Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1769

Shane replied, [She and Caroline stepped out of the car to run an errand. She left her phone in the backseat.]

[You guys are together?] Keaton texted back instantly.

Shane: [Yeah. Linda and I are in the car right now while they handle something outside.]

Keaton: [Is it a good time to call?]

Shane bypassed the text and dialed him directly.

"Is it an emergency? If you need her right now, I can step out and go find her."

"No, it's not urgent," Keaton said. "Where are you all heading at this hour?"

"Back to my hometown," Shane replied.

"In the middle of the night?" Keaton asked, bewildered.

Shane hummed in confirmation.

"We just got a call. Some relatives back there are threatening to mess with my mom's grave. We're driving overnight because we couldn't risk waiting until morning."

Keaton went quiet.

So that was why the whole family had mobilized in the dark. It involved Winona's late aunt.

What horrible timing. The moment he was finally ready to lay his heart on the line, a family crisis erupted.

"She's back," Shane suddenly said. "I'll hand the phone over."

Keaton heard Winona's voice in the background. "Who is it?"

"It's Keaton. He's called you a bunch of times. Said he needed to talk to you," Shane replied.

Taking the receiver, Winona said, "Give me a second, I'll call you right back."

True to her word, Keaton's phone rang shortly after they hung up.

He answered immediately. "Hey."

"My phone was left in the car, so I didn't see your messages," Winona explained. "What's going on?"

Keaton's lips parted, but he hesitated. This was hardly the right setting for a romantic confession!

He let out a silent sigh of defeat.

"Just a few things, but it's nothing that can't wait. Is everything okay with Aunt Jade's situation? Do you need my help?"

"I honestly don't know. Knowing how impossible Mr. Gould's relatives are, this won't be sorted in a couple of days. Factoring in the cemetery arrangements and the eulogies, we'll probably be gone for a little over a week."

Keaton was crushed. Over a week. That felt like an eternity!

The thought of not seeing her for that long left him completely anxious.

Winona suddenly spoke up.

"I have to let you go. They're waiting for me, and we need to get back on the road. We'll talk when things settle down."

Snapping back to reality, Keaton nodded. "Alright, safe travels. Seriously, call me if you need anything."

"Will do!"

After hanging up, a wave of melancholy washed over Keaton. His confession was ruined, and now he had to survive an agonizing separation!

*Ding—*

His phone suddenly chimed. It was a new text from Shane.

[Are you in love with Winona?]