I reached over and gently pinched her chin between my fingers, pulling her attention back to me.
“But if it ever came down to it, I would choose your life over hers.Make no mistake about where my loyalty lies, Charlie.When I say that I will always protect you and the baby, I mean that with every fiber of my being.These aren’t just words that I’m saying, hoping you’ll trust me.They’re words that I will die proving if I ever had to.”
Charlie’s lower lip quivered as she stared at me, fighting the emotion that was etched on her face.Just then, Jo pulled up, throwing her Jeep in park before hopping out and walking over to my window.I rolled it down and turned up the heater to keep it from getting too cold for Charlie.
“If you give me your keys, I’ll go check it out,” she said, extending her hand.
“I don’t mind—”
“Just give me the keys, Axel.”
I knew that it wasn’t annoyance lacing her voice but rather her being on guard and wanting to protect Charlie.I took the key to the bar off my keyring and handed it to Jo, watching as she headed inside and didn’t look back.I reached over and placed my hand over Charlie’s as I held my breath and waited for Jo to let us know everything was alright.
Twenty-Four
Charlie
While I was still pissedat Jo for what she did in my dream, I couldn’t be mad at her for being so selfless when she volunteered to see what was going on inside the bar when Axel asked for help.
Ten minutes passed before Axel’s phone rang and Jo told him it was all clear.Apparently, Ashley forgot to turn the lights off when she left, but aside from that, everything was as it should have been.
I took Axel’s hand as he helped me out of the truck and guided me to the door.It was already too dark to bring our stuff inside, so Axel said to leave it and he would grab it in the morning.It wasn’t like we had to worry about anyone breaking into his truck in the middle of the night, which was oddly comforting.
Jo was still inside when Axel pulled the door open for me and stepped to the side for me to go in.But I stopped, frozen in place as I stared at the room decorated with balloons and banners welcoming my sweet baby girl.
I looked behind me to find Axel shaking his head and grinning as everyone inside yelledsurprise.
Jo walked over with a huge grin on her face and wrapped her arm around me, pulling me inside while Axel closed the door behind him.
“What in the world is all of this?”I asked in stunned disbelief.
Several tables were pushed together to hold all the gifts stacked on them, while the others were filled with various desserts and snacks.A punch bowl sat on the bar with cups lined up beside it.
“It’s your baby shower,” Jo said softly as she squeezed my shoulders gently.“You didn’t think we would let you get away with not having one, did you?”
“Honestly, a baby shower never crossed my mind,” I whispered as I waved at Dr.Foster and a few of the women I’d met over the time I’d been staying with Axel.
