Stolen Memories: A Novella

by Alyson Reynolds

  “Can we just keep this between us for a few days?”

  “Sure, baby.”

  “Hunt?”

  He looked at me with those amazingly gorgeous eyes, and I could have melted into a big pile of hormones.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Megan. We’re going to be fine. You aren’t getting rid of me no matter how hard you try now. If I hadn’t convinced you earlier, it’s too late. You don’t get a choice.” He laughed, but he was only half joking

  I giggled. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  The next morning, I went downstairs to find my mom cooking and my sister drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen table. It seemed so odd to have them here, but it was also comforting. I had spent so much time at Hunter’s house as his friend that it was weird to think I would be living here permanently once we moved everything from my apartment.

  “Good morning, sweetheart.”

  “Morning, Momma.”

  “Do you want some eggs?”

  My stomach flipped at the idea of food.

  “No thanks, I’ll just stick to tea.”

  She crossed the kitchen and felt my head, fussing over me. “Are you feeling okay? You haven’t eaten much lately.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just not hungry.”

  Her lips thinned as she looked at me with a slight frown, but I held my ground.

  “I’m going to go to brunch with Hunt in a few minutes.”

  She turned back to the stove and I breathed a sigh of relief. I glanced up and my sister’s watchful gaze was on me. She pinned me with a look and I turned away before she could see the blush rising on my cheeks. It was too soon for them to figure out my secret.

  “You look like you’re feeling a little better, Cass.”

  “I’m getting a little stronger every day. It’s taking longer than I want, though.”

  My sister amazed me. She was so strong after the past few years of her life; I didn’t know if I could be as brave as her. I walked over and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. Tears pricked at my eyes. Damn hormones.

  “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Good morning, ladies,” Hunter said as he walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. I yelped as he pulled me down into his lap. A smug grin covered his face as Cassie and Momma started laughing. His fingers brushed along my stomach under the edge of the table, hidden from watchful eyes. My head rested on his and I felt truly content for the first time in a long time.

  The small bistro that we went to for brunch was one of our favorites. Everything on the menu was amazing. I would normally drink two or three mimosas when we ate there, but my situation made that impossible. My gaze longingly fell onto his glass and he tried not to laugh when he noticed. His fingers brushed along mine as we sat there talking. I smiled as he intertwined them.

  “Hunt.”

  I turned and saw a stunningly beautiful blonde standing next to our table. She was dressed in a casual Saturday outfit that emphasized her curves perfectly.

  “Stephanie.”

  “You never called me,” she said with a pout. “I thought we had fun when we went out in New York.”

  I arched an eyebrow. Hunter hadn’t mentioned going on a date just a few hours before we got married. It wasn’t a secret that he’d had a very active sex life before us, but to have it thrown into my face was a little more than unpleasant and left a bitter taste in my mouth.

  “I think you need to leave, Stephanie.”

  “Fine, Hunter. I’ll just talk to you in the office on Monday.”

  “No, there’s nothing for us to talk about.”

  “She works for you?” I wasn’t able to keep quiet anymore. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to dip your pen in company ink? Or does that not apply to you because you’re the boss?”

  “Enough, Megan.”

  I stared at him in disbelief. He’d never spoken to me like I was one of his employees, and I didn’t plan to start letting him now. Stephanie stared at me as I calmly gathered my purse and stood up to leave.

  “I’m your fucking wife, Hunt. Don’t ever talk to me like I’m some bitch you fucked one night,” I said pointedly to Hunter, then turned towards blondie. “Stay away from your boss if you like your job and don’t kid yourself—Hunt is a one night stand kind of guy. You never stood a chance to get more than that.”

  “Wife?” she asked in disbelief.

  I brushed past her and started towards the door. Hunter called out from behind me, but I ignored him and kept walking. My heart ached in my chest. How many times would this happen? I didn’t want to hold Hunter’s past against him, but he knew that I had never slept with anyone other than him. It wasn’t fair that I was going to have to suck it up every time reality slapped me in the face.

  I walked quickly down the steps in front of the restaurant and gasped when fingers wrapped around my wrist. A terror like I’d never felt before filled me when I turned back and realized it was my father, not Hunter, that had ahold of me.

  My father’s eyes were cold and empty as they met mine. He pulled me closer and dark spots danced in my vision as he pulled me along. I sucked in a breath to scream, but he feeling of a sharp point in my side stopped me. The gun he had poked into my side was concealed beneath his suit jacket.

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  I swung my head around wildly to see if anyone would notice me and help, but the sidewalk around the restaurant was empty. No one was going to come to my rescue unless Hunter came out. With this new development I wasn’t sure I wanted him to. Jack wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him.

  “He’s not coming. My little distraction will keep him busy long enough for me to get you out of here.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “You think I’m kidding, Megan?” Something told me he was past logical reasoning right now. He didn’t have much to lose unless he couldn’t get me where he needed. My brain rushed to try to find a way out, but he continued pushing me forward.

  “Why are you doing this? We thought you left the country.”

  “I don’t have the resources to go anywhere. Your husband fucked that up for me. Bastard works fast,” he mumbled.

  I needed to keep him talking. Every time he spoke his pace slowed.

  “Jack, I’ve never been the good daughter. Why did you base a merger deal on me marrying me off?”

  “The men I worked with needed green cards. You never would have known the difference.” My eyes widened and I took a step to the side without realizing it. What kind of business was he actually doing? His fingers tightened around my arm causing me to cry out. “Don’t do that, Megan. I really don’t want to hurt you, no matter what you think, but I will if I have to.”

  The fear made me fight back. I tugged my arm away and kicked out at him. When I started to scream, his hand clamped down over my mouth and I gagged. My fingernails dug into his hands to pull them away, but he was stronger. He shoved me away from him as someone called out from behind us. My head hit the brick of the building beside us and dots filled my vision.

  The last thing I saw was my father getting punched in the face and going down like a sack of potatoes. Hunter rushed over to me where I was against the wall. There were footsteps all around us and the last thing I remembered was his strong arms lifting me from the ground.

  Thank God. Hunter had saved me again.

  The cool blues and greens of Hunter’s bedroom surrounded me, but I couldn’t see him. He wouldn’t have left me, not after everything we’d been through.

  “Hunt?” I called out softly.

  “Baby, thank God. I was starting to freak out.”

  He came in from the bathroom and sat down on the bed beside me. The damp cloth he rubbed across my forehead felt heavenly. I hugged his waist and squeezed as hard as I could. Relief filled me as he kissed the top of my head.

  “What happened?”

  He blanched. “Oh, God. How much do yo
u remember?”

  “I know we’re married and having a baby.”

  He visibly relaxed. “Thank goodness. Losing you again isn’t an option.”

  He kissed my forehead and I hugged him tighter. We sat there quietly for a few moments, thankful we still had each other.

  “Where’s Jack?”

  “The police have him in custody. He’s going to be in jail for a while. Jack was being investigated for insider trading and money laundering, and after attempting to kidnap you, he’s toast. I’d already called 911 before I found you outside because things felt wrong.” Hunter brushed my hair back from my face and stared at me. “I really thought I had lost you again.”

  I tried to sit up higher in the bed and I winced.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m just sore and my head is aching.”

  His mouth tenderly brushed across my forehead. As we sat there wrapped up together, I sorted through my memories from the past month. I thought back to Jack grabbing me at the restaurant and I remembered his office. Going back, I realized every memory that had been missing was there. I remembered the flight to Georgia and the sexual tension building between us. I remembered our marriage and every special moment we had while we were at the beach. The blank spots that had been plaguing me were gone. I leaned back and stared at Hunter in awe.

  “You told me you loved me after you thought I was asleep. I remember your hands brushed through my hair and you kept saying that you couldn’t believe I was yours. I wanted to tell you I felt the same way, but I didn’t want to scare you. Everything was too new and overwhelming. I think I’ve loved you since we were kids.”

  His solemn face looked into mine and slowly he started to smile.

  “You remember?”

  I bit my lip and nodded, but stopped quickly because it hurt my head.

  “I wasn’t with Stephanie in New York. She worked for me and I’ve had a…relationship…with her before, but not in New York. When she said that I knew she was trying to start something, and that’s why I followed you outside the restaurant.”

  “I would bet my trust fund that she worked for either my father or Michael.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “Hunt?”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  I settled back into his arms and relaxed. “Can we try to find some kind of normal?”

  “We’re sure as hell going to try. This kid needs some peace.” His hand spread over my stomach and I fell in love with Hunter Abbott all over again.

  Three Years Later....

  I quietly cracked the door to the nursery open to look in at our three-month-old daughter. A smile crossed my face as I watched her lay there in her crib. Hunter’s hand wrapped around my waist and he kissed behind my ear as he came up behind me. We stayed there for a few minutes, watching her soft breaths.

  Hunter took my hand and quietly led me back to our room. When the door closed behind us he kissed me passionately.

  “Wait,” I said, pushing him back. He groaned and I laughed a little. “Where’s Spencer?”

  “He’s with your mom for the night. Cassie is in the room next to the baby and said she would take care of her tonight so we could get some sleep. John grumbled a little bit about that one, but he wasn’t going to argue with her.”

  I was so thankful that my two-and-a-half-year-old son loved my mother and Cassie so much. Cassie and her new husband continued to steal him away week after week, spoiling him something fierce. They had tried for their own child for so long without luck, until a few months ago.

  “No one argues with a pregnant Hamilton woman. Not unless they have a death wish.”

  “That’s the freaking truth,” he mumbled.

  “What’s that, Hunter?” I asked poking him in the ribs.

  “Nothing, baby. So what do you want to do on our free night?” He wrapped his arms around me.

  “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Sleep,” I whispered in his ear huskily.

  His hands dropped, and he took a step back in defeat. A grin covered my face as I tried to hold back a giggle.

  “I’m just kidding. Come here. I’ll take care of you, honey. It’s been a while now and I think you have some built-up tension.”

  He sulked for another full minute before I yanked him down on the bed next to me and straddled his waist.

  “I have some big plans for us tonight. You need to quit pouting so we can get to the fun part of the evening.”

  He smirked. “I think I can handle that, Mrs. Abbott.”

  My hands slid under his shirt and up his muscled chest. He shivered under my touch, and I smiled down at him. Life was finally happy and normal, or at least as normal as it would ever be for us.

  Romance writer. Wife. Mother of two. Avid reader. Queen of multitasking.

  Originally from the south, Alyson likes to incorporate what she knows into her books. She's lived not only on the east coast, but the west coast and a few places in between. Alyson loves sharing stories about her crazy family to anyone who will listen. Her guilty pleasures consist of coffee, country music, brunch, breaking the rules, and pedicures. And she will always be a daddy's girl.

  When Alyson isn't chasing around her two kiddos, she's normally writing. Or reading. Her Kindle library is out of control. Alyson writes mainly contemporary novels and novellas with a bit of new adult mixed in.

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  www.authoralysonreynolds.com

  This is the third time I’m doing this, and I still don’t think it gets any easier.

  To the people who keep showing up in my life at the right time. I’ve met so many blogger, authors, readers and I’m so thankful to be able to call them friends. Sophie, Adrienne, and Courtney thank you for believing in a new writer and giving me a chance. You guys have made me smile when I most needed it.

  All of you who take the time to read my books, I thank you. It’s truly amazing that I get to call this my career.

  My family is my lifeline. Each time my mom or my mother-in-law pushes for the next story it makes me work harder. Thank you for celebrating the small victories with me.