"Okay. And where does Sophie come into all of this?"
She sat on the edge of the bed, facing her mom. "I was away at a girls' weekend with Sophie, Kate, and three others when I met Axel. They'd all left to go home but my flight didn't leave until the following day."
"Okay." She picked at a thread in her jeans. "What happens now, honey?"
Her shoulders hunched over, and she felt deflated. "I honestly don't know, Mom. Axel wants to be close to Aidyn. I don't have a house or a business to go back to, but it seems like a huge step to move here closer to Axel for those reasons. I could rebuild my business. Even somewhere else. What would you think of that?"
38
Sitting on the floor with Aidyn eating a freshly baked cookie was a pretty great way to spend time with him. He happily chatted about some game he liked which Axel couldn't quite understand and then zoomed right into his friend Rex at school. Which Axel assumed was daycare or preschool. He'd have to ask Bridget. Then the conversation started about a cartoon he loved which featured crime fighting puppies.
Axel asked him questions. "Which puppy is your favorite?" "What does Rex like to do when you play?" Things like that and Aidyn always happily chatted on and on.
He laughed easily and was generally a happy little boy and Axel couldn't have been prouder. Then he stood up and shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out an action figurine.
Axel stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned his back against his bed and Aidyn quickly climbed on his lap, facing him and pointing to the figurine's special weapons attached to it.
Axel's door opened and Bridget appeared inside, and she quietly came to sit beside him. He was still irritated with her, but it was mostly out of frustration in not knowing and her irritation with her situation. They'd work through it, they had to for Aidyn.
"Hi, Mommy. I'm showing Daddy Megaroars."
Daddy. He called him Daddy. Axel's eyes teared up and he quickly brushed the moisture away.
"Oh, that's a great idea. We'll have to get you some new toys pretty soon. Maybe Daddy will go shopping with us when we do so he can help you pick out the new toys."
Aidyn's eyes locked on his and his smile was huge. "Would you shop with me?"
"Of course. Mommy and I have to go to work for a couple of days but when we come back, we'll go on a big shopping trip."
A couple of things occurred to him right then. He'd spend his whole life savings on this little boy, and he was going to need to find a house and set it up with security, so he'd have a safe place to live with Aidyn when he was with him. Maybe Bridget, too. He'd talk to Ford and see if he was still selling pieces of his mountain since it was largely secured already. Lincoln and Dodge and their families lived at the bottom of the mountain. Or maybe there'd be one of the houses alongside this house that could be persuaded to sell, and he could set up security close to headquarters.
Bridget then told Aidyn, "Honey, Mommy and Daddy have to go to work for a bit. You'll be here with Grandma and you need to listen to her, okay? But when we come back, we'll go shopping."
"Okay."
Aidyn then leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Axel's neck and squeezed him which allowed Axel to wrap his arms around his son and hold him close. Talk about take his heart and make it swell a thousand times. The feelings that little hug stirred in him were enormous. Feeling his little body in his arms, he knew he'd walk through hell for this little human being. His son.
Too soon Aidyn slipped off his lap and jumped to Bridget where she held him close and kissed his head, his ears and then his nose. "I love you, Aidyn. Be good, okay?"
"Love you. I will."
Aidyn stood and looked at Axel, "Love you, Daddy."
"I love you, too, Bud. So much."
His voice cracked and his chest heaved as he watched Aidyn run to the door and pull it open. Bridget stood and followed him out the door and he allowed himself a moment to process what just happened. It was a day he never wanted to forget. Never.
Taking a deep breath, he stood and grabbed his go bag,