“I owe you, man,” Christian says, thoroughly exhausted as he is slumped on the sofa, looking half dead. Vanessa was told to go to bed, and she has while everything is quiet. I wiggle my brows at him for a laugh. “D, at this point, I’m so exhausted that I’d probably do that to get an ounce of sleep.”
“Duly noted, maybe another time. Why don’t you and Ness have a sleep? Axel is coming over any minute with your mothers, and we’ll be on baby duty for the next couple of hours.”
Christian is so happy with that suggestion that he grabs my face and gives me a wet kiss. Um. Wow. Now is not the time to get a hard-on. “I love you, man,” he says, walking like a zombie up to his bedroom. That was not on my bingo card.
Moments later, Axel arrives with the mums. “Shhh,” I say, getting up and greeting them. “The girls have been giving them trouble today. I’ve only just gotten them to sleep, and by them, I mean Vanessa and Christian.” The mums greet me.
“Poor things, I remember that exhaustion.” Mrs. Taylor sighs. “Derrick, you’re looking good, my love. Are you dating anyone yet?”
“I’m so busy, I don’t have time for myself,” I tell her as I greet Vanessa’s mum next.
“Don’t worry about D, he does just fine. But he does have horrible taste in men,” Axel adds.
“Excuse me?” I glare at him.
“You date men who don’t live in LA, and they are hot,” Axel explains.
“That’s not my fault, all the hot ones leave.” I pout.
“Sounds like they are easier to date because you know you won’t get your heart broken,” Vanessa’s mum says, hugging me. She knows me too well.
“Axel, you must have some friends for Derrick?” his mum asks him.
“Derrick needs someone who won’t compete with him for the spotlight, and this town is filled with people with egos,” Axel tells his mother. That was awfully sweet of him to say.
“I’m a lot to handle.” I chuckle.
“You won’t be for the right person,” Axel states.
“I’ve never had so many compliments from you, Axel. Did you get lucky this morning?” I ask him.
“And that is our cue to go. We are going to do some washing or something,” Mrs. Taylor says, dragging Vanessa’s mum out of the living room.
“Seriously, in front of my mom.” Axel moans, shaking his head as we take a seat in the living room.
“Like I said, I’m a lot to handle. You either love me or hate me. But I also know you got lucky because you’re all … you know, mellow,” I tell him.
Axel rolls his eyes. “Penny is being a cockblock as is my mom, so yes, Olivia and I have had to be creative, and we were this morning.”
I smirk. “Knew it. So, things are going good for you and Liv then?”
“I couldn’t be happier,” Axel gushes. Olivia has one magical vagina to tame that beast, props to her.
“Never would have thought you two would be endgame.” I chuckle.
Axel’s eyes narrow on me. “You were the one who pushed us together.”
“Thinking you would show her a good time …”
“Oh, I most certainly did,” Axel jokes.
“Fucking hell, man, you are a goner, never seen you so jolly.”
“All thanks to you, buddy. You told me not to give up on love, even when I thought there wasn’t a chance. You believed in us. I want you to be as happy as I am, D.” Axel is freaking me out. Has he been body snatched? This is not the same brooding rock star I know. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Your happiness is scaring me,” I tell him, which earns me an Axel Taylor brooding glare.
“That’s ’cause I am, D. And as much as I gave stick to Evan and Christian, I get it now. I understand how the right woman can change everything. Never thought domesticity would be in the cards for me or that I would want it. My heart aches with happiness when I wake up and see her beautiful face every morning. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have her.” Wow. I’ve never heard Axel gush like this before. “Look, I know things with Chance went south.”
