Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Charlie
While I was still pissed at 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 yelled surprise.
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.
“Well, we wanted you to have one, and since someone got all wild with their nesting spree, we figured we'd better do it now before he had a chance to buy everything before we could.” Jo shot Axel a look, but he just smiled and shrugged, not the least bit bothered to be called out for his excessive shopping.
“I seriously cannot believe this. This is way too much.”
I felt the panic rising in my throat, but didn’t know why it was there. This was an act of kindness, but my body was reacting as if I were in imminent danger.
Jo stood in front of me, gave me a calming look, and gently placed her hands on my shoulders, holding my gaze.
“It’s okay,” she said, her voice soothing. “Letting people get close to you is okay. Accepting their love for you and your baby is okay. You can let your guard down. I promise.”
I looked around the room, noticing that everyone was now talking amongst themselves to give me space. I loved that I didn’t have to feel uncomfortable for long because they seemed to know how it felt and did whatever they could to fix it.
“You were a total bitch in my dream last night,” I blurted out, not sure why I felt now was the time to tell her about it. Her eyebrows rose as a grin tugged across her cheeks.
“Only in your dream?” she teased. “I guess I’m not doing my job because people usually say I’m always a bitch. In their dreams and in reality.”
“You cut my baby out of my stomach after you killed Axel. You and Dr. Foster were working together to sell my baby to the people who are after us.”
Her face fell as the color immediately drained from it. I noticed Axel across the room from us as he paused and took note of what was happening. Jo’s features had hardened with anger as she worked her jaw back and forth. Then she let out a deep breath and looked me in the eye when she spoke.
“I used to have nightmares, too. But trust me when I say this, Charlie. I would kill anyone—myself included—before I would allow anyone to hurt you or that baby. I’m so sorry that I betrayed you in your dream.”
I nodded, not having the words to say because what do you say to something like that?
It wasn’t her fault my subconscious decided to torture me last night and make me question everyone I thought I trusted.
But now wasn’t the time to worry about any of that because I was currently surrounded by a room full of people who wanted to celebrate my baby girl and me, and that was one of the best gifts I’d ever been given.