Page 17 of Axe-identally Married
But the way he lowered his head, with his broad shoulders slumped while his brother belittled him, had hurt my heart. Cole wasn’t perfect, and he may not have even been a good person, but he was a person, and he deserved to be treated like one.
The consensus was that, in general, doctors had God complexes. For me, though, it was more of a justice complex. And when I saw unfairness of any kind, I felt called to respond.
So before I could think better of it, I was on my feet, defending him and spinning wild lies. Lies I’d eventually have to untangle.
Before I could dive into that, though, I had to confront my parents. I couldn’t risk the town rumor mill getting to them first. Luckily, the odds were good that they hadn’t yet heard. Theyweren’t gossipy by nature, and on top of that, on Saturdays, they drove down to Bangor to shop and have lunch with friends.
Cole had given me a T-shirt and running shorts—that were a little tight on my ass, but otherwise fine—to wear, and I was camping out in his room, drinking coffee and panicking. It wasn’t my finest moment, but I was in uncharted waters right now.
First things first, I had to give Mags proof of life. If I didn’t, God only knew what kind of reinforcements she’d called in. After that, I could deal with my parents.
Willa
I’m okay. No need for cash, weapons, or hostage negotiators. I’ll be back in a bit to tell you everything.
Magnolia
Thank God. Are you sure you’re okay? I’m here for you.
Willa
Thanks.
Thankfully,Cole was giving me space. So far today, he’d hugged me when I was wearing nothing but a bra and panties, then we’d held hands, and he’d even pressed a kiss to the back of mine. Things had been a bit too intimate, and I needed a moment to wrap my head around it all.
Over the last twenty-four hours, I’d discovered that he was a lot different from what I’d imagined. But that didn’t mean this was anything other than a drunken mistake.
As I sat on the luxurious king-size bed, staring at my phone, he came in, sat next to me, and gently bumped his shoulderagainst mine. Despite needing a breather, I was strangely comforted by his presence.
“I know you’re embarrassed,” he said quietly, “and I know we’ve gotten ourselves into a big mess. But I have an idea.”
As he spoke, I kept my head lowered and my focus fixed on my phone.
“What if we pretended for a bit?”
I straightened and blinked at him. “Pretended what?”
He shifted and turned so I could only see a sliver of his profile. “That it wasn’t a drunken mistake. That we’re together. In love. And that we impulsively decided to get married.”
Turning, I tilted to one side so I could see his sweet, concerned expression. “Be serious,” I said softly.
“I am serious.” His shoulders slumped. “You don’t want to upset your parents and risk your father’s health.”
“Or my reputation as the town doctor,” I added.
“Exactly. And you stood up to Owen. Knocked him right off his high horse. You spun this situation from an irresponsible mistake into a sweet love story.”
My heart thudded at the way he described it. He wasn’t wrong.
“And I know how embarrassed you are.” He trailed off, studying his hands.
I nudged him with my shoulder. “Let me be clear,” I said. “I’m embarrassed about the drunken Vegas wedding, not about my choice of groom.”
A slow smile spread across his face, causing a deep dimple to form under the thick, dark stubble of his right cheek. “Thanks for saying that.”
I shrugged.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve now ruined my relationship with my brothers. Again. After months of rebuilding and trying to showthem I’m worth it, they’ll no doubt go right back to thinking the worst of me.”
