Page 135 of The Wild Card

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I can’t sleep.

It’s not the unfamiliar bed—the mattress is surprisingly comfortable, and Sadie’s already snoring softly beside me. It’s not the sounds of the forest—the crickets, owls, and rustling branches are actually soothing.

It’s knowing he’s just up the stairs in the loft.

I lie there for what feels like hours, staring at the ceiling, replaying every moment of the evening. The way he looked splitting wood. The pride in his voice during the tour. The firelight catching his eyes when he thanked me.

When are you going to tell him?

I don’t know. I don’t know if I ever will. I don’t know if it would make things better or worse or just more complicated than they already are.

All I know is that I love him.

And this cabin—this place he built with his own hands, this permanent thing he created from nothing—feels like proof that he’s capable of so much more than he believes.

I just wish he could see it.

Eventually, sleep claims me. And if I dream about gray eyes, flannel shirts, and a future that might never happen, well.

That’s between me and the Oklahoma stars.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Breaking Point

Crew

“So.”

Foster hands me a beer and settles into the Adirondack chair next to mine. The fire has burned down to embers, Sadie and Emmie disappeared inside twenty minutes ago, and the night has gone quiet except for the crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl.

“So,” I echo.

“Nice cabin.”

“Thanks.”

“Nice night.”

“Yep.”

“Nice girl in there who’s clearly still in love with you.”

I take a long pull of my beer. “Foster.”

“What? I’m just making observations. It’s what I’m trained to do.”

“You’re trained to investigate federal crimes, not my love life.”

“Your love life is a federal crime. A crime against yourself.” He stretches his legs out toward the dying fire. “When are you going to tell her?”

“Tell her what?”

Foster gives me a look. The look. The one he’s been giving me for months, every time Emmie’s name comes up, every time I deflect a question about why I look like I haven’t slept in weeks.

“That you’re in love with her.”