Page 18 of Axe Backwards
“I’m worried that I can’t do it. That I’m not built for this. That I’ll let her down and fuck it all up.”
His face went stony. “You will not.”
My gut clenched as I surveyed my little girl. “She’s already lost so much. And she’s stuck with me.”
Tipping to one side, he pressed a kiss to the top of Tess’s head. “You are so much more capable than you give yourself credit for.”
It was such a Jude thing to say. All wise and shit. But he’d spent the last decade growing and changing and becoming a responsible adult. I’d taken a different path.
“You don’t know that.” I popped open a jar of sweet potato purée and dug a baby spoon from the drawer. “You don’t even know me.”
He took a step back, his expression a mask of hurt.
Instantly, I regretted my words.
Lips pursed, he studied me. Behind his glasses, his eyes were the exact shade of blue as mine. We even had the same sandy brown hair. Jude kept his short and his beard full. We weren’t identical twins, but we fooled a lot of people when we were kids. Even now, in our thirties, it was sometimes like looking into a more responsible, more mature mirror.
With a grunt, he punched my shoulder.
“No violence in front of the baby,” I hissed, rubbing at the spot. Shit, that hurt.
“We shared a placenta, asshole. You can’t make statements like that.”
I glared at him, but before I could fire back, a loud knock echoed through the space.
“I’ll make myself useful,” he grumbled.
I sat at the table with the jar of sweet potatoes, smiling at my little girl, who was grinning and signing “more” over and over.
“Hi, Jude,” a feminine voice said. “Is Noah here? I wanted to drop this off.”
Tess kicked her feet and screeched, and the sound got louder as my neighbor appeared, holding my folded blue sweatshirt.
“Sorry,” she said, giving Tess a big wave and a smile. “I accidentally took this with me.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m headed out to pick up burgers from the Moose,” Jude said, sidling up beside her.
It was a blatant lie. We had no such plans. Though I wouldn’t turn down a giant burger. Lovewell had minimal takeout options, and cooking meals for myself was not exactly a priority at the moment.
He darted a look my way, then focused on her. “Stay and hang out with us.”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“You aren’t. I promise. I didn’t realize the two of you were friends.” He arched a brow at me.
I could see the cogs moving. Fuck. I had to shut this down quickly.
Vic beat me to it. “He rescued me from a broken bathroom door yesterday morning at the coffee shop. And last night, when his endless pacing kept me awake, I came up to hang out with this cutie so he could get a little sleep.”
She waved at Tess again. My daughter waved back with one hand while stuffing blueberry pieces into her mouth with the other.
Jude nodded, his eyes darting from Vic to me and back again. He was a vault, the last person to ever gossip, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t give me all kinds of shit.
“She’s a good neighbor,” I said lamely. “And Tess likes her.”
“Tess”—Vic stepped closer and ruffled the baby’s hair, giving me the perfect view of her cleavage—“has excellent taste.”
