Page 77 of Axe-identally Married
As I stepped up to it, a pretty sign in the ground next to it caught my eye. It read:Willa’s Rage Rocks.
I let out a laugh, and a zap of delight coursed through me.
“Open it.”
Grinning at him, I took the lid off and peered inside. The entire thing was filled with rocks the perfect size to toss into the lake.
“I collected them for you. This way, you don’t have to hunt around in the dark for good ones. You can rage out more conveniently and efficiently.”
My stomach flipped at the gesture. Seriously? This had to have taken him hours. And it was just so goddamn sweet. I did spend a lot of time hunting for rocks, and yes, I’d tripped on occasion. Not that he knew that. My heart stuttered in my chest. These were only rocks, but it felt like so much more.
“Come on. You know you wanna.”
With my lip caught between my teeth, I removed one the size of a softball and handed it to him. Then I chose another for myself.
“Let ’er rip,” I said, hurling it as far as I could and watching with satisfaction as itplunked into the lake, making a respectable splash.
He threw his rock, managing twice the distance I had. Then we stood side by side in silence, taking in the beauty of the lake. I wanted to talk, to fill the quiet morning, but I had nothing to say. Instead, we existed like that for a few moments. The two of us, wearing pj’s and coats, looking out at the wild mountains and forests.
“Honesty?” he asked softly, breaking the silence.
It was a question, not a statement.
“I’m nervous about today.”
“Me too,” I admitted, turning to head back up to the cottage.
We were headed over to Finn and Adele’s house this evening. The entire Hebert family would be there, including Owen and Lila, whom we hadn’t seen since Vegas. Lila and I had texted frequently about random things since then, but we’d never talked through the incident and our feelings pertaining to it.
“And I’m worried…” He walked down the path with his head lowered and his hands stuffed into his pockets. With each step, anxiety radiated off him.
If I could, I’d ensure today went off without a hitch for him. He hadn’t spent Christmas with his family in years, and he was eager to please them all. He’d gone overboard buying gifts for his niece and nephew, of course, no doubt thinking of the poor little boy he’d once been who’d had no one. That thought alone brought tears to my eyes.
He cleared his throat, the sound bringing me back to the moment. “I’m worried that things between us have beenawkward.” He looked away, thankfully, since my cheeks had instantly gone hot. “I don’t want anyone to question us or cause problems for you.”
I closed the distance between us and squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry. For making things weird and for the things I said.” I exhaled, my breath forming a white cloud in front of me. “And for not setting the ground rules early.”
He straightened. “It’s not that—”
I held up a hand. “But I care about you, and I promise to be the best damn wife at your family’s Christmas dinner today. You want mistletoe kisses? Hell yeah.”
He smirked.
“You want me to brag about you and demand to see baby photos and bore everyone to death making them feel how soft and amazing my hat is? I’m all over it.”
That earned me a snort.
“I mean it,” I said. “You’ve done so much for me. And your brothers are important to you. We’re in this together. I’ll work on my weirdness, okay? I’m still getting used to being married to a hockey god.”
“Ex-hockey god,” he corrected, holding out an elbow.
I accepted, and we walked slowly toward the house, arm in arm, stepping over tree roots and boulders along the path.
“Willa.” He stopped and turned to me. “Radical honesty?”
I nodded and smiled, giving him permission while bracing myself for what he might say.
“I think you’re my best friend.”
