Page 32 of Won't Back Down
“Something like that.”
Gabi clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling. “I love that for you. But why keep it a secret?”
“Because of Jace. Not that we need his permission, but we weren’t sure how he’d react.” I paused as it occurred to me we were going to have to tell my brother we’d gotten married. I really didn’t know how he’d take that news. But that was a problem that could wait a while. One thing at a time.
“So you two have had a secret relationship for the past three years? God, it must have been so hard having him deployed and in harm’s way.”
This, at least, wasn’t a lie. “It wasn’t great. I’d still like to slap him upside the back of the head for not telling me about his shoulder injury. But he didn’t want to worry me, and he thought to surprise me when he came home for good.”
“Mission accomplished there. So, how did he propose? Was it super romantic, like making passionate love to you and then declaring he couldn’t wait another day to call you his own?”
Oh, the fantasies that scenario incited in my brain.
The story we’d settled on wasn’t nearly so sexy.
“It was a lot quieter and more practical than that. We were up on the north end of the island, watching the horses and catching up. This was right after he got back, before the funeral.” Before the reading of the will. That had seemed an imperative detail to throw in there. “Between his injuries and the fact that Granddaddy had just died, we were both keenly feeling the fact that life is short. With him actually home and out of the Navy, we didn’t want to wait anymore. You know me. I have zero interest in a big splashy wedding with all those people and eyes and whatever, so we decided to elope. Since that takes a lot less planning, here we are.” I took a breath. “Which brings me to why I’m here today… for some of that planning we didn’t do in advance.”
“Ah. Birth control. That I can help you with. Though I also love the idea of little Sawyers and Willas running around filling that big ol’ house with joy.”
I could see it. Filling Sutter House with family as it was meant to be. But that was a fantasy predicated on a lot of lies. Sawyer wouldn’t be making a real life with me. As soon as the threat to me was definitively over, we’d divorce and get on with our real lives. If the mere thought of that made me queasy, I blamed it on the fact that I hadn’t had anything but coffee this morning.
Forcing a smile I didn’t feel, I lifted a brow. “I’ve been married for all of two days. Maybe let us get used to things before you give us the two-point-five kids to go with the dog.”
“Spoilsport. But fine. I suppose you two deserve plenty of time to make up for all those years of long distance.” She waggled her eyebrows and grinned.
Please, God, yes.
“Now, I’m gonna need you to pee in a cup.”
CHAPTER 16
SAWYER
“Ithink this is the last of it.” I slid the box into a hole between a bookcase and a chest of drawers in the back of my truck.
Willa stepped on the tire and pushed herself up so she could lean in to attach one of the bungee straps. “Aren’t you glad I’m not one of those women with eleven-thousand pairs of shoes?”
I took the other end and stretched it across the load, securing it to the next hook. “I’m grateful you’re exactly who you are, every single day.”
“I want to gag a little because you two are so cute, but I’m too pleased you’re happy to give into it.” The side-eye Bree shot me made me question how pleased she really was.
Through the whole process of packing Willa’s stuff and hauling it up to Sutter House, she’d been giving me looks that suggested she didn’t completely trust me. But she hadn’t said a word and hadn’t pushed. Maybe this was carryover from her fallout with Ford years ago. Or maybe she was reserving judgment. That was fair enough. She was one of Willa’s best friends, and she had to be feeling some shit over the fact that she hadn’t known about us.
Willa leapt down, brushing her hands off on her shorts. “Well, I guess this is it.”
“Good thing, too. They’ve issued a hurricane watch for that storm off the coast. Either way, we’ll be getting a shit-ton of rain in a few days.” Once we got all her stuff stowed away, we’d be working on prepping the house to deal with that.
Bree’s hard shell cracked, and she pulled Willa in for a huge hug. “I’m gonna miss you like crazy.”
“It’s not like you’re not going to see me on the regular. I’ll be coming by the brewery all the time.”
“Yeah, but it won’t be the same as coming home to have you here.” She wiped at something that might have been a tear. “I’m even going to miss that big lug of a dog. Maybe I’ll think about getting my own.”
“You should totally do that. There’s a mutt at the shelter who would be perfect for you. I’m pretty sure he’s part Aussie Shepherd. Smart as a whip. He’s very trainable and super chill inside.”
Bree laughed and let her go. “I’ll think about it. Do you need help unloading on the other side?”
“No, we’ve got it. Honestly, the fact that we’ve gotten everything in two loads really highlights how little stuff I have.”