Page 7 of Say I Do

“Fuck off,” Addie grumbled as she grabbed her plate. “You’re a dick, you know that?” He grinned and kissed the top of her head.

“I know, but I’m your dick, baby,” he said, then paused, looking thoughtful. “That didn’t sound right.”

“No, you’re right,” she said as she took a bite of apple. “Your dick is mine.” Axel choked on his apple slice and I laughed. I scooted closer to him as Addie and Bash started bickering about the wedding again.

“Is everything alright? Why are you here?” I asked, leaning my head on his shoulder.

“Can’t I come see my girl without there needing to be something wrong?” He asked, resting his hand on mine.

“I guess,” I said, smiling.

“But something is wrong,” he sighed. I sat up and shoved at his shoulder, making him laugh. “Have you talked to Skye today?”

“No,” I said slowly, “why?”

“She’s acting weird,” he said, his lips twisting to the side. “Like she’s hiding something. She’s been sneaky all morning and when I asked her about it, she yelled at me.”

“She yelled at you? That’s not like her,” I said. “Did you do something?”

“I don’t think so,” he thought for a moment, his dark brows bunched. “She asked me if we would elope yesterday, and I don’t her no. But she didn’t seem upset after that.”

“She asked me the same thing,” I sighed, rubbing my head. “Maybe she’s upset we said no? We should talk to her tonight.” Axel nodded and took another bite of apple before feeding me one.

We ate together, whispering about who would win in a boxing match between Addie and Bash. They were both hot-headed and liked things done their way, so planning a wedding together has been hilarious to watch.

But when he told her she was only lashing out because she was hormonal and needed a nap, Axel had to step in to referee and make sure she didn’t kill Bash.

Bash was a brave but crazy idiot.

6

AXEL

We sat together in bed, Koda curled up tightly to my side, my arm draped around her as we read the same book. I still had my shirt on, which she’s noticed but hasn’t said anything about. Honestly, I’m nervous as fuck to take it off and show her my new ink. I don’t know how she’s going to react—Not that she’s ever complained or commented on the rest of my tattoos, but this one was a big deal. It was for her.

“Little bear?” I said as I laid the book page-down in my lap. She tilted her head back, her chin resting on my shoulder.

“Mhm,” she said, smiling. I rubbed the back of my neck as I took a deep breath. Things were going good with us. Really fucking good. It felt like I’d known her forever, like she was made for me and only me. Like I was made for her. And she fit perfectly with Skye, too. Even if Skye had been acting weird, she still clearly loved her KoKo. And it made my heart want to explode.

“I, um,” I flicked my eyes between hers, “I need talk to you about something.” Her brows knitted together as she nodded slowly, then leaned away from me.

“Is everything okay?” She asked warily, her voice quiet.

“Yes,” I said quickly, grabbing her hands. “Yes, shit. Yes, baby, everything’s fine. I should’ve said I need to show you something.” She let out a breath, but still stared at me with guarded eyes. “You know I love you?” She nodded slowly. “And that I’m not going anywhere.” She nodded again, looking a little more sure. “Well…”

I couldn’t waste any more time, this was it. I slid off the bed and hesitated, my hands wrapped around the hem of my shirt, before I slowly pulled it off. The plastic was still taped to my side so I slowly, carefully, peeled it off and turned, lifting my arm over my head so she could see my ribcage.

Her eyes almost fell out of her head as she covered her mouth with her hand. Tears immediately began to form as she stared at the little bear I had tattooed there this morning. It wasn’t anything fancy, just some line work right now, I’d go back for shading and highlights later. The thing I was really nervous about, though, was her name.

I decided at the last second to get Takoda tattooed under the bear, with the date that she agreed to marry me. I don’t know why I decided I wanted her name on me and my tattoo guy looked at me like I was nuts, but I needed it. I needed her brand on my body forever.

“Do you like it?” I asked nervously. She didn’t move. She didn’t speak. She just stared at the tattoo with eyes so wide and teary I was starting to worry I broke her. “Little bear?”

“You—” Her voice was tight, barely audible. “You did that for me?” I let out a breath as I sat on the bed, bending my knee to twist and look at her.

“Yeah, baby,” I said quietly, flicking my eyes between hers. Finally, she lifted them and stared right at me. It made my breath catch. “Is it okay?”

“Okay?” She breathed, her brows bunching and my heart stopped. Fuck. Fuck, I knew the name was gonna be too much. Fuck. Fuck— “I love it. Axel—You’re unbelievable.” My heart loosened as I let out a long breath. “I can’t believe you have my name—Can I see it again?” I smiled as I lifted my arm and she gently shuffled across the bed and kneeled beside me, her eyes tracing the lines. “It’s beautiful. And the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me. My name—Ax.” She looked up at me, tears dripping onto her cheeks. “I love you.”

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