Page 13 of Axe-identally Married
Thankfully, I hadn’t taken advantage of her inthatway. I’d woken up on the couch, and one of the not so hazy memories lodged in my brain was of heading straight for the couch to pass out when we finally got back here. There had been plenty of kissing—that part I remembered clearly—but by some miracle, we hadn’t gone further.
“No. I was an active and willing participant. And we had so much fun. Drinking, drag queen bingo, and after we won all that money at craps. I got carried away.” The smallest smile tipped her lips as she looked up at me.
My breath hitched. Even depressed and hungover, she was knock-you-on-your-ass beautiful. All green eyes and full lips and long lashes. How had I been blind to this for so long?
“I blame Bob and Phyllis,” I said, feigning indignation. “They’re a terrible influence. They 100 percent pressured us into substance abuse and an ill-conceived marriage.”
The giggle that escaped her filled me with warmth. Damn, it felt good to cheer her up.
“Yes,” she said, biting back a smile. “Those wild septuagenarians led us astray. That defense will clearly hold up in the Lovewell court of public opinion.”
I squeezed her a little tighter. “You’re a doctor, not a lawyer.”
The lightness in her expression evaporated, and she put her head back in her hands. “Don’t remind me. I’m the town doctor. I’m supposed to be reasonable and trustworthy. It’s hard enough already, having grown up there. People don’t take me seriously or actually listen to my medical advice. They’d rather treat me like the child they knew decades ago.”
My phone buzzed in my hand for what had to be the fiftieth time since I’d found it. Curiosity took over, and I checked the notifications. The texts were mainly from acquaintances and varied betweencongratulationsandare you okay?
“I know this seems bad,” I said slowly, tapping the button on the side to make the screen go dark, “but we’ll fix it. We’ll get an annulment, and in time, they’ll all forget. It won’t take long for you to go back to being the dependable doctor.”
“If it were only that easy,” she said, fixing her glassy eyes on me. “You’re a man. The world forgives your mistakes and boneheaded decisions. Women in my position are held to a higher standard.”
Though I had no right to argue with her on that point, she needed to see that everyone made mistakes.
Before I could come up with a reasonable response, she was actively crying again. “My d-dad,” she stuttered. “His health is so fragile, and God, he will be so disappointed. How could I make such a terrible decision? I’m a selfish bitch.”
I hated seeing Willa cry, but the way she spoke so harshly about herself made the protective instincts inside me flare.
“We had fun and got carried away,” I said, keeping my tone soft. “It’s not a good look. I get that. But it’s not a tragedy—”
She raised her head, her eyes sharp and her face fixed in a glower. “Maybe for you. Everyone expects the worst out of you.”
Shit.
Her words hit me like an arrow to the heart.
I’d thought we’d bonded. I thought she could see past the reputation that had been haunting me. I’d opened up and shared things I’d only ever told my therapist. I’d hoped that maybe she thought I was more than an irresponsible fuck-up.
But she was just another person for whom I’d never be good enough.
Chapter Five
Cole
My research on Nevada annulment procedure—which was way more complicated than I had anticipated—was interrupted by a loud banging on the door.
With a gasp, Willa looked up from her phone. She was doing her own research. Likely reaching the same conclusion about our predicament: getting out of this marriage would be a hell of a lot harder than getting into it.
“Open up, Cole.”
My gut bottomed out. Fuck. Owen was my biggest critic, and clearly, he’d heard the news.
Focusing on keeping my breath even, I headed toward the door. I grasped the handle and eyed Willa over my shoulder. “You can head back to your suite if you want to.”
Rather than scurrying off, she straightened and shook her head.
Okay, then.
The instant I’d pushed down on the handle, Owen barged inside, his face red.
