Chapter Ten
Axel
I smiled as I peered over into the crib at the club. Paisley was sleeping hard, probably from the pain medicine she’d had about two hours before. Maddox had let me know he and Reagan had tucked her in before they left. She was laying on her side with her foot and lower leg elevated with a pillow. She had Fancy tucked under one arm and her favorite lovie—a cow named Stella—tucked under her chin. Who knew the cutie pie had an obsession with cows? I noticed she liked to rub the soft material on her face, so I wasn’t surprised to see she slept with it tucked under her head.
“How is she doing?” Elliot asked as he stepped into the room. He was holding his Little one on his hip. She had her custom pink pacifier in her mouth, but she waved at me.
“Well, hello, Teenie! How are you?” I cooed as I stepped toward them.
His Little one, Tinsley, was the teeniest tiniest Little in our group—the total definition of a babygirl.
She babbled at me and I grinned like I understood her garbled Little speak. I mostly did, though it was harder with her speaking around her pacifier.
“Are you getting so excited for your vacation?” Hell, I was excited for their vacation. It was about time Elliot took some time off.
She nodded, making her long black locks bounce.
“Tell Uncle Axel where you’re going.”
“Baby ‘pital! Get a baby!”
Elliot nodded and patted her bottom. “We are going to Babyland General Hospital to adopt a Cabbage Patch Kid. She’s been a very good girl and earned a new baby.”
I chuckled at her happy nods.
“That sounds so fun, Tinsley. I’m so proud of you for earning such a happy fun reward. You must have been the best girl ever!”
Elliot and I chuckled as she nodded. He set her down and held her hand. “I promised her she could go see Uncle Pike too, so we’re headed that way. Do you need anything before we go? Is she tolerating the pain meds okay?”
“She is. She hasn’t seemed to have too much pain. The crutches are hard for her, but I have let her use them as much as it hurts my Daddy heart. I know that she will need to get used to them when she goes to work.”
“And when you go back home,” Elliot said, raising his eyebrow. “You can’t stay with her the entire six weeks, Axel.”
“Why can’t I?”
He studied me for a moment and then his eyes widened. “Y-you”re serious about her, aren”t you? This isn’t just an Uncle Axel thing to you, is it?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Do you have feelings for her?”
“Yes.”
I understood his surprise. He was there the night I chose to take Junie off of life support. He’d been there for months after helping me pick up the pieces of my shattered heart. He’d seen me at my darkest.
“I will always love Junie…”
“I know, I know you will, Axel. I’m so fucking happy for you, man. I just... I didn’t think we would ever be here. You were so broken and I am just so glad you’re going to...” He trailed off, a bit choked up.
I hated emotions, but I stepped forward and hugged him.
“Good for you, man. Good for you,” he finished, patting my back. Little arms hugged us too, making me chuckle. I picked up Tinsley and kissed her cheek. “So tell me what kinda baby you’re thinking about adopting?”
***
“Uncle Axel,” I heard the soft voice call from the monitor above the crib. Pike was a genius for building a staff nursery in the club for us. I never knew I would need it, but I felt like a proud Daddy tonight having my Little one tucked away in there.
“I’m coming, baby. Give me just one second,” I answered back into the monitor. I got Griffin’s attention and he nodded, letting me know he had the door covered.
I ran back through the bar, up the steps, and into the nursery.
“Hi, baby,” I said, walking over and releasing the rail. I scooped her up and held her close. Breathing in her floral smell, I kissed her forehead. I loved kissing a sleepy baby... or a cuddly baby, or hell, just a baby in general.
“Need to potty,” she whispered, her head tucked into my neck.
I rocked her side to side for a minute before carrying her into the bathroom and setting her down beside the toilet. Having learned on day one she enjoyed wearing a diaper, but she did not enjoy using it, I didn’t question her request.
I slid her leggings down and went to unfasten her diaper, but she slapped her hands over mine.
“Nuuu,” she whined.
I raised an eyebrow at her.
She flushed, but kept her hands on the diaper. “I can do it.”
“I’m sure you can, but that’s what Daddies do.”
Playing with the tabs on the diaper, she stayed quiet for a minute. “You’re not my Daddy.”
“No,” I answered. “But I would like to be.”
Her eyes, lit up with so much hope and excitement, was both heartbreaking and exhilarating. I was elated that my confession caused it, but I wanted to destroy all the people who had caused her to hurt so deeply.
“You do?”
“Very much so.”
“What if I’m not as good as Junie?”
I pulled off the diaper and helped her sit.
“As good at what, baby?”
“At being your Little. I’ve never been someone”s Little before.”
Oh, her confession crushed me. I had expected as much after hearing it from Emily, but it still hurt my heart. This precious girl had been through so much.
“Honey, you’re already such a good Little. I’m so blessed you”re willing to take my grumpy ass as your Daddy,” I teased.
She giggled.
After cleaning her up and rediapering her, I wanted to revisit part of the conversation.
“None of your old boyfriends ever played at being Daddy? I want to make sure I understand everything, baby.”
I carried her out of the nursery and down to the bar area. Dallas waved as I sat Paisley down in one of the open chairs at the counter. She grabbed her notepad and headed our way.
“I’ve never had one before,” Paisley admitted shyly.
“Yes, I know you’ve never had a real Daddy, but…”
“No,” she interrupted. “I’ve never had a boyfriend before.”
***
Paisley
Embarrassment nipped at my core as I admitted the truth. I’d wanted a boyfriend so badly but I’d never had one. Cheeks flushing, I turned my head away from Axel. Why had I admitted that?
“Oh, baby.” His soft tone had me tearing up.
“I just… I think that maybe my looks were off-putting?” My birthmark took up most of my face and I’d undergone several surgeries on it to keep it from causing more damage to my eye. Foster homes had kept me clean, but hadn’t provided stylish clothes. I hadn’t learned to do makeup or to style my hair until one of the other women in the Independent Living Program taught me how.
“I’m so sorry you went through that, sweet girl. Well, I would be proud to be your Daddy and your boyfriend,” he said as he took a seat beside me.
“Really?”
“Of course, Little one.”
“That’s so nice.”
He chuckled at me and pulled one of my curls. “Would you like to be my Little?”
Dallas froze in front of us. “Uncle Axel, you can’t ask her like that!”
What did she mean?
Axel didn’t seem to know either. “What”s wrong with how I asked her?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“You asked her in a loud club! There were no balloons or cake or anything,” she protested, her outrage evident.
“Did your Daddy ask you with balloons or cake?” he asked, pointedly, in a way that told me he already knew the answer..
“No. I am actually super upset about it. I am demanding he ask me again, properly this time.”
“ I don’t need cake,” I assured them both. I wasn’t at all upset with how he asked me.
“Well, you should be. You should feel… so super bad,” Dallas said as she hit her palm down on the counter in anger.
“Girl, if you don’t calm your ass down, I’m going to go call your Daddy,” one of the cooks yelled from behind the bar. “First, you were outraged that we don’t have grilled cheese sandwiches and now about how someone else asks their girl out.”
Dallas flushed a bit. “Well, I just have lotsa big feelings today.”
“Today was your brother’s birthday, wasn’t it?” Axel asked gently.
She nodded. “Oh, darlin’. I’m sorry.” He opened his arms and she rushed from behind the counter into them. Dallas’ brother had been killed in a car accident several years ago. I couldn’t imagine how hurt she was feeling today. I knew they were really close. I don’t think they had parents.
Pike came from his office and walked up behind her. He and Axel had some kind of silent conversation before Pike scooped Dallas into his arms and headed back to his office.
Axel looked at me like he wanted to say more, but instead he changed the subject, grabbing a menu from the bar top and opening it in front of me. “Alright, baby. We have lots of options you can pick from for a snack.”
I looked over the menu. I was starving so anything sounded good. “Can I have fried pickles?”
“You can, and how about some fries to hold you over until my shift is done?”
I nodded.
He placed the order in the back of the store and came back over to sit down. He set a plastic cup of ice water in front of me. “I’m sorry I was an underprepared Uncle Axel today. I should have brought you some healthy snacks, baby.”
I smoothed my straw paper out against the counter and swallowed down my nerves. I could do this. I wanted this.
“Underprepared Daddy,” I whispered.
“What, baby?” he asked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you, Little one.”
“You were an underprepared Daddy,” I repeated, daring to look up at him.
His eyes widened. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“Mmmhhh.” I nodded.
“You want me to be your Daddy?”
“Yas huh.” I nodded again.
He shot me a panty-melting grin. “Yas huh?” he repeated.
I took a breath and nodded for a third time. “Yes, Daddy.”
He cupped my face with his hands and pressed his lips to mine. “I would love nothing more than to have you be mine, Little one.”
I smiled as his words washed over me. For the first time in my entire life I belonged to someone.
“I want to be yours,” I agreed.
“Then it’s settled,” he said, pressing another kiss to my lips. “You’re mine. My Little, my girlfriend, my love.”
His love. I repeated the words over in my head and decided nothing had ever sounded better.