Page 101 of Somehow You Knew

But I can’t stop. The pull to her is too fucking strong.

I just have to keep hoping and praying that Miranda knows what she’s doing and can help me get my condition under control before it’s too late.

“Fuck. That sucks,” Parker says. “Were you two close?”

“Nah. My dad loved his job more than anything, hence why I was so close to my aunt. I spent a lot of time up here during the summers with her.”

“What about your mom?”

I turn to look out the window. “My mom took off when I was two.”

“Damn,” Penn chimes in. “I’m sorry, Gage. That’s tough.”

“I’ve made my peace with it.” I turn to face him and offer a placating smile, one I’ve perfected over the years, because the last thing I want is fucking pity. “Your dad had cancer, right?” I ask, trying to get the focus off me.

Parker nods. “Yeah. It hit fast too. Hazel took it the hardest.”

“Yeah, I kind of gathered that.”

“She talked to you about it?” Dallas asks as he continues to drive.

“A little in the beginning, but she hasn’t mentioned it much since then.” My mind goes back to that conversation when she told me the meaning of the hummingbird to her, making my chest ache like it always does from the memory.

“Doesn’t surprise me. She tries to be the strong one, but she and Dad had a bond like no other. Maybe it was because she was the youngest or because she was the only girl, but I remember every time I’d come home from deployment, if they weren’t home, they were at that damn lighthouse on the coast, staring out at the ocean or playing poker together.”

Interesting. Hazel never mentioned that. Looks like I still have a lot to learn about my wife.

Fuck, I wish I was lying in bed with her right now so I could pick her brain some more—a thought I’ve been fighting for so long that it feels good to finally give in to it and ignore the fear lurking in the background.

“And if Dad wasn’t there, he was at the Veteran’s Center in town,” Parker adds. “He was a Marine for ten years. Honorably discharged.”

“Didn’t you serve as well, Dallas?” I find his eyes again in the rearview mirror.

He nods. “Yup, against Dad’s wishes.”

“Why was he against it?”

He scoffs. “It’s a long story that definitely requires a beer or two.”

“Well, there’s plenty of beer to go around this weekend, right?” Parker interjects, trying to change the melancholy mood as he slaps his brothers on the shoulders. “’Cause I’m getting married, you guys!”

Penn looks over his shoulder, annoyance written on his face. “Yeah, we know, Parker.”

Heslaps Penn on the shoulder again. “Hey, it’s taken me a long time to get to this point, where I feel like I can actually be fucking happy. And that’s all because of Cashlynn, all right?”

Penn smiles at his younger brother. “I am happy for you, asshole. You deserve this, and I’m proud of you for working through your shit to get there.”

And in that moment, I wonder—do I even get to be happy? Because my secrets will come out at some point, and I’m worried they’ll destroy everything I’m finally letting myself hope for.

“God, last night was epic, though,” Parker declares, the ever-present smile on his face returning. “Granted, I know my little sister played a role in me getting to this point, but she deserved being given a taste of her own medicine.”

“Yeah, but don’t ever ask me to do anything like that ever again,” Dallas says from the driver’s seat.

“Me too. The only reason I agreed is because Astrid did,” Penn adds.

I turn to Parker. “You already know I only got one pass, so count me out of all future ploys to get back at your sister.”

Grady chuckles from his seat in the truck. “God, this family is a trip.”