Page 47 of Wood You Marry Me?

I took a risk.

Grabbing the collar of his shirt, I pulled him down and kissed him. His body relaxed into me instantly, and he kissed me back, taking it deeper and wrapping one hand around my waist. It was sloppy and rushed, but it did the trick. He pulled away, his eyes wide and his jaw unhinged.

Then he gave me one of his devastating Remy grins. “You been waiting a while to do that, Pip?” he whispered.

“Only since eighth grade,” I said, blushing. We could talk about it later. “Now go make your wife proud.”

Chapter21

Remy

Iwas flying. Finishing in second place and qualifying for the National Championship after seven grueling events had something to do with it. It had been my goal for years, after all. And finally, I was getting there.

But mostly, I was soaring because I had my wife tucked under my arm as I laughed along with my family, all the while stealing glances at her lips.

Because she had kissed me.

And Dylan had congratulated me and given me a one-armed hug before driving back home with Lydia, so he clearly hadn’t seen his sister plant one on me, or else I would have received a punch in the face for my troubles.

So it was officially one of the best days of my life. Family and friends all here to celebrate my success and a kiss from the woman who occupied every thought inside my head.

It wasn’t a long kiss or a particularly passionate one. But Hazel had put her plump, rosy lips on mine, in public, and my blood was singing in my veins. The world was a beautiful, amazing place.

She had seen me like no one ever had. She’d seen me struggling and she’d pulled me out of it. The depth of our connection was unnerving and terrifying. But I craved more.

The needy part of me wanted to pull her aside and demand she tell me what that kiss was about. And maybe kiss her again, properly this time, just to make sure she got a full demonstration of my skills.

Maybe she had kissed me to get me out of my own head so I could compete. That was the most likely scenario. Hazel had already demonstrated how she could read me better than anyone I’d ever met. She knew what I needed before I did.

And although I never would have believed it, in that moment, all I’d needed was a good luck kiss from my wife.

Placing first in the speed climb certainly helped me qualify. And I’d set a personal record to boot.

My mother was snapping photos of everything, and Henri and Adele were debating about how to improve my chainsaw technique before nationals.

Me? I couldn’t stop smiling.

Hazel and I hadn’t test driven our relationship in public much. Since her surgery, we had grown closer, comfortable with each other, but we’d spent most of our time together in the cabin, away from the speculation and observation of the people of Lovewell.

We’d made a nightly ritual of climbing into my big bed—both wearing pajamas, of course—and watching an episode ofThe Office. She had suggested we try it since I was currently stuck in office hell, and she had never had a lot of time to watch TV before now.

So after I trained and she finished her work, we would settle into the mountain of pillows left over from when Alice inhabited the cabin and laugh until we cried at the antics of Michael and Dwight and the rest of Dunder Mifflin.

She hadn’t yet gone back to her room. Instead, she slept next to me. Even if it was all the way on the other side of the massive mattress. We respected the unofficial boundary drawn down the middle, but it was nice.

Every night, once she was asleep, I’d drift off, content with the knowledge that I was keeping her healthy and happy. I wanted more. What red-blooded man wouldn’t with a woman like Hazel? But I was content for now. Somewhere out there, my dad was watching me grow into the man he had always wanted me to be, and I knew he would be proud.

After the awards ceremony, Tim led us up to a private area of the stadium to meet with the event organizers and sponsors and get necessary information for nationals. My brain was already racing. The competition was in six weeks, and I still had so much to do.

But as Tim steered us through the crowd, those thoughts took a back seat. This was our first big public outing as a couple. We should have had a conversation ahead of time. It would have been wise to make a plan. But right now, we were winging it, and so far, it was working.

Winging it, fortunately, involved me putting my hands all over her and her tucking herself under my arm and sticking her hand in the back pocket of my jeans, which, hello, was neither unwelcome nor uncomfortable.

I couldn’t stop smiling at her. I didn’t know when she’d had the time to learn, but she knew far more about timbersports than I expected, asking thoughtful questions to the various bigwigs Tim introduced us to.

“Remy, I want you to meet Josh Hanlon. He’s a marketing executive from Racine.”

I stood straight and smiled, offering him my hand.

---