Forget Me Not (The Unforgettable Duet Book 1)

by Brooke Blaine

  “Give you a break? What the fuck, man? What’s wrong with you?”

  “I don’t know.” Too restless to stand there arguing, I began to pace. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

  “The fuck he doesn’t.”

  “Reid’s still trying to figure out who he is, and all I’m doing is making things more confusing for him.”

  “Oh, right. You want him. He wants you. It can never happen.” Mike slapped his forehead. “Wait, no, that’s not how it goes.”

  “You’re supposed to be seeing my side.”

  “The ‘I’m a fucking moron’ side?”

  “The ‘I’m somehow taking advantage of him’ side.”

  “Please remind me how it’s taking advantage when he’s the one who kissed you.”

  “Have you forgotten he suffered a major brain trauma?”

  “Uh, no. I was there.”

  “Then you’d know how something like that can change a person.”

  “And what if this is who he is now?” When my mouth opened and shut without a comeback, Mike nodded. “Yeah. What then?”

  I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of being even a little bit right, so I ignored him and kept right on walking.

  “You know what I think your problem is?” he said.

  “No, but I have a feeling you’re gonna tell me.”

  “Damn right I am. You’re scared.” His brows lifted. “Yeah, you heard me. You’re scared that any day now he’s gonna wake up—I mean that figuratively—and remember he’s supposed to be wrist-deep in pussy.”

  “Mike…Jesus.”

  “Maybe that’s crass, but I’m just sayin’ what you won’t. You know I’m right.”

  “Can you please fuck off?” Leave me to my self-destruction in peace.

  “I’m on a roll now, so no, and I’ll tell you why.” The humor faded from his eyes as he grabbed my shoulders to make me face him. “You, my friend, are too hard on yourself.” I rolled my eyes and tried to pull away, but his grip was strong. “No, no, listen. It’s true. You seem to think everyone in the world deserves happiness except you. But I know how you feel about this guy. I’ve seen what you’ve been doin’ for him. There ain’t an ounce of bad intention there. Probably nothin’ he wouldn’t do for you, either.”

  I closed my eyes. God, I hated when he was right. I hated that I was so cautious about everything with Reid that I was unintentionally mucking it all up.

  “Stop fightin’ it, my man,” Mike said, his tone gentler than I’d ever heard. “You care about the guy. Fucking go for it. I don’t want to have to tell you twice.”

  When I nodded, a smile slowly spread across his face. “Yeah? We good?” he said.

  “We’re good.”

  “Fan-fucking-tastic.” He clapped me on the shoulder, and as we headed off again, we passed a section full of women’s lingerie, and Mike stopped abruptly and let out a low whistle. “Hel-lo, now we’re talkin’.”

  And just like that, the time for serious talk was over.

  “What are you doing?” I said.

  “Now that I’ve solved your problems for you—you’re welcome—I need to shop for my wife.” He flipped through the rack, and after grabbing a couple of barely-there lace sets, he held them up for me. “What do you think? Would Deb like the white or the pink?”

  “That’s not what she wants.”

  “How do you know? She might.” He looked down at them again. “She likes pink.”

  “That’s a gift for you, not her,” I said, snatching the hangers out of his hands and putting them back on the rack. “Get her a day at the spa. She’ll thank you for that.”

  Mike pursed his lips but then nodded. “Yeah, fine. These wouldn’t last long anyway.” Then he let out a growl to insinuate he’d be ripping them to shreds.

  “I’m not trying to hear this,” I said, walking off toward the exit, as he followed on my heels. At least he’d let our previous conversation drop, and for that, I was grateful.

  “Hey, you don’t think those massage places give happy endings to females too, do you?”

  I screeched to a stop. “Where’ve you been going that you get a damn happy ending?”

  “What? I’m not saying me, I’m saying in general.” Then he gave me a nudge. “Why, you know of one?”

  “Jesus,” I muttered. “No.”

  “Hah, I was joking. I’d never do that.”

  “Sure, you wouldn’t.”

  “I wouldn’t. But seriously, I’m not gonna get my wife some happy-ending shit either, so you better give me a heads-up if they’re sketch like that.”

  “Way to stereotype.”

  “It’s not stereotyping; it’s a legitimate question.”

  “Well, sorry to break it to you, but wouldn’t know of any place like that.”

  “Oh, right. You prefer your happy endings to stay in your head, and I don’t mean the one below your belt.”

  “Mike?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Shut up.”

  “Hey, I’m being serious here.”

  “I’ll be in the truck.”

  “Aw, come on, I was just givin’ you shit.” As I pushed open the exit door, I heard him laugh and call out, “Ollie! Yo, Ollie, come back. I swear I won’t tell anyone about the rash.”

  SURPRISINGLY, I LET Mike go home in one piece. After stopping by one of the day spas downtown for Deb’s gift card—and the assurance that they were professional and didn’t employ any attractive men to piss Mike off—it’d been time to call it a day and head home for a long, hot shower.

  But I was still restless, my mind warring against itself. Talking with Mike earlier had only shown me how stupid I was being. ’Cause when it came down to it, what was I really worried about? That Reid wasn’t in a position to think clearly for himself?

  Or was it that I was too fucking scared he’d end up hurting me?

  Ding, ding, ding. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

  That was what it all boiled down to, wasn’t it? I was scared shitless. And that fear had me pushing away the one thing I really wanted.

  Reid.

  Christ, I was some kinda dumb.

  After shutting off the water, I grabbed a towel and wondered what to do about it. Did I reach out to Reid and apologize? Did he want me to? Or did I need to give him space?

  Still unsure after toweling off, and too anxious to sit around, I decided to do the one thing that always helped clear my head even though it’d require another shower later—I went for a run.

  Orange and pink streaked the partly cloudy sky as the sun began its descent, and the temperature was mild enough that I got away with skipping a jacket.

  The longer I ran, the clearer it became that I’d made a massive error with Reid the other night. I should’ve been down on my knees, thanking God or my lucky stars that they’d been listening in on my dreams, but instead, I’d believed it was too good to be true.

  I only hoped it wouldn’t be too late to set things right.

  As it turned out, I wouldn’t have to bang down his parents’ door, because as I drew near, I could see Reid standing by the edge of the lake, breaking off pieces of bread from the bag he held and throwing them out to the squawking ducks, who practically shoved each other out of the way to dive for the food.

  I slowed down to a light jog and let my breath catch up, and when I was only a few feet away, Reid finally looked up, an inscrutable expression on his face.

  “Hey,” I said, stepping forward cautiously, as if I were approaching a skittish animal that might run away.

  “Come all this way for me, or just out for a run?”

  Ah, so I hadn’t been the only one sulking today. “I wasn’t sure if you’d wanna see me.”

  Reid’s eyes narrowed. “Why wouldn’t I want to see you? I think I made it clear how much I do want to see you.”

  I put my hands up. “I know you did. And I’m sorry I freaked out—”

  “Why did you freak out?” he said, walking toward
me, his brown eyes searing into mine. “I’ve seen the way you look at me, Ollie. I may have a few holes I can’t seem to reconcile, but I’m not stupid.”

  “I know you’re not.”

  “You know, ever since I left the hospital, I’ve been walking on eggshells with everyone. My parents, my sister, the people I called friends. You were the only person who made me feel normal. The only person I didn’t feel stupid around.”

  “Reid—”

  “No, I’m not finished. I’ve had two days to stew about this, so you’re just gonna have to listen.” He stopped and put his hands on his hips. “Where was I?”

  I suppressed a smile. “I’m the only person you feel normal around.”

  “Yeah, and damn you for that if you’re gonna freak out over a kiss.”

  “You’re right.” I straightened my shoulders and let out a breath. “I got scared.”

  “You got scared? Why?”

  “I think you know why.”

  “There you go assuming again. So let’s say I don’t know why. What do you have to be scared of?”

  “You.”

  Reid reared back as if I’d slapped him. “Why?”

  Before I could answer, the swarm of ducks he’d been feeding padded onto the grassy bank and swarmed around Reid, pecking at the bag of leftover bread he held. He reached inside and tossed a couple of handfuls into the lake, sending most of the ducks paddling back into the water while the other stragglers stayed around his feet, searching for bits on the ground.

  “That’s all I got, guys,” he said, throwing the rest of the loaf out into the lake. “Go on. Shoo. Go eat some fish. That’s right, protein’s better for you than carbs.”

  As they all filed back into the cold water and swam off in search of another meal, he wiped the crumbs off his hands and faced me again.

  “I feed bread to ducks in my spare time, for God’s sake. I’m not that scary.”

  A smile simmered on the edge of my lips. “That’s just one of your many endearing qualities.”

  Reid stared at me and slowly shook his head. “You’re confusing the hell out of me, you know that?”

  “I don’t mean to. The thing is…” Just say it. He already knows, so say it. “I’m fucking crazy about you.”

  Reid inhaled sharply, his eyes going wide, and I kept going before he had the chance to say anything.

  “I only held back the other night because I didn’t want to be a mistake you wish you could take back. I don’t want to be a mistake for you.”

  “Ollie,” he said, his voice so tight it sounded like a strangled whisper. “You’re not. I wouldn’t.”

  “You say that now, but—”

  “But nothing. You’re nobody’s mistake, especially mine.”

  A warmth I hadn’t felt in years spread through my chest, and as much as I tried to bite back a smile, it broke free anyway.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Reid said, taking a step toward me. “What if I suddenly remember my life before you and somehow look at you differently?” He took another step, this time bringing himself within touching distance. “But all I can say is you need to trust that I can make my own decisions. I don’t understand what’s happening any more than you do, but at least I’m willing to try. Are you?”

  I reached out for his arm and pulled him toward me, and he went willingly. His front brushed against mine, and since I had him by a few inches, he had to crane his neck a little to look up at me. No one else existed with him staring at me like that—the lake, the people walking by, all of it faded until all I could see and feel was Reid.

  “Can we try this again?” I asked, giving him the chance to change his mind and move away if he wanted to, but when Reid’s tongue came out to wet his lips, that was the only cue I needed.

  I cradled Reid’s head with my forefingers and swept his jaw with my thumbs. He took an unsteady breath as I searched his eyes, looking for any sign of hesitation.

  “Kiss me, Ollie,” he whispered, and that was the final push I needed. Angling my head toward his, I made the first move this time, grazing my lips against his before taking his mouth for my own. His lips parted as he welcomed me inside, and his hands moved to my waist, holding on to me tightly. I couldn’t stop the shudder that rolled through me as I let myself relish the taste and feel of him. He tasted like the most delicious forbidden fruit, but one I’d convinced myself was mine for the taking.

  As our tongues tangled, Reid moaned and his hands moved from my waist to my lower back, pressing me against him, letting me feel the arousal straining against my own. On a reflex, I thrust my hips toward his, and he gasped before hungrily chasing my lips for more.

  I lost myself in him, right there in the middle of the lake as the sun faded into night, and it was better than anything I could’ve dreamed up. I would’ve kissed him there forever if it hadn’t been for a wayward bouncing ball bumping into the back of my calves.

  We broke apart, just as a little boy about five or so came running down the bank after the ball, with his mother flying after him.

  “Jack,” she called out, as the boy grabbed the ball where it had landed at my feet. “I told you not to throw it until we got home.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead and then gave us a polite, tired smile. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s no problem,” I said, keeping myself glued to Reid’s front, because, well, I was hard as a fucking rock.

  The boy dashed back up the hill, ball in hand, and I turned back to Reid, who had a smile on his face and was watching me, not the passing family.

  “So.” He grabbed the waist of my pants. “You’re really crazy about me, huh?”

  I threw my head back in a burst of laughter and let my hands trail down his arms. Goosebumps covered his skin where I touched. I liked that. I liked that a hell of a lot.

  “Don’t let that go to your head, Bluebird.”

  Reid grinned at me and then lifted up on the balls of his feet to kiss me again, but before he did, he whispered, “Too late.”

  Chapter Eleven

  WE SPENT EVERY evening together that week. One night we went back to Fisherman’s Grill and stopped by the music store again. Reid had finally gotten up the courage to ask the woman how he knew her, and she told him she’d mentored him through college.

  There were a couple of nights I worked late, and we ended up ordering in and lounging on the couch, spending more time talking than paying attention to anything on the TV. I was surprised to learn that once Reid made up his mind about something, he wasn’t shy about the follow-through, and it was especially true since we’d cleared the air between us. If he wanted to kiss me, he did. If he wanted to hold my hand, he reached for it. I loved the way he always wanted to be close or touching, his hand always making contact, whether it was on my waist, my arm, my thigh. And though things hadn’t progressed any further than our nightly make-outs, I was content to keep it that way for as long as he needed.

  Strike content; I was happier than I could remember being—ever.

  That weekend, when I asked Reid if he was up for an adventure, and he responded with a resounding “Hell yes,” I’d decided to drive us an hour east to one of my favorite hidden places. As we wound up the mountain, I thought back to the conversation that had sparked the idea in the first place.

  “I’m learning all these things about me, but I still don’t know enough about you,” Reid said, as he lay in my lap and I absently stroked his hair.

  “‘Enough,’” I said. “And when will you know ‘enough’?”

  “When I know everything.”

  “Hmm. That could take a while.”

  With a shrug and a lazy grin, he said, “I’ve got a while.”

  It had occurred to me then that instead of telling him the things I enjoyed, it would be a lot more interesting if I could show him. And halfway up one of the North Georgia mountains lay a hidden treasure, one that began in a long-deserted parking lot.

  As we pulled in, Reid lowered his sunglasses and peere
d around the neglected space. Weeds grew through cracks in the gravel, and the only signage indicating there was anything beyond the wildly overgrown bushes was a rickety wooden sign spray-painted with the words Keep Out.

  Reid leaned over me to look at the dashboard as I turned off the car. “Uh, did we run out of gas?”

  “Nope. We’re here.”

  “Define ‘here.’”

  “You said you were up for an adventure, right?” I opened my door. “Let’s go have one.”

  Reid stayed put. “I feel like a demented clown is gonna pop out of those bushes and chop me into bite-size pieces.”

  “Don’t be silly,” I said, taking out the backpack of food and drinks from the back seat and putting it on. “Clowns don’t chop. They slice and dice.”

  “What?”

  “I’m kidding. But don’t worry; I’ll protect you.”

  With a raised eyebrow, Reid opened his door, and I rounded the back of my car to take his hand. I led him through a small opening in the shrubs, and when we squeezed past them, his eyes widened.

  A couple hundred feet away stood the old brick entrance to the park, with a faded green and yellow sign hanging over the entrance proclaiming, We’re off to see the Wizard…

  And beyond that, a glimpse of what had once been a brightly colored yellow brick road leading through the dense forest.

  “What is this place?” Reid said as we headed toward the entrance.

  “It was an amusement park built back in the seventies, but it never really took off. It’s been abandoned for decades, and I think most people have forgotten it ever existed.”

  “A Wizard of Oz amusement park? Why wouldn’t that be huge? Especially if they had flying monkeys.”

  “Maybe that was the problem. They didn’t.” I winked as we came up to the open brick archway, where a ticket booth sat dormant to the left, and a boarded-up gift shop took up the right. There were no gates, no locks to keep us out, and as we walked inside, Reid tugged on my hand.

  “Is it considered trespassing if it’s abandoned?”

  “Probably. You don’t mind breaking a few rules with me, do you?”