Page 59 of Axe Backwards
I focused my attention on Tess. On keeping her comfortable. Yes, that was the responsible thing to do.
“Hold her up so I can take her diaper off.”
Once she was naked and cradled in his arms, he stepped into the cool shower and swayed under the spray, talking to her softly.
She clung to him, whimpering, her little arms wrapped around his neck.
I stood there, mesmerized as he ran a soothing hand over her head and down her back.
The tender concern on his face and the way that, even bone tired, he would do anything for this child cracked my heart in two.
This man, a wall of muscle, ink, and chest hair, held this tiny baby like she was the most precious thing to ever exist.
Her distress was causing him physical pain.
As I watched the two of them, an ache formed low in my belly, a sensation I hadn’t experienced in years.
Breathing became difficult. My breasts felt heavy. My legs didn’t seem to want to walk away. With every second that passed, emotions shifted, thoughts realigned, and feelings grew. Like a complicated Tetris game inside me opening up a sensation that felt suspiciously like want.
And Noah Hebert was not something I could afford to want.
Chapter 19
Noah
“Ican’t believe she’s sleeping in her crib.” Smiling, Vic gave me a double thumbs-up.
After a long, cool shower, we changed Tess, fed her, and got her to the next dose of medicine. Shortly after that, she finally drifted off.
Since the only ceiling fan in the apartment was in her room, we figured we’d see how long she’d sleep in there. When I laid her down, she instantly rolled over and burrowed her face into the mattress.
She seemed comfortable, and her temperature had come down a bit. Perhaps she only liked the crib when sick? Because she usually acted like it was made of thorns and fire.
After leaving her door open a few inches, I leaned back against the wall in the hallway and let my body deflate.
It was after two, and I was dead on my feet.
As a first responder, I had extensive training and experience in handling crises and life-and-death situations. But all that training and my ability to keep cool in the face of danger were completely lost the minute my daughter was sick.
“Thank you,” I whispered as we dragged ourselves into the living area.
Vic looked wiped too. Her ponytail was disheveled, and she’d changed out of her jeans and top, trading them for a pair of my athletic shorts and a Yosemite T-shirt. The sight of her in my clothes lit up a part of my brain I wasn’t sure had ever been active before. And I didn’t hate it.
“No thanks necessary.”
My chest tightened. “I was spiraling, and you were here for me. And for Tess. You are a damn good friend.”
It was dark, and I was dangerously close to slipping into unconsciousness, but I swore her face fell at that last word.
And suddenly, I was overcome with the urge to be near her. So I stalked to where she stood by the window.
After the chaos of the evening, my brain had quieted, as if it had worn itself out. For once, the racing thoughts, endless distractions, and nonstop noise had ceased.
My only focus was Vic.
Her soft skin, illuminated by theBlueynightlight and the streetlights outside.
The rapid rise and fall of her chest.
