Joey looked toward him with a frown.“You want to take Adeline trick-or-treating?”
“Yeah, you’re only a kid once, and seeing as I’m all dressed up as a pirate, waiting for my woman to join me, why not?”
It was Halloween, and as per tradition, the coffee shop had remained open.Axel knew Joey had every intention of taking her daughter around, but the other girl that had started to work for her had called in sick.
There was a sickness going around town.Adeline already had it, which he had ended up catching.Joey, so far, hadn’t caught anything.She seemed quite healthy.
She had nursed him to health as he had ended up in bed for three days with it.Joey’s mother had also stopped by with some chicken soup for him.The whole family had taken care of him.Ashley had even called to see how he was doing.It had been sweet.Including his Uncle Rick.
Once he was over the worst, he was back to work, and now he was dressed up for Halloween.He and Joey had agreed to go as pirates.She was dressed in a short skirt and fishnet stockings that he intended to remove with his teeth later on.
She wore a shirt that had cut-outs at the shoulders, curved down toward her tits, and showed off just enough flesh, but not enough at the same time.He knew what he was unwrapping later.
“You’re sure?”Joey asked.
He looked down at a little kiddie pirate, as Adeline had insisted on dressing the same way as the two of them.
“What do you say, kiddo?You and me go and hunt for candy?”
“Yes.”Adeline went to his side and put her hand in his.Even though she was nine years old, she still insisted on holding his hand.
He looked toward Joey, who smiled at him, cupped his face, and kissed him.“You’re a lifesaver.I will owe you.”
Axel banded an arm around her waist and pulled her in close.“And I intend to take all forms of payment, including interest, out of you later.”
He saw the fire in her eyes, and he loved her passion.They were going to have a lot of fun when Adeline passed out from exhaustion and possibly a sugar coma.
He left the coffee shop, and Adeline kept talking about school and what she had learned.
In the other hand, he had a lead around Princess.At home, they were able to take her off the lead, but he had learned the hard way that it was not a good idea in public places.The moment Princess picked up a scent, she did not come back when she was called.
Joey had told him to keep her on a lead, but he hadn’t listened and subsequently spent a whole afternoon looking for her.He had found her trotting along a side street and was so freaking happy.Since then, the lead stayed firmly in place.She was a little devil.
He stayed at the end of the driveway of each house they went to, as Adeline walked up.Sometimes she would join a group of kids, other times she was on her own.It felt good to be taking her around.
They had been candy-hunting for an hour, when he finally heard Adeline tell a group of kids that he was her father.It shocked him to his core.Axel had never been a dad.He had never wanted to have kids.But as Adeline came toward him and took his hand, he waited for the anger and annoyance.Nothing came.
Adeline had called him her father.There was no panic.No fear.He didn’t want to suddenly drop her off at Joey’s and run for the hills.
The group of kids smiled at him and then walked on by.
Axel crouched down.“Honey, you know what you told them ...wasn’t true, right?”
It was the strangest feeling in the world, because it suddenly hit him that he wanted to be her father more than anything.
“I ...know, I just, you’re dating my mom, and that means you’re together, which makes you my dad, and you like listening to me talk.You take me to school, and you take me trick-or-treating.Did I upset you?”Adeline frowned.
“No, you didn’t upset me.”He was just having to deal with a lot of shit right now.Like the reality of the fact hewantedto be her freaking dad.Him?Axel Rules, the guy who wanted nothing to do with single women, and yet he wanted to be Adeline’s dad.Not only that, he also knew there was a risk he might be a father very soon.
Not once in the time he and Joey had been together had he used a rubber.He couldn’t get enough of her, and he’d been fucking her every chance he got.Multiple times a day when he could.His need for her hadn’t diminished.It had only gotten stronger.Joey was part of him already.
And that was when it occurred to him that he wanted to be Adeline’s father, and he wanted to have children with Joey.
He smiled down at Adeline.“How about we go and get more candy?”he asked.
Adeline offered him a smile.She was a good kid.
They moved from house to house, and all the time he waited for the fear and panic to wash over him.It never did.Not even for a second.He just felt ...whole.
