Page 19 of Axe-identally Married
I guessed we were. The clock was ticking, and despite the way I’d been racking my brain, I hadn’t come up with a better solution. My parents would be shocked, sure, but if I told them I was in love with Cole, they would support us completely.
The more I considered it, the more it made sense. Short term, easy, no strings, and we’d come out of it better than where we were today. Right?
I held my hand out. “Okay.”
Rather than shake on it, Cole threw an arm around my shoulders and squeezed me tight, engulfing me in his warmth and masculine scent. “You should know this about your husband—I’m a hugger. Now make the call.”
“M-married?”my mother sputtered.
Eyes closed, I took a deep breath. Having Cole’s strong arm wrapped around me was helping more than I’d care to admit.
“Yes,” I said, barely holding back the tears. “I’ve been dating someone. Last night, we got swept up in the moment and had a Vegas wedding. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It was unexpected, but I’m happy.”
“I thought you were in Vegas for Lila’s engagement party.”
Lila and Owen had invited my parents as well—Lila had been a fixture in our house for decades; they loved her like a second daughter—but my dad couldn’t travel, and Mom was too busy managing his recovery like a military general.
“Yes. It wasn’t planned…” I inhaled a steadying breath. “We were planning to come home and tell you and Dad properly,” I said. “But Gail Thomas took a photo of us and was sending it to people in town. I wanted you to hear it from me rather than through the rumor mill.”
My mother scoffed. She had no tolerance for petty gossip. “She hasn’t changed since high school.”
“I want to tell Dad too, but I don’t want to upset him.”
“Oh, sweetheart, he will be surprised, but not upset. Your dad only wants you to be safe and happy.”
My heart clenched, and my eyes filled with tears. Was I seriously lying to my parents to save face? Had I become the kind of person who shied away from consequences?
“Who is the lucky man?” Mom asked. “Or woman?”
I surveyed Cole, who sat beside me, his eyes totally focused on my face. We’d gone from acquaintances with nothing in common to friends to married in a matter of hours. How was this my life?
He gave me a nod.
“Cole Hebert,” I replied, my tongue thick in my mouth.
There was no gasp. No objections. “Okay, then,” she said after a pause, her tone curt. She was in therapist mode now. “I’ll go get your father.”
My dad took it well. He was confused but sweet and requested we come for dinner so that they could meet Cole as my husband—because, of course, he knew Cole and had his entire life. My chest ached at the slowness of his words. He was tired. I should have stayed home. I should never have come to Vegas.
It was selfish. My parents needed me. My patients needed me. This was the last place I should be.
“I love you, kiddo,” Dad said. “And I can’t wait to see the two of you.”
My mother was relatively silent, no doubt choosing to keep her thoughts to herself until she found the right moment. At least this gave me time to prepare for her interrogation.
The moment the call disconnected, I squeezed my eyes shut to keep from bursting into tears.
Silently, Cole rubbed my back while I composed myself.
After a moment, he scooted a little closer. “We fly home tomorrow. I’ll try to get our seats moved so we can sit together. We can figure out how we’re going to do this, work out the details, on the plane.”
“We need a plan,” I said softly, overwhelmed by the desire to head home now.
“Yes. For now, the plan is to shower, get dressed, and meet everyone for dinner in”—he looked at his fancy smartwatch—“ninety minutes. We break the news, then we smile and hold hands and eat dinner. Then we get the hell out.”
“Okay.” Now that the hardest part was over, I had very little concerns about telling everyone else.
Thanks to Aunt Gail, the whole town knew, and they were probably judging us. I wanted to crawl into the fancy bed and hide, but it was time to face the music.
