“Sadie? Sadie Chavez?”

“She owns an art gallery by Larimer Square.”

“I know.”

“She’s going to show me. Debut me. Get me in 5280 magazine. Send pictures of my stuff to other galleries. In LA. Aspen. Vail. San Francisco.”

“Are you down with that?”

That was the first question he asked, right off the bat, after I said what I just said.

Brett didn’t ask.

Axl asked.

That was why Axl was there.

And as much as I owed Brett for kicking me in the ass to do this, it was also why he wasn’t.

“I’m scared. She’s going to price the pieces really high and that freaks me out. It freaks me out just people seeing them. But I got really tingly when Brett told me she liked my stuff.”

“Of course she did. It’s fantastic.”

And he thought that, I could see it in his face.

That praise was genuine.

I looked across the studio at the head of a man made out of concrete and rebar.

The expression facing us was a man filled with peace and joy. Even rapture.

On the other side, it was the same man, filled with rage, his mouth open in a way you knew he was shouting.

It was my dad when I was doing right.

And when he thought I was doing wrong.

“Hattie,” Axl called me gently.

I looked to him. “Do you want her?”

“Sorry?”

I tipped my head to “After.”

He looked to me and his face had changed.

He was stunned.

“Are you offering her to me?”

“She should be with you. You understand that art is pain that should never be forgotten.”

After I said that, his hand came out. He grazed the backs of his curled fingers along my cheek before he opened them, gliding them into my hair.

Then he repeated, “Are you offering her to me?”

That was a whisper with a vibration reminiscent of his purr, but deeper.

More meaningful.

Incredibly beautiful.

“Yes,” I said.

“I absolutely want her.”

I felt my eyes start to sting.

“Brett’s going to be disappointed,” I told him. “Sadie said she’d price her at fifteen thousand dollars. He told me he’d give me seventeen right on the spot and I wouldn’t have to pay Sadie’s commission. I thought she’d be mad, but she was really pleased for me and told me if I sold her privately, it would be of record and she could more easily price the other pieces.”

“I’ll give you eighteen for her.”

God, he was so sweet.

“Axl, honey, I’m giving her to you for free.”

He ignored that. “We’ll put her in the corner of the living room. After your show. She needs to be in your show.”

How cool were the words your show?

Don’t answer that.

They were seriously, super, freaking cool.

“Yes,” I agreed. “But we’ll move her there without money exchanging hands. She’s yours now.”

“She was mine before.”

Oh man.

That did it.

The tears spilled over.

“I like you very, very much,” I whispered.

“And I like you very, very much, baby,” he whispered back.

I stared into his amazing eyes and sniffled.

“Dad’ll come to the show, and it’ll hurt him,” I said so low, it was hard even for me to hear.

“He needs to see it, for more than one reason, baby.”

He was right.

Another tear spilled over.

Axl moved his hand out of my hair and engaged the other one so he could catch them with his thumbs.

“It’s you,” I said.

“What’s me?” he asked.

“It’s you that came into my life and good things started happening.”

“Coincidence.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Hattie, even if that was the case, which it isn’t, you laid the groundwork.”

Okay.

I couldn’t argue that.

“In other words, it was always going to happen. It’s just that, now it is,” he concluded.

I love you, I thought.

But I did not say.

I reached out with my hands too.

Took hold as I shifted to my hip, then my knees.

I pressed between his splayed thighs and wrapped my arms around his body.

And I took in his beautiful face.

Then I kissed him.

He slid his arms around me and kissed me back.

When I pulled away, I whispered, “I’m going to have a show.”

And at that, Axl Pantera smiled at me.

Big and white.

And dazzling.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Fly Forever

AXL

The next day at lunchtime, while Axl moved through the restaurant toward his mother’s table, his phone chimed.

He dug it out of his side leg pocket, looked down at it, and saw he had a text from Hattie.

The phone recognized his face and the text came up.

Hope everything goes okay with

your mom.

Tell her I said hey.

xx♥♥oo♥♥

She was thinking of him. Worried about him. Worried how he’d handle whatever was coming.

And she wanted him to know he was on her mind.

Christ, he was in love with this woman.

He stopped on his way long enough to reply,

Will do, babe.

At the restaurant. I’ll pick you up

at your place later to go get

your dad. ♥

He then pocketed his phone, resumed walking, aiming his eyes at his mother to see she was watching him.

He smiled at her.

She smiled back and started to push out of her chair.

He moved forward faster, and when he got close, ordered, “Don’t get up.”

“Rubbish,” she said, clearing her chair, turning to him, putting her hands on his shoulders then positioning her face for him to kiss her cheek.

This he did.

Then he held her chair as she sat down, helped her scoot it in, all before he sat down.

He started it.

“Hattie says hey.”

“Tell her I said hello back.”

He saw she already had a drink. San Pellegrino with lemon and lime.

“Have you been here?” she asked.

“No,” he replied, glancing at the menu sitting on his place setting and seeing the prices.