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“Axel—”
“I’m going to head inside so you guys can…uh…talk,” Benz said. He glanced at Axel, shook his head, then turned to me and patted my shoulder. “Molly’s gonna love this when she wakes up.”
“Dad, I meant what I said,” Axel called after him. “I have the money. There’s no reason for any of you to struggle.”
Benz didn’t look back, just lifted his hand to wave off the words. Even I knew that response wouldn’t deter my man. Axel would see his parents were taken care of. He hadn’t made the sacrifices he did, only to see them still suffer.
That was neither here nor there right that moment.
“Talk,” I demanded.
He looked around us to see who might be nearby, and my jaw set, my lips pressing into a firm line. I was stunned, but part of me… Yeah, there was at least a smidgen of me that waited with the deepest hope,wantinghis claim to be true.
“I don’t care who hears,” I snapped, drawing his attention back to me. “Explain what you just said.”
Warring emotions tangled through me. I couldn’t even quantify how horrified I was. What if I’d met someone during the past few years? Someone who’d managed to erase my heartbreak?
Did I think that could have happened? No. But still…
Another more stupid part of me, an idealistic starry-eyed version of myself, vibrated with happiness. I had no idea how it could be true, though.
Yet another portion of me was pissed. So incredibly pissed. How could he have kept this from me? The pissed component bled over all the rest, overpowering everything with a red tide of fury.
He had to be lying to his dad, but why would he? He hadn’t known I was there behind him. He had no reason to say that.
“Axel,” I snapped impatiently when he didn’t say anything.
“It’s a long story,” he finally said wearily.
My crossed arms tightened, my head tilting as I glared at him. “Then you better start talking.”
“Spring break,” he said.
Spring break? The one Ginger had mention then he’d brought up again the next day. That explained the tension that had rolled off him in the bar when we’d talked about the trip. Because of hissecret.
“You have got to be kidding me! How could you not tell me? That was real? How could it be real? I… How could you keep that a secret? How long have you know this? Axel! How long have you know we’re married?”
He threw his hands wide. “I didn’t know. Not when it happened. I was as drunk as you. And when I found out… I didn’t tell you right away because I was going to surprise you, do this whole big, extravagant thing, give you the certificate during my proposal. Then the ultimatum with my uncle happened. And fuck me, but I wanted you to still be married to me. I wanted us to have that tie.”
“A tie I didn’t know about?” I exclaimed.
He blew out a self-deprecating huff, stepping closer to me. “I didn’t say it was a smart idea.”
I shoved at his chest. “Don’t try to be cute like that. It’s not getting you off the hook.”
“Right.” He grimaced. “So look… I was thinking with my heart, okay? And other things. Not my brain.”
“And when you got back here? Why haven’t you told me? Or for that matter, why not anytime over the past six years when you knew you weren’t coming back here?”
He grabbed my biceps, holding me where I had to look at him and I couldn’t get away. Not that I had it in me right then. I might be blustering, but my sails were ripped.
His hands slid down my arms and forcing them to unfold before he clasped my fingers.
“Because,” he said, his melty dark-chocolate eyes piercing into me, his gaze filled with sincerity and regret. “Because everything’s been such a damn shitshow. Everything’s been a mess. Knowing I had you anchored me. And then, the past few days, every time I think we might get onto even ground, where I think you won’t be pissed at me, something happens. I needed you to remember you love me, that I love you, before I dropped that bomb on you.”
My eyes closed in resignation. I did love him.
Opening them, I met his gaze. My head shaking the tiniest bit, I stared at him. Speechless. Just…wordless.Thensomehow,his words sank past my anger, along with the reality of what they meant. I was married to Axel. I wasmarriedto Axel. We weremarried.
