AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gavin snapped his neck in Axel’s direction. I watched his eyes widen a little as he took in my son. Axel launched himself into my lap and placed the dandelion in my face.
“What is it, baby?”
“Uncle Marcus told me that, if you blow them, you get to make a wish.” His little face beamed as he explained.
I couldn’t help the smile that took over my face. Axel was my peace and light. He came into my life exactly when I needed him.
“Blow mama, blow.”
I laughed lightly at his persistence, but I did as I was told and I blew the dandelion. The little feathers on the plant spread everywhere.
I opened my mouth but he immediately covered it with his small hand.
“Don’t tell me, shhh secret. Uncle Marcus said they secret.”
I nodded against his hand and pulled him to my chest. He immediately snuggled into me. He was getting a little too big to be in my lap, but I would savor every moment I had with him like this. No matter how big he got, he would always be my baby. I placed a gentle kiss on his head of dark brown hair. At first glance, you wouldn’t be able to tell that Axel was my son from just looking at his physical features.
Axel was my whole heart. My entire life revolved around this little bundle in my arms. He made me want to be a better person.
“As I live and breathe. Gavin Hendricks,” Marcus’ loud voice bellowed as he approached us. “What are you doing in this neck of the woods? Last I heard, you were living it up in Los Angeles.”
My eyes flicked up to where the two men stood only two feet away from me on the porch. They did a little man half-hug thing and laughed. Gavin and Marcus knew each other quite well. They had never been close friends but, since Gavin had been my best friend, he had been over at our house a lot.
“I needed a change of pace and thought returning home would do some good for my head. What are you doing here? Do you also help to manage the ranch like Dan?”
Damn it, that name again.
It had my heart doing funny things that I didn’t like. I needed to get a grip. This was Gavin, not some random I wanted to hook up with, even though I very much would have liked to know what his hands on my body felt like. Immediately, I scolded myself. I needed to get these thoughts under control.
“Mommy ow.” Axel squirmed in my arms. It was only then that I realized I had been holding onto him a little too tightly.
“Sorry baby,” I muttered lowly.
What the hell? I need to get control of myself.
“My wife owns the place. We are just living here now for the time being. We are rebuilding our home.” Marcus explained, “I work down at the firehouse.”
“No shit.” Gavin grinned. His teeth were so white and straight. “I always hoped you would settle down after everything, Congrats. Maddison must have been really special to change your mind.”
Marcus shrugged, “Maddison changed my whole life, man. She came in like a freaking tornado and rearranged everything about my life.”
“To be fair, he just knocked me up so he kind of trapped me.” Maddison walked out again with a hot bowl of noodles in her hand. She had been eating those throughout her second trimester, and she still hadn’t let them go.
My brother walked over to his wife and kissed her on the lips tenderly. I always wondered what it was like to be so consumed by somebody that they just become your whole existence. I would be lying if I said I never craved what those two had. I was fine being on my own but there were lonely days when I craved the touch of another. I looked away from them and saw that Gavin was staring at me.
I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. Why was he affecting me like this? There was something dancing behind his eyes, but as quickly as it came, it left.
When Marcus and Maddie were done being annoyingly cute, they pulled apart.
“Danny I can take Axel in for his nap. You can show Gavin around a bit. You can take the ATVs—the truck still needs a little work.”
I looked down at my son and, sure enough, the little bugger had fallen asleep. I kissed his little head and then nodded to my brother.
Marcus took Axel out of my arms and headed inside with Maddison in tow. Before she entered the house, she looked between the both of us for a moment. She didn’t say anything at first just stood with her bowl of noodles. She gently rubbed her belly, something she often did when she was thinking or plotting in her mind.
My eyes immediately narrowed. Whatever she was thinking, she needed to stop. I knew Maddison and Maddison’s favorite thing to do was meddle.
“You guys have had sex, haven’t you?” There it was.
