Page 34 of Keeping His Babygirl

Addy.

My heart stops in my chest at the first sight of her in days. She looks beautiful in just jeans and a t-shirt. When I give her a second look, I notice the dark circles under her eyes. I can’t help but wonder if she’s not sleeping either.

“Oh buddy, what happened?” she asks, rushing to his side. She picks him up and holds him close. “Are you okay?”

He nods his head. She looks up at me for the first time, her mouth poised to speak, but no words come out. She shakes herself out of her silent stupor. “Sorry about that.”

She adjusts the squirming kid in her arms, looking uncomfortable.

“Mommy, I want charms.”

She turns her wide-eyed attention towards the little boy—her son. Holy shit, she’s a mother. Is this why she cut me off? Was she worried that I’d freak that she’s got a kid?

Am I freaked about the fact that she’s a mom? I think about it for a second and decide that I’m not freaked by it. In fact, it doesn’t bother me one bit. I never thought about dating a woman with a kid… hell, I never thought about dating anyone before… but Addy having a kid has no bearing on whether or not I want to date her.

“Okay, we will get some. Can you apologize to the nice man for running into him?”

Nice man? What the fuck. Is she really going to pretend that she doesn’t know me? Did I wake up in the fucking Twilight Zone?

“Sorry,” he says, burying his face in Addy’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, little man,” I say.

He squeezes Addy tighter, and she pats his back.

“I should finish shopping. It’s almost nap time.”

Anger, hot and fiery, bubbles up inside me. She’s really going to act like nothing happened between us.

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say after a week of radio silence?”

She closes her eyes and swallows thickly. “Axel, I just… I can’t, okay?”

“No, it’s not okay. I’ve been driving myself crazy with worry, and here you are pretending like nothing has happened,” I growl.

“I’m sorry,” she says sincerely. “I thought it would be easier this way.”

“You thought wrong, doll.”

She opens her mouth to say something but closes it again.

“Just tell me why,” I push.

Her son wriggles in her hold, trying to get down, but she holds on tight like she’s using him for a shield. “It’s nothing you did,” she finally says.

I feel a little relief at knowing it wasn’t me that sent her running, but if not me, then why.

“Then what happened? I thought we were on the same page, and everything was going good.”

She finally lets her squirming son down and watches as he runs to find his cereal. She hugs herself, keeping herself closed off from me. I hate it.

“Look, I’m just not in a place to start anything. It was a mistake.”

I close the scant distance between us and cup her face with my hands. Without a second thought, I crush my lips to hers right there in the middle of the grocery store for God and everyone to see. I lick her bottom lip, and she opens for me. I deepen the kiss, losing myself in the moment.

She comes to her senses and rips her lips away from mine. She steps away, her hand covering her lips as her eyes seek out her son. She seems to relax when she sees he’s not paying us any attention.

“You can’t tell me we are a mistake.”

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