by Mina Carter
As if sensing him watching her, she went to the window. He quickly glanced down at the newspaper in his hands. He wondered if she would recognize him, but the possibility of that was slim to none. When he looked up, she was walking out of the room.
His acute hearing picked up on the piano playing. He turned his attention to another window, and he could see Jack waiting for her. Sebastian closed his eyes and tried to suppress his anger towards the one that had stolen his love away from him. He knew deep down that Jack would make her happy. He was kind and had the means to provide for her. But he also knew that if Jack ever hurt her, there would be nothing stopping him from snapping Jack's neck.
Sebastian listened as they exchanged vows. His heart ached as they kissed. He quickly turned away, unable to bear the sight of them together. He had just found her again, and already he had lost her. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks that he had lost her forever. She would never again look upon him with those eyes that made his knees weak. She would never again speak the words I love you. He would never be able to hold her. He would never kiss her again.
Cursing, he jumped into the car and started the engine. He took a wrinkled photograph of her out of his pocket and held it in his hands. “I will watch over you,” he promised. "I’ll come to you if you need me.” He closed his eyes. “I just hope you need me soon.”
* * *
After the ceremony, Jack led Jane to his car parked in front of the church. "I have a surprise for you," he said with a big grin. "Get in."
Jane did as he instructed. She watched him climb behind the steering wheel and start the engine. "Close your eyes and keep them closed," he instructed.
She covered her eyes with her hands. "I can't imagine what more you could have planned, Jack. This day couldn't possibly get any better." She felt him kiss her cheek before he pulled the car away from the curb.
A few minutes passed until Jane felt the vehicle come to a stop. She heard Jack climb out, and then seconds later her door was opened. "Can I open my eyes?" she asked, anxiously.
"Yes."
Jack held his hand out. When Jane placed her hand in his, he excitedly pulled her out of the car and into his arms. He smiled against her cheek. "I hope you like it," he whispered.
Jane looked past him at the two-story cape cod house with beige siding and dark blue shutters. There was a large porch with two rocking chairs on either side of the front door. She closed her eyes and could imagine her and Jack growing old together and rocking away on that porch with their grandkids someday.
There was a large yard to the left of the house that was outlined with thick woods. The view past the trees was lovely with hills, valleys and mountains in the background. She turned to him, unable to stop smiling.
"Almost every house in the development has a pool, but I just love this big yard." He looked over the lawn. "We could put a swing set in over there," he said, pointing. "A sandbox there." He looked down at her. "I picked the house with the biggest yard for the kids we'll have someday." He grinned, and his grin melted her heart. "So do you like it?" he asked, unsure.
"No, I don't like it," she said. She watched his face fall. Then she said, "I love it!"
He scooped her into his arms and swung her around, kissing her cheeks, nose, chin and ending on her lips. "Jane, you absolutely complete my life. Do you know that?"
She kissed him and stared into his hazel eyes. "You're my everything, Jack…my only thing."
He squeezed her gently before releasing her. "I have one more surprise."
"I don't think I can handle another one," she said, cautiously.
He laughed. "This one we can walk to." He held her hand and led her towards a bridge that separated the housing development and the small town of Bedford Valley. There was a walkway on the right side of the bridge that formed into a sidewalk that intertwined through the town.
There was a diner, a jewelry store, clothing stores and other small shops in the town. Jack stopped in front of one shop in particular. "We're here," he announced.
Jane looked up. In big letters, a sign read: JANE'S BOOKSHOP. A small banner hanging below the sign read: Opening Soon. Jane's eyes were wide as she looked to her husband.
"I know you won't be able to get a driver's license because of your fainting spells, so I thought this would be perfect for you. It's not very far from the house. You can walk or I can drop you off on my way to work."
"My own store," she said, barely believing her own words.
"I know how much you love books, so I thought this would be perfect for you."
She turned to him and wrapped her arms around him, never wanting to let him go. "How did I get so lucky, huh?"
He kissed her forehead. "I'm the lucky one."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
SEBASTIAN PARKED HIS car at the curb. He stared across the street at Jane’s Bookshop. It had been almost three months since the wedding. Even from this distance, his superior hearing could pick up on her heartbeat. It was steady, calm. She was alone, and he wanted this chance to talk to her. He needed to be sure of something.
He climbed out of the car and crossed the street. As he walked in the door, a bell rang. Jane was standing in front of a display case, arranging books. She turned and looked at him and smiled. Her smile almost made him falter, almost made him turn around at that moment and leave, but he pressed forward.
“Hello,” she said, cheerfully.
“Hi.” He approached her slowly. The smell of her strawberry shampoo hit him, and it was like a thousand knives to his heart. Before she had lost her memory, her favorite shampoo had always been strawberry scented. At least a part of her remembered something of her past. He looked around the store. Her love for books hadn't escaped her memory either. Perhaps she remembered something else. Perhaps she remembered him. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” she said.
“Do you remember me?” he asked.
Jane’s brow furrowed. He reached out to her mind as she tried her hardest to grasp at a memory, any memory of him. Nothing came forward, and she finally said, “No.” The expression on her face was hopeful as she asked, “Do you know me?”
He swallowed hard. “No,” he lied.
Her face instantly fell. "Oh."
“I have a question for you, and I want you to be honest,” he said, staring into her eyes. “Are you happy?”
“Yes,” she answered.
Sebastian closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure at that moment what he wanted to hear. He wanted her to be happy, but at the same time, he knew if she were happy, he wouldn’t interfere with her life. And he needed her. He loved her.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
He slowly opened his eyes and locked them with her gaze. Her eyes were a bright, unusual green and the first thing he had noticed about her. He hated the thought of compelling her, but it was the only way. “After I leave, you will not remember any of this. You will not remember our conversation or me being here. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she said.
He leaned closer to her and kissed her soft lips. Tears clouded his vision as he pulled back from her. He feared it would be the last time he would ever see her or touch her. “I love you. Now and forever,” he whispered.
He turned from her and walked out the door. He glanced back and saw Jane return to the task she was doing before he had entered as if nothing had happened. He struggled to return to the car. He wanted to make her remember. His mind filled with the image of her smile. She was happy. She was human and living a normal life. He couldn't take that from her. He loved her too much to do that to her.
He jumped into the car and slammed his hands against the steering wheel. Whoever took her from him would pay. It was only a matter of time until he found them, and he had all the time in the world.
* * *
Jane walked home from the bookstore. It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and the sky was bright with only a sparse cloud here and there. The weather matched h
er good mood. She had been on cloud nine since marrying Jack three months ago.
The bookshop had been extremely successful in the few months it had been open, and Jane enjoyed her work. She often wondered if she had been a book lover before she had lost her memory.
As she neared the house, she could see Jack's car in the driveway along with a strange red car. Jane entered the front door of the house and hung her purse in the coat closet on the way to the kitchen. Jack was standing at the kitchen counter with his back to her. He was reading the newspaper.
She walked up from behind and wrapped her arms around him. She stared up at his hair, which was much shorter than he usually wore it. "Did you get a haircut?"
He turned in her arms and looked down at her. He had a confused look on his face.
"I missed you today," she whispered, pulling his face down to hers. She kissed him as if she hadn't kissed him in weeks. He tentatively put his arms around her, and she held onto his forearms as he kissed her back.
"I see you've met my brother," said a voice.
Jane broke away from the kiss and turned to see Jack standing in the doorway. She furrowed her brow in complete bewilderment and then turned back to the man she was kissing. He also looked like Jack.
She stepped back suddenly and put her face in her hands. She felt the tingling sensation coming over her. Her brain was on overload and pushing the panic button for a restart. "Jack," she whispered, frantic.
He ran and caught her just as she fell.
* * *
Jane slowly opened her eyes. "Jane?" her husband called. She slowly came back to earth. Jack was holding her in his lap.
"Are you all right? How do you feel?"
"I'm okay," she said weakly. "I thought the man standing in the kitchen was you." She shook her head. "Am I losing my mind?" she asked, her voice quivering with emotion.
He cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand to calm her. "I should have warned you," he whispered. "I wanted it to be a surprise."
She looked up at him, confused. "Wanted what to be a surprise?" she asked.
"I have a twin brother."
Another face that looked exactly like Jack's face came into view. "Surprise," he said.
"Twins," she said. She groaned and closed her eyes. She was beyond embarrassed and knew that the blush on her face would reveal her mortification.
"It's all right," Jack comforted her, as he helped her to sit up.
Jack's brother offered his hand. "I'm Matt."
She shook it. "Jane."
"Nice to meet you, Jane. I've heard a lot about you, but apparently my brother hasn't said one word about me."
She smiled. "Well, he mentioned a brother. Just not an exact replica."
Matt grinned and said, "Let's help you up off that floor."
Both brothers hooked a hand under Jane's arms and pulled her up slowly. Jack helped her into a kitchen chair. "Feel better now?" he asked, concerned.
"Much."
She glanced at Jack and then to Matt. Their faces were identical besides the two-inch scar Matt bore above his right eye. She was thankful that Matt's hair was considerably shorter than Jack's and that she had at least two things to rely on to tell them apart.
"I wondered whose car was out in the driveway," she said as the brothers sat down at the kitchen table with her.
Matt said, "That's my rental car." He glanced across the table at Jack. "I haven't been home in months. And then when I get back, my baby brother is married."
"Baby brother," Jack scoffed. “I was born two minutes after you.”
Matt playfully punched his brother in the arm. Then he turned his attention to Jane. "I just had to see what kind of woman could make my brother finally settle down." He flashed a big grin.
Jane smiled as Jack reached over and grasped her hand in his. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Well, obviously she had to be amazing." He looked at her with dazzling eyes. He was absolutely smitten, and Jane felt the same way about him. "It's been quite a whirlwind, but I'm happy."
"We're happy," Jane added.
Jack smiled at her and kissed her hand again. "We're happy," he agreed.
Matt watched them. "All right. Enough with this mushy, lovey-dovey crap," he joked. "Let's celebrate my homecoming."
CHAPTER TWELVE
JACK POKED A fork into the steaks and turned them on the hot grill. They sizzled loudly. His brother opened the sliding door and joined him outside.
"You have some view," Matt said while looking out over the big yard and mountains in the distance.
Jack stepped back from the grill and sat down on one of the patio chairs. Matt sat next to him. Jack said, "Yeah. I don't miss the big cities we grew up in at all."
Matt silently agreed with a nod. "You know, you've changed everything for her." Matt hesitated. "And I can see why, Jack. She really is amazing. And that kiss…" He winked at his brother. "Wow!"
Jack glared at him. They had had a turbulent past when it came to women, and he knew that was part of the reason they had strayed apart over the years. "We're married, Matt. I want you to remember that."
He cocked a brow. "Like I would forget?"
Jack shook his head. "This isn't like in college when you stole all of my girlfriends."
"Stole?" Matt scoffed. "I can't help it they liked me better, bro."
Jack rolled his eyes. "That's what you think."
"That's what I know," Matt quipped.
He smiled. "I've really missed having you around, you know. After you left college, I was on my own for quite a while. It was tough."
"I feel the same way." They sat in silence for a while until Matt finally stood. "Well, I'm going to go see if the missus needs any help."
Before Jack could protest, Matt disappeared through the door. Jack frowned. He knew his brother better than anyone did, and he knew what Matt was capable of. He stood and walked over to the grill. His brother would be leaving after dinner and staying at their mother's home for a few days. Then he would be out of Jack's life again for probably another year or two. Jack took great relief in that, although it surprised him that he would feel that way about his own brother.
* * *
The smell of the steaks sizzling on the grill wafted through the screen of the sliding door. Jane stood at the kitchen counter preparing salads in three decorative bowls. Matt came through the door and asked, "Need help?"
She glanced up at the scar above his eye just to be sure before she said, "Sure, Matt." She pointed to the tomatoes on top of a cutting board. "Those need cut up, if you don’t mind."
He grinned. "I don't mind at all."
As she put lettuce in all three bowls, she looked over to Matt. "Would you mind me asking how you got the scar above your eye?"
He shook his head. "Jack threw a rock at my face when we were kids. Nearly blinded me."
"You're lucky his aim wasn't better."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I am." As he moved the knife down to cut the tomato, he pulled back suddenly. "Damn!" he cursed.
Jane turned and saw that Matt had cut himself. She carefully led him to the sink and turned on the cold water. Grabbing his hand, she held his finger under the water. The blood washed away quickly. "Let's see the damage," she said. She turned off the water and held his hand inside of her hers. She inspected his finger carefully. It was cut, but only bleeding a little. "I'll get you a Band-Aid." She walked to the other side of the kitchen and retrieved a box of bandages from the cupboard.
"I think this is why I order out most nights," Matt joked.
Jane laughed and took his hand into hers once more. She carefully wrapped the Band-Aid around his finger. "There. You'll live," she said, looking up at him.
He stared at her with hazel eyes that matched her husband's. She felt herself stir a little, but quickly suppressed the feeling. He was not Jack even though her mind insisted on tricking her.
"Thanks," he whispered.
"Everything all right in here?" Jack asked as
he entered the kitchen.
Jane quickly pulled back from his brother and smiled. "Yeah. Matt just cut his finger."
Jack furrowed his brow and nodded slowly. "Steaks are almost done." Then he disappeared onto the back patio.
Jane went back to the task of making the salad, taking over the tomato cutting duty.
Matt went to the fridge. "Mind if I grab a beer?"
"Not at all. Help yourself."
He leaned his back against the counter and cracked open the beer. As Jane sliced through the tomato, she could feel Matt's eyes on her. At first, she thought it was her imagination, but she could feel his gaze like a magnetic pull. When she glanced over at him, sure enough, his eyes were glued on her. He grinned and quickly said, "Well, I better go see how my brother is making out with those steaks."
Once he left, Jane sighed with relief. There was something about Matt that made her uneasy. She knew that she was afraid of making the same mistake of kissing him again or showing him affection, but then there was also something else deep down that made her feel uncomfortable towards him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but the idea pooled at the back of her brain.
* * *
Over dinner, Jack and Matt bantered back and forth. Jane quickly learned that Matt was a police officer and currently living and working in Philadelphia.
"I tried to make it through medical school," Matt confessed.
"But you didn't," Jack added quickly.
Matt rolled his eyes. "No. No, I didn't."
"But, hey, my brother went on to bigger and better things."
Matt smiled. "Thanks, bro."
"You won't be saving lives in the operating room like our father, but, hey, it's still a good job," he joked.
Matt's smile faded quickly. "Yeah, yeah. Life-saving doctor over here taking after our old man." He took a swig of beer. "Like mom could ever let me forget that," he added quietly.
Jane detected the bitterness in Matt's voice. Jack had told her about his father dying a few years ago and that he had been the one that drove his ambition to become a doctor. Jane attempted to lighten the mood in the room by saying, "I think that being a police officer is nothing to look down upon. And you might not be saving lives in an operating room, but you do save lives and risk your own life every day."