“You don’t have to say that. Get yourself coffee. Enjoy the deck. Play Pac-Man. I’ll see you later.”

“Later, Axl.”

“’Bye, babe.”

He disconnected.

Instantly, Auggie asked, “Can I come to dinner tonight?”

“Fuck off.”

Aug chuckled.

Axl drove.

It took some time before Auggie said quietly, “I’m glad it’s going good, Axe.”

“Yeah,” Axl replied.

And he let it be.

Meaning, he didn’t get into Pepper again.

Auggie was right. He’d had only one date with Hattie.

But Aug didn’t know about her art, and as such, hadn’t seen it.

He also hadn’t been there to see her dancing that day Axl and Ryn saw her dance. Falling in an elegant heap on the floor. Soaring through the air in a way Michael Jordan would say, “Damn.”

And Aug had not been woken up in the middle of the night to witness a tough woman who had no idea she was tough, she was amazing, she created beauty in a variety of ways from her art to her dancing to decorating her apartment to the dress she put on for him, pull it together to finally sort their shit.

So he’d let Auggie off the hook.

For now.

Chapter Twelve

Safe Place

Hattie

Shit, you two are killing me.”

This was what Sly said after he entered Axl’s house in front of me. This being once I was done dealing with my dad and he drove me there.

I understood him.

The place smelled like heaven.

And I got to eat whatever that was, and Sly didn’t.

Axl appeared in the dining area.

Yup.

Heaven.

Axl kept moving, doing it smiling at me at the same time looking like he wanted to pounce on me.

I watched him moving, not smiling, but knowing I definitely looked like I wanted to pounce.

Gone was his usual work gear of cargos and tee.

In their place: supremely faded jeans, a different tee, this one heathered gray with yellow letters that expressed his enjoyment of the work of the Foo Fighters, and his feet were bare.

Oh yes.

I wanted to pounce.

Axl made it to me, hooked me around the neck with his arm, I hit his body and his mouth hit mine.

We didn’t go at it.

But I got a reminder he sure tasted good.

“I do still exist,” Sly griped.

We broke it off, but Axl didn’t let us break apart. He kept his arm around my neck but positioned me to his side.

“And you guys suck,” Sly finished.

“Apologies, man,” Axl said, miraculously sounding both apologetic and not.

Sly hulked to the door.

“Thanks for keeping me safe today,” I called.

He stopped at the door and pinned me with a look.

“Your shit is great. Stop fucking around,” he ordered.

And with that, he left.

“What was that?” Axl asked.