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I swallow a lump in my throat as the simple nickname reminds me that there’s still so much to talk about. Still so many secrets I don’t know about. His eyes flicker with understanding that he is thinking the same thing as me but he lets go of my face and holds up the paper receipt once more.
“We will be able to do so many more things to help these women with this money,” he says softly. “I opened it only a year and a half ago. My financial advisor keeps telling me to stop putting my own money into it and we have been applying for different grants but they take a long time.”
“You used your own money to open it?” I ask him, surprised, and he nods.
“We have been planning to open a long term shelter. Set up more like apartments for the women to gain some independence and have some privacy while they look for jobs and housing. It’s just been moving slower than I would like it to.”
“You can’t just snap your fingers and have it done. Things take time. That sounds like an amazing goal, though.”
“This right here,” he says holding up the receipt to me. “This helps get us even closer to our goal.”
I try to hide my smile. Ax’s hand finds mine as he keeps his eyes on the road, his thumb brushing against the back of my palm mindlessly the rest of the drive home.
“Could you do me a favor?” I ask as the car comes to a stop.
Ax eyes me but says nothing, his hand still in mine.
“Can you not tell anyone where the money came from?”
“Not even Asher or Eli?” He asks surprised.
“I didn’t do it so people would know it was me or anything,” I shrug. “I’d rather it just be from some anonymous donor.”
He groans. “Not to sound ridiculous but we don’t really keep things from one another.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s a dumb excuse. I’m sure you guys don’t share everything.”
His eyes seem to flick up and down my body and he smirks. “Oh, but we do.”
I frown at him. “Not… everything…” I hesitate and he laughs at me, shaking his head.
“Eli didn’t even need to tell us about the other night, princess,” he says, as he brings my hand to his lips and brushes my knuckles with them. “You weren’t exactly quiet.”
I close my eyes, silently praying a hole opens and swallows me. Ax just laughs harder.
“But sure, I’ll try to keep this little secret just between us.”
He throws me a wink as he gets out of the car and I groan into the palm of my hands. I’m still trying to get the embarrassment to subside when I push open the kitchen door and find noise coming from the patio. Bianca and Scott are sitting in the hot tub while Asher and Eli throw a football back and forth.
Ax pulls his shirt up over his head and grabs a beer as he sits by the water, still smirking as he glances at me.
“Katelyn Elizabeth, why do you look like you just got caught masterbating?” Bianca yells at me from the hot tub and my mouth drops.
“What? No! I wasn’t!”
Ax laughs loudly, shaking his head as Eli and Asher look back and forth between us.
“How was your appointment with Mister Wentworth?” Asher asks, coming toward us and Bianca gags.
“Don’t tell me you were masterbating to my dad!”
“Oh my god, no! Ew! No offense,” I chuckle as I cover my horrified face in my hands.
“Why are we talking about Kate masterbating?” Scott asks, confused.
“We aren’t!” I shout.
Bianca just laughs. “Girl, your face says otherwise. You were thinking about something naughty. As long as it has nothing to do with my dad it’s fine, though.”
