"Does Bennett know about this?" I ask holding the paper open for both of them to see. Though really, I’m watching her more than I watch Bennett. Only it's not the shocked or disgusted look that I was thinking I'd get. Bennett moves to Willow's side and wraps an arm around her waist.
"Yes, I know. It's how we met."
At his words, I look over at Willow and her eyes are wide and she looks scared.
"Why didn't you just tell us that?" I sigh and sit down on the couch. Axel sits down as close as he possibly can and wraps an arm around me. Though I'm sure if this wasn't a serious conversation, he would have pulled me into his lap instead.
"I wasn't exactly proud of it," Willow says.
"I kept getting this feeling that you were hiding something and even more so on your wedding day. I wish you had just told us, we wouldn't have cared. You two are obviously happy together and that's what matters. Not how you met."
"I checked out that online dating site that you told me about a while back, but it just wasn't for me. Then I started looking around and came across her profile and reached out. But when I first saw her picture there was this connection I couldn't ignore," Bennett says.
"Kind of like when I first saw you, little one," Axel says squeezing my hip.
"Why hasn't this profile been taken down? You two are married and you've been for a couple weeks now," I ask.
"We emailed them a copy of the marriage certificate, basically proving that we fulfilled the contract. It's on them to take it down it. I’m sure it will be down soon. Unfortunately, I don't have any control over the profile itself," Willow says.
"Well, we need to have lunch with the girls so that you can fill them in too. We're all going to want to know why you did it and about your life before you moved out here," I tell her.
"I didn't lie about anything,” Willow says with a glint of defiance in her eyes. “I came out here because my dad died, and I had no one, and nothing. That part is all true. I just went about it a little differently." She shrugs like it's no big deal.
”But really, it's kind of is. It's not the traditional route someone uses to find someone,” I say.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Bennett and Axel were exchanging a few silent looks. So there might be more to the story they're not sharing.
"Then I have one question for you. Have you been up front and told Bennett everything? I don't care if you tell me or tell the rest of the girls, but I want to make sure that he knows everything." I say to her and watch closely for a reaction.
For the fraction of a second, I swear I see guilt in her eyes but replaced so quickly with a smile as she turns to Bennett.
"He knows all the important things, but we're still learning about each other too," she says, smiling up at him.
It’s a cop-out answer, but I guess I'll let it go for now.
We make plans for lunch and then leave.
Once back in the truck heading home, I'm thinking over everything she said.
"What was Bennett trying to tell you?" I ask. Axel has no emotion on his face when he says," It was a look that said he didn’t want to talk about it right now."
"So, she is still hiding something. I hope for his sake that she has at least told Bennett what it is."
And I hope for her sake that she'll open up about it so that we can help her.
Chapter 15
Willow
Emeliewouldn'tletmepush the lunch out with the girls too long. She insisted it be within a week. So, I'm in town today having lunch at the cafe with them. This is the first time I've ventured out on my own. Bennett wasn't a fan of me coming into town by myself, but I assured him that I felt safe and that this was something that I needed to do. He agreed and reminded me to go to Jack if I needed anything. Even so, he still wasn't happy about me coming into town without him and offered multiple times to drive me in and then hang out with Jack while we have lunch. But I told him no because I refuse to let my past control me.
Driving the mountain by myself is a little nerve-wracking. It’s pretty steep and curvy in several places, so like I promised Bennett, I took it slow, and I didn’t rush. Though I've never been quite so happy to park the truck and get out.
When I walk into the cafe, I'm still a few minutes early but all the girls are already there at the table waiting for me. At this point, I'm assuming they've all already seen the profile as I'm sure Emelie has shared the details. Really, I don't mind. I'm actually relieved to have it in the open, even if it sucks that I'm not telling them everything.
When Emelie was making sure that at least Bennett knew the truth, I felt guilty. But I don't feel like I lied to her. He does know the important parts and he's made it clear he knows I'm running from something or hiding from something.
I've thought about it a lot over the last few days, and I've decided that it's time to tell Bennett the truth. In my mind, I've been going over what I want to say making sure that I have all the details sorted out because I've been trying to forget about it up until now. But that's something to worry about later. Right now I need to get through lunch.