Page 47 of Awakening

He takes my hand, and says, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by bringing it up. I’m doing okay. I’m just glad you’re safe. I don’t know if I would have survived losing you, Olivia.”

It hits me that he must be hiding all of his pain to be sure I’m okay. “Ethan, if you ever need to talk about any of this with me, I’m here for you. It was a part of our lives, and I want you to know I feel horribly guilty that I don’t remember being pregnant. I really wish I could remember.”

“I don’t want you to feel guilty. It’s not your fault. I’m confident your memory will come back one day, and when it does, we’ll be there for each other,” he says with a small smile.

“Okay,” I say with a nod. “So, anyway…you were telling me about your family. Any siblings?”

“Yeah, my sister Vanessa. She’s a year younger than you. She’s really outgoing and a little bold sometimes, if you ask me, but you guys get along really well. That’s it.”

“Okay. Edwin, Caroline and Vanessa. Got it.”

“My dad and I work together at our company, Sullivan Development, which I can tell you more about later. My mom stays at home, but is really involved in the community, and Vanessa is an interior designer. Oh, and you obviously don’t remember this, but if you hear people addressing me formally as Mr. Sullivan versus Ethan out in public, it’s because I’m kind of the, uh…president…of Pinewood, our private community.”

“The president, huh?” I ask with a grin. “And, a private community? Sounds fancy.”

“Yeah, and my dad held the position before me. Pinewood is really nice, and you love it there. You’ll see,” he says with a smile.

“Wow. You’re kind of used to being in charge, huh?” I ask, raising my eyebrows at him.

“I guess you could say that,” he says with a grin.

“Does your family know everything about my situation?”

“Yes, they’re aware of your amnesia.”

“And they know I can’t remember the baby?”

“They know, and it’s okay. Everyone understands.” He pulls me back into his arms and kisses the top of my head. “Baby, don’t worry about anything. If it gets to be too much for you, we’ll leave. Okay?”

I nod into his chest, comforted by the strength of his arms around me. “Okay. Thank you.” I pull back and look into his steel blue eyes. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, but I think we should say goodnight before we cause more drama out in the hallway. Chloe should be here any minute.”

“I understand,” he says with a nod. Walking to the door, he then turns to lace his hands behind my neck. “Thank you for spending time with me tonight. I love you,” he says, leaning down to kiss me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Ethan.”

Ethan

When I walk into the hallway and close the door behind me, Ben and Damon stand on one side with their arms crossed, while Anthony’s fools stand on the other side in the same manner. Turning to Anthony’s guards, I say, “I’m going to give you fuckers a piece of friendly advice. I highly suggest you never try another stunt like the one you pulled tonight.”

“What stunt?” the typically quiet one says. “We heard cries. We were just making sure the lady was safe,” he says with a grin.

“I can assure you, the lady was not only safe, but quite fucking happy. Feel free to share that with your boss.” I don’t give them an opportunity to reply, turning to my guys. “You guys will be following Olivia and me to our house tomorrow. She’s coming home for a visit.”

“That’s great news, Alpha,” Ben says. “You know I haven’t forgiven myself for that day. I’m glad to see she’s a step closer to coming home.”

“I know you haven’t, buddy,” I say, putting my hand on his shoulder. “You know I don’t blame you. Your Luna will be home soon.” We don’t bother concealing our titles. All of us in this hallway are well aware of what we are.

The elevator chimes and Chloe steps off, looking confused. “Why am I back here already?” she asks as she approaches us. “I was only gone an hour.”

“Moretti happened. I’m sure Olivia will fill you in.”

“I thought for sure I wouldn’t even be coming back tonight,” she says.

“Me too,” I say, “but good news…Olivia is coming home for a visit tomorrow. We’re having dinner with my parents tomorrow evening, so you and Nick can go home for a while.”

“That’s fantastic news,” Chloe says.

“It is,” I say with a smile. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

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