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Maybe it was because Alex was cute and petite and curvy, along with that smart, dedicated and passionate that Chloe didn’t know about yet. Introversion was what it was, a part of who you were. Shyness often stemmed from other things, and he had no doubt Chloe knew that.
So she intended to get a handle on it.
Though, maybe it was something else.
But his woman was locking and loading, ready to roll, he felt it.
Doing this approximately five minutes after she committed to butting out of her siblings’ issues.
As such, he asked, “Are you serious?”
She jerked, rearranged her face and looked up at him.
“What?” she inquired with sham innocence.
“Yo, Alex,” he heard Rix say, this dragging his attention from his woman.
And he saw Alex scurrying out of Rix’s way like he’d surprised the hell out of her as he rolled into the doorframe.
This meant Alex slammed into the door.
Rix didn’t seem to notice.
Sometimes, Rix wore his prosthetics. Lately, since he’d just introduced them to his cadre of mobility choices, so he was training on them and getting used to them, when they went for a run together, Rix wore his running blades. Sometimes, he was in his chair.
There were often obvious reasons for his decisions. Rix had a highly mobile chair, so he could go on hikes in it, but usually, he wore his legs. But he rarely wore them to work.
Judge had no clue why he’d choose one or the other.
He didn’t ask. He thought it was too personal.
If Rix wanted to share, he would.
If he never did, that was his prerogative.
So he was just about to greet his bud, who had important things to input, therefore he was going to attend this meeting, when he felt the back of Chloe’s hand brush his.
This was because she swayed.
His attention went back to her.
Oh shit.
He turned to Rix.
For a second, he didn’t get it.
Then he took in both of the people in his office door and he did.
Oh shit.
“Yo, Chloe,” Rix greeted Chloe as Alex stared at him like she didn’t know if she should get on her hands and knees and genuflect or if she should tackle him in a way that Chloe and Judge would need to give them the room. Rix looked up at Judge. “We doin’ this, or what?”
“Alexandra,” Chloe drawled her name, wrapping it around her tongue like it was a delicious treat.
A delicious treat Rix should try.
“Are you attending this meeting with us?” she queried.
“Uh…yeah. I’m, uh…taking notes.”
Alex was a mess because she was trapped by the door and Rix’s chair and couldn’t get away from him.
Jesus Christ.
How had he not seen this?
“Excellent. I wish to know all about volunteering for Kids and Trails. I know!” Chloe clapped. Judge pressed his lips together. Rix’s brows drew down over his eyes. “How about, after the presentation, the four of us go to a late lunch?”
“Babe,” Judge growled.
“I already ate lunch,” Rix said.
“Me too!” Alex nearly shouted, her voice pitched so high, even Rix swung his head to look at her.
Rix knew her. They worked for the same company. She worked closely with Judge. Rix was close to Judge. He often helped with the Kids and Trails program.
But outside of understanding she existed and them sharing the same spheres on a frequent basis, that was as far as it went.
And now, with Rix’s gaze on her, something Alex was studiously avoiding, she was in hell and her blazing cheeks shared how hot it was.
Damn.
Chloe was not to be thwarted. “Perhaps another time. We’ll plan. Soon.”
Judge waded in. “Your dad’s here, babe. Let’s get this party started.”
She looked up at him. “Let’s.”
He widened his eyes at her in a stand down gesture.
She tipped her head to the side in a I’ll do as I wish gesture.
“Sorry…oh! Sorry!”
They both looked to the door.
Rix and Alex were doing a dance where Alex was trying desperately to escape, attempting to do this squeezing past him, which only caused Rix the inability either to shift in further or reverse, so he could get out of the way without running into her.
“Stand still,” Rix growled.
Alex played a statue it pained Judge to witness.
Rix backed out, looking ticked.
Fuck.
“Sorry,” Alex muttered miserably, dashing away from him to finally make good her escape.
Fuck.
It was impossible for Rix to avoid his change in life circumstances. And it wasn’t something he’d lived with for decades. It had only happened a couple of years ago.
That said, it was Judge’s opinion that, even if there were blips, and he was concerned some of them ran deeper than Rix was letting on (at least to the point of sharing with Judge), he handled things incredibly well.
He wasn’t totally adjusted, emotionally, mentally (even though he was physically).
But as far as Judge knew, he was good.
It was when people acted like he was an invalid, a different sort of person you were uncomfortable around or needed to be painfully polite to, it visibly pissed him off.
