Page 122 of Fall With Me (Sugarland Creek)

“They sound really lovely.”

“Yeah…” I lift my cab and scrub a hand through my hair. “It's why I fought so hard to get justice for Talia.”

“Good. Angela got what she deserved.”

“Yeah, and…wait, what?”

She smiles for the first time since I've walked in and a huge weight falls off my shoulders.

“I was tryin' to tell you how sorry I am not because I got my memory back and was taking Angela's side, but because I remembered how I acted toward you before my accident. I'm embarrassed and humiliated that I treated you so horribly when you were nothing but nice to me. Hell, you even saved my life after I tore you a new one.”

“You're apologizing to me?”

She reaches for my hand, and I let her take it, then sit on the bed next to her.

“Yes, and I'm not gonna make excuses for my behavior but I wanted you to know how sorry I am and that I will never again treat you that way.”

“Ellie…” I choke up because I was prepared for the worst. “You could run me over with a four-wheeler, spit in my mouth, and kick me in the nuts, and I would still love you with every fiber of my being.”

Her eyes widen, and I grin. “I knew you were a masochist!”

“Only for you though, remember?” I wink.

“Do you accept my apology? For real…”

I cup her face, lean in, and press my forehead to hers. “Yes. I accept. But I don't blame or resent you. You acted out based on what you knew at the time. It'd be different if you continued hating me after knowing the truth.”

She pulls back, meeting my gaze. “Would you believe me if I said that even though I wanted to hate you, and said I did, I couldn't. I definitely hated that I was attracted to you but I fought it hard.”

“I fuckin' knew it!” I shout victoriously.

She sighs, rolling her eyes. “I shouldn't have admitted that.”

“But it's nice to have the validation so I can rub it in the twin's faces.”

She snorts, shaking her head at me, and I flash her a wink.

“I have to ask…what happened with Angela when she was in here?”

“I told her I never wanted to see her again. That I wanted her out of my life for good.”

Tilting her chin, I meet her sad eyes. “For your sake, I'm sorry you had to do that. It hurts gettin' betrayed by someone you trusted.”

“It does but the pain is worth it to get something much better in return.”

I lean in, stealing a kiss. “When I was lookin' up stuff on memory loss, I came across something interesting. After death, it's said that the human brain continues to be active for several minutes to replay its best memories before we fully die.”

“Really? I never knew that. That's devastatingly beautiful to think about.”

Threading my fingers through hers, I bring our joined hands to my lips and then press them to her knuckles. “When it's my time, every minute I have left will be spent replaying memories of you.”

“Landen…” She squeezes her eyes as tears fall down her cheeks, but I quickly catch them before capturing her mouth.

“I do not deserve you.” She wipes her face. “Are you sure you still wanna be with me after everything I've said to you?”

Amusement bubbles inside me as I fight back a laugh. “If I got offended by every snarl and snarky comment you sent my way, I would’ve stopped tryin’ to get your attention years ago. But speakin’ of, I was hopin' we could discuss this fake engagement and make it a real one.”

“Whaddya mean?” She twirls the band between her fingers, and I'm not even sure she realizes when she's doing it.

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