Page 111 of Somehow You Knew

My husband is touching this beautiful woman.

Oh God. How many women has he tattooed? How many intimate places has he seen?

“Hazel?” Gage’s voice pulls me from my mental spiral.

“Huh?”

“I said you can sit over there.” He points to a chair in the corner as he puts on a fresh pair of latex gloves. “I’ve got about twenty minutes left with Shyanne, and then maybe we can get some lunch?”

I nod, trying not to let words fly that I can’t take back—because jealousy isn’t an emotion I’m very familiar with.

With other men I’ve dated, I either didn’t worry about other women, or I didn’t care enough to worry.

The realization slams into me like a freight train.

I never worried about losing those other guys.

But I am worried about losing Gage.

“Shyanne, this is Hazel, by the way.”

She lifts her head again, grinning. “Ah, the wife.”

Gage has talked about me? Well, that makes me feel a little better.

“Yeah, the old ball and chain.” Gage winks at me over his shoulder before returning his attention to his work.

“How long have you two been married?” Shyanne asks, putting her head back down.

“A little over three months now,” I say, though the words feel heavier than they should. Because the closer we get to the end of our six-month agreement, the more unsettled I feel.“Newlyweds! Well, I was married for ten years and let me tell you—if you don’t talk about the hard stuff early on, you’ll regret it. Take it from me.”

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” I say, but take note that thistough stuffseems to be a theme with married people giving advice.

“Don’t be. My husband lied to me about all kinds of things. It started small, but before I knew it, I was married to a stranger. I found out he was racking up credit card debt in both our names—had no clue until it was too late.”

Her words strike a chord with me, reminding me that there are things I still don’t know about Gage, and details that I want to ask him about—like who the hell Miranda is and if he actually wants a future with me beyond our six-month arrangement.

But this weekend is Parker and Cashlynn’s wedding, and I just want to make it through that without any drama. After that, I’m done tiptoeing around my feelings and my questions. I plan on making Gage talk to me because I can’t keep living in this state of in-between, not knowing what our future holds. Three months is too damn long to be in the dark about where we stand.

“Is that Hazel Sheppard?” A deep voice booms behind me, making me jump.

“Axel?”

He walks further into Gage’s room. “What’s up, girl? Long time no see.”

“I’ve been around. You haven’t.”

He laughs. “Fair enough. If I’m not here, I’m at home, counting the days till I can retire.”

“I thought Suzie would have forced your hand by now.”

“She’s trying, but I don’t want to abandon the shop.” He juts his chin toward Gage. “Maybe if you could talk your husband into taking over for me, that might help me win some points with the wife.”

My eyes slide over to Gage, who doesn’t bother to look up. But by the clench in his jaw, I can tell he’s listening.

“He’s always wanted his own shop,” I say carefully, watching for his reaction, but his eyes remain locked on Shyanne.

“Really? How come you never said anything when I brought this up before, Gage?”