Page 23 of Wood You Marry Me?

Though my face heated, it was hard to look away from those dark eyes. He was smiling in that annoying way he had. His not-a-care-in-the-world smile. And I had the urge to smack it off his face.

But then I took a deep breath and reset my train of thought. Remy liked to tease me the way my older brother did. So why did this feel so different? Seductive. And certainly not brotherly.

I tried to center myself. This was platonic. We were friends making the best of difficult circumstances. Yes, my body was wildly attracted to him in this moment, but that was just biology. He was a big, strong, handsome man. And he had just carried me into our marital home, caveman style. Of course my hypothalamus was in overdrive, pumping hormones into my bloodstream. It was fine. He was just a good friend.

And right now, I was moving in with him.

I had spent my wedding night packing up what little I had in Dylan’s apartment. He wasn’t thrilled about me moving in with Remy, but if I didn’t, there was no way we could sell this.

And my brother’s apartment had gotten too small too quickly. There was no way I could keep sleeping on his couch. Remy claimed to have plenty of space. And that was an understatement. The cabin was bright and open and homey. I instantly fell in love.

“I moved in here a few months ago,” he explained, rubbing the back of his neck. “After Crystal. Alice used to live here, but after she and the kids moved in with my brother, it was sitting empty. Henri usually rents it out in the summer, but he took pity on me.” A strained look flashed across his face, but he masked it quickly.

I only knew bits and pieces about what had happened in the fall. And though I wanted to ask him more, understand why he was so down, find out what had really happened with his siblings, I was too scared. So I focused on admiring my new home.

Walking slowly through the main living space, I marveled at the panoramic view of the mountains outside the massive windows that took up the back wall. It was airy and bright and cozy. A large leather sectional took up most of the space, which had a wood stove in one corner and a large dining table in the other.

We made a few trips to the truck to unload my stuff, which didn’t amount to much, and stacked it next to the couch. At one point, as we were finishing up, a moose ambled by, snagging my attention from where I was pulling a duffel bag from the bed of the truck.

“That’s Clive,” Remy said.

I had seen many moose in my life, and unless they were in front of my speeding car, I didn’t much care, but this one was enormous and had a jagged scar across one of his hind legs.

Peering out from around the rear end of the truck, I beheld the creature. “That’s a huge moose.”

“Super old too.” Remy nodded. “He’s always around. Harmless.”

For a split second, Clive made eye contact with me. I got the strangest feeling. Like this moose was sizing me up. He snorted, sending a spray of moose boogers into the air, then he continued his trek toward the tree line.

“We made eye contact,” I said, still a bit unnerved.

“He does that. Sometimes I think he can see into my soul. But don’t worry about it. When Alice moved in last year, she threw tampons at him, and he still seems to tolerate her.”

“What?”

“Long story. I’ll let her tell it. She’s really funny. We can visit them.”

I nodded and followed Remy to the house, carrying the last bag.

“It’s on the remote side,” he said, “but it’s quiet, and Henri has equipment up at his house that I use for training. Plus, sometimes I get pity invites to their house for dinner.” He waggles his brows. “Alice is an amazing cook, and I’m teaching Goldie how to climb trees.”

Of course Remy was great with kids. He had such a fun energy. I bet children adored him. And by the way he talked about Goldie and Tucker, it was obvious he loved them. He would be a great dad someday. I’d be long gone by the time it happened, but I wanted that for him.

I went to the sink to wash my hands, then scanned the kitchen, searching for the cabinet that held the glasses.

“Here,” Remy said, pulling two from the cabinet next to the sink and handing them to me.

When I’d filled them with water, he held his up in a toast. “To my new wife and roommate. Try not to fall in love with me, okay?” He smirked and took a long pull.

I laughed so hard I snorted. “I’m not worried about that happening,” I said, then I hid behind my glass, taking a slow sip to cool myself down.

He tilted his head and scowled. “Why not? I’m very lovable.” And in a flash, the frown he was wearing kicked up into a grin, and he winked.

While sixteen-year-old Hazel would have swooned on the spot, twenty-eight-year-old Hazel rolled her eyes. “Because I don’t do that. Fall in love. It’s not real and it doesn’t last.”

He reared back as if I’d slapped him. “Excuse me? Not true. My parents loved each other deeply.”

“I know they did. And that’s amazing. But I think we can both agree it’s incredibly rare, can’t we?”

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