He sipped his coffee, keeping his gaze on his cup. “You changed a lot after your father died. It was as if his death made you want to cram as much into every day as you could, and you wanted to help other people. You raise a lot of money for the Heart Foundation.”
She blew out a long breath. It was as if he was talking about someone else.
“Let’s start by talking about you,” she said.
“Okay.” He had another bite of the sandwich.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Twenty-nine.”
“Siblings?”
“Two brothers, Ben, who’s older, and Josh, who’s younger. You’ve met them. You thought Ben was pompous and Josh was cute. I sulked at that, and it made you laugh.”
She smiled. He was obviously used to teasing her. She liked that. “Are your parents alive?”
“My mum died when I was three. Dad then married the Wicked Witch of the Northland. Don’t laugh, she really is. We’ve clashed since day one. I left home as soon as I could and lived with Ben for a while before I went to Rotorua to train as a firefighter.”
“You’re a firefighter?”
“Yeah. I’m a Senior Firefighter at Kerikeri Fire Station.”
Oh jeez. The thought of him in uniform made her feel lightheaded again.
She finished off the sandwich and licked her fingers. “So… tell me about yourself.”
He shrugged. “I’m a Kiwi guy. I like fishing and surfing and hanging out with my friends and family. I have no great aspirations to conquer the world.”
“Do we live together?”
“Yes. We bought a house together and moved in about six months ago. It’s a smallish, two-bedroomed place overlooking the inlet.”
“Are we happy?” she asked softly.
His gaze drifted away, and she knew he was remembering scenes from their life together. What images was he seeing? It was as if he’d been to the premiere of a movie she really wanted to see.
“We were very happy,” he said.
“Past tense?”
His gaze came back to her. “I don’t want to assume.”
She lowered her eyes and picked at the lid of the coffee cup. He was aware, at least, that slipping straight back into their old relationship was unlikely to happen. She was pleased about that.
“So… we’re supposed to get married in ten days,” she said. “Tell me about that.”
“We’ll be married at two o’clock on Valentine’s Day, in the grounds of a small hotel in Paihia. Dominic will marry us, and then we’ll—”
“Wait, what?”
“He’s a deacon,” Rafe said. “Although he’ll be there just as a celebrant, not with his religious hat on.”
Phoebe’s jaw dropped. “He’s been ordained?”
“Yep. Some years now.”
“Is he going to be a priest?”
“No, he’s chosen to be a vocational deacon—he’s a qualified counsellor too, at the high school. But he can marry us.”
Phoebe had trouble processing that. “We’ve never been a religious family. What made him do that?”
“A woman,” Rafe said, and smiled.
“Jo,” she said softly. “Of course.” Dominic had started seeing her when he was eighteen, and they’d married at twenty-one. Jo was sweet and gentle, and Phoebe liked her a lot. She’d known Jo was religious, although Jo hadn’t been overt about it. “So she converted him?”
“Something like that. He says she introduced him to his calling. They had a baby, a girl, called Emily—she’s seven now. And then…” Rafe’s brow furrowed. “Unfortunately, and I’m sorry to tell you this, Jo died, about two years ago now, just before I met you.”
“Oh no.” Phoebe stared at him in shock. “How?”
“She had an asthma attack, of all things. Dominic took it real hard, and I think it challenged his faith. But he seems to be through the worst.”
Phoebe head was starting to hurt again. It was as if trying to stuff new details back into her brain caused it pain.
“You look a bit pale,” Rafe said. “Do you want to go back to your room?”
“No, I’m okay. It’s just a bit of a shock to realize how much has changed. I mean, we all know the world moves on without us once we’re gone. It’s just odd coming back and realizing that. Has anyone else close to me died?”
Pity crossed his face. “No, sweetheart, that’s it.”
She chewed her bottom lip. She was going to have to ask him about her own history now. The thought made her nervous—what had she done, where had she been? She already knew she’d turned vegetarian, and that she ran a lot. What if she didn’t like the new her? What would she do then?
She cleared her throat. “Okay. So, give me a summary of the last eight years of my life.”
Chapter Four
Rafe took a mouthful of his coffee and surveyed Phoebe thoughtfully. She looked nervous. He didn’t blame her. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how difficult this was for her.
She still looked the same, bar the bandages and the pale face. But the fact that she’d eaten the beef sandwich had shocked him. She wasn’t the same woman who’d left the house on Thursday evening. He felt as if he didn’t know the person sitting opposite him at all.
But that was idiotic, because she was still Phoebe, his fiancée. Still the girl who’d once told him that he was the man of her dreams, and who’d sighed his name in the darkness after they’d made love. It was his job to help her remember that.
“I’ll start at the beginning,” he said. “You went to university at eighteen.”
“I took a fashion and textiles course, right?”
“Yep. You and Bianca. She made clothes and you did beadwork and embroidery on them.”
“I remember that. We used to spend hours sewing when we were kids. Mum loved needlework, and she used to buy us patterns and material to practice with.”
“Well, in your second year at uni you made a whole range of dolls of Henry VIII and his six wives with detailed medieval gowns. They won a special award. Auckland Museum bought them, and they’re on display as part of their medieval section.”
“Holy shit!” She looked genuinely shocked.
He smiled. “Cool, eh? You took me there to show me them—they’re amazing. They must have taken you hundreds of hours. Anyway, your interest turned to wedding dresses. In the final year of your degree, Bianca designed and sewed a fantasy-style gown based on the elven dresses from The Lord of the Rings movie, and you did all the embroidery and beadwork on it. The university thought it was good enough to enter into the World of Wearable Arts competition, and you ended up winning the Student Innovation Award.”
Her jaw dropped. “Oh my God.”
“Once you’d graduated, you both had several offers for jobs across the country. But you’d been talking for a while about setting up a bridal shop up here. You were both home birds, and neither of you really wanted to move away. Your parents had some savings that they offered to invest in the shop. So, you opened the Bay of Islands Brides.”
“Oh, really?”
“In the middle of Kerikeri. It’s very popular. You have a sewing room out the back where you make the dresses. You sell other brands too, but many people come to the shop just for your gowns. Your mum runs the shop. After the first year, you bought the shop next door and knocked down the wall in between, and turned it into a cafe. Roberta runs it. People can sit and have a drink and a muffin while Noelle shows them the dresses. You all work late on Thursdays and have special evenings where volunteers come in and model the gowns, like a fashion show. They’re always well attended.”
“It sounds amazing.”
“It’s done very well.” He hesitated. “Things are changing a bit now, though.”
“In what way?”
He scratched at a mark on the lid of his cup. “In a few months’ time, we’re moving to Auckland.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Rea
lly?”
“I got a promotion at a fire station there, to Station Officer. And you’re going to work at Mackenzie’s—it’s a huge bridal shop on Queen Street.”
Phoebe looked puzzled. “I’m leaving the shop here?”
“Well, the idea is that you come back at weekends and catch up on some of the work then.”
“That doesn’t sound ideal,” she said.
He shrugged, not sure what to say.
“Are you excited about your promotion?” she wanted to know.
“Of course,” he said.
“What does my family think about me moving?”
“They’re pleased for you, but disappointed too, obviously. You have a friend, Libby, who’s going to fill in for your turns in the shop during the week. But she can’t fill in for the needlework, obviously.”
“What does Bianca think?”
He had a mouthful of coffee, not sure how to tell her about her twin’s bitter disappointment. “You’ve worked together a long time, and of course you’re twins. She’s finding it hard. But she’ll manage. The two of you can’t be joined at the hip forever.”
Phoebe narrowed her eyes. “Why do I have the feeling you’re hiding something from me?”
“I don’t know.” He sipped his coffee again.
“I don’t understand why I’d leave the bridal shop here. And what about all the running, and the triathlon? It’s odd, it seems like I just changed dramatically. Was it all to do with my father passing away?”
“Yes. It had a profound effect on you. You began to talk about how you had to make the most of every day, and how you felt you were wasting time staying in Kerikeri. You were quite curvy when I met you. But you went on a major health kick, turned vegetarian, started running, and it just went on from there. You trained for the half marathon first. Then you bought a bike and you were cycling everywhere. And you swim every day in your mum’s pool.”
“I don’t associate with that person at all,” she whispered. “It’s so odd.”
He shifted in his seat. “Well, you can’t remember the shock of your father passing. I mean, I know it’s a shock now, but of course at the time everyone was there, and your mum was upset, and the whole event was traumatic. It was hard for you.”
Her eyes had turned glassy, but she blinked the tears away and swallowed. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Okay.”
“I just mean that I need to think about that when I’m on my own.”
“It’s okay, I understand.’
She nodded. “So… what about us?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Where did we meet?”
“I met Elliot through work, got to know him, and then he introduced us.”
“What does Elliot do?”
“He’s a cop.”
She laughed. “He’s the last person I would’ve thought would be a police officer.”
“He’s a damn good one, actually.”
She nodded, amusement lighting her face for a moment. “So… we started dating.”
“Yep. Took me a year to convince you to marry me.” He smiled.
“So, the wedding’s booked for the fourteenth.”
“Yes. And then we’re going to Fiji for five days for our honeymoon. We’ve been looking forward to it for a long time,” he said. “Hot weather. Lying by the pool. Long warm nights in our room.” He winked at her.
She didn’t smile back.
Instead, she surveyed him for a while. Rafe let her, even though inside his heart was hammering. There was of course so much more to tell her, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her.
“Do we want kids?” she asked.
He finished off his coffee. This was so hard. He should tell her everything, lay it all out on the table. But it was unfair to push his agenda when she didn’t remember the reasons for the decisions they’d made. It was possible her memory would return, and if it did, no doubt she would have a strong opinion on how he handled these next few days.
“We’ve talked about it,” he said. “But what with my promotion and your new job, it doesn’t seem like the right time. We thought maybe in a few years.”
“Do we… um… use condoms?”
“Ah, no. You have an IUD fitted.”
Her pale face turned pink.
“Sorry,” he said. “You did ask.”
“It’s just so weird. You know the most intimate things about me, and I can’t remember any of it. You could tell me anything, and how would I know if it was true? You’re a complete stranger to me, and I just have to trust everything you say.”
He sat up a bit. “I know this isn’t easy for you.”
“No offence, but I don’t think you have the first idea how I feel. How could you? Imagine a woman walking up to you right now, a woman you’ve never met before, who tells you the most intimate details about the two of you together.”
He studied his hands. There was nothing he could say to make this easier for her.
“I know it’s not your fault,” she said, a note of desperation in her voice, “and I’m sorry if I’m being harsh. This must be difficult for you, too. I don’t know how to deal with it.”
“Well,” he said, “there are two ways. Your mum wants you to move back in with her for a while, so she can look after you. So, you could do that. We could cancel the wedding, and wait for your memory to come back.”
“What if it doesn’t?”
He didn’t say anything.
“What’s option two?” she asked.
“You could come home with me,” he said softly. “And you could give me ten days to convince you to marry me on Valentine’s Day.”
They looked at each other for a long moment.
“I’m not trying to push you,” he said eventually. “I’d sleep on the couch, if you wanted. I’ve got four days off now—I’m not back on shift until the ninth, so I’ll be close by if you’re not feeling well. Over the next ten days, I’ll take you on a tour of our past. We’ll go back to where we had our first date, where we first kissed. Places that are important to us. And maybe that will help you remember.”
And if it didn’t, he thought, it would give him ten days to make her fall in love with him all over again.
“What if we get to the wedding and I can’t go through with it?” she said.
“That’s not going to happen.”
She gave a short laugh. “You’re very sure of yourself.”
“I’m sure of us.” Anger flared inside him at the thought of what Fate had done to them almost on the eve of their wedding. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “You agreed to be my wife. I’m not going to just sit back and let that slip away from me. Do you think you would have said you’d marry me if you weren’t in love with me? I’m crazy about you. And you’re crazy about me, even if you don’t know it yet.”
Her eyes widened, but he hadn’t finished. He had to get this off his chest.
“I won’t go into details right now,” he continued, “because I think you’ve had enough to deal with for one day. But over the next ten days, I’m not going to hold back. I’m going to remind you of every little detail of our relationship and how we feel about each other. We have sex most nights, Phoebe, often more than once. In every position and every way possible. You’re the sexiest girl I’ve ever met, and I’m head over heels in love with you. You think I’m just going to roll over and give up on that because this is tough for you? Well, I’m not. The Phoebe I love would want me to fight for her, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
He was going all-in, taking the risk that he might frighten her off, banking on the fact that, deep inside, some part of her heart remembered the connection they’d had.
He waited, breathless with fear that he’d said too much.
She looked completely bemused. Gradually, though, her lips curved up, and humor lit her eyes.
“Wow,” she said. “Is tha
t you putting your foot down?”
He leaned back in the chair and gave her a wry look. “Maybe.”
“It’s quite impressive.”
“Don’t mock me. I’m in ten kinds of torment here.”
Her expression softened. “I know. And I’m sorry. But you have to understand that I can’t give you any kind of promise. If the wedding had been booked for tomorrow, I would have to cancel it. I can’t marry a man I don’t know. It’s just too weird. But it’s possible my memory might come back over the next week. If it does, and if I still feel the same way, then I guess we’ll be getting married on Valentine’s Day.”
If I still feel the same way. Rafe looked out of the window, across the courtyard to where he’d sat with Elliot that morning. He should be honest and tell her everything. But if he did that, she would undoubtedly cancel the wedding, and he would lose the one woman he’d ever loved.
He’d wait, he decided, for a few more days. He couldn’t believe her memory would be gone forever. No doubt as he introduced her to places they’d been, she’d gradually begin to remember, and then she’d be able to make her own decision as to their future. And if she didn’t remember, he’d make sure that before the big day he revealed the events of the previous week, so she could make an honest decision.
He’d give himself a week to win her heart again. And hopefully by then, even if her memory did come back, she wouldn’t be able to let him go.
Chapter Five
Phoebe’s heart was still racing five minutes later, when Rafe led her back to her room. Tiredness overwhelmed her, but even after he’d taken his seat under the window to read and she’d closed her eyes, his words continued to flitter around in her head like butterflies.
We have sex most nights, Phoebe, often more than once. In every position and every way possible.
She was torn between longing and panic. She couldn’t deny she found him sexy. Of course she did; he was gorgeous. She’d lost her memory, not her whole brain. In fact, secretly, she was impressed with her choice of groom. Things would have been a million times worse if she’d woken to discover she was engaged to the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Bride in Trouble Page 4