Page 11 of Axe-identally Married
I sat up straight, all my breath escaping from my lungs, and came face to face with Willa, who was standing before me in a strapless bra and panties, once again screaming at her phone.
“Oh my God,” she said, digging one hand into her messy hair and giving it a tug. “Jesus.”
She hopped from one foot to the other, making those incredible breasts bounce, and for an instant, all the concern that had swamped me disappeared.
But a sniffle caught my attention, and when I snapped out of my stupor and zeroed in on her face, my gut sank. She was crying.
“How could this happen?” Turning, she kicked at the ottoman. Then she collapsed onto the couch I’d just rolled off, and the waterworks began in earnest.
I jumped to my feet, wincing as pain tore through my hip.
I was wearing a pair of boxer briefs and my dress shirt from the night before, which was completely unbuttoned. Confused and thirsty, I hobbled over to her, desperate to make her feel better.
“Willa,” I said softly. “What’s going on? Can I help?”
She picked her head up and focused her puffy eyes on me. Her makeup was smeared beneath them, and tears rolled down her cheeks. “Everyone knows,” she sobbed.
Frowning, I searched her face for a hint as to what she was talking about.
“That we got married.”
Married. That word had me dropping onto the cushion beside her. Shit. We’d done it. And she was devastated about it. While the details were hazy, I remember having a lot of fun yesterday.
“How could I be so irresponsible?” she sobbed. “I never lose control.” She was mostly talking to herself, but each word was like a knife to my chest.
This was all my fault. I was the one who had started it. Something in her had called to me, and I’d wanted to help her, toput a smile on her face. But as usual, instead of doing any good, I’d fucked everything up.
“What was in those tequila shots?” she hissed. “Peyote?”
I couldn’t respond. The shame of hurting yet another person was too much to manage in my current state.
My self-loathing was interrupted, thank fuck, by a knock at the door a moment later.
At the sound, she startled, her spine snapping straight. And with a squeak, she jumped up and ran to the bathroom.
With a harsh breath out, I went to the door.
Heart in my throat, I pulled it open, and instantly, I was flooded with relief. “Good morning, sir,” the bellhop said, beaming. “And congratulations.”
He wheeled in a silver cart covered with an enormous floral arrangement and every type of fancy breakfast food known to man.
As he passed, I snagged the card stuck in the bouquet and tore open the envelope.
To the newlyweds, it was an honor to witness your love. Congrats on a beautiful future together. Your friends, Bob and Phyllis.
As I reread the words scrawled on the crisp white paper, memories came flooding back at high speed.
It took a moment to realize the bellhop was standing by the open door. Shit. I scooped my pants up off the floor, yanked out my wallet, and tipped the man.
When he was gone, Willa poked her head out of the bathroom.
She had on a fluffy robe. It was really cute.
I handed her the card, and as she silently read it, her eyes widened, as if the events were snapping back into place for her too. “They are so lovely,” she said, wiping away a tear. “But what the eff did we do?”
With a sigh, I cataloged my memories.
First, we crashed the pool party with the DJ, and then I convinced her to take a helicopter tour over the Hoover Dam. It was expensive, but so worth it.
