Page 113 of Axe-ing for Trouble
I trudged back to the cabin, focused on digging out the instant coffee packets I’d seen. They could be expired for all I cared.Cabinwas a generous word for this tiny structure. But it was cozy and warm and new.
I thought of the Gagnons—the family my father had taught us to hate—and sighed. Yet another thing he’d been wrong about. They weren’t the enemy. They were good people who cared deeply about the forest and the town.
They were all settled down too. They’d celebrated marriages and children and all sorts of milestones. In addition to being blissfully happy, several of them were probably pretty exhausted. Hence the need for a hidden forest getaway.
Anger continued to bubble up inside me as I strode down the dock. After working so hard for so long, being out of the loop felt like torture. I trusted Parker and I trusted my family. But given what we were up against, I needed to be more involved.
As I stepped off the dock and around the shed, I saw her.
She was out by the woodpile, dressed in sweats and my flannel shirt, watching me.
I couldn’t help but smile. She was so damn beautiful.
And she was mine.
There was no use fighting it or pretending otherwise.
Mine.
That word, as incredible as it was, instantly sent me spiraling.
What if I couldn’t protect her? What if I couldn’t be the man she needed me to be?
She jogged over to me and launched herself into my arms, vanquishing my self-doubt. I held her tight and buried my nose in her hair.
“I woke up and got scared,” she said into my chest.
Pulling her closer, I closed my eyes and soaked in the feel of her body against mine.
“I can’t believe I said that,” she mumbled.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t say things like that. I never admit weakness.”
I angled back and tucked a short strand of dark hair behind her ear. “It’s not weak. It’s honest. And sometimes the bravest thing you can do is be honest.”
She opened her mouth and then closed it again, her eyes searching mine.
There was a lot to say here. More than I could probably articulate.
But the weariness that had weighed on me even moments ago was gone. “I’m scared too,” I said. “But you make me brave, Trouble. You inspire me.”
“I feel so guilty dragging you into my mess.”
I kissed the top of her head. “Most days I don’t feel much. I do the things I have to do and try to enjoy my life. But for so long, there wasn’t a single thing that could tear me out of bed in the morning. Nothing that felt like fire shooting through my veins.”
I took a breath. It was time to be brave.
My heart pounded in my ears as I willed myself to say the words. “But now I’ve got something. There’s one thing in my life these days that lights me up. You.”
She gasped, her muscles contracting in surprise.
“When I’m with you, I’m hit with emotions I never thought I was capable of, and I want things I didn’t even realize existed. You woke me up, Trouble. I’m here because I believe in you and I’m in love with you.”
She pulled back, eyes wide and lips parted in surprise.
“You love me?” she whispered.
