by S. L. Scott
* * *
Grace Stevens
Grace lowered her voice and sat next to him. “It’s a twin and squeaky?”
His hand automatically went to rest on her thigh just how couples that had been together do. “It was definitely a challenge, so sometimes we just took the covers and pillows and threw them on the floor—”
“Geez, were we horny teenagers, or what?” Grace smiled, looking at the rug covering the wood floors, because she couldn’t believe she’d been having sex that much when she was younger. With Hunter, he made her feel like a prude if she didn’t want to have sex or when she covered up. She’d been embarrassed of her body when around him. His perfection for his own physical condition was laid like a judgment when he looked at her. She worked out, but sometimes out of spite, she’d order the whipped cream on her lattes. Her pajamas went from short sets to pant sets and long nightgowns. Along with clothing that covered her body at night, she put distance between them in bed. She wasn’t adventurous. Sex was something that happened to her, not for her, so she started owning the prude part. But when she looked at Ben, suddenly the concept of horny didn’t seem so far-fetched. Hell, last night she would have slept with him after ogling him in his boxers. She gasped when a thought occurred. “I wasn’t a slut, was I?”
“Baby,” Ben said. “We were only with each other. We never dated anyone else.” He said this very matter-of-factly as if he was talking to her three years ago. It was then she realized he had called her baby. And she let him without correcting it or pointing it out. He smiled, looking at her until she slipped from his reach and went to the window.
Her back was to him, but she knew he watched her, and he probably caught a glimpse of the smile that filled her expression. She was trying to hide it.
Whipping around, she asked, “I used to sneak out by climbing the tree?”
“Or I would sneak in that way.” Getting up, he looked at the old tree. Large scrapes and bare spots of bark were noticeable, the evidence of their antics obvious.
“I wish I could climb a tree now.” She looked down at the skirt she was wearing and knew that couldn’t happen. “Why am I scared to do something that I apparently did a million times in another life?”
“Because someone found a diamond, and instead of letting it shine from the inside, he polished it to how he thought it should sparkle.”
Ben’s arm was against hers, and she looked up to his full height. “Do I upset you? I don’t mean to.”
“No, he upsets me.”
“I need to—”
“Grace. Ben. Lunch.”
“Just when it was starting to get interesting.” The tips of his fingers touched hers.
“I think it got interesting the night of the awards dinner.”
That brought a smile back to his face. “There’s no doubt about that.”
He turned and headed for the door but stopped and looked back when she said, “I’m glad I’m here with you.”
“Me too, Grace. Me too.”
22
Ben Edwards
Ben left the Stevens’s home after lunch and walked over to his parents’ house. He was surprised at how good he felt being home as he walked along the lake’s edge, almost feeling whole again. The fresh air. The lake that always calmed him. The love he felt at their house. The greeting he knew was coming next. This was home—in his heart, in his mind, and in his soul.
Today was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect. The sun was shining and the shade of the trees gave a reprieve from the heat. When he finally approached his childhood home, Ben took a minute to take it in. He hadn’t been back in three years and regret filled his chest. He knew it wouldn’t have been the same without Grace here. Her fingerprints were on every surface of his existence, and other than the apartment, his fondest memories with her were here. But how had that been for his parents? Losing both of them?
He started walking again, eyeing the tree where he and Grace used to throw a blanket down and picnic under, often taking a nap together afterward. Then the shed came into view, the shed where they hid countless times, escaping a heavy rain, or a bothersome twin sister. They’d made out until the weather cleared up, and sometimes well past the hours after.
Ben sighed and put his hands in his pockets wondering if he could handle this walk down memory lane with the uncertainty of the situation. As he approached, Ben could see his mother’s garden in the distance. It looked like a healthy, abundant crop this year. He reached the back door under the large covered porch and knocked, not feeling he had the right to walk in unannounced anymore.
He waited, looking through the glass door. His dad approached and a welcoming smile appeared. Opening the door, he said, “This is your home, son. You don’t have to knock around here.” Ben stepped into the house and the two men hugged. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to be home, Dad.”
“Your mother is showering. She did some gardening this morning and . . .” his voice dropped as if he was sharing a secret, “I think the vegetables won the battle if you know what I mean.” Joseph Edwards was everything to Ben. Funny. Smart. Strong. He was a great role model, and Ben had always wanted to be just like him. He hoped he was with a good side helping of the best qualities of his mother, Julia. She was compassionate to others, but fierce when it came to her family. He figured he inherited perseverance from her as well. “Get me a beer since you’re already getting one,” Joe said, laughing and walking into the living room.
“I wasn’t getting . . . oh, okay.” Ben caught his joke too late, but the thought of a beer sounded good anyway.
Just when he sat down in the living room, his dad toasted to having his son home, but his mother walked in and exclaimed, “Ben!”
She ran to him, and he caught her in his arms, hugging her tight. His parents had visited him a handful of times in Chicago over the years, and his mother a few more just to check on him. On those visits, he’d put on his happy face for her because he hated seeing the sadness in her eyes. They were proud he’d poured a lot of his energy into work, finding success in his field, but Grace’s disappearance left him just a reflection of who he used to be personally. His parents always tried to remain positive around him, although they’d struggled seeing him suffer and voiced their concern for the path he’d chosen to follow—Grace’s—which might never lead anywhere.
They lost a daughter when she disappeared. They didn’t want to lose their son as well.
They sat down together and Ben filled them in on what had happened thus far with Grace, leaving out the details like them kissing and sleeping on the couch together.
“Emily is back in Seattle this morning. Warren worries himself sick over that girl. He called here twice before she landed just to see if we had heard from her first. She’s lucky to have someone like that,” Julia said, watching her son.
“They’re both lucky to have each other,” Ben added, taking a large pull from the beer to distract the thoughts swirling in his mind.
“Emily said you and Grace were very . . . comfortable with each other.” Ben wished she wouldn’t have said anything. He didn’t want to talk about it just in case he jinxed it because he wanted it so much. “That’s good, right?” Joe asked.
“She shouldn’t have told you guys.”
“She cares about you, Ben. She cares about Grace, too.” Julia rubbed her son’s back to ease his irritation.
“I’m sure Emily also told you Grace is engaged to a man I’m convinced knew who she was and kept her in the dark, literally and figuratively, about her past.”
“She mentioned she was engaged, but—” Julia couldn’t continue. She looked away, and it reminded him of the times she had looked away in pain when talking about Grace during the last three years. It made him livid, considering what Barnes had taken from them all.
Joe picked up on the tense vibe in the room and went into doctor mode. “Ben, you have to be very careful with an amnesia patient. Things can backfire so easily on t
he people closest to them. I know you want her to remember, but these things take time.” Using his bedside manner to talk to his son about the repercussions of too much too soon, Ben understood. “She obviously cares about this other man or she wouldn’t be marrying him.”
“She left him.”
“She broke off the engagement?”
He shot her a look as if she was taking Barnes’s side though he instantly felt bad for doing so. “I don’t know, but she said she left him. That’s the same thing.”
“Your trip was so rushed. Understandably, and we’re so happy to see you, but could she wrap her life up in a matter of hours and leave it all behind?”
He was so happy she had ended her engagement, but doubt crept in. Was it over? Done and behind her, a part of a different past than the one she shared with him? She left Chicago in a hurry, and said she left him, but nothing more. That made it final though, right? Damn it. Unease filled him.
She added, “And if he is involved, what you’re insinuating could devastate her and come back at you—”
“I’m not insinuating anything. I know he played a role in this.” Ben stood up, anger getting the best of him. Taking a deep breath, he tried not to take it out on his parents. He set his beer on the table and walked around the couch to stand at the picturesque window that framed the lake. “As soon as I get back, I’m going to prove he knew who she was. Hell, I already have enough proof, but whether Grace will believe it or not,” he sighed, “I don’t know.”
Ben went on to explain what he had discovered and listened to his parents’ advice on how to handle such a sensitive situation. One thing he knew for certain was that he was going to immediately investigate this matter further once they returned to Chicago.
Although he knew his parents wanted to spend time with him, he went to his old room and put on some music. He didn’t care what was in the deck; he just pushed play. Lying on the bed, he closed his eyes, losing himself in the music. Time passed. Another song played and then another. His music tastes hadn’t changed much, which made him smile.
A tap was felt, and then the bed dipped. “Hello.”
When he opened his eyes, Grace sat next to him. All stress washed from her face. God, she was gorgeous.
“Leavenworth looks pretty on y—”
“Grace!” Ben’s mother gasped. “I thought that was you.” Tears filled her eyes as his father filed in behind her.
Ben sat up and stopped the music.
Grace turned to face his awestruck parents with a big smile on her face. “I’m sorry I let myself in. I knocked, but no one answered.”
Julia said, “No, that’s all right. You’ve always been welcomed here. Nothing has changed.” Tears ran down her face. “I’m sorry about this. I should clean myself up.”
Going to her with open arms, Grace hugged her. First Julia and then Joe. Ben watched them interact. They were strangers to Grace, but her parents had loved and adored Grace from the moment they met her. He was proud of her, though. She was pushing herself in ways that were probably uncomfortable but did it for others. It was like something the Grace before her accident would have done.
Julia squeezed her. “Grace, darling, it’s so good to see you well. You’re even more beautiful than ever.” Ben could hear the wobble in her tone.
“Thank you,” she replied. “It feels good to be here. Everyone is so warm and welcoming.” Sighing, she fidgeted with her hands. “I mean, of course, everyone is. I just . . . I don’t remember much, so I feel I’m at a disadvantage of sorts.”
Julia rubbed her arm. “Take all the time you need. We’ll give you two some time alone. I’m thinking it’s time for a glass of wine.”
“Sounds good,” Grace said, giggling. When they left the room, she sat next to him on the bed. “I liked the music.” He turned it back on and lay down again. Grace moved onto the bed and settled against him, tucked under his arm, throwing her arm across his chest. His heart ached with memories of how many hours they had lain just like this over the years. It was as if she simply knew.
“I missed you,” she whispered.
That was it.
That was all it took.
Between her presence, her hands on him, and her words, he couldn’t stop himself. He leaned down and kissed her, cupping her face and kissing her again, hard.
He wanted her and was tired of being careful. Their tongues met and her hands held on to his arms. Her fingers were squeezing around his biceps so he flexed for her, eliciting a moan from her mouth straight to his lower region. He moved on top of her, hovering over her, their lips an inch apart, their eyes locked on each other’s. “I want you.”
“I want you.”
Throats were cleared, and Ben was on his feet within a second. His mom stood at the door with two glasses of wine in her hands. “Sorry. I thought Grace might like a glass.”
Mortified, Ben took one and downed the wine. Taking the other, he handed it to Grace, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, red faced and unable to look at his mother. It was like they were two school kids getting caught making out. Ben scratched the back of his neck, and said, “Thanks, Mom.”
“Actually one of those was for me, but I guess you needed it more.” She chuckled as she turned to leave. “And more time. Alone.”
She reached to shut the door, but he said, “It’s okay. We’re fine.”
Sensing the coast was clear, Grace looked up at Ben and said, “I can’t believe we just got busted by your mom. What are you doing to me?”
“Bringing you back to life, baby.”
She moved to him again, this time not so bashfully. “Whose life—yours or mine?”
“Ours, Grace Stevens. Our life.”
This time, she kissed him. Taking his face between her hands and lifting it, she planted her lips on his and embraced him fully so he could feel all he’d been missing the last three years—her heart. Her soul. Her love. He desperately hoped all they’d both lost could be found in a kiss. Their kiss.
23
Grace Stevens
Ben and Grace left their parents around seven to drive back to Seattle. Pamela and John had come over earlier, and they’d all enjoyed a meal together to celebrate Grace’s return. Even though she knew she was lucky to have all of them in her life or back in her life, it was still uncomfortable to be the center of attention. But seeing the two families together, it was easier to comprehend Emily’s comments about where she had fit so comfortably. Dating Hunter for the time she had, there had been no cozy family dinners or relaxed nights in. Dinners out, preferably at a notable restaurant, had been more his style, and she could see now why she had always felt so drained by the end of them. They hadn’t been easy. She’d felt like a performing monkey at times, keen to not disappoint Hunter. Was that love? Was that what he led me to believe was love?
Having witnessed the true meaning of love from spending time with their families, she knew that four-letter word meant more than being cordial. She felt angry for settling for less.
On the drive back to the hotel, Grace told Ben about her memories, and wanted to tell him so much more, but after the long day, she was emotionally exhausted and ended up napping. She woke again just outside Seattle, finding his hand resting on hers. “Was I asleep long?”
“An hour or so. It’s a lot to take in, huh?”
“Yeah.” After stretching, she felt refreshed. “Do you want to grab a drink at the bar before heading up?”
“Have I ever told you how sexy you look when you first wake up?”
“If you did,” she said, smiling, “I can’t remember.”
“Did you just make an amnesia joke?”
She was laughing. “I did. I’m terrible.” She shrugged.
“You’re perfect to me.”
“You’re not too shabby yourself, Edwards. Yes.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll have a drink with you.”
“What about two?”
“Two, and maybe a late-night snack.
I don’t want you wasted.”
“I can hold my liquor.”
“Guess we’re about to find out.” His eyebrow cocked up, and she couldn’t help but want more of that sexiness in her life.
* * *
Grace sipped her martini and then glanced at Ben. Licking his bottom lip, he brought the glass to his mouth and drank with his eyes on her. This was foreplay.
Finally, feeling bold, she said, “I saw a tree on my walk to your parents’ house and it had a carving.”
Ben looked down and smiled, but she wanted him to smile for her, so she asked, “Do you know what it said?”
“Yeah.” That eyebrow of his seemed to have a cocky mind of its own. A smirk soon followed, and she bit the inside of her cheek.
Good Lord, this man was determined to do her in. It wouldn’t take two drinks like she thought earlier. It wouldn’t even take one to get her to leave with him right now if she was being honest. Leaning in, she whispered, “You wouldn’t know how it got there, would you?”
“I do, but it has been a long time since I’ve seen it. Why don’t you tell me what it said?”
“G. Forever yours, B.” She could picture it in her mind as she said it.
“I know nothing about it,” he joked, sitting back on the barstool.
“Yeah, I bet you don’t.” Grace touched his leg, feeling so close to him. Her hand slid higher, but she stopped mid-thigh. “Your eyes give you away, Ben.”
“They do?”
“Yes, from what I’ve seen, they do.”
“Then I confess. I’m the guilty party. I did it.” Ben laughed. “I vandalized that tree when we were sixteen and surprised you with it. At first you were mad because you said I hurt the tree.”
Now she laughed. “What happened then?” She mimicked his smirk perfectly.
“You kissed me. You loved that I did that for you. Sometimes you would call me and tell me to meet you at the tree. That was kind of our place.”