“Look, the truth is, I don’t have the money or time to have a kid,” Axel admitted. “So I guess I’m glad it’s not mine. At least, that’s what Shane said.”
I nodded firmly. “You’re right. It’s mine, one hundred percent.”
I didn’t feel the need to tell Axel that I would have cared for the baby regardless of parentage. Maybe it was selfish or mean, but I felt like he didn’t deserve to know. Skylar made it very clear to him he didn’t want Axel in his life.
Axel nodded. “Okay. Then I won’t bug you anymore. Oh, one more thing.”
I tensed when he reached into his pocket, ready to fight in case he pulled any stunts, but the only thing he pulled out was a crisp twenty dollar bill. He dropped it in my hand.
“There. To make up for last time.” He turned around with a slight wave and walked off.
I blinked, then looked stupidly down at the money, wondering if it was rigged or fake or had some kind of evil tracking device on it. But it was just a twenty.
When I returned to Skylar--who hadn’t been kidnapped or anything while I was gone, despite what my nerves told me would happen--his face scrunched up.
“What did he say?” he asked.
I sat back down and slid the money over to Skylar, who looked at it in confusion.
“Not much. I think he wanted to apologize, in a weird way,” I said. “He said he made a mistake and that he wasn’t ready to be a father, regardless of whether or not he was in the picture.”
“Oh.” Skylar took the money, stared at it for a moment, then looked back at me with a little smirk. “If that was all, then I hope you didn’t punch him in the face or anything.”
I held up my spotless knuckles. “Nope. Not this time.”
He snorted. “Good. I don’t need my baby’s daddy in jail while he’s being born.”
I grinned and leaned my elbows on the table. “So we just unanimously decided it’s a boy, then? Even without checking?”
“Huh. You’re right. I guess wehavereferred to the baby as a boy without noticing,” he remarked.
“Yup. Our nameless baby boy.”
He laughed. “Maybe we should work on that when we get home.”
As our little afternoon café date wrapped up, I noticed Skylar slip the twenty from Axel on the bill as a nice fat tip for our server, and I found myself feeling a little smug.
* * *
My hands wereon Skylar in the elevator. I hugged him from behind innocently enough, but my hands roamed across his chest, threatening to tease his sensitive nipples through his shirt and jacket.
“Someone’s rowdy,” Skylar mumbled. “Can you wait two seconds until we get inside?”
“No,” I growled.
I teased a nipple and he gasped.
“Raf, you horndog.”
I tilted his head back carefully before capturing his mouth in a deep kiss. He moaned softly into it. I gripped his hip and ran my other hand along his jaw, holding him place while I kissed him.
“What’s gotten into you?” he asked with a breathy laugh. “You’re acting so possessive.”
I gently bit and sucked his lower lip in reply. “Am I not allowed?”
“You are. I’ve just never seen you like this--ah!”
He broke off in a quiet moan as my hand slipped down from his huge belly until it was a littletoolow.
