Remember Me: Oakville Series:Book Two (4 page)

“Are you okay? What hurts?” She looks at me, her lips forming an ‘O’ of surprise. She’ll learn soon enough that she can’t hide much from me. Much like, under normal circumstances, I can’t hide much from her.

“I have a nasty headache. They come and go. The doctor says it’s to be expected. Eventually, they should go away completely.” She gives me another sweet smile. “Is that my surprise favorite dinner in your hand?”

“It is,” I reply, starting to lay out our food. “How did all of your tests go?”

“They went well. Dr. Scarn says I can go home in a couple days.” We both look at each other, watching the others reaction. I’m thrilled she’ll be able to get out of here, but scared of what that might mean for me.

“That’s great news. I actually planned to ask you if you have given any thought to what you want to do when you get out? I want you to be comfortable and I’ll do whatever you decide. That being said, I’d like you to come home.” There. I said it. I want her to come home, to our home. I really don’t know if I can handle being away from her any longer.

“Are you sure that won’t be too difficult for you? I can’t make any promises.”

“I don’t want you to. I just want to help you. And if I’m being honest, I don’t think I can stand being away from you any longer. I will take anything you’re willing to give, even if it’s living in the same house as friends for now.”

“And what happens if I don’t get my memories back?” she asks, her eyes no longer meeting mine, but looking at her lap instead.

“I hope that you do. Though, if you don’t, it doesn’t matter.” I pause for a moment, collecting my thoughts. “We have a connection that can’t be broken. Even amnesia can’t take it away. You’ve felt it, haven’t you?” Amber nods her head. “So, if by some chance you don’t get your memories back, I’ll just have to start over. Make you fall in love with me again.” I move a little closer to her. I slowly lift her face with my finger and look her in the eyes. “I will promise you this, princess, I am not giving up on us without one hell of a fight.” That gets her attention. Goose bumps form on her skin as her breathing quickens. Maybe I have nothing to worry about, after all. “Now, let’s eat this food before it gets too cold.” I shoot her a wink and a smile and her face instantly reddens. It’s the sexiest thing I have ever seen. It makes me want to hold her in my arms and never let go.

With a scallop on her fork, she reaches over and dips it in my tartar sauce. I quickly snatch the fork from her hand just before it touches her mouth and she looks at me like I have completely lost my fucking mind. I don’t blame her. I’m going to have to let her find out things like that on her own.

“What was that all about?” She has an amused look on her face. At least she’s not pissed. I try to recover by being flirty. I smile and pop her scallop into my mouth. Amber scowls at me playfully and I give a little moan as I chew. Watching her tongue dart out to wet her lips, I pick up a scallop with my fork and dip it into the cocktail sauce.

“You hate tartar sauce. You only eat scallops with cocktail sauce,” I say as I raise it to her mouth, just barely touching her lips.

She opens her mouth and I ease it in, savoring the way her lips wrap around the fork. Instantly, her eyes light up, just like they always do when she eats these. She may not remember loving them, but she still does.

“Oh. You’re right, these are so good.” She dips the tip of her finger in my tartar sauce and tastes it. I can’t help but laugh. The face she makes is like she’s sucking on lemons. “And I still don’t like tartar sauce, obviously,” she giggles before drinking her water.

We eat in a comfortable silence for a while. I love just being near her. Every now and then, I look up and catch her looking at me. She blushes the instant I look at her. If only she had a clue as to how beautiful and sexy she is without even trying.

“What are those books that you brought?” Amber asks, pointing to the photo albums I brought with me. I had almost forgotten about those.

“Photo albums from home. I thought you might want to look through them. One is from our wedding; the other has pictures of us growing up. Maybe they can help you remember.” She pats the spot next to her on the bed as she moves over.

“Bring them over. You can tell me who everyone is.”
Is this woman slowly trying to torture me to death? Can I really sit that close and not touch her?
Pulling all of the self-restraint I have to the surface, I sit next to her. Our shoulders gently brush together and I hear her suck in a breath.
At least it’s not just my restraint being tested.

She looks at every picture so intensely, as if she’s trying to burn it to memory. I explain each picture in as much detail as possible. After a while, I notice the slight drop in her eyelids and know she must be tired. She snuggles up close to my side, resting her head on my shoulder, and I stop breathing. She yawns as she turns a page in the photo album and I snap out of it, my restricted lungs taking in air again. I barely pay attention to the photos as she flips through, too busy enjoying taking in her scent of coconut. Holly must have brought her favorite shampoo to her today.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I realize she has stopped flipping pages and asking questions. I look down and see that she is sound asleep. I gently take the photo albums from her hands and set them on the table next to the bed. Slowly, I slide out of the bed and lay her down. For a moment, I can pretend everything is normal. She looks like my Amber. So beautiful and peaceful. I can’t help myself. I place a kiss on her forehead then the slightest of kisses across her lips.

“I love you, princess. More than you will ever know. You are the very thing that keeps my heart beating. I’m not giving up on us. I need you too much.”

As I walk to my truck, I feel a little more hopeful that maybe things can work out. But I can’t help but wonder just how bumpy the ride will be.

I
AWAKE
with a start. My skin is slick with sweat, my heart racing, and arms and legs tangled up in my sheets. I had another nightmare about the accident. Each night, they seem to become more vivid, more intense. Each time, I seem to remember more than the last. I was screaming something as the truck crashed but I couldn’t make out what I was saying. Frustration bubbles up inside of me. Why am I remembering something that terrifies me to my very core? Why can’t I remember happy things? Like being with Kyle? Just thinking about him brings a smile to my face.

“I bet thoughts of Mr. Hottie put that smile on your face,” Nurse Becky says, giggling.

“Maybe. Am I going to have to watch you around him?” I tease. She’s so much fun to be around and the only thing about this hospital I am going to miss.

“No, I can behave. Just know, if you ever get bored with him, you can send him my way. Now let’s get you ready to fly this coop. I’m sure Mr. Hottie will be here soon to whisk you away.”

“I’m going to miss you.”

“No you won’t. Your friend Holly invited me to a girl’s night at the bar once you are up to it. We exchanged numbers. We also put my number in your phone and she put yours in mine. You really thought you could get rid of me that easily?” I just shake my head and smile. It’s nice to be friends with someone who has all of the same memories of our relationship as I do.

“That sounds like fun.” And it really does. Holly is a lot of fun to be around also. She’s spent quite a bit of time here sitting with me. As I make my way into the bathroom to get dressed, I can’t help but feel a little nervous about going home. I’m not nervous really to be around Kyle… well except for the fact that my body seems to take over every other part of me when he’s around. I can’t seem to control my over active libido. It goes crazy just thinking about him. What the hell is going to happen when we are in the same house together, day and night?

“One day at a time,” I whisper to myself in the mirror. I take another deep breath and gather my things. When I walk out of the bathroom, Dr. Scarn and Kyle are standing by the bed talking. They both look up and smile when they see me.

“Are you ready to get out of this place?” Dr. Scarn asks.

“No offense, but yes, I’m ready to go home.” I notice the smile on Kyle’s face when I say home.

“None taken. I’m happy to see you healthy enough to be walking out of here. I have gotten all of the results back from the tests I did the other day. Everything looks great. Physically, you are one-hundred percent. You will probably continue to have headaches now and then. I have written a prescription for that. I think the fact that you have been remembering parts of the accident is a good sign as well.” I look over to Kyle. He looks shocked, but I also see hurt flash in his eyes. I haven’t mentioned any of that to him yet. Not because I’m hiding anything, I’m just having a hard time remembering it myself and I know it will hurt him to have to live through it again. I don’t want to cause him any more pain or guilt than he’s already feeling.

“So, unless something comes up that worries you, I won’t need to see you again for two months. Call my office next week. My secretary will make the appointment for you. Any questions?” Dr. Scarn looks between Kyle and me. I’m so worried about Kyle being upset, my mind seems to draw a blank. Thankfully, Kyle is thinking clearly.

“Does she have any restrictions?” he asks.

“No, not officially. I would advise to ease back into things at first. Don’t overdo anything. Most of all, don’t push yourself to remember things. If they are going to come back, they will. Don’t get too frustrated if they don’t right away. It might happen in little flashes here and there, or they may all come flooding in all at once.” He gives me a reassuring look. “Is there anything else?” We both shake our heads no. “If you do think of anything later, write it down and call my office.” Dr. Scarn gives me a brief kiss on the cheek and shakes Kyle’s hand. “You are free to go whenever you are ready, my dear.” He smiles and leaves the room.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kyle asks, sounding hurt. All I do is cause this man pain. If he were smart, he would run as fast as he could away from me.

“I wasn’t trying to hide anything. There just isn’t anything pleasant about these memories. I only have them at night.”

“Like dreams?”

“No. Not dreams. They are nightmares. So real. I can hear the metal of the trucks crunching, the glass shattering. I can smell tires burning, gasoline, and blood. I wake up in the middle of the night or morning in a panic.” I start to pace the room, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. I look out the window, not able to look at him. “I see the pain and guilt in your eyes. I don’t want to make you relive any of that and cause more pain and guilt than I already have.” Before I can turn around, strong arms wrap around me. My whole body feels like it has been set on fire from the inside, yet at the same time is calm the moment I’m in his arms. He brings his lips to my ear, so close I can feel the heat from his breath.