be alone has her expression falling. “I’ll be inside if anyone needs me.”
“Anyone else?” Jess questions.
“Nah.” I stand and reach for Natalie’s hand, pulling her to her feet. “We’re going to take a walk.”
“We are?” she asks once we’re alone, headed for the woods. “In the dark?”
“What’s wrong with the dark?” I smile and pull her to me when she hesitates. “I’ll keep you safe if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m not worried about that,” she says quickly. “I’m worried about us getting lost. We’ve both been drinking, and I can barely see ten feet in front of me.”
“I do this all the time,” I point out, guiding her down a different path than this morning. “I’ve only gotten lost twice and both times I was wasted.”
“How close to trashed are you?”
I laugh and lift a branch for her. “Not even close. You won’t ever see me wasted. I wouldn’t do that to you. No one wants to see me that way. Trust me.”
“When was the last time you got that way?” she asks after a few minutes.
“After my last concert,” I admit. “I got so fucked up that I blacked out. But I don’t want to talk about that. I’m feeling good right now. I don’t want to ruin it.”
Once we’re a good mile into the woods, I stop at my favorite spot and turn on the two spotlights I hung up in the trees a few years ago. Natalie looks surprised when she notices the thick sheet of plywood painted with a target hanging in front of us. “Remember when I said I like to axe throw in California sometimes?”
“Yes.” She grins when I hand her the axe. “I didn’t realize you meant here. What do I do? Just throw it?”
“Just aim and throw, Nat. The point is to have fun. If you miss, you miss. No pressure. This isn’t a competition.”
“Where should I hold it?” She looks down when I grab her right hand and move it down to the end of the handle. “Like this?” She holds it over her right shoulder and does a fake swing to test it out.
I nod and pull out a cigarette. “Perfect. Now throw it.”
She laughs when the flying axe hits the bottom of the plywood and falls to the ground.
“Harder,” I say, walking over to grab it for her. “Put some strength behind it. Don’t be afraid to let loose. Just fucking do it.”
She swallows when I stop talking, breaking a peaceful silence, before throwing it again, putting some force behind it this time. My heart beats excitedly when it sticks just below the target this time.
“Hell yeah. Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Really good.” The grin spread on her face when I hand it to her makes me happy I brought her out here. I usually do this alone. “Again?” she questions. “What about you?”
“You first. Always. That’s how I work.”
She looks at me for a few seconds longer than normal, before turning away and throwing the axe at the plywood again. “Oh, my God!” she shouts. “Did you see that?”
“I did.” I smile and take one last drag off my cigarette before putting it out. “You looked great doing it too.” She walks over to grab the axe from the middle of the bullseye, but I get there first, tossing the axe aside before pulling her into my arms. “Are you having fun?”
She nods, looking up at me.
“Want to stay out here for a while? We can do anything you want. We don’t have to go back and put on a show any more tonight. I just want you to enjoy yourself for as long as possible.”
“I want to stay,” she says. “It’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun. Buuuuttt…” She maneuvers her way out of my arms to grab the axe off the ground. “I’d have more fun if you joined me.”
“I can do that.” The way she watches me as I adjust the axe to get a comfortable grip has me feeling nervous for some strange reason. She’s never looked at me this way before, and I can’t tell if it’s because we’re having fun or because she might be slightly drunk, which has me off my game, missing the bullseye.
“Better luck next time, rock star.” She laughs and attempts to grab the axe from the plywood, but it’s buried so deep that she’s struggling.
“Here,” I say over her shoulder, smiling against her ear as I give her a hand. “That was just my