Chapter 28

Ellie

Dani hadn’t taken any of my shit when I asked her if Hanna and I could meet Axel at the police station. She had refused and given me a deadpan stare before saying, “You want to risk these assholes seeing you? Axel would be livid.”

There was reason to her words. I hadn’t thought it all the way through. I just wanted to see Axel and make sure he wasn’t hurt.

Dani had called me in the afternoon, a couple hours after Axel left to go meet up with Watson, and gave me a rundown of the plan she had concocted with Johnny and, in turn, the police department. She told me not to worry and promised she had it all under control. I trusted her. I had seen the woman in action before, and she was someone I never would have messed with. Johnny also had complete faith in her, and he was a good judge of character.

Dani had me wait at Axel’s place until I received a phone call that it was safe to head down to the station. The cop who called me also told me Axel was fine and that he would be happy to see me. Everything had been taken care of. No fatalities. No serious injuries. Watson was going to prison for a long time.

My hands had been shaking as I buckled Hanna into her booster seat. She was in a good mood, kicking her feet playfully as I drove down to the station white-knuckled. I tried to keep my tone cheerful, but the anxiety in my chest made it nearly impossible.

I needed to see him and make sure he was all right with my own two eyes. Then, I could relax.

I parked the car outside of the station and hurried to unbuckle Hanna.

“We’re going to see Axel now, okay? Are you excited?”

Hanna nodded and smiled up at me as I helped her out of the car. Her feet hit the sidewalk, and she took my hand. The two of us turned to begin making our way up the cement stairs to the front doors of the precinct.

I looked up as my foot hit the bottom stair, and just as I did, the doors swung open, and out strode Axel. His eyes fell on me, and then he was hurrying down the steps, a smile plastered on his face.

I let out a joyful squeal as he met us at the bottom of the stairs. He swept me up into his arms and spun in a circle. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him hard until he put me down. Then I stood back to look him over as he crouched down to hug Hanna.

The little girl threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. He held her to him and looked up at me. There was something different in those eyes of his now. Something happy. At ease. He pressed his lips to the side of Hanna’s head and looked back down as his eyes turned glassy.

Axel Cooper wasn’t about to get emotional, was he? Surely not.

Axel got to his feet, but Hanna ran around his legs before tugging on his jeans. She stared up at him as he peered down at her, and then she stretched her arms over her head, her fingers flexing as she reached for him.

“She wants you to hold her,” I leaned in to tell him.

His surprise was obvious in the widening of his eyes. Then, his expression softened, and he bent at the knees to scoop the little girl up in his arms. He looked like a natural as we made our way back to the car.

Hanna was leaning away from him so she could look at his face. Her fingers reached out and traced his features like she was really seeing him for the first time. I stopped walking, frozen by the intimacy of the moment, and held my breath as Hanna chewed on her bottom lip. She was about to say something.

“Are you okay, Daddy?” she asked in that soft little voice of hers.

Axel blinked.

And then he looked at me.

I was a mess. Tears were streaming down my face as soon as the word left her lips, but I was smiling too. This was what I had been waiting for. I knew it wouldn’t take long for Hanna to warm up to Axel, but I suspected it might be a while before Axel was willing to hear his new title on his daughter’s lips.

Instead of freaking out, Axel bounced Hanna in his arms. “I’m okay, you don’t need to worry about me. But you know what I do need?”

Hanna waited for his answer. “What?”

“Food,” Axel groaned, poking her in the ribs and earning himself some high-pitched giggles. “What do you say? Stop and grab some lunch?” He turned back to me as he asked the question.

I nodded. “I haven’t been able to eat in over a day and a half. Yes please.” At that, my stomach growled.

Axel chuckled. “All right. Let’s get you in the car, and we’ll fill our bellies.”

Axel buckled Hanna into her car seat, and the two of them chatted as he did so. I slid into the passenger seat and listened to Hanna tell Axel all about the princess in one of her favorite cartoons. Axel was attentive and sweet as he listened, and when the story was done, he bopped her on the nose. “You’re a good little storyteller, you know.”

“I know.”

Axel and I laughed, and he got into the driver’s seat beside me. His hand found mine after he turned the engine on, and we pulled away from the curb, heading out down the street to find the right place to stop for food.

Axel didn’t let go of my hand until we had parked the car at a family restaurant not far from his house. It definitely wasn’t the sort of place Axel would have ever gone to before Hanna was in his life.

He beat me to the back seat once more to unbuckle Hanna, and he picked her up and met me at the front of the car. He took my hand, and we entered the restaurant together.

As a family.

My heart had never felt so big.

Eating at the restaurant was pleasant. Axel played with Hanna and me, grabbing my knee and squeezing to get a rise out of me. I slapped his hand away as he went to try it again, and he laughed and returned his hand to his lap.

As Hanna’s attention drifted to the coloring mat and crayons in front of her, I wrapped my hands around Axel’s arm and pressed myself against him. I rested my chin on his shoulder so that when I spoke, my words were only for him.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I was worried.”

Axel turned to kiss my forehead. “Did you ever doubt me?”

“Never. But I didn’t doubt Watson, either. It could have gone down any number of ways. It was scary. You’re sure you’re not hurt?”

Axel shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing I can’t handle. A couple bumps and bruises.” His hand went absently to his throat, which was discolored. I knew what that meant. Someone had gotten their hands around his neck and given him a good squeeze. I leaned in and kissed the purpling skin. He smiled and patted my hand on his arm. “I’ll be fine.”

“You still seem tense.” I wanted him to open up. He didn’t need to carry anything by himself anymore. I was here to help, and I planned to be here forever if he would let me.

“Watson puts me on edge. He’s weaseled his way out of situations like this before.”

“But before, Dani wasn’t calling the shots. This time, you have someone personally invested working on the inside. That has to count for something, right?”

Axel nodded. “You’re right.”

“Everything’s okay now.” I kissed his cheek. “I promise. It’s just the three of us you have to worry about. No more psychos with guns.”

“No more psychos with guns,” he agreed with a grin and then reached for his glass of ice water. I grabbed mine, and we tapped our glasses together in the strangest toast of my life.

After lunch, Axel took us to the park. The sun was shining, and the day was warm, and it was the perfect day to squeeze in some play time. Hanna loved the winding plastic slide from the top platform of the playground. I walked her up, and Axel would catch her at the end as per her request. If Axel wasn’t at the bottom waiting for her, she wasn’t sliding.

I knew this request was the highlight of Axel’s day. I stood on the top platform, watching as Hanna slid into his arms. I had never seen him look so happy.

After the park, we went home. We curled up on the couch, all three of us, to watch Disney movies. I fell asleep after a while. I was exhausted, after all. I had barely slept at all the night before because of how worried I was for Axel. But now, sleep washed over me and hugged me tightly as I lay against Axel’s right side.

Hanna was on his left, and both of us were tucked under his arms. His girls.

Axel woke me up late in the evening by gently shaking my shoulder. I sat up, rubbing sleep out of my eyes with the heels of my palms.

“What time is it?” I mumbled.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me gently to my feet. “Almost midnight.”

“What? Aren’t you tired?”

He shrugged as we walked down the hall to the bedroom. “I didn’t want to wake either of you up. It was nice just having you both with me. Hanna’s in bed already.”

We brushed our teeth, gazing contently at one another’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. After flossing and swishing some mouthwash around my mouth, I padded into the bedroom and slipped under the blankets.

Axel joined me and rolled on to his side. He drew me into him, curling himself around me. I fit perfectly in the groove of his body. I reveled in his warmth and the feeling of his skin on mine. I had been so terrified I might not ever have another moment like this with him. I had been so afraid Watson was going to steal that from me.

But I had him back. He was mine. And he was Hanna’s. Everyone was safe.

I snuggled deeper into him, and he rested his chin in the groove of my shoulder and neck. I listened to his even breaths and felt his heartbeat on my back. I sighed, pushing away all the stress of the day with the slow exhale of breath.

Then, I sank deeper into the mattress, feeling nothing but gratitude.

Axel was alive and well.

If I had lost him today, I had no idea what I would have done.