Axel Summer Shifters Season 2

by Raines, Harmony

  Axel grabbed a pan and heated it on the stove while he made the pancake batter. As he worked, Jenessa and Paula talked about flowers and shrubs, with a sprinkle of family history added in. Axel listened to every word as he made light, fluffy pancakes that he piled on a plate. When they were done, he placed the plate on the table and fetched maple syrup from the cupboard before he refilled everyone’s coffee cups.

  “You can see why Axel is such a valued member of staff at O’Malley’s,” Paula said with pride. “O’Malley left him in charge while he went on his honeymoon.”

  “So I heard.” Jenessa licked her lips and helped herself to a couple of pancakes. “These look delicious.”

  “They taste delicious, too.” Paula took a small bite. Her appetite had not recovered since her illness which was a constant worry to Axel. Fear niggled at the back of his mind. He shouldn’t be leaving her alone here. If she had a relapse and ended up back in the hospital, Axel would never forgive himself.

  “They are good,” Jenessa agreed with a nod and took another bite.

  “I know I’m biased but you have got yourself a good man as a mate.” Paula beamed with pride, but Axel groaned inwardly. His mom was more than happy to gloss over the years when Axel was not the best he could be. When he witnessed some of the worst in people and was nearly dragged down with them.

  But we were not dragged down, his cougar said sharply. We stepped back from the abyss and turned our lives around.

  Yet here we are with nothing to offer our mate. Axel chased a piece of pancake around his plate with his fork.

  We can offer love and loyalty. We can also offer Jenessa exactly what she needs. We can help her find Tyler. Our skill set is exactly what she needs. His cougar was once again talking sense.

  “So, what brings you to Cougar Ridge?” Paula locked eyes with Jenessa, whose cheeks flushed pink as she chewed a mouthful of food and then swallowed. Reaching for her cup, she took her time to sip her coffee before she spoke.

  “I came here to see O’Malley. We have known each other for a long time.” Jenessa finished her pancakes and sipped her coffee under the watchful gaze of Paula.

  “But you didn’t know him well enough to know he was on his honeymoon?” Paula’s body might not be as strong as it once was, but she still had a sharp mind.

  “No, we haven’t spoken for a while.” Jenessa kept her eyes on her plate. She was hiding something. Axel wanted to know what.

  “You haven’t spoken for a while but when you need help, O’Malley’s the man you come to for that help.” Paula obviously needed to know, too.

  “I know how it sounds.” She sighed and looked up, meeting Paula’s eye. “We were good friends around five years ago. I met him through work.” Her gaze flickered toward Axel momentarily. “We never had a thing. We were just friends.”

  “Good friends and then you weren’t.” Paula was like a dog with a bone, she wasn’t going to let this go.

  “Mom.” The warning in Axel’s voice jerked Paula’s attention to her son.

  “Sorry.” Paula’s shoulders slumped forward. “I’m overprotective of my son.”

  “There’s nothing sinister going on. Nothing illegal. We just drifted apart. He focused on the bar and I started my own business.” She smiled easily. “But O’Malley always said that if ever I needed him, if ever I needed help, then he would be there for me.”

  Jenessa brushed her hair back from her face and drained her coffee cup. The way she kept her eyes averted was familiar. Back in the days when Axel was in the gang, he’d witnessed that same look in people who had information they didn’t want to give up.

  Silence settled around them for a few minutes. Paula was bursting with questions she needed to ask, but she settled for shuffling in her seat and pushing a piece of pancake around her plate.

  Jenessa helped herself to another pancake. “These are just too delicious.” She was almost apologetic, but it was good to see her eat. After months of trying to coax his mom to eat just one more mouthful as she battled her way back to health, it was good to see that Jenessa had a good appetite.

  “Help yourself.” He caught sight of the time and cursed under his breath. His mom shot him a warning look. “Sorry, Mom.”

  A small smile crept across Jenessa’s lips, but she didn’t say anything, instead, she ate her pancakes, looking relaxed as Axel got up from the table and ferried the dishes to the sink. “Hey, I’ll do the dishes.” Jenessa waved her fork at him. “It’s the least I can do.”

  “Okay.” Axel glanced at the kitchen clock, decorated with garden herbs. “I have to get to the bar. I’ll be there until three.” He fixed Jenessa with a hopeful stare. “You are going to be here when I get back?”

  “I promise.” She tilted her head to one side. “I honestly promise.”

  “I’ll make sure she doesn’t run out on you,” Paula said firmly.

  “Go. Your mom and I’ll be fine.” Jenessa gulped down her food and then began clearing the table. “I’ve got this, and you have to work.”

  Axel took one last look at his mom and his mate. Not something he’d ever expected to do.

  Then he walked out of the kitchen and out of the house, hoping his mate would keep her word.

  Chapter Six – Jenessa

  “Is there anything else I can do for you?” Jenessa asked as she finished the dishes and dried her hands on the towel before hanging it up.

  “You can tell me a little more about yourself.” Paula’s eyes dropped to the seat beside her.

  Jenessa smiled at the old woman. She looked so frail and yet she would give the last of her strength to protect her son. Unbidden tears misted Jenessa’s eyes and she turned away, busying herself with making a fresh pot of coffee. She was going to need caffeine for the interrogation ahead.

  Yet she couldn’t blame Paula. Jenessa’s own mom had been fiercely protective of her children. Her fingers tightened around the handle of the coffee pot as she filled it with water from the faucet. Her mom would hate what Tyler had become, what he might have done.

  “Are you okay?” Paula’s chair scraped back as she got to her feet and circled the table.

  “I’m fine.” Jenessa dashed her hand across her eyes but there was no hiding her tears from Paula.

  “Come sit. I’ll finish the coffee while you tell me all about it.” Frail fingers took the pot from Jenessa’s hands, but it was heavy and nearly slipped from Paula’s fingers.

  “Why don’t we make it together?” Jenessa’s weak smile was answered with a nod and the two women moved around the kitchen, fetching clean coffee cups, then the milk while the coffee brewed.

  “Shall we go through to the living room?” Paula placed her hand on her hip. “These hard chairs do nothing for my poor old bones.”

  “Sure.” Jenessa carried the coffee while Paula led the way.

  “Here, put the cups down on the table. Take a seat.” Paula slid into a comfortable reclining chair. “Axel bought this for me when I came out of the hospital.” She smoothed her hand over the armrest. “He sold his bike to afford it.”

  “He’s a good man.” Jenessa’s voice caught in her throat. She truly wished she hadn’t come here. What right did she have to drag a son away from his mom?

  “He is. You’ve caught yourself a good one.” Paula’s eyes narrowed. “So, what trouble have you brought with you?”

  Jenessa’s mouth curled up at the corners. “You’re very direct. I like that.”

  “He’s my only son, my only family. So, forgive me if I want the best for him.” Paula eased the chair back, her feet raised off the floor.

  “I never planned any of this. Like I said, I came here for O’Malley. Which I would not have done if I’d known he was married.” Jenessa leaned forward and reached for a coffee cup, which she passed to Paula.

  “You’re here now, so there is no use worrying about that. Axel won’t rest until he’s solved whatever problem you have. So there’s no point wasting our breath talking about the pros and cons
.” Paula’s mouth drooped. “How much danger are you about to put my boy in?”

  Guilt pierced Jenessa’s heart. There was no use telling Paula there was no danger on the road ahead. She was smart enough to know Jenessa wouldn’t have come to Cougar Ridge for help if this wasn’t dangerous.

  “I don’t know.” Jenessa held up her hand. “Which sounds like a non-answer, I know. But I’m here because of my brother. He stole something from someone. And they want it back.”

  “And what did he steal?” Paula asked.

  “I don’t know. That’s the problem. Well, that and not actually knowing where he is.” Jenessa placed her hands around her coffee cup and stared at the aromatic liquid. It reminded her of lazy days seated in front of her favorite coffee house. The sun would shine down on her face while she flicked through reports on her phone. Days when she focused on growing her successful business, not hauling her ass around the country looking for her fully grown brother.

  “Family is the most important thing.” Paula’s tone softened. “Can’t your father go find him?”

  “My father is not in the best of health. Physically, he’s fine, but mentally, he can get confused. If he went to find Tyler, he’d likely end up in trouble himself.” Jenessa raised her eyes to Paula’s. “I’m doing this for him as much for anyone. I hate to see the worry on his face.”

  “Ahh, I see.”

  “We lost my mom some years back and my dad has never been the same since.” She sighed heavily. “He lost his mate. You can relate to that.”

  “His mate.” Paula put her chair back into an upright position and leaned forward. “Are you a shifter?”

  “No. I’m not. My dad is not my biological father. But he raised me as his and he’s never treated me any differently. He took me on when he met my mom.” She dragged a hand through her hair and tried to contain her tears. “I owe it to him.”

  “I can see that you do.” Paula leaned back in her seat, it was as if all the fight had gone out of her. “Just make sure Axel doesn’t take unnecessary risks. Please.”

  “I will.” Jenessa groaned as tears trickled down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry for bringing this to your door.”

  “There’s no fighting fate. You and Axel are meant to be together. Which means he is supposed to help you. We all have to live with the consequences of fate.” Paula closed her eyes momentarily, looking tired and pale.

  “You raised a good man.”

  Paula’s eyes cracked open. “He has a past, you know?”

  “I know, we touched on it briefly.” Her jaw clenched. “My father was the same. He led a…colorful life until my mom got sick. He walked away from the life he knew for her so that she could get the treatment she needed. He put his past behind him, not that he hid it from us. My mom was so proud.”

  “Which is why it hurts so much that your brother had chosen that life?” Paula eased the chair back, her eyes still half-closed.

  “It hurts like hell. And part of me wants to find Tyler so I can give him hell.” She half-smiled. “The other half of me just wants him home and safe.”

  “Axel will help you with that.” Paula lifted her hand and pointed to the TV. “Would you switch it on, please? My shows are about to start.”

  Jenessa got up from the sofa. “Sure.” She switched the TV on and handed the remote to Paula. As the screen burst into life, the tune to Doctors of Haversham County filled the room. “My mom used to love this show.”

  “She had good taste,” Paula said as she settled down to watch the show. “I’ve been watching it for years. Although, I’ve spent enough time in the hospital lately to know it’s all make-believe. But we all need a little of that in our lives, don’t we?”

  “We sure do.” Jenessa let go of her fear for Tyler and imagined she was sitting with her mom watching her shows and that everything was all right. As the smooth voice of the dreamy doctor washed over her, her eyelids grew heavy, and sleep claimed her. In her dreams, her mom was a patient at Haversham County Hospital, the doctors who monitored her health wore the familiar faces from the TV show. As she listened to the prognosis, her hopes rose, they could try a new revolutionary treatment that might just work.

  “Jenessa.” A hand on her shoulder pulled her from her dream even though she tried to cling on to it. Her mother was alive, the doctors here could save her when no other doctor could. “Jenessa.” The voice was persistent, too persistent and she shook the hand from her shoulder, fighting to hold onto the image of her mom. “Jenessa. Wake up.”

  Her eyes flew open and she stared into the face of a man she barely recognized. He certainly wasn’t one of the miracle doctors.

  “Axel.” As she spoke his name, her world came into sharp focus and she rubbed her hand across her face in an attempt to hide her disappointment.

  “You were dreaming.” Pity reflected in his eyes.

  Jenessa rubbed her eyes and squinted against the light, hoping she hadn’t been talking in her sleep. “What time is it?” Her stomach rumbled in reply.

  “It’s a little after three.” He took a step backward. “Mom’s been cooking, she thought you might be hungry when you woke up.”

  Jenessa’s senses must have been sleeping, too. Now that she was awake, the smell of something herby and delicious was wafting into the living room from the kitchen. “She’s right but she shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble for me.”

  He gave a sly smile. “If it makes you feel better, it’s not just for you. My mom likes to cook while I’m at work over lunchtime since she knows I’m always starving when I get home.”

  “She must like having you home.” Her throat constricted at the thought of her dad. He’d love to have his son home again. They had always had a close bond before Tyler got sucked into the world his father had escaped from.

  “She does. She likes to mother me,” he admitted. “That does nothing for my image, does it?”

  “Yes, it does,” she answered softly. “You came back to care for her and you let her care for you because it makes her happy.” She nudged him gently. “And you enjoy it because you like seeing her happy.”

  “I owe her so much.” He pressed his lips together, holding back from her when she wished he would open up and tell her his thoughts. Jenessa wanted to get to know this man. She wanted to find out what made him tick so they could build a happy life together.

  She sat up abruptly and he moved back away from her. They had to find Tyler and retrieve whatever it was he’d stolen before she dared think about a life here with Axel. Sliding her feet to the floor, she got up and straightened her clothes before running her fingers through her hair.

  “Come on, you’ll feel better after you’ve eaten. My mom has cooked chicken and mashed potatoes. Which she then smothers in her secret sauce.”

  “Secret sauce, I like the sound of that.” She lifted her chin and inhaled deeply. “I can smell garlic, and something else.”

  “It tastes divine. My mom used to make it before I moved away. Whenever I came home to visit, she would always cook it for me because she knew it was my favorite. If ever I arrived unannounced, she would send my dad out to the grocery store for chicken just so she could make it.” He gave her that same sheepish smile and she smiled in return. They loved each other. It was clear by the way Axel spoke about his mom and the way she treated him in return.

  A pang of longing hit her. She missed her mom so much it was like a physical pain. “I can’t wait to try it.”

  “Just if you don’t like it, don’t tell her.” He held up his hand to her. “Please.”

  “I’m sure I’ll love it if it tastes even half as good as it smells. But if I don’t, I promise I won’t tell,” Jenessa said solemnly.

  He cracked a grin. “Thanks.”

  “Why are you so nervous?” she asked as they left the living room and headed for the kitchen.

  “I can’t remember the last time I had a guest here and I’ve never brought a girl home.” His eyes widened. “Not that you are a girl. Yo
u’re a woman.”

  “At least you know your biology.” She batted her eyelashes and grinned as her stomach growled so loudly, she was certain Axel would hear.

  “I know what a hungry stomach sounds like, too.” He inclined his head toward the kitchen. “Why don’t you sit down?”

  “Isn’t there anything I can do to help?” Jenessa asked, feeling uneasy at being waited on by Axel and his mom. Back home it was Jenessa who did the cooking and most of the cleaning. She had to admit it was nice to have a home-cooked meal she had not prepared herself.

  “No, you sit down,” Paula insisted. “Axel, offer our guest a beer or there’s soda in the fridge.”

  “I also brought a bottle of wine home.” He glanced at Jenessa. “I wasn’t sure what you like to drink.”

  “Beer would be perfect. But thanks for the thought about the wine.”

  “No problem. I can take it back with me later.” He glanced up at the clock. “Greg said he’d open the bar this evening but I’m going to go later and clean up and check that everything is okay for when O’Malley gets back.”

  “I can come with you and help out. Before you say no, it’s the least I can do.”

  Axel nodded and glanced sideways at his mom. “I’d enjoy the company.”

  She nodded, having interpreted his look to mean he would rather not talk about Tyler in front of his mom. Paula would worry enough about her son leaving without hearing all the details.

  Yet as Paula dished the food onto three plates and Axel carried them to the table, more than ever Jenessa questioned what right she had to drag Axel away from the mom who needed him.

  Chapter Seven – Axel

  “How’s business this evening?” Axel asked Greg when he and Jenessa arrived at O’Malley’s bar.

  “Busy. Word seems to have gotten around that we sell good food at a good price. The kitchen had been stacked out. We have only had one guy who drank a little too much, but his friends took him home before he caused trouble. In cougar town, that’s what I call a win.” Greg looked past Axel to where Jenessa was standing. “You brought a date.”