Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 117(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
“How was work?” Joey asked, following his lead.
“It was good. You know, late deliveries and stuff like that. I also wasn’t on site for a short time.”
“You weren’t?” Joey asked.
Axel spun around to look at her. “Yeah, I, uh, I had to go and see your parents.”
This made her frown. “My parents? Why?”
And then Axel sunk to one knee before her. “Because I know that it is only polite to go to a woman’s parents and ask for their permission to marry her.” He frowned. “That sounded a lot better in my head.”
“Axel, what is happening right now?”
“I love you, Joey. I seriously, one hundred percent, love you. I know this is going to come as some kind of shock, and for that I apologize, because I don’t know how to do this exactly. I’m not good with the finesse, anyway, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to be your husband, and if I have your permission, I want to be Adeline’s father. I want to be there for you both, and share everything. I want to be there for every single birthday and Christmas, and I want to go out trick-or-treating on Halloween, and come back and pig on candy as we watch movies, and not even horror ones. Lame ones that send us to sleep, because we keep watching the same ones, but we also love it. I want to have children with you and grow old with you. I want you to get angry at me, and be happy, and I want to make you happy. Please, Joey Sinclair, will you marry me?”
She was not expecting this. It was a total shock.
Axel Rules had just asked her to marry him, and he wanted to be a father to Adeline.
She knew Adeline adored him.
He didn’t hold a ring, and then it all came together, as Adeline suddenly appeared and placed the velvet box into his palm.
“You knew?” Joey asked.
“Auntie Ashley said he should get me involved. He’s marrying me as well.” Adeline smiled.
Joey chuckled, as did Axel.
“Ashley?”
“Yes, I called her and asked her for help. I needed to know if you would want a big event or a private one. She told me all you needed was me and Adeline, and then she mentioned a beef stew.”
Joey laughed. “I always said I didn’t need much. Just a man who loved me for me, and the simple pleasures in life. My daughter, and good food. Beef stew is pretty damn good.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Well, what do you say?” Axel asked. “You’re kind of leaving me hanging.”
“Mom?” Adeline asked.
Joey smiled. “Yes, I want to marry you, but there is something I’ve got to tell you.” She nibbled her lip. Crap, how did she just blurt out and say she was pregnant? It didn’t seem right to just come out and say it, yet that was exactly what she did. She told him she was pregnant.
Joey didn’t know what she expected, but Axel threw his arms around her, pulled her in close, and kissed her.
He had broken all his rules for her, but it was funny, because she had broken her only rule for Axel. Her one rule had been simple—to not fall in love with Axel Rules.
She had broken that one right from the start.
Epilogue
Ten Years Later
“I don’t like him,” Axel said.
“You don’t like anyone I date!” Adeline folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.
Did she not remember a time she actually liked him? Adeline was not too fond of her father, especially as she had brought a boy home, and Axel knew that kid’s type.
“You’re not going out with him again. I don’t care what you say.”
“Mom!” Adeline screamed. “Dad’s being a dick again.”
“Watch your language.” Axel frowned and lightly bounced his two-year-old in his arms. “You’re not going to speak to me like that, are you? You’re going to become a nun and not even look at boys or girls.” He looked down at little Erica’s face, and he felt so much love for his youngest.
As if right on cue, his two boys, Steven and Seely, came rushing in. Steven was the oldest at ten, Seely was eight. Both of which were little terrors.
They were constantly pulling pranks, and he and Joey seemed to always be at the school for mischief that had been reported. They were good kids but were easily distracted, and the truth was, the school wasn’t challenging them enough.
The principal was able to keep them occupied with the additional work. This was all great, only it was summer vacation, and between the coffee shop and his own work, it was hard to keep them active.
Adeline often helped as she took them to the park most days. Only, he heard through town gossip that her boyfriend kept stopping by, and they spent it making out. She always had an eye on the kids.