Chapter 33
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
Axel
The envelope arrives on a Tuesday. I tear it open, scan the first paragraph, and grin.
“What’s that?” Enzo asks from the doorway.
“Got it.” I wave the papers at Enzo.
“Got what?”
“My will. It took some time to get it right, but now it’s perfect. I’ll make sure you and Luca are taken care of even from the afterlife.”
“You’re not going anywhere anytime soon,” he says sternly.
“Nope.” I wrap my arms around his neck. “I’m not.”
I smile. But if I do happen to go anywhere, and I’m super healthy and careful and will only drive the most secure vehicles, so I’m really not planning to, I’ve already made plans to Joe Dimaggio Enzo.
He’s going to get three dozen red roses delivered to him each week for the rest of his life.
In fact, if he dies before me, he’ll still get them, Marilyn style.
I giggle. The cemetery guys are going to be so annoyed.
Enzo’s never going to be able to forget just how amazing and wonderful he is.
“You’ll be the executor,” I say, “so you should probably be introduced to my filing cabinet.” I pat the filing cabinet in Patricia’s room. Not that it’s Patricia’s room anymore. She’s already in her studio.
The filing cabinet is cold under my palm. It’s a sleek, glossy black like the badass professional it is. Huh.
I wonder if anyone makes leather filing cabinets. Biker styles, with intimidating zippers for decoration.
I grin.
Maybe I can start a filing cabinet business.
This one holds all my secrets, even if it’s not leather-and-zipper blinged. “FC, this is Enzo.”
“Not see-thru?”
I shudder. “No way. People get funny about money.” I learned that in high school when I mentioned my investments. Not making that mistake again.
I take a file folder, write INSTRUCTIONS FROM BEYOND on it, then hand it to Enzo with the key. “You can file it, babe. It will be your first proper interaction with FC.”
He laughs, and all my cells expand. Enzo has been doing a lot of laughing lately. So has Luca.
Enzo unlocks the filing cabinet, then opens the drawer. It occurs to me that maybe there’s a reason he shouldn’t do that, and I frown.
Enzo thumbs through the folders. Then he stops.
“Axel?”
His voice is strange. I turn.
He’s holding a folder labeled THE brEAKAWAY FOUNDATION - BELLANTI, E.
Shit.
I head to him at once. “What is it, babe?”
His lower lip is doing a trembling thing, and I smile. He’s so adorable. I kiss his cheek, then link pinkies with him.
He looks from me to the folder in my filing cabinet then to me again.
“Everything is alphabetical,” I say, feigning innocence. Maybe he didn’t put things together. Maybe. “Did you put a document in the wrong file? We can find it. I promise.”
“Th-that’s not the issue,” he says finally.
He’s still holding the file, and my stomach tightens.
“Oh, that’s old. You don’t need to see it.”
“Babe, do you have something to communicate to me?” he asks.
“Only that you’re amazing and that I love you so much.”
“The Breakaway Foundation gave me that massive scholarship my last three years at Concord. Why is this in your filing cabinet?”
“Well—” I try to think of an explanation.
He opens the file. “And why is your name on the incorporation documents?”
I snort. “You’re getting good at this communication.”
He smiles, then taps the file against my chest.
“We could just not talk about it,” I suggest.
“Uh-uh.”
“Well.” I sigh. “You were so busy. You were doing all these jobs. Not official jobs, because the school only let you work ten hours a week. But every time there was a chance to earn money, you would run off to do it.”
He shrugs. “Yeah?”
“You were cutting people’s hair in the dorms.” I grab hold of one of his curly, still too-long locks. “You’re not qualified to do that.”
“Someone had a business idea. He needed a helper.”
“And you needed to study and not fiddle around with a razor blade on people’s necks. What if you’d maimed someone?”
“That wouldn’t have happened. You sound like I was trimming hair by shooting bullets through the strands.”
“I understand why you avoid the barber.”
“We’re in the playoffs, Axel. Everyone avoids the barber.”
“But you were avoiding the barber beforehand.”
“It worked, didn’t it?”
I grin. “Yeah.”
Our team is playing so well. We might win.
Enzo waves the file. “Tell me about this, Axel.”
I open my mouth to protest but decide against it. Maybe he’s right. I should tell him.
“I had a bit of money. I, uh, decided to form a foundation. I thought you would probably refuse it if I just wrote a check.”
“Seriously?” His mouth drops open.
“I, uh, thought you had figured it out when you saw I was the founder.”
“I thought you’d sweet-talked donors. I didn’t think you had 200K to give me!”
I shrug. “I’m good with money.”
“200K Axel. Back in college!”
“You know I like to invest. And I talk about business plans a lot.”
“I thought you were joking.”
“Hey!”
He slinks his arms around my neck. “You are a very good joker.”
I frown.
“Not in the Batman sense,” he adds hastily. “Just in a good with humor type sense.”
“Oh. I guess that’s not bad.”
“No, it’s not. You should have told me, Axel. I-I don’t know what to think. That was… huge.”
“You matter to me, Enz. I didn’t want to risk annoying you or making you feel obligated or awkward.
You were the best player. And as someone who really, really loved hockey back then, it’s not that strange that I wanted to start a foundation.
Maybe I started it because of you, but I help a new hockey player each year. ”
“Well.” He sighs. “That’s very sweet. You don’t have to hide from me.”
“I’ll teach Luca early how to invest and start businesses. I’ll give him lots of great options for life.”
“I know you will. You’re a good man. I can’t believe you paid for my education.”
“You were the best, most deserving player,” I say. “The foundation did exactly what it was intended to do. It helped a promising hockey player.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to make things awkward. I-I just wanted you to have your dreams.”
“And why didn’t you tell me after college?”
I shrug. “It’s not important. Maybe in another life some other philanthropy would have given you the funds. You deserved it, Enzo.”
“But this is this life, and you were the person who gave it to me.”
“I missed you even in college when you weren’t around. I think I loved you even back then. I just didn’t have the words for it. I’ve loved you my whole adult life, Enzo.”
“I’m sorry I—”
I shake my head. “It’s okay. I’m happy we’re together now. I’m so fucking happy now.”
“So am I.”
And then there’s quite a bit of kissing.
Enzo launches himself into my arms, which is awesome because I love holding him in my arms. I squeeze his ass, because it’s perfect, and his cock stiffens against my belly because it’s perfect too. Well, all of Enzo is.
My blood cells do a happy dance, because sex with Enzo is the best.
I’m halfway to the filing cabinet when I realize we need lube.
“One second.” I sprint to the bedroom and back. Enzo’s still leaning against FC, flushed and waiting, and the sight nearly kills me.
“Noted,” I pant. “Keeping lube in the office from now on.”
“Less talking.” He pulls me in.
I double-check the lock, slick my fingers, and get to work.
Then I’m sinking into him. I hold onto his waist and do the thrusting things that he likes, running my fingers over his hard nipples. Enzo gasps, fingers scrabbling against the metal drawers, and the sound goes straight to my cock.
The filing cabinet shudders with each thrust, and I try to remember if it’s bolted to the wall.
I press my mouth to his shoulder and thrust deeper.
I paid for his education because I couldn’t stand watching him run himself ragged. I started a foundation because I didn’t know how to say I love you yet.
Now I do.
“I love you,” I say.
“I-I love you too,” Enzo says, breath wrecked. “Axel—”
“I’ve got you.” I kiss the back of his neck. “I’ve always got you.”
FC is going to need therapy after this. Worth it.