Chapter 20

Ellie

I jumped up and down to pull Axel’s sweatpants on and then frantically worked to tie the drawstring. I didn’t bother putting on a bra. I hurried down the hall back to the front door and paused at the threshold.

Axel had asked me to hang back. He didn’t know what this police visit was all about, and I suppose it made sense for him to want me to stay out of it. If this was MC business, it would be smart to keep my distance.

I watched his back as he spoke with the two officers before him. There was tension in his shoulders. All his muscles were taut, and his skin almost seemed to shine in the early morning sunshine.

His ass looked pretty good in the sweats hanging off his hips too.

I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms over my chest to disguise my lack of a bra. The cops hadn’t even bothered to look at me, so I suspected things weren’t all that serious.

As I watched Axel’s back, my imagination started running wild. I was excited for him to come back to me so we could slip back inside together. I was looking forward to the morning we had planned. Thoughts of kissing him raced through my mind, and they led to other images that had my skin feeling hot.

I bit my bottom lip and stepped out onto the front step. The sun kissed my cheeks. As I considered joining them all in the driveway, motion beside the cop car caught my attention. There was another officer by the back door that I hadn’t even noticed. She was brunette. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and she had a pleasant smile as she crouched down in front of the open door.

Then, she stood and pulled something out with her.

It was a little strawberry blonde girl.

The cop closed the cruiser door with her hip and began marching up the driveway toward Axel with the child in her arms.

My hot skin suddenly went cold. Sweat broke out at the nape of my neck, and my stomach swirled with nerves.

I looked at Axel. If this was what I thought it was, he was going to need support. I darted back in the house and slid my feet into a pair of Axel’s massive shoes. The heels clunked against the ground as I went back outside and hustled down the steps to the driveway.

The cop and the little girl were in front of Axel now. The cop was holding the girl out to Axel, but his arms were hanging limply at his sides. I knew him better than almost anyone. I knew that he wouldn’t be able to digest this that quickly.

He needed me.

I arrived at his side and touched his bare shoulder to let him know I was there.

“Hi,” I said, stepping in front of him to insert myself in front of the little girl. I was struck by how beautiful she was. Her eyes were bright blue, just like Axel’s, and her gaze fell on me. I gave her a bright smile. “Hi there.” I wiggled my fingers in front of her face.

The little girl smiled but didn’t laugh.

I opened my arms, and the cop gratefully handed her over to me. I balanced her on my hip and turned back to Axel. “Is this what I think it is?”

He nodded without looking at me.

“Okay. It’s all right. We can figure this out.” I looked back at the officer, who seemed a little more at ease now that I was there. “Thank you. Is there anything we need to know?”

“We’ve already given all the information we have to Mr. Cooper, but if you need anything, you can call us at this extension.” She handed me a business card from her pocket, and I passed it to Axel.

“Okay. Thank you.” I looked at the little girl on my hip. “Hi, sweetheart. My name is Ellie. What’s your name?”

She buried her face in my shoulder. I couldn’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to talk to a bunch of strangers either.

“You don’t have to tell me right now. There’s plenty of time for that.” I made sure my voice had a happy, sing-song element to it as I spoke to her. “We were just about to make pancakes. Do you like pancakes?”

She nodded into my shoulder.

“Great. So do I. Maybe you can help me?”

She nodded again.

I turned to Axel. “I’m going to be in the kitchen. You come meet us in there when you’re ready, okay? I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” I touched his wrist to remind him how close I was. Then, with a nod to the cops, I turned on my heel and marched back to the front door with Axel’s daughter in my arms.

When we were inside, I kicked off Axel’s shoes and went into the kitchen. I put her down and grabbed a spatula from the container on the counter. “Could you hold onto that for me? I’m going to need it in a little bit.”

The little girl took the spatula and nodded as she hugged it close to her body.

I went about starting to prepare pancakes. All the while, I talked to her. I mostly rambled about nothing, but I made sure I held her attention and kept things light. I didn’t know what had happened, but there was a reason she had suddenly shown up on Axel’s doorstep. Something had happened, and I wanted her to feel as comfortable and safe as possible.

“Pancakes are my absolute favorite,” I said as I cracked an egg against the side of the bowl. “But I’m no good at stirring it all together. Do you think you could help me with that?”

She nodded, and I asked her permission before picking her up. She nodded to me that it was okay, so I picked her up and sat her on the edge of the counter. I used my body to box her in so that she couldn’t fall.

She still held the spatula against her small body, and she was looking up at me for more instructions.

“Okay,” I said, “All you have to do is put this end of the spatula in the bowl and stir. Nice and slow. You just let me know when your arm gets tired, and I can help you. Sound fun?”

She nodded and plunged the spatula into the bowl.

“Nicely done!” I exclaimed, clapping my hands together. “I’m so happy you’re here to help me. Are you having fun?”

The little girl nodded, looking from me to the bowl. She was smiling now, which made me happy in turn. Maybe she would be willing to speak to me now.

“Do you remember my name?” I asked, placing my hand on my chest.

She nodded.

“What’s my name?”

“Ellie.”

I grinned and clapped my hands together again. She seemed to like the noise because she smiled even bigger and stopped stirring the pancake mix.

“What’s your name?”

“Hanna.” Her voice was nasally and quiet—and adorable.

“Hanna. What a beautiful name. It suits you.” I encouraged her to keep stirring, and she did. “Thank you for helping me with the pancakes. This is a lot of work to do by myself.”

Just then I heard the front door close. Butterflies erupted in my stomach. I had no idea how Axel was going to process this. Fifteen minutes ago, his biggest concern was catering to my demands of maple syrup and fresh fruit.

Now, he had a child.

I looked over my shoulder and watched him walk into the living room. He paused at the threshold to the kitchen and braced himself on the island. His eyes swept up to meet mine, and I saw all the terror in the gaze that was as blue as his daughter’s.

I wanted to go to him and hold him and tell him everything would be okay. But I knew better. I knew that wouldn’t serve him well. Axel wasn’t the kind of man who liked to be vulnerable.

He was going to need time to swallow and make sense of all this new information. I could give him that.

“Hanna and I are going to finish making the pancakes. If you want to go lie down for a bit or take a shower, you have plenty of time. No rush.”

For a mortifying moment, I thought he might cry. He bowed his head, and his hands clenched into fists atop the counter. I stepped to the side to hide him from Hanna’s view and waited as the wave of emotion rolled over him.

“Axel?”

He looked up at me after a moment. His eyes were dry, but his jaw was clenched. He was not going to be able to answer me. He needed time.

“Go take a shower. I’ve got this.”

He nodded, and I watched him walk slowly down the hall to his bedroom.

All at once, my heart broke for him, and I had to gather all the pieces and put them back into place before I turned back to Hanna, who was now happily tapping the spatula against the rim of the bowl.

“Wow, this looks perfect!” I said, before asking if I could use the spatula for a moment. “One more quick stir and it should be ready for cooking.”

I swirled the mixture around until all the lumps were gone. Then I set to cooking the pancakes.

I forgot all about the fruit and served the pancakes with butter and syrup. I cut Hanna’s pieces for her and sat with the little girl to eat. It was hard for me to keep conversation going, but somehow, I managed, and by the time we were cleaning up the dishes, Hanna was no longer shy about talking to me.

I got her chatting about the drive in the police car. I asked her all kinds of questions to find out more about her. But I soon found that all I wanted to do was go check on Axel.

Somehow, I managed to get Hanna to nap on the sofa in the living room. As soon as she was asleep, I rushed down the hall and knocked on his bedroom door. Axel quietly called for me to come in.

I pushed the door open a crack. Axel was lying on his bed. His hands were clasped behind his head, and he was staring up at the ceiling with a slack, empty expression. I went and sat on the edge of the bed beside him.

“Are you okay?”

“I think so.” He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes. The eyes Hanna had.

“Do you need anything?” I reached out and touched his chest. “Seriously, Axel, anything. Just name it. I want to help you. This is a lot.”

He looked back up at the ceiling. “I’m no good at asking for help.”

“I know. Neither am I. But this is different.”

He blinked slowly. I could practically hear the thoughts racing in his mind. He cleared his throat and took my hand. “Can you stay with me to help? I have no clue what I’m doing, and you’re a natural with her.”

“Of course, I can,” I whispered. Something inside me took flight. I was thrilled that he was able to tell me what he needed. This was a big step for him and for us.

“What do I do to make her trust me? Get her a puppy?”

I tried not to laugh at him. “I think you have enough on your plate. You don’t need to throw a puppy into the mix. How about I bring Cade here? He’s really good with kids. And the best part is that he’s house trained.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good.”

I gave Axel’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll stay until you’re comfortable. We can do this.”