Page 105 of Somehow You Knew

Dallas pushes a hand through his hair, stumbling a bit. “You’d better fucking tell her soon, or I will. Up until a few hours ago, I was rooting for this to work out. But this isn’t something you can hide forever, Gage. Hazel deserves to know what she’s signing on for if you two stay together.”

“I know, and I plan on telling her. I just need more time to figure some shit out.”

He nods. “You have until the wedding.”

“Dallas! Come eat!” Grady yells across the campsite.

Dallas glares at me a beat longer before he stumbles over to the others. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Reynolds! It’s going to make you suck at cornhole even more!”

“Good thing I’m not on your team for the games then, huh?”

“I don’t need your sorry ass to win!” Dallas fires back. “I’m the champion for a reason!”

“Stop fucking yelling or you’re going to attract bears,” Grady grates out, looking over at me while crossing his eyes in frustration.

I try to laugh off his annoyance, but my worst nightmare just came true. Time’s running out to come clean to Hazel about my health, and if I don’t figure out how to tell her soon, Dallas will do it for me—ruining any chance I have of a future with Hazel, even though I know I shouldn’t want one in the first place.

***

The line keeps ringing, making my anxiety build.

“You’ve reached Hazel Sheppard. I’m sorry I missed your call, but leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

I end the call again as I pace around our empty apartment.

The guys dropped me off about an hour ago and I was fully prepared to ambush Hazel and make up for lost time the second I walked through the door. But the only person—or should I say animal—that was here to greet me was Blueberry.

And it’s not that I wasn’t happy to see him but I’ve called Hazel three times without an answer, and I’m getting worried because I have no idea where my wife is and it’s getting dark.

Not to mention that the conversation with Dallas from the other night is still on repeat in my mind, and another letter was delivered and she wasn’t here to receive it. But it doesn’t matter since this one is only addressed to me anyway.

In a last-ditch effort to find her, I call someone I swore I wouldn’t lean on unless I absolutely had to.

“Gage?”

“Hey, Catherine.” I run my hand through my freshly washed hair as I continue to pace.

“Is everything okay?”

“Well, I hope so. I, uh…I don’t know where Hazel is and she’s not answering her phone.”

I can practically hear the smile in her voice. “Oh.”

“Do you have any idea where she might be?”

Catherine grows silent for a moment. “You’re worried, huh?”

“Yes. She’s not here and I just got home from Parker’s bachelor trip, and I…” I blow out a breath. “I need to fucking see her.”

Catherine chuckles. “The only place I can think of would be the lighthouse, then.”

Fuck. Why didn’t I think of that?

“Thanks, Catherine.”

“Anytime, Gage. Glad to know you missed her.”

And even though it pains me to admit it, I say, “Yeah, I did.”