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Natalie
Later, we sat around the dining table, everyone with full bellies, and shared anecdotal stories of anything from our childhoods to our college days.
Axel’s father stood up and stretched, stating he was going to bed since he had an early flight back to Dallas and had to be at the airport at five in the morning. Axel rose up, and they hugged. His father was pushing fifty and was the definition of a silver fox with his salt-and-pepper hair. He was striking and looked like an older version of Axel. They were almost identical in height and build. His father still worked out daily and was in excellent shape.
Standing up with Lexi in my arms, I gave him a hug. “It was so good to see you.”
He swiped at Lexi’s tuft of hair. “I had a great time. You better come visit me soon,” he warned in a teasing voice.
“We will,” I promised.
My mom made her way to the kitchen to start cleaning up, but Axel followed her, stopping her before she made it very far. “I’ve got this,” he said. Soon, Nick and Roman were up and in the kitchen helping. Seemed like old times when they lived in Hillside.
Roman glanced around. “Where the hell’s Dmitri?”
“He’s changing Luca’s diaper,” Sorina called out as she retook her seat at the table. “You want to go help him? It was a big one, especially since Luca’s been eating solid food.”
Roman scrunched his nose. “No thanks.”
Everyone laughed.
Axel slapped him on the back. “It’s not so bad. I change diapers all the time.”
“I still can’t get over seeing you and Dmitri changing diapers.” Roman bent over, setting a plate in the dishwasher.
“One day it will happen to you, man.”
“Now, I’d pay money to see Roman change a diaper,” Nick said and nudged his chin at Axel. “Should we make a wager on it?”
“You know I’m game.”
Roman ignored them both.
Soon after, Dmitri was back holding a freshly bathed Luca in his arms. “That was a bad one,” he said gravely. “Like an explosion went off in his diaper.”
Cue another chuckle from us all.
“Aww, darling, I’m sorry.” Sorina held out her arms to take Luca, who sported a lopsided smile. “But you did brag about how our son could eat anything, and you know what goes in… must come out.”
“Anyway,” my mom interjected. “I think I am going to go to bed.”
Soon, everyone dispersed to their rooms for the night. Axel was putting Lexi to bed and whispered in my ear to be ready and waiting for him to “tuck” me in.
I cleaned my face, put on the sexy pink lace bra and panties Axel had bought me the other day, and slipped into the bed. Smiling, I thought about what a wonderful weekend it had been, seeing friends and family. It made me realize how fortunate we were. We’d already made a pact to get together at least once a year, maybe more if we could swing it and everyone’s schedules worked out.
Ten minutes later, I was still waiting. Fifteen minutes later, I started to worry. Thirty minutes later, I sighed and slipped out of the bed. Lexi normally fell asleep quickly. Shrugging on a robe, I hurried out of our room and down the hall.
Stopping at Lexi’s door, I heard the low rumble of Axel’s voice. “You wanna hear a story?”
Lexi cooed, and I peered through the half-open door, seeing her bouncing excitedly in his arms. She was wide awake.
“All right, then. Once upon a time, there was a…” Axel paused. “Let’s just say there was a cynical man who portrayed himself as happy-go-lucky and had everything in the world going for him. Fame, girls, uber-intelligent… basically living the dream.” I bit back a laugh and glanced up at the ceiling.
“He literally had anything his heart desired. However,” he sobered, “he felt empty and bored. After a few years, he thought he had a hole in his heart.”
Lexi ducked her head as her eyes started to close, and Axel tucked her under his chin. “I know. It was truly pathetic, but it’s true.” I shook my head, but my heart melted.
“Then he met this innocent princess. She didn’t wear tulle or have a tiara. She wore oversized sweatshirts, baggy jeans, and glasses. She had these voyeur tendencies, too, but that’s neither here nor there. All I knew was when I saw her standing in that library, with thick black hair and cheeks flushed in embarrassment, I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world.”
