Page 6 of Axe-identally Married
Living with Debbie.
He didn’t need to say it out loud. I knew the song by heart. I’d been singing it my entire life. I wasn’t good enough. Never had been and surely never would be.
Not good enough for him or the rest of my brothers. Not good enough for my hometown, the NHL, or Lila.
Willa had now been added to that list.
Gaze lowered, I gave him a nod. “Message received.”
He pushed the elevator button, and when the doors slid open and we stepped inside the car together, he hit the buttons for our respective floors without a word.
I was lucky he’d even invited me out here. I couldn’t screw up his weekend. We were here to celebrate his love for Lila. Though he’d recently proposed, it would probably be a while before they actually got married. She’d moved to Boston to attend graduate school and was totally focused on her studies. So Owen had planned this lavish Vegas weekend for their families and closest friends.
It was a welcome break all around. For the last few years, my brothers and I—hell, our entire town—had been through hell. We’d watched our father get arrested and learned the shocking extent of his crimes, and we’d lost our family business and the respect of our community.
On top of it all, I’d torn my labrum and lost my pro hockey contract. I was sleeping in a twin bed in Debbie’s house and completing my court-mandated community service. Good times.
When the door opened on his floor, he clapped me on the shoulder, his casual good-guy smile firmly in place. “See you at dinner.”
My chest tightened as the doors closed, and my mind raced with excuses I could make to spend the rest of the weekendin my hotel room alone. Food poisoning, a migraine. A work emergency had come up for Noah, and he had bailed at the last minute. I should have done the same.
Owen and Lila probably would have preferred it that way. She and I had been broken up for well over a year by now, but it was still awkward. How could it not be? We’d been together for eight years.
But I was here, and I’d be a good brother. I’d plaster on a smile, laugh when it was called for, and toast the happy couple. I’d table my issues and push through.
It was my only option.
I couldn’t go looking for trouble.
Sadly, trouble always seemed to find me.
Chapter Three
Willa
Dinner was delicious but exhausting. Lila had found an incredible person who treated her like a queen. And this lovely group of people celebrating their love together like this was wonderful. She deserved it. I couldn’t have been more pleased for her.
So why was I so out of sorts?
I’d begged off karaoke, opting for quiet time to think.
I walked for a while, enjoying the cool night air and taking in the sights and sounds of the Vegas strip before heading back to the Bellagio.
Out front, I sat on an ornate bench, watching the world-famous fountains, soaking in the peacefulness of the moment.
“Can I join you?”
Startled by the deep voice, I turned. Cole Hebert, of all people, stood behind the bench, hands stuffed in his pockets. He was so damn tall I had to push my shoulders back in order to crane my neck far enough to look him in the eye. His dress shirt was unbuttoned, and he’d rolled up the sleeves. It was unfair how effortlessly handsome he was.Jackass.
“Sure.” I shrugged.
Cole and I had grown up in the same town and graduated together, but we’d barely said more than a few words to one another. For many years, he’d dated my best friend. Even so, I kept my distance. I’d had a front-row seat to their dysfunctional relationship, and while they were wrong for each other, I was ride or die for my bestie. Plus, he was the epitome of an entitled jock, and I, well, I was me.
His large, strong hand caught my eye as he ran it through his hair, and a flash of color on his wrist caught my eye.
“What’s that?”
He held out his wrist so I could take in the two beaded friendship bracelets. They were made of crimson, white, and black beads, the color of the Lovewell Lynx, our town mascot.
