Page 83 of Axe-identally Married
In the middle was a large stage where the band was warming up.
Willa was chatting with Magnolia, who was in town for a few days. She’d been coming around what seemed like every few weeks. Perhaps it was because of the tiny brunette she currently had her arm around?
I surveyed the room, the crowd, while I sipped my water. Finn was playing pool on the far side with some of the Gagnons, but it didn’t look like Gus and Chloe had arrived yet.
A hand landed roughly on my back, giving it a slap and causing me to spin around.
“Good to see you out and about.” Chief Souza took a swig of his beer, watching me with a condescending gleam in his eye that said he was not, in fact, happy to see me out.
He’d been good friends with my father for years. But since my dad had been arrested for committing a whole host of crimes right under his old friend’s nose, that nose was seriously out of joint.
The chief had been around for as long as I could remember, a stocky guy with a gray mustache and a lot of unearned confidence. He did not hide his how much he disliked me, and I swore he’d taken true joy in arresting me earlier this year.
I could imagine how it chapped his ass that the feds were still crawling around town, infringing on his turf. He was old-school like that. Territorial. And Elliot Ness, he was not. Nothinghappened here, and when it did, he was caught unaware, so it wasn’t a big shock that he had been asleep at the wheel when it came to my dad.
Most days, he was more concerned with busting high school kids sneaking beers down by the lake or writing speeding tickets off Route 16.
“Congratulations on your, eh, marriage,” he said, his lip curled. “Still not sure how you landed the town doctor.”
Dick.
He attempted a smile, but it came out like a snarl.
“Neither do I,” I admitted, keeping my expression even. “But she said yes, so now I have to keep her.”
He laughed into his beer. “You always did have a horseshoe up your ass.” With that parting shot, he sauntered away, headed to talk to someone he surely found more important than me. Asshole.
But before I could spiral, before I could let his words get to me, Willa appeared, smiling up at me. Instantly, the anger dissipated. I put my arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.
“When you’re ready to leave, say the code word, and I’ll carry you out of here.”
She scrunched up her face. “The code word uttered when it’s time to leave the crowded bar.”
I replied on cue. “What is Final Jeopardy, Alex.”
She stood up on her tiptoes as I leaned down. And then she whispered in my ear, “That is correct for four hundred, husband.”
We shuffled toward the stage and found a place on the side of the room. At my height, I was always worried about blocking someone’s view.
Willa stood in front of me, that delicious ass pressed right up against my crotch, swaying to the music. The bar was crowded,which gave me an excellent opportunity to touch her and smell her hair. Yes, I was in deep. I didn’t even care. I’d take every scrap she tossed my way and enjoy the hell out of it.
I’d spent most of my life chasing the next big thing, constantly filled with disappointment because nothing ever lived up to my expectations and because I was always running toward an unknown future where things would surely be right.
This marriage had been a wake-up call. There was no future here. I had no real shot. So all I got were nights like these, pretending in public and enjoying the time I got to spend with her. My therapist had been pushing me to be mindful, to be grateful, and to live in the moment.
And when I was with Willa, those things came easily.
The band was excellent. Jasper was a great musician, but Jude had the most talent. Despite his role as a supporting player, he led every song on the guitar like a pro.
Willa motioned for me to bend down.
“I’m gonna grab another water. You want one?”
“I’ll come with you.”
With my hand on the small of her back, I guided her through the sea of people back toward the bar and seating area. Away from the crush of the crowd, it was instantly easier to breathe. It was quieter over here too.
I ordered two bottles of water and mentally calculated how much longer I needed to stay in order to checkbe a supportive brotheroff my to-do list.
