

Then Axel scrubbed one hand across the back of his neck. “I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

He let it go.

They could clear a house in under thirty seconds.

Getting Axel to unpack a garbage bag might take longer.

AUTOMATIC

Early October rolled around several days later, and Axel finally got to the last plastic bag.

Didn’t mean everything was organized, but at least they weren’t sitting out in the hallway anymore like bad luggage.

Wreckage from his past.

He couldn’t say he missed May. Not really. He’d come to terms with the fact that he hadn’t been in love with her.

He stared into the garbage bag.

His life was actually…okay right now.

Coffee already brewing.

Whip talking shit from the kitchen.

Dirty laundry.

He snorted and grabbed a few missing shirts from the bottom of the bag.

“That’s where they are.”

He tossed them into the overflowing hamper before sorting through old mail and paperbacks shoved beneath them.

Light knuckles tapped against the open door.

From the hallway, Whip’s blue eyes landed on him hard enough to pin him there.

“Breakfast is ready,” Whip said slowly.

Then he walked away without waiting for an answer.

Whip used to always wait.

Axel sighed, fisting the papers.

Things at home had felt off for almost two weeks.

Not fighting.

But this was almost worse. Hell, he’d take a fucking fight right now over this strained weirdness.

Axel knew most of it was his fault. What the hell was he supposed to say anyway? Sorry for interrupting your life? Sorry for showing up here and wrecking the peace? Sorry for turning your house into storage for all my bullshit?

Sorry for becoming a burden.

Jaw tightening, he grabbed the laundry basket and dropped it beside the washer before following the smell of bacon and something sweet enough to be waffles down the hall.

The kitchen windows rattled beneath steady rain while gray morning light spread across the counters. Coffee hissed in the pot beside the stove. Bacon crackled in a pan on the stove.