Page 106 of Axe-identally Married
So watching Jude play guitar and sing backup while keeping time was like watching him transform into a totally different person.
He moved as he played, swaying, his fingers gracefully sliding over the fretboard of his guitar.
“Your brother is talented.”
Cole hummed, the sound rumbling through me. “Debbie begged him to think about music school, but he went to work for the timber company instead.”
“It’s incredible to watch him on stage.”
Cole laughed. “Just wait until they take a break. He’ll flip the switch and be back to his normal self. Mostly silent, and when he does speak, it’s in sarcasm only. He loves writing and playing music. The guitar changes him.”
He wrapped his arms around me from behind as we gently swayed to the music. It felt so good to be enveloped like this, wrapped up in the safety of his arms in public. To feel his hot breath when he leaned down to whisper in my ear. Even though we stood out in our fancy clothes, being here with him was like a dream.
It was only the Moose, a place where people came for waffle fries and draft beers after a long week at work. A place I’d been hundreds of times throughout my life.
But being here with Cole made the experience almost magical. Listening to a great band while a hot guy pawed at me easily topped the list of my top teenage fantasies.
When the band took a break, we headed to the bar for another round of waters. Cole kept me close, always touching my body.
“Have you ever thought that maybe when you’re doing the thing you love the most, the thing you were made for, that you dobecome different? A better version of yourself?” he asked, those dark eyes focused only on my face while we waited for Jim, the bartender and owner of the Moose, to bring our bottles of water.
My heart pounded out a rhythm at the intensity with which he watched me. I wanted to grab him by the hair and maul him. I’d never been this girl. I kept my expectations low. I never pushed or acted clingy, and I was grateful for any scraps thrown in my direction.
But standing here with him made me want so much more. He made me feel like I deserved it.
“No, I’ve never thought about that. But I think you’re right. Did you ever feel that way when you were playing?”
“Sometimes. But hockey for me wasn’t about finding my Zen or leaving it all behind. If anything, I carried a lot onto the ice with me. I let my fear, my anxiety, fuel me. Control me. So the stakes felt higher. Even as a kid, it didn’t feel like play. It felt like work.”
I stroked his hand, intertwining our fingers. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be. My experience has made me love coaching. The memories encourage me to make it fun. I want these kids to fall in love with hockey and being part of a team.”
It was pointless even trying to fight what I felt for him anymore. How could I not fall in love with him when he was being so introspective and self-aware?
“You’re doing a great job,” I said. “Those girls love you. And look at it like a do-over. You are the coach you wish you’d had. The coach who lets the kids be kids.”
He smiled. “Thank you for saying that. It means a lot.”
For a moment, we were locked in place, the crowded, noisy bar falling silent. I studied him—the scruffy jaw, the intense dark eyes, and that damn vest—and realized that I was even moreobsessed with the man beneath the gorgeous façade. The sweet, earnest man who woke up every morning wanting to be better.
We could have stood there all night, never breaking eye contact. Except I was itching to head to the car and tear his clothes off.
Eventually, the spell was broken by a feminine voice. “Cole. Great to see you.”
I blinked back to the moment, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at a tall, athletic-looking woman who was rocking trendy baggy boyfriend jeans and a crop top like she’d stepped off the pages ofTeen Vogue.
And she was throwing her arms around my husband.
Hugging him.
And lingering.
My stomach clenched. Why was she touching him? Even after he stepped out of her embrace, she kept her hand on his arm.
I blinked rapidly, unsure of how to proceed.
“Aspen, hi. What are you doing in Lovewell?”
