He's rock solid and genuinely a good person."
"He is?"
"Yep. He's lucky to have you, too."
Aidyn nodded. "Can I see the baby?"
Gaige chuckled. "Sure, come on over."
Gaige walked to Sophie and kissed her on the temple.
"We have a little man here to meet Tate."
Sophie started to bend down but Axel held his hand out to stop her. Leaning down he scooped Aidyn up in his arms so he could see Tate easier. Plus, bonus, he got to hold Aidyn in his arms. Bridget moved to stand alongside, and he looked down at her and smiled. When she smiled back it hit him right in the heart. Bam. Just like that.
"He's little. Not me, I'm big." Aidyn stated proudly.
The group gathered around, his friends and co-operatives laughed, and his heart was full.
Gaige received a text. Reading it, the look on his face went from proud papa to business mogul. His eyes first caught Wyatt's then his. He jerked his head toward the elevator and Axel knew it was time to work.
Glancing at his son, who was so enthralled with Tate made him fall in love a little more. Is that how it was? You loved them when you had them, but then each sweet, cute, adoring thing they did made you love them more and in a different way?
"Hey, Bud, I have to go downstairs to work for a little bit. I'll see you soon, okay?"
"But, you'll come back? Today. Not for a long time?"
Aidyn's brows bunched together, and he stepped away from the crowd to have a moment with him. It would be natural that Aidyn would wonder or worry since he hadn't been around him until now. Walking over to the staircase, he sat on the second from the bottom step and sat Aidyn on his lap. Bridget followed them and sat alongside him.
"Hey, I know I didn't know how to find you before, but I do now. And, we're all right here in this house. Sometimes I have to go to work for a day or two at a time, but when that happens, I'll call you every day. For right now though, this is just a meeting in the conference room downstairs to share information. I'll be back up in a little while, okay?"
Aidyn thought for a long time about his words. Axel didn't break eye contact with him though, he wanted him to know he was serious. Finally, Bridget soothed Aidyn's fears as only a mother can do.
"Hey, Aid. We have daddy in our lives now and nothing will change that. You can help me take care of Sophie and Tate because Tate's daddy has to go to work with your daddy. So, we'll help little Tate be happy and Tate will help us be happy. Okay?"
"Okay." Aidyn looked into Axel's eyes and said, "I'll see you later. I have to help Tate."
Then he scrambled off Axel's lap and ran into the back dining room where the ladies were still gathered together chatting.
Bridget stood and stepped off the steps turning to face him.
"Thank you for playing with him and letting me sleep earlier."
"You don't have to thank me. I had a great time being with him."
"Yeah. He's pretty great."
They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments and his emotions were all over the board. He still held some resentment that she'd left him so many years ago, that he'd not gotten her name and that she had his baby without him knowing about it. In fairness, she couldn’t give him his real name. She’d also done a fantastic job raising him alone while building a business and all the other stressors that came along with parenthood.
And, she was still beautiful. Her clear green eyes looked into his and he swore he could see her soul in them.
"I better let you go." She turned and walked to the dining room behind the grand staircase, and he heaved out a deep breath and headed toward the elevator to see what information Gaige had received.
33
She still felt uneasy and, of course, creeped out when thoughts barraged Bridget of her recent ordeal. The women in the house were great about not saying anything, unless she wanted, but Skye, Megan, Roxanne and Yvette were texting friends as they chatted and from their expressions, she guessed who they were texting and what it was about.
Sitting at the dining room table with her mom, Sophie and Tate, Roxanne, Yvette, Megan and Shelby, who was sleeping peacefully in her mama's arms, and Skye,