by L. P. Dover
I nodded. “Tell me about it. Just as I was about to get her back, she’s taken away from me.”
He gripped my shoulder and squeezed. “Not for long. As soon as she recovers, she’ll be all yours.”
“Not without complications,” I stated. “Grayson doesn’t look like he’s going to bow out gracefully.”
Evan snorted. “He’s not going to have a choice. If Lara chose you, there’s nothing he can do about it.”
Unfortunately, it hadn’t stopped me from trying to win her back when she was with him. I had a feeling he was going to pay me back, with interest. Taking a deep breath, I headed for the door and Evan followed me to her room. The door was shut and I opened it quietly, the sound of beeping machines and Summer’s soft cries were all I could hear.
Swallowing hard, I walked into the room and felt my sanity hanging on by a thread. Lara didn’t look like herself. Instead, she had a bandage wrapped around the entirety of her head and her eyes were blue and swollen. If I’d have walked by her, I wouldn’t have known who she was.
Grayson sat on one side of her while Summer was on the other, both holding her hands. I wanted to grab Grayson by the neck and throw him out. He shouldn’t be the one touching her; it was my job now.
Evan gripped my elbow and whispered a warning in my ear. “You need to calm down. No matter the outcome, he loves her just as much as you do.” He stepped past me and murmured something in Summer’s ear. She nodded and got up, exiting the room.
Taking Summer’s empty seat, I gently clasped Lara’s hand. They were small and delicate-looking, but we all knew Lara had a temper and could hurt someone with those hands. That was one of the things I loved about her—her fiery temper.
“If she wasn’t on her way to see you, none of this would’ve happened,” Grayson hissed.
If we weren’t in a hospital room, with Lara between us, I would’ve punched the shit out of him. “Does placing the blame on me make you feel better? I can’t help it she chose me over you.”
He scoffed. “She’s infatuated with you, but she loves me. What we had was real.”
I hated the fact she’d been with him, that they were intimate. I couldn’t blame her for moving on, but the thought still stung. “And now it’s over,” I said. “She told me what happened between you two.”
He shook his head. “She was confused. When she wakes up, it’ll all be cleared up. It was just a misunderstanding.”
Clenching my teeth, I reined in my anger and decided to let it go. When she woke up, I had no doubt of her decision. For the first time in my life, I had to be the bigger man and keep my mouth shut. Lara would’ve been proud of me.
Her hand was cold, so I kissed it and covered it with both of mine. “Come on, cupcake. I need you to wake up.” I needed to know she was mine for good.
Two Weeks Later
As much as I hated the new arrangement, I had to stick by it. Summer was in charge of Lara’s health and she felt it necessary to make a schedule to keep Grayson and me apart. Apparently, she felt the tension between us was unhealthy for Lara, who hadn’t even woken up since the accident. I had a race coming up in a week, so whenever I wasn’t at the hospital, I was on the track. I had to do something to keep my mind off everything.
The doctors said Lara’s vitals were good, and that sleeping was just her body’s way of healing. I had to believe that was true, even though deep down I felt like something was wrong. I was so afraid I wouldn’t be there when she woke up, that it’d be Grayson’s face she saw first. I wanted her to know I never wanted to leave her side.
Lara looked a lot better, her face wasn’t blue and swollen anymore. She was herself again, only she wasn’t awake. The doctor’s had removed the bandage on her head, her blonde hair fanned out across the pillow. Summer brushed her hair every day and I did it as well, including putting lotion on her skin. The doctor said talking wouldn’t hurt, so for hours each day, I sat there and talked to her. Mostly about all the things I couldn’t wait to do with her. We had a whole life ahead of us, and I couldn’t wait to get started. If only she’d wake up.
“Knock, knock,” Evan said, tapping on the door.
I glanced over my shoulder. “Hey, man. Long time no see.”
Chuckling, he sat down on Lara’s other side. “Been busy at the restaurant. With Summer’s visiting schedule, I keep missing you. Plus, I know you’ve been training. How’s it going with that?”
I shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I’ve been riding better, which is good. But I can’t stop thinking about Lara. At least, my trainer is happier with me.”
“That’s good. Are you excited about the race next week?”
It was hard to be excited about anything with Lara in her condition. “I’m ready to win it,” I said. “But I was hoping Lara would be with me. I know that’s stupid though. Even if she wakes up, she won’t have the strength to go.”
He winked. “I’ll make sure she watches it on TV.”
“Thanks,” I laughed. “Has Grayson said anything to Summer about Lara breaking it off with him?”
His smile faded. “Not yet.”
“What the hell is he waiting on? I can see the look on Summer’s face every time I’m here. I know we’re on good terms, but she hates I’m taking up time that Grayson could be here. She needs to know that I have more right to be here than him.”
With a heavy sigh, he nodded. “And I agree, but he knows that when she wakes up, it’ll all be over. I feel for the guy.”
I snorted. “Believe me, I’m impatiently waiting for that very day.” My time was coming to a close, and I knew any minute Grayson would be walking through the door. It turned out it wasn’t just him, but Summer as well.
“Hey, sunshine,” Evan called.
She kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck, her saddened gaze on Lara. “What are you doing here?” she asked him.
He pointed at me. “Thought I’d come by and see him. Hadn’t seen him much the past two weeks.”
“Neither have I. You doing okay?” she asked with a smile.
I shrugged. “No, but I will be once Lara wakes up.”
“Won’t we all,” she mentioned sadly.
Everyone focused on me and I knew that was my cue to go. Grayson’s scowl was getting old, and I couldn’t wait for the day I could punch it off his face. Leaning over, I kissed Lara on the cheek. “I love you,” I murmured, about to let her hand go. It was so hard to walk away from her. But then her fingers twitched and I froze.
“She moved her fingers,” I called out excitedly. Everyone gathered around but I wasn’t about to move. “Lara, can you hear me?”
Summer leaned in on the other side, running her hands down Lara’s face. “Sis, it’s me. Wake up.”
My heart raced and I finally got what I wished for when Lara’s eyes fluttered open. Summer burst out crying and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank fucking God,” I said. “Think you got enough beauty sleep?” One of the things Lara and I did together was banter back and forth. I was hoping it’d make her smile after everything she’d been through, but all she did was stare blankly at me. Dread settled into the pit of my stomach. “Baby, can you talk?”
“Lara, please say something,” Summer insisted.
Lara turned her attention to her sister and swallowed, her voice rough and dry. “Summer?”
“Yes,” she cried, “it’s me. I’m so glad you’re awake.”
“What happened?”
Summer wiped away her tears. “You were in an accident. We’ve all been waiting for you to wake up. It’s been two weeks already.”
Lara glanced at everyone and then shook her head, brows furrowed in confusion. “I don’t understand. Who are these people?”
In that moment, everything came crashing down. I finally knew why I felt there was something wrong. The girl I loved had no fucking clue who I was.
The room grew quiet. For the longest time, I waited for Lara to laugh and say she was kidding. Unfortunately,
I was going to be waiting a long time for that. I was in an even worse nightmare than I could’ve imagined.
“You don’t know anyone here?” Summer asked. Lara shook her head and tears formed in her eyes. Summer placed her hands on Evan’s shoulders. “This is Evan, my husband. You have a niece named Emma-Grace.”
Lara gasped. “What? That makes no sense. You’re married to Austin. Isn’t that his brother?” She pointed at Grayson and I felt even sicker. She remembered that cocksucker but not me? How the hell could that be possible?
“You recognize me?” Grayson asked. A smile lit up his face, but it disappeared quickly.
Lara nodded. “I met you once at one of Austin’s fights.”
“What about Luke?” Summer asked, pointing at me.
Lara’s eyes met mine and it killed me to see no recognition in those blue eyes of hers. I kept waiting, but in the end, she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I did, but I don’t. It’s all so confusing.” Then she turned to Summer. “What’s going on?”
Evan started for the door. “I’m going to get the doctor.”
Summer looked desperate, her gaze darting from mine to Grayson’s. But we were too distraught to be of any help; I was in my own hell and so was he. “I don’t know what to do,” she cried.
“Lara,” I murmured, turning her cheek toward me. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
Panic built in her eyes. “I don’t know. I can see my parents’ house in Georgia . . .” Her words trailed off and she shrugged.
Evan marched back into the room. “The doctor will be here in a minute.”
Grayson moved up beside Summer and leaned down. “Please tell me you remember more than just that night at the fight. I’m your fiancé.”
The second he said it, all I could see was red. I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the floor. “You lying son of a bitch!” I reared back to punch him in the face. Evan grabbed my arm and held me back, as Grayson got to his feet.
Summer gasped and stepped between us. “Everyone, out!”
Grayson stormed out and so did Summer. “Can I let you go now?” Evan asked.
Nodding, I took a deep breath as he let me go. “I’m not going to let him get away with it anymore. It ends now.”
He pushed me toward the door. “Just control yourself, and we’ll deal with this.”
Lara stared at me, her expression lost.
I felt terrible for losing my temper in front of her. “I’m sorry, Lara.”
When we left the room, it took all I had not to go after Grayson again. Luckily, the doctor was there, trying to figure out what was going on. “So she can’t remember anything from the past five years or so?”
Summer nodded. “That’s what it looks like. She still thinks I’m married to my late husband. He died four years ago.”
He sighed. “I’ve seen it with many head trauma patients. Sometimes their memories come back, and sometimes they don’t. It could take months or even years for that to happen, if they come back at all.” He opened the door and peered inside. “Let me take a look at her.”
As soon as he was gone, Summer hit my arm. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Angrily, I thrust a finger at Grayson. “Lara broke off the engagement the night of the accident. She told me on the phone, right before she was hit. She was on the way to my house, to give us another shot.”
Summer stared at me, then turned to Grayson, her gaze narrowed. “Is that true?”
He looked at her and didn’t answer. Then Evan spoke up. “Lara came by the house that night and we talked. She wasn’t happy with him. I don’t know how we all couldn’t see it.”
She shook her head. “She would’ve told me.”
Evan rubbed her shoulder. “She knew you would disapprove if she went back to Luke.”
“Did she specifically tell you she was breaking up with Grayson?” she asked him.
Evan closed his eyes and sighed. “Not exactly in those words, but it wasn’t hard to gather.”
“So basically,” Grayson cut in, “it’s my word against Luke’s.”
If there was ever a time I wanted to kill someone, it was then. There was no way in hell I was going to let Grayson make Lara believe they were still engaged. “If you were still engaged, where’s the ring? She wasn’t wearing it after the accident.”
Summer waited for Grayson’s answer, but the doctor walked out. “Looks like Ms. Jacobs has what we call Retrograde amnesia. It’s everything I told you about already. When you take her home, make sure to follow her usual routine, so it can spark some memory. I want to run some more tests, but by the weekend, she should be good to go.”
Summer nodded and shook his hand. “Thanks, Dr. Prince.” Once he was gone, she glared at us all. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, or who to believe, but this stops now. Lara needs our help to get her memory back. If she doesn’t, then it’s up to her to decide who she wants in her life.”
“You can’t be serious,” Grayson grumbled.
She held up her hands. “I don’t want to hear it. No one is going to pressure her, got it? I want her to get her memories back, and that involves all of us standing here. We’re going to take turns with her, whether everyone likes it or not. And that’s final. For now, both of you need to go home, and make sure to stay away until I get her home from the hospital. After that, it’s up to her who she wants to see.” Huffing, she walked away from us and entered Lara’s room.
Evan cleared his throat and patted me on the back. “Looks like you both get a clean slate.” Then he shook his head at Grayson, disappointment written across his face. “I just hope she gets her memories back, soon.” He followed behind Summer and shut the door.
This was the last I was going to see of her for a few days, and it was all because of fucking Grayson. “You’re such a dick,” I growled.
He scoffed. “Me? What about you? The whole time I was with Lara, you kept trying to steal her away from me. Karma’s a bitch, Collins. Let’s see how you like it when the situation’s reversed.”
I pushed him against the wall, the nurses gasping. “You kept feeding garbage into Lara’s head about how you’d never hurt her. Well, look what you’re doing now. When she gets her memories back, she’ll know what a dirtbag you are.”
“And when she doesn’t, she’ll be my wife, and there’s nothing you can do about it. May the best man win.” He pushed me off and marched down the hall.
If Lara couldn’t get her memories back, I was screwed. All she’d have to do is look me up on the internet; all of my exploits were out there for her to see. The only thing giving me hope was she’d chosen me just before the accident. I had to believe she’d do it again.
There was a big, dark hole where everything in my mind should be, and the more I tried to access it, the more frustrated I became. It was completely maddening. And what made it worse was, my body felt like it’d been hit by a tractor trailer. The doctor said I had amnesia from the head trauma I received during the accident, and that I might possibly never retrieve the last few years of my life. I guess I was thankful I didn’t lose every memory, but there were people I was hurting with those lost years. I could see it on Luke and Grayson’s faces when I said I didn’t remember them.
Summer walked in and I could tell she didn’t know what to say, especially when her new husband followed behind. She’d never answered me on what happened to Austin, but I could only assume it didn’t end well.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” she said, sitting down beside me.
My stomach growled, and her eyes went wide. We both laughed. “I think my stomach’s saying I’m hungry.”
“You’re still the same Lara in that aspect.” She glanced back at Evan. “Do you mind getting her something to eat, and maybe bringing her a piece of red velvet cake from the house?”
Evan smiled. “I’ll leave right now. It’ll give you two some privacy.” He waved at me and I waved back. If there was one thing I remembered, it
was red velvet cake. It’d been my favorite ever since I was a little girl.
When the door shut, Summer reached for my hand. “I don’t know how to tell you this. It’s crazy because it happened so long ago.” Tears filled her eyes. “Austin died about four years ago now.”
Gasping, I closed a hand over my mouth, tears springing to my eyes. How could that be? “Oh my God. Are you okay? What happened?”
Summer was always the quiet and meek one between us, but something was different about her. She seemed stronger. “I’m fine, I promise. It’s a long story and if you don’t get your memories back, I’ll go into detail later. Right now, I want to concentrate on your life, not mine.”
“How do we plan on doing that?” I asked.
“By taking things one step at a time.” She cleared her throat. “Starting with the two hulking issues who were just in your room.”
I nodded, remembering the way Luke reacted when Grayson said he was my fiancé. Grayson was an extremely good-looking man, but when I looked at him, I didn’t feel a connection. How could I marry someone I don’t even know?
“Was I involved with both of them?” I asked.
She shrugged a shoulder. “To be honest, I don’t know. Grayson proposed to you a couple of weeks ago and you said yes, but now Evan and Luke claim you called it off the night of the accident. Grayson says you didn’t. It’s a mess.”
I felt like I was dragged into a bad soap opera. “Who am I supposed to believe? You’re the one who knows them.”
“I don’t know, sis. Luke broke your heart a while ago, and ever since then, he’s been trying to get you back. You’ve been with Grayson the past year and I assumed you were happy. My only concern is Evan. I trust him with my life, and if he’s backing Luke up, then I don’t know what to think. When Austin died, Grayson was there for us every step of the way. It’s hard to imagine him lying to me.”
My stomach ached just thinking about it. Not only were my memories taken away, but if Summer didn’t know who to trust, how the hell could I? “Gee, thanks. That helps me out so much.”