He preened. “And here you thought I was just another pretty face and sexy body.” He stuffed a forkful of green beans in his mouth and nodded. “For real, though. Men are dickheads. We make mistakes. It sounds like your main hang-up is that you thought Axel didn’t want you and Carrie. But if he did, then what’s the problem? If you both love each other, then I say go for it.”

“You think?”

“I do. I want to see you happy, and if this Broxton does that, then I’m right there with you.”

“You’re the best, Bode.”

“You know it, babe,” he said with a cocky grin. “Now, what else is going on in your life?”

We talked about his work and my work, and I told him about my job offer from the Lademans. As I drove toward Beau’s house, my mind kept drifting back to Bode’s words.

Maybe that means it’s the right time for you and Axel. If you both love each other, then I say go for it.

31. Axel

Axel

I pulled into the parking lot of Chuck E. Cheese and saw Beau standing on the sidewalk with Carrie on his hip. The bastard was somehow even bigger than I remembered, but then again, so was I. I parked and walked up, and my little girl held out her arms so that I could take her from Beau. “Hi, Daddy! I missed you.” I still got a little thrill every time she called me Daddy.

I hugged her sweet little body and said, “I missed you, too, baby girl,” noticing a scowl cross Beau’s face. She showed off her tiny pearly teeth when she smiled and honked my nose, and I beeped hers with an answering grin of my own.

“Is that your car?” she asked, pointing to my black convertible in the parking lot. When I nodded, she deemed it “Soooo totally cool.”

I propped my daughter on my hip and stuck out my hand with a polite, “Nice to see you, Beau.” He was Blaire’s brother and Carrie’s uncle, and I was going to do my best to be nice. He stared at it for a moment and finally shook my hand, attempting to squeeze the fuck out of it. In an act of supreme maturity, I squeezed the fuck right back out of his.

Let the pissing match commence. We released, and though I knew both of our hands were hurting, neither of us even twitched a finger. “Thanks for dropping her off.”

He jerked his head toward the entrance. “Actually, I thought I might come inside for a minute so we could have a… chat.” That last word was pregnant with ulterior meaning, and I glanced at Carrie and then back to Beau, sending him the message that I wasn’t going to argue with him in front of my daughter.