“No!” He looks at me with a confused expression. “Please, don’t go.” I take a deep breath and pray he understands me. “The doctor said … I need to be around familiar people. It’s selfish … but please stay.”
He rubs his face. “I’ll do whatever you need, Sophie. You don’t remember, but I love you. I’ll do anything for you.” He takes my hand in his, kissing the back. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
“Not your fault.”
He nods. “I don’t think that’s true. If we weren’t dating, none of this would have happened.”
“That’s what you want?”
He squeezes my hand. “No, absolutely not! But, I can’t help but think that if it wasn’t for me, you’d be okay right now, and not lying in a hospital bed with your head messed up.”
I really have no idea what to say to him. I don’t remember anything to argue the point. “Elijah,”
“Please call me Eli.” He looks anguished.
“I’m sorry.”
I start to cry again. I don’t really even know why. This is all so confusing. Elijah stands, lowers the bed rail, and pulls me into his arms. It’s a little awkward, but strangely enough, I do feel protected and safe. Maybe somewhere inside I really do remember him.
13 Testing Waters
“D id she remember?” Jared asks.
I open my eyes. “No.” I’ve calmed down considerably. My face heats and turns red as I realize Elijah is still holding me. I move back.
“Sorry, I thought you’d fallen asleep. I didn’t want to wake you,” Elijah says, moving to get off the bed.
I grab his arm. “It’s okay. Thank you.”
He stands, running his hands through his hair awkwardly. It’s odd to me. He always seems so confident and poised on TV interviews.
“Always, sweetheart.” He smiles.
I blush again. He’s so incredibly sweet. I can see why I fell for him. God, please let me remember him.
Carter bursts into the room. “Hey ho! I come bearing food and beverages.” He bends down and kisses my cheek sloppily.
I shove him away. “Gross, Carter!” I say, wiping my face. He laughs loudly.
“Hey, you aren’t slurring,” Jared says, beaming at me.
“At least that’s something.”
I take a deep breath, smiling as I realize my words were clear. I’m glad the fog is lifting. I was getting really annoyed with my speech. I haven’t done much since I woke, but I’m so tired. My eyes grow heavy.
“You gonna stay awake to eat the deliciousness I brought you?” Carter asks.
I open my eyes. “What is it?” I haven’t eaten since I woke up, but they told me I didn’t have any restrictions, just to take it easy.
“An awesome New York bagel. Blueberry with cream cheese. Your fave.”
“Give me.” I hold out my hand. Elijah chuckles, and I smile up at him. I love bagels in general, especially blueberry, but I don’t remember having one here.
I bite into the bagel and hum contentedly. “This is really good,” I mutter around my food.
“I think you had that for the first time about six months ago when you came here with me,” Elijah tells me.
“Why were we here?” I ask, after taking a drink of water to clear my mouth.
“A weekend trip. You hadn’t done any sightseeing, so we did the touristy thing.” He reaches into his pocket. “I have pictures.”
I wipe my mouth and set my food aside. I’ve only eaten about a fourth of the bagel. I think the medicine they have me on has me a little messed up because I honestly don’t think I could eat any more. I hold out my hand for the phone. On the screen is a photo of Elijah and me huddled up on top of a boat with the Statue of Liberty in the background. My eyes tear up.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” I blink the tears away and glance over at him.
“I wish I could remember. We seem so happy.”
He looks at me sadly, squeezing my hand he says, “You will.”
I browse through the photos on Elijah’s phone. Ninety percent of them are of the two of us. We really do look happy. I hate that I can’t remember. Each story Elijah tells me is like a punch in the gut. Why is this happening? I don’t try to hide my tears, and the guys say nothing, but Elijah and Carter are on either side of me, lending me their strength. When I’ve seen all I can see and my head starts to ache. I hand the phone back to him.
“I’m tired.”
He gives me a sad smile as he takes the phone. “It’s okay. Get some sleep.”
I watch Elijah as he puts his phone away and moves a few things out of a nearby chair to have a seat, he looks beyond exhausted. “You should too.”
He nods. “Yeah, probably. I’ll run back to the hotel. Are you okay with me coming back? I hate leaving you, but I do understand that I’m basically a stranger to you.”
“Please come back. I won’t lie, this is all strange. I mean, how often does a girl wake up from an accident engaged to Elijah Stone?”
“Hopefully this is a one-time occurrence.” He chuckles. He squeezes my hand as he stares at me for a few seconds. I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but he looks torn.
“I’ll be back this evening.” I nod.
As he leaves as the MRI crew shows up and whisks me away to have my scan. By the time I am back, I’m a mess. I spent the whole time of the scan thinking about Carter and Elijah and how unfair it is that I can remember my ex, but not the man I’m marrying. I also realized that I have no idea what Carter is even doing here. I remember forgiving him, but that doesn’t explain his presence. I can’t imagine he came all this way because I was hurt.
As soon as I’m back in the room and settled, I ask Carter, “Why are you here?” Jared chuckles.
“I came on your book tour with you. I realize you don’t remember, but we’ve completely made up and we’re back to BFF status.”
I snort a laugh. “I don’t remember that, but I do remember forgiving you, because it was before Australia.” I pause. “Crap on a cracker. I can’t remember my trip to Australia!” The guys laugh as I scrub my face with my hands in aggravation. My mood shifts as I think about Elijah. “What if I can’t remember him?” I don’t hold back on my sorrow. Everything is falling apart.
Carter climbs in bed with me, wrapping his arms around me as tightly as he can with all the wires and tubes. “Shh, Peaches. You’ll remember.”
Everything about Carter is so familiar, his scent, touch, the love, everything. Why can’t I remember Elijah? How could I forget someone I’m supposed to love enough to marry? I’m not sure how long he holds me like that because I fall asleep. Voices wake me, but the tone of Elijah’s makes me pause before opening my eyes.
“What are you doing?”
Carter’s chest rumbles as he responds quietly. “Comforting my distraught best friend.”
“That’s not your job, it’s mine.” Oh boy, he sounds angry, possibly a little hurt.
“Yeah, well. She doesn’t remember you. She’s not going to let you touch her. You got by with it once, but she was really uncomfortable. I guarantee you if you weren’t a celebrity she wouldn’t have let you lay a finger on her.”
“Carter,” I grumble pushing against him, sitting up. “Stop. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Don’t speak for me.” I take a deep breath. “I’m sure this is hard on Elijah. My reactions have nothing to do with him being a celebrity.” I turn to Elijah. “They don’t.”
Carter gets off the bed and shakes his head. “I’m sure it doesn’t.” He grumbles. “I’m going for a walk.” He turns and leaves the room.
Gran, Poppy, and Jared all stand. I hadn’t realized they were even in the room. “We’ll be in the hall, so you two can have some privacy,” Poppy says, squeezing my blanket covered toe as he walks by the end of my bed. I give him a small smile.
Elijah and I sit awkwardly. He sits leaning forward on his knees with his hands clasped together for a few long moments before he speaks. “I’m reall
y sorry I made you uncomfortable. I’ll do my best to keep my hands to myself.” He looks so hurt and rejected as our eyes meet. It breaks my heart.
I hold my hand out, he places his in mine with no hesitation, and I tug him closer to the bed. “Please don’t let Carter upset you. I wasn’t that uncomfortable.” He looks at me skeptically. “I’m sorry. I really wish I could remember you.”
“It’s not your fault.” He runs his thumb back and forth over the back of my hand. “Carter tries to get under my skin.”
I giggle. “He’s good at that. Try not to let him bug you. I’ll talk to him.”
“No, it’s okay. We’ll work it out. He’s being a protective friend. I’m thankful, but annoyed at the same time.”
“I understand. This is really hard on me in general. I’m missing almost a year of my life. It’s confusing, and really sad.”
I sigh and thump my head back against the bed. I’ve only been awake for less than a day. I’m so overwhelmed with all of this. It’s so unfair. I shake my head as I glance back to him. He’s sitting back in the chair, watching me. I smile.
“Tell me what you know about Carter and me.” He stands, pulling the chair closer to my bed and sits down.
He smiles. “Everything about Carter, your family, you. We are getting married, Sophie.” He picks up my hand, twirling my ring back and forth. “If you aren’t comfortable wearing this, and want to cancel our wedding, I’ll understand.”
I move my hand to his chin and tilt his face towards mine. “I’m not sure right now, but I don’t want to make any decisions in the hospital.”
The truth is, I don’t want to cancel our wedding. I could remember everything tomorrow. If anything, it will probably need to be postponed, but after looking at the pictures of us together, I can clearly see we are in love. I’ve never looked at another man the way I looked at him in those pictures. I can’t deny myself my happiness or his. Even if I don’t remember, I’ll build new memories with him. I look down at my ring.
“It’s beautiful. How did you propose?” I steer the subject in hopes that the distraction will take his mind off of decisions that don’t need to be made right now.
He smiles, and sits near my legs, facing me on the bed. “We were at the watering hole near your grandparents’ house.”
“We visited there together?”
“Yep. I met your whole family and most of the town.” He winks.
I groan and bring my hand to my forehead. It’s the first time I’ve noticed bandages on my head. Why haven’t I realized this before? Worry must cover my face, because Elijah pulls my hand away, and gives me the most brilliant smile.
“You’re always beautiful. This is temporary.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.” I forget my appearance for a moment. “You met my whole family?”
“Yep, even Clarissa.” I cringe. He smiles. “Uncle Brick sent her packing. It was a great trip, Sophie. I’ve learned so much about you.”
“Like what?” I’m a little worried.
The grin on his face is so big it makes me blush, thinking of all the possibilities. “Oh, like how you used to pee in your grandma’s flower garden, or how you hated clothes and often ran around in panties and nothing else.” My mouth falls open. “I’ve seen the pictures, so no denying it’s true. You loved Johnny Freckles and always wanted to date and kiss him.” My blush grows deeper. “That you have every movie poster of every movie you’ve ever seen on your bedroom walls and ceiling, including all mine.”
“Oh Mylanta.”
He laughs. “You don’t swear, but you say the cutest things instead. And when you’re upset, your southern accent turns on, and I can’t help but laugh because you are absolutely adorable.” I groan and he leans closer. “And I know that you’re saving yourself for me on our wedding night, and that, is the absolute sexiest thing about you.”
He presses a kiss to my heated cheek as my breath speeds. I stare at him. He does know everything. I don’t make it a habit of telling random people that I’m a virgin. After all, who does that? I must really love him. Tears fill my eyes at what could be lost forever. He frowns slightly.
“I’m sorry. That was too far.”
I shake my head. “You really do know all about me, but I don’t know anything about you. I remember things I’ve read about you, but they probably aren’t true.”
“Ask away, I’ll answer anything.” He hesitantly reaches for my face, and when I don’t flinch away, he smiles and wipes tears from my face.
“How did we meet?”
He stands and grabs his tablet. “I think you should hear this in your own words.” I’m confused, but he pulls up a video online of him and me on the Lindsey Winter’s talk show.
“I was on her talk show?” I ask in awe.
“You were, and you were magnificent.”
Watching myself say and do something that I have absolutely no memory of is strange, but fascinating all at the same time, and by the end of the segment, I’m laughing. “That is so me. I always do things so backwards.” He chuckles with me. “I can’t believe my book is going to be a movie.”
“It is. We have a meeting scheduled soon, but if you aren’t up to it, we’ll reschedule. What matters is that you get better.”
I frown. “I may never remember.”
“That’s okay, sweetheart,” he says sweetly. “We’ll create new memories. But honestly, I think you’ll remember.”
“It’s so unfair.” He picks up my hand, and rubs his thumb over the back of it again.
“I know, but we’ll get through this.”
I hate that I keep crying. I wipe the tears off of my face. “Literally hours later I met you. I only remember driving to the airport. Just a few more hours and…” I trail off, so frustrated with my memory.
“I know, and believe me, I’m just as upset, but there’s nothing we can do to change that right now. Your brain needs to heal. I’m not going anywhere unless you ask me to, and even then, I’ll stay close. I love you, Sophie. That doesn’t change because you can’t remember me.”
I don’t know what to say to that. I want to remember him so badly. “Thank you.” It's lame, but it's all I can give right now. “What else was happening?”
“Well, you were on a book tour, but that’s been postponed for now. We were talking about buying a house. I was going to surprise you in New York, and whisk you away to L.A. for the weekend so we could see the house in person, but I canceled that.”
“We’re buying a house?” He nods. “Wow. I guess that makes sense since we are getting married.
He grabs my iPad. “You want to see it?” I scoot up in my bed a little as I nod my head. He types in my password and pulls up my email. I make a snorting noise, which is not completely ladylike and he looks up with a crooked grin on his adorable face. “What?” He looks so flipping cute!
“Nothing. It's still kind of trippy that you know me so well.” I shrug, feeling lame.
He pats my hand and gives me a reassuring grin. “I bought and set your iPad up for you, so I picked your password.”
“You’ll have to tell me what it is, because I’ve been using the touch thumb print option.”
“It’s the day we met. Eight-eight-two-zero-sixteen.”
“The day of my flight to Australia?” He nods. He sets the tablet on my lap, open to a photo of a humongous, but beautiful house.
“Wow!”
“It’s the least ostentatious of the houses the realtor sent me to view, and really the only one you liked from the outside. She sent me the 360 degree tour the morning of your accident. Do you want to see?”
“Is that when they record the house like you’re looking around?”
“Yep.”
He clicks a few buttons and suddenly the doors on the house open. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s absolutely fantastic, so is the interior of the house. I’ve never seen something so beautiful. The floors appear to be marble, the ceilings are vaulted. The bedrooms are all hu
ge. The basement is unbelievably large. There’s even a grand staircase, something I’ve always dreamed about. The kitchen has top-of-the-line everything, it’s way too much, but I can see myself there. I can envision it as my home.
“You like it, don’t you?” My eyes trail to Elijah who’s smiling broadly at me.
I nod my head. “Yeah. It’s perfect. I don’t know how I can afford to go half on this with you, I don’t have a lot of money.”
He runs his hand though his hair. His face is pinched, but I’m not sure if it's aggravation, or he’s thinking of what to say. “Sophie, first off, you don’t have to worry about money, or going in half. Second, you have close to five million dollars, maybe even more. That may not be a lot if you compare it to what I have, but you aren’t struggling.” I stare at him for a long time. He takes the iPad and pulls up a bank website before turning it back to me. “Actually, with your interest accrual you have closer to six mil.”
“Elijah, that’s impossible. How in the world have I made that much from my books?”
“Your books are number one right now, and you have the movie, remember?”
“I’ve been paid for that already?”
He nods and pulls up a statement on the computer. “Our production company bought the rights to your book. You’ll earn more once the movie is released.”
I rub my head and lean back, this is all too much. “Our production company? Did I invest?” How would I have money for that?
He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “I know this is a lot of information, but no, you didn’t invest. It’s my company, but I added your name to all the documents. You were super pissed, but it’s done and we can’t change it without a lot of legal crap, so please go with it.”
I blow out a loud breath. This is too much. “I’m sorry. It’s all so overwhelming. But point being, even though I have that money, and seem to be a partner in your company, I could never afford that house. It’s well over ten-million.”
He nods. “I didn’t plan to let you help.” He says this with such caution, I wonder if this is a fight we’ve had before.
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