Oh boy, maybe staying in the same room as him was a bad idea.Too late now.She didn’t want to make it obvious that his nearness was making her uncomfortable in a really nice way.
She picked up the phone and placed a call to Ben, the cop friend she’d called last night.It went straight to voice mail.She left him the information that Nick had given and then called the nurse practitioner.
Voice mail again.She left a message.
When she hung up, Nick was serving himself a second helping of Axel’s cooking.
“Meds are kicking in.Headache is getting better,” he said and then he leisurely sipped on his coffee, keeping an eye on her.
“That’s good to hear.I’m glad,” she said and forced herself to make a plate of food for herself.She had to think about the baby, despite being worried about Axel and not wanting to eat until she knew he was safe.
“I bet Axel is turning around about now, realizing he’s chasing a ghost,” Nick commented as he turned his focus to the screen door and the parking lot beyond.
“I hope so,” Jenna replied, her chest tightening with both hope and dread.She warmed up her food in the microwave and a moment later sat beside Nick.She chose the seat carefully, close enough to watch him and far enough to keep her thoughts in check.
“It smells delicious,” Jenna said as she inhaled the spicy aroma of tomato sauce and garlic.
“You’re a good cook,” Nick complimented.
“Oh, Axel cooked,” she admitted.
“Really?How about that.He must have picked up a lot from those cooking shows and recipe books.”
“You sound like you’re surprised.He said your specialty is baking,” She didn’t tell Nick that Axel had used her mother’s meatloaf recipe.She’d seen it on the counter.
Nick chuckled.
“Well, he’s exaggerating or maybe because once in a while when he had a sweet tooth, I was able to whip up something.You see we aren’t allowed to actually cook on a stove or bake in an oven in prison, but we did have an old working microwave in the day room, so I’m an expert at cakes in a mug, brownies, muffins, and bread without the crispy crust if you like that sort of thing.”
“Sounds intriguing,” Jenna said as she forced herself to take a bite.
Flavor galore hit her taste buds like a delicious explosion, and she couldn’t stop herself from moaning.
“Hey, this is seriously good,” she admitted, moaning again as she took another bite of the meatloaf.Axel had made it even better than her mom or herself.
“Do you really think Axel will remember about his ankle monitor?”Jenna asked, her nerves growing as the minutes ticked by and the uncertainty weighed on her.
“No doubt.Sure, he’s got a temper, but he’s learned to reign it in.He just needed to go and get it out of his system.He’ll be okay.He’ll be back.Seriously, don’t worry,” Nick replied.
His calm certainly soothed her frayed nerves more than she expected.It was reassuring to hear that Nick believed Axel wouldn’t be so reckless as to screw things up again.
Jenna reflected on Axel’s temper in the past.It truly hadn’t unsettled her until it landed him in prison.His fighting spirit and outspokenness against injustice had earned him both respect and trouble with friends and family, regardless of whose feelings were affected.
Despite it, she’d always been drawn to Axel’s unwavering confidence.It was a trait Nick seemed to share, and the resemblance struck her unexpectedly.Different men, same steady certainty.Jenna found herself almost believing that Axel really would be alright.
“How long have you known Axel?”she asked, curious about their bond.
“We’ve been together about seven years,” Nick answered, the weight of their shared history evident in his voice.
Her fork paused halfway to her mouth.
“Together?”she asked, wondering exactly what he meant by that.
“Cellmates.Actually, we’re more than just cellmates.”
Nick was about to confess to Jenna that they were lovers and stopped himself cold as a jolt of alarm swept through him, clearing the fog of the moment.
Man, that hit to his head had seriously loosened his tongue.He blew out a tense breath.That kind of mistake could have blown everything apart.
