Forgetting You

by Casey, L. A.

  Elliot’s kiss caught me by surprise. In an instant I was in tears as he crushed his lips to mine, plunging his tongue into my mouth and claiming what was rightfully his. Me.

  “I shouldn’t be doin’ this,” he whispered against my lips. “I should be tellin’ ye that this is a bad idea because your brain is still—”

  “Shut up.” I flicked my tongue over his lower lip. “I need you to be with me, I need all of you.”

  “Woman,” he groaned, “sex is not happenin’. Ye can barely hold your head up. Your parents only went to get tea, they’ll be back any minute.”

  I slid my hands down to his waist but froze when I heard a shout. Elliot jumped away from me like I was a naked flame. I looked towards the door and clamped my lips together.

  “No!” Doctor Abara pointed at me, wagging his finger. “No! Leave that man alone, Noah!”

  It hurt like hell, but I laughed.

  “Stop,” Elliot warned as I groaned in pain. “Stop it right now.”

  I closed my eyes and sighed.

  “I’m sorry.” I opened my eyes and looked at the doctor. “I’m not allowed to frolic with him . . . I remember.”

  “Uh-huh.” Doctor Abara approached me. “You cause nothing but trouble when you’re in my hospital.”

  “Sorry.” I smiled softly. “But at least this time I remember you . . . that’s an upgrade from before, right? No new prime minister for me.”

  Doctor Abara’s lips twitched. “I’m going to get your parents, then I’m going to do an examination on you, and then we’re all going to have a big talk about how this time there will be strict rules concerning your recovery. Strict.”

  He left the room and my eyes darted to Elliot.

  “Kiss me quickly before he bans it during my recovery.”

  Elliot smiled as he moved to my side, and he bent down and kissed me gently.

  “Can I ask ye a question?”

  “Is it more important than kissing me?”

  “Right now?” He raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”

  I sighed. “Shoot.”

  Elliot reached out and brushed hair out of my face.

  “Will ye marry me, sasanach?”

  I stared at him, then looked down at his hand, which had two silver bands on his ring finger. With my lips parted in shock, I felt like I was choking on air. He removed one of the rings and held it out to me.

  “I wanna marry ye,” he breathed. “I know what it’s like to not have you in me life, and how much it hurt. Not havin’ ye in me life scared me more than anythin’ else in this world. I want ye in every single way, sasanach. Marry me. Be my person for life.”

  “Yes,” I said, trembling. “Yes, yes, I’ll marry you!”

  With a beaming smile, Elliot slid the band on to my left ring finger, and then I took his face in my hands and kissed him until a throat was cleared.

  “This is exactly what I’m talking about.” Doctor Abara’s voice carried loud and clear. “She just doesn’t listen.”

  “I’ll make her listen,” my dad’s amused, and very relieved, voice answered.

  I opened my eyes and looked at Elliot’s ocean blues as they gazed into my eyes.

  “That was some kiss, Elliot McKenna.”

  “Ah.” He grinned, rubbing his nose against mine. “That’s because you’re some woman, Noah Ainsley.”

  I kissed him again, and smiled when Elliot jumped away laughing as Doctor Abara held up my patient chart like a weapon that he was going to whack Elliot with. I closed my eyes and relaxed. I was in pain both physically and emotionally. Bailey’s death was very fresh in my mind – and heart – and I knew the time to come would be a test for me. I was going to have to adapt and overcome many things. I had to somehow move on from a dark past that was filled with pain because of Anderson; I had to come to terms with the fact that the blank spots in my memory may never return. I had to move forward. But I knew I could do it all because I would have Elliot by my side.

  We were going to do things in our new way . . . we would take it day by day.

  EPILOGUE

  NOAH

  Five years later . . .

  Rumbling laughter followed by light-hearted giggles – that was the first thing I heard as I entered my home after a long day at work. I’d been hired to provide flowers and arrangements for the funeral of an old man who had passed away a couple days prior, and the orders from his family and friends had me, my mum and two of my other employees rushed off our feet. I’d never had a day like it since I opened Bailey’s Lily Patch two years ago.

  I was certain my feet were numb from the pain.

  “Do I hear something?” I said out loud as I removed my jacket and hung it up on its peg. “Huh. I was sure I heard something, I must’ve imagined it.”

  I turned, set my bag down on the floor, then tossed my keys on to the side table just as shouts sounded from behind me. I was expecting to be surprised, but the volume of the shouts frightened me out of my skin. I didn’t have to fake it when I screamed, I bloody well near shit myself. I spun around with my hand on my chest and found the culprits. Both of them were on the floor and laughing so hard they couldn’t speak.

  “That wasn’t funny!” I admonished. “If I have grey hairs, it’s because of you two!”

  “Aw, Mummy,” my almost-four-year-old son said as he got to his feet. “You should have seen your face! It was like this.”

  He pulled a very unattractive, almost-constipated-looking face that had me placing my hands on my hips as I stared down at him. My son, my beautiful Baylor, soon stopped laughing and swallowed when he took in my stance and expression. I think two seconds passed by before he pointed to his left and said, “He made me do it, he planned the whole thing. I’m only a baby!”

  He was only a baby when he was in trouble – every other time he was a “big boy” and most definitely not a baby.

  “Traitor,” Elliot grumbled as he got to his feet. He was trying his hardest to keep from smiling. “How was work, Mummy? How ’bout Daddy gives ye a good ol’ foot rub?”

  I made a mental note to scold them both later, but the foot rub could come first. I kissed my son on the head and told him to go and watch some television.

  “I’ll allow it,” I mused to Elliot as I removed my platform heels, vowing never to wear anything other than flat, comfy shoes to work for the rest of my life. “I could actually really use a good rub-down.”

  I grinned as I passed by my husband, who made a noise deep in his throat that told me my feet weren’t the only place on my body that he’d like to rub down. I walked down the hallway and into the kitchen. I grabbed some wet wipes, sat on a chair and cleaned off any dirt, sweat and stink left behind on my feet from my workday. I sighed as I got up and binned them, before resting my hands on the counter and closing my eyes.

  “Headache?” Elliot murmured, and his arms encircled my waist.

  “No,” I said, leaning back against him. “It was just a long day. Mum had been taking orders for the past two days for a funeral, and I didn’t realise how many we had to fulfil until I opened the shop this morning. It was non-stop all day, but it’s not the work that has me feeling . . . upset. I couldn’t stop thinking about our Bailey, and how there was a shop catering orders like today’s for her funeral. It’s just . . . it just reminded me that I wasn’t there to say goodbye to her.”

  Elliot turned me in his arms and frowned when tears splashed on to my cheeks.

  “Green eyes,” he said softly as he thumbed them away. “Ye were with her when she passed away; she wasn’t alone in her final moments because she had you right next to her. Your goodbye to her was that night.”

  My lower lip wobbled as I burst into sobs. “I miss her so much.”

  Elliot enveloped me in a warm, tight embrace, and I wrapped my arms around him as I cried. Life without Bailey was hard, but it was getting somewhat easier in the sense that I didn’t always cry when I missed her. But today was one of those days where my grief struck me hard, and broke
me down into tears.

  “Mummy?” a small voice called. “Don’t cry, we didn’t mean to scare you. Did we, Daddy?”

  I pulled back and smiled down at my son, and when I bent to lift him up, Elliot stopped me and picked Baylor up instead. Baylor reached down and rubbed my swollen stomach, which brought on a fresh wave of tears that had my son near tears himself.

  “Mummy’s okay, Bay,” Elliot assured him with a cuddle. “She just misses Auntie Bailey.”

  “I miss her too, Mummy. It’s okay.”

  He only knew of Bailey through pictures, videos and stories we told him of her, but that was enough for him to fall in love with his sweet auntie. I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around my boys, and the baby in my belly decided that he – or she – didn’t want to be left out, and they gave me a whopping kick that Elliot felt against his own stomach. He laughed.

  “This one will definitely be me footballer.”

  I snorted. “Maybe she will.”

  “Still stuck on him bein’ a girl?”

  “Yup,” I answered with a smile. “Our little Bailey.”

  Elliot eyes shone with love, and he leaned his head down and pressed his lips to mine. We’d named Baylor after her by tweaking his name, and I’d named my shop after her because I could never look at lilies without her face popping into my mind, but I wanted a little girl that I could name after my sister-in-law too.

  The kiss my husband gave me lasted no more than a second before Baylor claimed he wanted a kiss from me too. Elliot’s grunt made me grin. Once Baylor heard the theme song for Paw Patrol play on the television, he wiggled in Elliot’s arms until he was put back on the floor and then he took off running.

  “That lad has the energy of ten kids.”

  I pressed my face against Elliot’s chest and slid my arms back around his waist. While I was still hurting for the loss of Bailey, I couldn’t deny how happy I was in my life. I’d gone through a hardship not many people face. I’d lost the love of my life and found him again, as I found myself. I’d married him and given birth to his son, and was a few months away from giving him a second child. I had the security, love and life I had always dreamed of with Elliot, and I had that life with my parents living right down the street.

  My father had beaten his cancer and had been in remission going on two years. My bond with my parents had strengthened and our love for one another had only deepened. I couldn’t imagine my life without them, and I didn’t want to. Elliot’s parents were still happily married and heavily involved in our lives; his mother was currently thinking of coming to work for me in my flower shop. I hoped she accept my offer, because I loved being around her.

  AJ and his beautiful wife Dani had twin girls a month after I had Baylor; the two of them aged AJ by the day. He often swore he was getting the snip when he’d had one too many nights of getting nothing but a couple of hours of sleep. Those threats were clearly empty now that Dani was ten weeks pregnant with their third child. After AJ cried for a day, he started praying to God that he’d get a boy this time around because he was certain it would be his and Dani’s last baby.

  All of Elliot’s station buddies were doing wonderfully in life. Stitch, Tank and Pretty had added two more kids – each – to their families. Texas and his girlfriend, Jodie – Dani’s cousin from Ireland – were engaged and expecting their first little one. We all often had family day outings together, and we made sure whenever one of our kids had a birthday that we all made a big deal about it. Each of those men put their lives on the line every time they went to work; they knew the importance of celebrating each milestone like it could be the last.

  The person who was the cause of so much pain and suffering in my life would never have the chance to hurt me or anyone else for as long as he lived. Anderson Riley had been charged with multiple serious offences, and in a trial that had lasted just a couple of weeks, a court of law had found him guilty of all charges. With his sentences all added together, he would die in prison and would forever lose the control on his life that he craved.

  He’d got what he deserved, and Bailey and I got our justice.

  “I miss her too,” Elliot said as he hugged me to him. “But she’s here with us. Ye feel her, right?”

  I nodded. “I do. Today was just a day that I missed her extra.”

  “I know, green eyes. I had one of those days last week. I just can’t believe the years have gone by so quickly without her. Think of it, this time five years ago you had no clue how much time ye had forgotten.”

  “There was benefit to it, though. Forgetting you made me fall deeper in love with you.” I squeezed him. “I love you, Elliot. So much.”

  “Hey,” he said, leaning back so I could look up at him. I lifted my hand to brush my fingers over the silver calla lily pendent that he still wore to this day. “I love ye too, Mrs McKenna. I’m scared of how much I love ye.”

  “Me too. Terrified. You’d better always be scared of how much you love me.”

  “Oh, I will,” he said, his thumb grazing my lower lip. “I always have been.”

  When he kissed me this time, it was slow, intense and filled with emotion. He showed me with his kiss just how much he loved me, and I felt it from my heart all the way to my toes. A shiver ran the length of my spine.

  “I think you promised me a rub-down, paddy.”

  “Oh, sasanach.” He grinned, his ocean blues gleaming. “Wait until Baylor goes down for his nap, and I’ll be sure to rub ye down everywhere.”

  This man had my heart; he’d given me my son and another baby that I would soon bring into the world. He’d come back to me at a time when I was lost, scared and didn’t know where to turn. He’d saved me. As he slid his hand down to my behind, my laughter and his mingled together, until he silenced me with a toe-curling kiss that held the promise of so much more to come.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Reaching this section of a book always seems like such a far-off point that I’ll never reach when I start writing. When I eventually find myself here, with the book finished, I have a moment of disbelief. How did I get from a fleeting idea to a finished book that I love? It still blows my mind, and I think it always will.

  To my sister and daughter, who give me nothing but endless support and never question why I stay holed up in my office for hours at a time, looking a fright while I get my books finished. I love you both to Neptune and back.

  To my friend Rebecca Prescott and your wonderful hubby, thank you for answering all of my questions about the station life of a fireman in London. I appreciate it so much, Becks.

  To Mark Gottlieb, my agent, thank you for always having my back and for all you do for me.

  To my editor, Lindsey Faber, my copyeditor, Gemma Wain, and my proofreader, Becca Allen. Thank you, ladies, for going through my book with a fine comb to make the story, and its characters, as strong as they could be. I really appreciate your many hours of hard work to get Forgetting You to where it is right now.

  To Sammia, and the team at Montlake Romance, thank you for taking a chance on a rough summary of the book that changed drastically by the time I finished writing and submitting it.

  To my readers, I sound like a broken record, but you all make my world spin. I hope you enjoyed reading Forgetting You, because I had a ball writing it.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  L.A. Casey is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who juggles her time between her mini-me and writing. She was born, raised and currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. She enjoys chatting with her readers, who love her humour and Irish accent as much as her books. You can visit her website at www.lacaseyauthor.com, find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LACaseyAuthor and on Twitter at @AuthorLACasey.

 

 

 
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