With him.

Which he was doing with her.

He’d just not consciously acknowledged it.

“The second is harder, which is why you’re here,” Hawk carried on. “But if you had no problem getting down to important business on your first meeting with this guy, I’d find your times to continue to go over when she’s with him. Regardless of the rocky start, try to establish a relationship with him. And then point out, if he loves his daughter, he should get his head out of his fuckin’ ass and put the work in to build a relationship with her that isn’t based on shit.”

“Yeah,” Axl repeated.

“That’s harder, Axe, ’cause you can’t go in there doing that without her knowledge. Which means you gotta point out to Hattie in the middle of sorting her head out about past and current issues that there’s healthy emotion mixed in that. And since there is, you think it’s worthwhile you both work on him in coaxing it out.”

Hawk leaned forward.

Because he wasn’t done.

“But you gotta be certain you’re at one with thinking it’s worthwhile to coax it out,” he warned. “If you’re not, then you should keep doin’ what you’re doing. Support what she feels she has to do, and step in when he crosses a line.”

“Right,” Axl said.

Hawk’s gaze remained steady on Axl.

“It’s been a rough road for you with her, what she experienced growing up, even when you got together, it wasn’t going to be easy,” Hawk remarked. “Still, sucks to hear that it’s not only not easy, but also confusing.”

“Definitely sucks,” Axl agreed. “Though, appreciate you talkin’ it out with me.”

Hawk sat back again and replied, “Anytime.”

Axl stood.

Surprisingly, Hawk didn’t.

“Again, gratitude,” Axl said. “I was at a loss. Now I’m not. It’s important so it’s good to have a path.”

Hawk nodded.

Axl moved to the door.

“Axe?” Hawk called.

He turned to his boss.

And it felt like someone punched him in the sternum when he saw the look on Hawk’s face.

A look he couldn’t quite read.

But he could feel it.

“You know what fucks me?” Hawk asked quietly.

“No,” Axl forced out.

“That you came to me with this.”

And a sock to the gut.

“Sorry, I—”

“No,” Hawk bit off. “That you came to me because you can’t go to your dad. That fucks me, Axl. Because I’m honored you felt safe sitting across from me and talking this through. But you should feel safe with your dad. You do not. And that pisses me right the fuck off.”

Axl said nothing.

He felt a number of things.

But he said nothing.

Hawk did.

“I got two boys,” Hawk told him something he knew. “If I knew Asher or Bruno went to another man for advice on anything, something important like this, or which protein powder worked best, I fuck you not, I’d die a little inside.”

It wasn’t easy, but Axl swallowed.

“What I’m sayin’ is, I get you’re flyin’ blind with this,” Hawk continued. “You don’t have a father who acts as a foundation for you, Hattie doesn’t either, so you gotta search for the path forward rather than knowing it or having your personal path lead to your father’s door for guidance. So I’m glad you took the time to come up here, man. I just caution you to realize you are lacking the same thing Hattie is and don’t get lost in that. You made the right choice today, coming up here. And as shit progresses with Hattie’s dad, remember, that path is always open to you. I don’t have all the answers. What I will always have is the time to listen and work shit through.”

His throat feeling tight, Axl nodded.

Hawk was older, but not old enough to be his father.

But fuck, he was glad he’d found a man like Hawk to be his mentor.

“Right. Later, Axl,” Hawk finished it for both of them.

“Later, Hawk.”

And with them exchanging chin lifts, Axl walked out of Hawk’s office.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Two Drawers

AXL

That evening, twenty minutes later than he wanted to do it, Axl walked in from his garage, calling, “Hattie, baby, I’m home.”

And within seconds, Hattie came flying into the kitchen, barefoot, wearing a long, yellow dress with little white flowers on it. It was fitted to her torso, had ruffles for the short sleeves, a flowy skirt and a slit up to the knee on her left leg.

Her hair was piled on top of her head and her face was panicked.

“Okay, I thought I had it together, but I didn’t,” she announced. “So I made Sly go shopping with me today and I bought seven dresses. I’ve switched out which one so many times, I think Sly might beg Brett to be taken off Hattie Detail. But I think this is the one. What do you think?”

He didn’t tell her what he thought.

He told her what he knew.

“You look beautiful.”

“No, seriously, what do you think?”

Axl was confused seeing as he’d just answered that question.

“Honey, you look beautiful.”

Looking down at herself, she shifted her hips side to side, which meant the skirt drifted around her legs.

Axl was watching that as she asked, “Is it too casual?” Then she decided for him. “It’s too casual. It doesn’t say Cherry Creek.”

He tore his eyes from her hips and stated firmly, “Hattie, look at me.”

She looked at him.

“You. Look. Beautiful,” he declared.

She kept gazing at him for a few beats before she said, “Okay. Phew. Now, hair up or down?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Down.”

“Right!” she for some reason cried loudly, then rushed out of the room, her skirt flying out behind her.

He found her in the bathroom, leaning over the sink, yanking something out of her hair.

It came tumbling down.

Well, hell.

That went straight to his dick.

He had to shower, and they had to get on the road. They didn’t have time for a quick fuck.

“Babe, I need to shower.”

She turned to him. “If my hair is down, I need product. And fiddle time. Are you okay to shower with me in the bathroom?”