Page 110 of Somehow You Knew

“I know.”

“Have you talked about the tough stuff yet, though?”

“Like what?”

“Like if you want kids, where you’ll live, his family history, or—”

My pulse picks up. “Whoa, slow down, Dallas. Where is this coming from?”

He shrugs, shoving his hands in his pockets. “It’s just… Sometimes people aren’t honest about everything, you know? I just think you should really get to know him more before you commit to this one hundred percent.”

“I thought you liked him?”

“I do. But Iloveyou, Hazelnut. And I just don’t want to see you get hurt…” He stares right into my eyes when he says, “Again.”

“I hear you, big brother, I do. There’s still a lot we need to figure out, but it feels like too many things lined up for this to just be coincidence. Diane saw something in us we couldn’t even see ourselves. That has to count for something, right?”

“You two coming?” Penn calls from the end of the hallway.

“Yeah, be right there!” I respond before turning back to Dallas. “I know what I’m getting myself into, okay?”

He sighs, but nods. “Okay. Just know that I’m here for you no matter what, all right?”

“I know.”

Dallas wraps his arm around my shoulders and leads me to the room where everyone is gathered.

“Hazel, why don’t you and your mom stand in the middle, and your brothers and Gage can spread out on the sides?” Hank suggests as we get into place.

But when my eyes land on the check, I nearly drop it. “Holy shit! Is that number right?”

Penn grins. “Yeah, sis. Why do you think I got into real estate investment? I can’t believe she did this. Dad would be honored.”

And as we smile and pose for the pictures, I get the feeling he is.

***

“Hazel?”

Gage steps out from the back of the tattoo shop, smiling when he sees me. He steps around the counter and pulls me into his chest, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. “What are you doing here?”

Honestly, I didn’t have a reason for stopping by other than just wanting to see him. “I was in the neighborhood, so…”

His brows draw together, but he’s still grinning. “You’re always in the neighborhood. Your studio is just down the boardwalk.”

“If you’re busy, I can leave. I just…”

Hepresses a finger to my lips, silencing me. “You just caught me by surprise, Spitfire.” He removes his finger and then kisses me again. “Wanna come back to my station? I’m finishing up a piece.”

“Sure.”

Gage grabs me by the hand and leads me down a hallway to his room, where his client is lying face down on the tattoo table—shirtless. His veryfemaleclient.

She lifts her head and smiles at me. “Hey there.”

Shit. She’s gorgeous, and her boobs are pressed into the leather bench, doing nothing to conceal their size.

Jealousy flares in my chest.