Page 75 of Where the Music Grows

“Because I don’t know where he is. He didn’t exactly leave a note with a forwarding address.”

“Have you tried to find him?”

“Of course. But he’s vanished. He fell off the face of the earth as far as I can tell. And without him signing the annulment papers...”

“You’re stuck.”

I nod. “My lawyer says we can file without him, but it’s expensive. More than I have right now. I have to put ads in papers. My lawyer says I need to put ads in places I think he might be. Do you know how ridiculous that is? It’s truly a needle in a haystack. I don’t know where to look.”

“Have you tried his hometown?”

I can feel my cheeks burning. “I don’t know where his hometown is. He lied to me and I never questioned it.”

“Shit,” he mutters. “What a dick.”

“If I could get him to sign the papers, this would officially be over. But unofficially, it was over before it ever started. What we did—that wasn’t cheating, Jack. Please don’t think you did anything wrong. You didn’t know and I don’t think of myself as a married woman.”

Jack stares at the wall for several minutes. The silence stretches between us, thick and heavy, until I feel like I might suffocate under the weight of it. Finally, he lets out a slow breath and leans back against the couch, running a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know what to say,” he admits. “I mean, on one hand, I get it. You were young, you made a mistake. But on the other hand...” He hesitates, then looks at me directly. “You should’ve told me, Jinnie. Before last night. Before any of this.”

“I know,” I whisper, my throat tightening. “I wanted to. I was going to. But I was scared. Scared you’d judge me, or think less of me, or...or just walk away.”

He frowns, his brow furrowing. “You think that little of me?”

“No! No, it’s not that. It’s just this is the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done. And I didn’t want it to ruin what we’re starting to have. But you’re right—I should’ve told you sooner.”

“Can you put an ad on Facebook?” he asks.

“What?”

“To find your ex, what about social media? That’s your thing.”

I smile. I like the way his mind works. “I can. I should have, but I didn’t want my business out there. I was hoping to handle this discreetly with my lawyer, but he’s charging me a fortune.”

Jack exhales sharply. “That’s why you’re always working.”

“Yeah.”

He turns to me, reaching for my hand. “I’m not judging you. I’m pissed for you.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll help you,” he says.

I shake my head. “Jack, no—”

“Tomorrow night’s tips. They’re yours.”

“Jack—”

“I’m not taking no for an answer.” His voice leaves no room for argument. “This guy doesn’t get to keep controlling your life. And I guess you could say I have a selfish reason for it. I want you, Jinnie. I don’t want to share you with another guy.”

I lean forward, resting my forehead against his. “Thank you.”

His arms wrap around me, pulling me close. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”

Chapter Twenty-Five