Page 7 of Axe Marks the Spot

Turning toward the commotion, I see Levi in a crumpled heap on the mat by his pole.

3

Lindsey

MOOSE’S IS CROWDED, NOT that I should’ve expected anything less. Not only is it a Saturday during the summer, but with the annual Lumberjack Games and the axe throwing tonight, it’s even busier than usual.

“You showed!”

I hear Nathan’s voice over the thrum of the crowd that’s well on their way to being drunk—if not drunk already—and country music playing from the old jukebox in the far corner of the bar.

I tuck a piece of hair I straightened for my rare night out behind my ear and plaster the biggest smile on my face I can muster. I’m already itching to go home and rest. I never did get to take that bath I wanted.

By the time I was done getting a gift for Moira then picking up the house, I had to run back to the games to meet Nathan and get Kas. Both were none the wiser that I ever left in the first place, though Nathan did look suspicious.

Kas was so hopped up on sugar and excitement that she didn’t stop talking about it until I dropped her off at Moira’s. She even mentioned a summer obstacle course program that one of the loggers is running, which starts on Friday. The kids she was hanging out with are doing it, and she wants to sign up too. Count that as another surprise for the day—one that I’m happy about.

“I showed,” I reply, stepping up to the booth where Fox and Morgan are sitting. Nathan hugs me, the rough stubble of his facial hair scratching my cheek. When I pull back, Fox is standing. He towers over my five-foot-eight frame, and I won’t lie, he still scares me a bit. He’s not only tall but also covered in tattoos. His long blond hair is up in a bun at the top of his head, showing off the geometric shapes spanning the skin of his throat and up to his ears. I’ve learned his gruff and grumpy demeanor is simply part of who he is, though the more I get to know him, the more I see it’s a mask for the sweet man he is underneath.

That part of him shines through most when he looks at his wife, Morgan, and now my brother, something I also had to get used to. I love that Nathan found love, and I’m fully supportive of him coming out as bisexual, but it took me a bit of getting used to having him date then get engaged to a married couple. Especially after Jeremy cheated on me while we were married.

But their relationship and how they started is completely different from what happened to me. It’s not even in the same ballpark. There was no cheating involved. The love between this polyamorous throuple is truly beautiful.

“Nice to see you, Lindsey.” Fox hugs me briefly after I greet him back. He’s roughly pushed aside when Morgan slides out from the booth and pulls me in for a tight hug. Her warm body wraps around me, and the scent of her shampoo tickles my nose, a scent that reminds me of sunshine—a good descriptor for Morgan.

When I first met her, I told Nathan she was sunshine personified, the exact opposite of her husband. She’s open and friendly, someone that I’ve come to consider a friend. She’s even come over for girls’ nights with me and Kas. This summer, she’s also taken Kas to work with her on days I needed unexpected childcare and bought a video game console for their cabin so Kas could teach her and Fox how to play with her and Nathan.

The loggers have really become part of our family in the last year, and Kas loves her aunt and uncle. Or so she’s started calling them already. The first time it happened, I swear I saw Fox tear up, but he quickly masked it with his usual half smirk.

“Thank god you’re here!” Morgan says, squeezing me even tighter. “I needed more femme energy in this bar. It’s full of burly dudes who smell.”

“Hey! I smell good,” Nathan chides from next to me.

“Only sometimes,” Morgan says quietly in my ear so Nathan doesn’t hear. I chuckle and squeeze her back, feeling better about coming to the bar already. Maybe I did need to get out of the house and see them.

Morgan leans back from the hug and checks me out. “Hot as usual. Love that dress.”

“Thanks.” Truthfully, the dress is nothing special. It’s a simple rose-colored sundress, but the bell sleeves are cute, and the short-cut hem shows off my legs and very round ass.

“Come sit next to me, Linds. Fox, you be a good boy and sit next to Nathan.”

Fox stares at Morgan, and they share a look that’s almost like Fox scolding a child who’s being bratty. Nathan says something that sounds like “you’re asking for it” under his breath, but I ignore it. I’ve learned that the three of them have their own language and inside jokes. It can be a little annoying sometimes but only because I can get envious of what they have.

Fox maintains stern eye contact with Morgan for another moment, but then Nathan slides in the right side of the booth, tugging Fox with him. The two of them settle in next to each other, and Fox doesn’t waste time draping an arm around Nathan’s shoulders, pulling him into his side and laying a kiss on the top of his head. My heart squeezes, and I decide that I need a drink. Stat.

Morgan takes my hand and gestures to the table. “We got a pitcher of beer. That work for you, or do you want to get a shot?”

I meet her hazel gaze and wonder if I looked that obvious. I’ll have to do better at schooling my facial features.

“Beer is fine.”

“You sure?” She squeezes my hand. “Or we can have Moose crack out a bottle of wine—I know you like a good dry red.”

I snort thinking about the owner of this place—who is, in fact, named Moose—having a bottle of wine in this dive bar. He’s a big man with a round belly who wears shorts all year, even in blizzards.

I shake my head and slide into the booth so Nathan is across from me. “Beer is good.”

Morgan accepts that answer and sits beside me, taking the empty glass they had waiting for me and filling it with the bubbling yellow-colored beer.