Page 114 of Axe-identally Married
I shook my head, shaking from the built-up testosterone flowing through me. “We could mount his head above the fireplace.”
She pulled her shirt back on. Again, this kept getting worse. “You can’t hurt Clive. That’s not how things work in this town.”
I sat up and grasped the back of her neck, pulling her face to mine. “These tits belong to me. No one gets to see them.”
She studied my face, her eyes moving over every inch, before bursting into laughter. Wild, uncontrollable laughter.
And then I started laughing too. The entire thing was beyond ridiculous. I had been cock-blocked by a moose. It was the kind of ridiculous thing that could only happen in this crazy-ass town.
“He’s a fucking menace,” I said, hiccupping.
“I swear he’s evil,” she agreed, wiping the tears from her eyes before kissing me again.
“But there’s no one I’d rather be stuck in a car with.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Willa
We’d closed the office early today because a major storm was coming. The snow had started around breakfast, light and fluffy and not unusual for this time of year. But by lunch, the winds were fierce, and visibility was minimal.
Up here, we got snow from October to May. People didn’t even blink. It was a fact of life. School kids hiked through waist-deep snow to get to the school bus without a second thought. Snow was dangerous, but wind was deadly. Once or twice a year, we’d be hit with a nor’easter, a storm that combined high winds with record snowfall. Those were the storms Mainers took seriously. We’d all heard horror stories of people being caught out in the snow, losing power without a backup generator, or being stranded without supplies.
Thankfully, Lovewell had an excellent community network, spearheaded by Bernice and several of the other older ladies who made sure the seniors and parents with young kids were checked in on. The whole town was sharpening their plow blades and gassing up their generators in anticipation.
On many occasions, I’d ended up buckled in next to my dad in the old pickup he kept for plowing. After big storms, we’dplow the neighbor’s driveways and sometimes the hill that led up to the elementary school.
My heart clenched at the memory. My parents were safe down in Portland, but I missed them fiercely.
They had always prized hard work, dedication, and selflessness. Growing up, I had watched my father step away from the table on Thanksgiving Day to help someone in need. He’d leave sporting events or even the grocery store—and a cart full of groceries. The entire community relied on him and trusted him to help.
My mom too. As one of only a handful of psychologists in this county, she was inundated with patients and was always visiting hospitals. Thankfully, when I was in elementary school, she opened her private practice. That cut down on her travel, but she was available twenty-four seven to anyone who needed her.
Service was in my blood. More and more, I was realizing that my ideal version of service looked a little different from my parents’. But I had a way to go before making that leap. Dr. Walters’s niece was finishing her social work degree, and I’d recently been talking to her about the possibility of an internship at my practice. Having mental health support would be huge. I was still searching for the unicorn physician assistant or nurse practitioner who could take some of the patient load, but Cole’s positivity had kept me from giving up hope.
While I took on all the responsibility at work, it was such a relief to have someone to share it with at home.
This afternoon, he greeted me at the door with a kiss.
“We should probably hit the grocery store before it gets bad,” I said, standing in the entryway in my coat and boots. We’d need to get through the pre-storm checklist ASAP.
“Already done,” he said, heading toward the kitchen.
“What about—”
“Gas for the generator? Done. I also charged our devices—but plug your phone in now; there’s a charger set up in here—and the battery bank is full of juice too. I also put fresh batteries in the flashlights.”
He gestured to the kitchen counter where several flashlights were lined up.
My heart stuttered. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so attracted to you.”
He winked. “You’ve got plenty of time to show me just how much you like me, wifey. This is gonna be a multi-day storm.”
Once I’d plugged my phone in, I stepped into his arms and let his warmth and familiar scent flood my senses. Though I’d spent most of my life too busy to even think about marriage, I was luxuriating in it now.
But there was a little nugget of guilt that I couldn’t shake. The sore spot in my brain that I kept poking at. Lila. Our friendship. The lie I’d told her. I didn’t want to betray Cole, but I also wanted to come clean and tell her everything. Move on. But it wasn’t only my story.
He cupped my face and ducked down. “Something is wrong. Work?”
