Page 41 of Remember Me

“Because we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other? Accurate.” Hayes sobered. “I really do love you like crazy, Birdie. Everyone knows it. Always have. Always will.”

“Even if I don’t get my memory back?” I let him see the full force of the quiet worry that plagued me constantly when I lifted my eyes to his. “Even if I’m different? And what if I don’t ever remember loving you like that?”

He swallowed but didn’t hesitate. “It’s not conditional. It’s not something I can turn on and off at will. Even if you never remember and decide you want something…someone…else, I’ll always love you.”

For the beat of several hard thumps of my heart in my chest there was only silence in the kitchen, punctuated by the hum of an appliance. His eyes burned into mine. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop trying, either.”

I was having trouble catching my breath and shoved another bite of spaghetti in my mouth to cover. “Good,” I mumbled around the food I was chewing. “I think.”

I caught his quick grin as he returned to his own meal and took a deep breath. “So, can I stay here? Since my mother’s moving and all…and I think I’d like to try working in my studio some —”

“Birdie.” My name on his lips stopped my rambling. “You don’t need to ask. This is your home.”

We finished our meal but lingered over the plates, working out the details. He would give me as much space as I needed. And we’d check on a new vehicle tomorrow, so I could return Mom’s. A low hum of excitement and hope filled me for the first time since I’d woken up after the accident.

Home.

“Somewhere

someone

is watching

someone else’s

chest

rise and fall

with the

breath

of slumber.”

Tyler Knott Gregson

December 10¦Birdie

MY FIRST DAY BACK ON THE FARM, ASATURDAY, PASSED UNEVENTFULLY.Hayes came to pick me up from Mom’s house, which now had a glaring red and white SOLD sign decorating the front yard. Mom was already packed and ready for the drive to Georgia and her new life. She hugged me, patted my non-existent belly, and told me she’d be back when the baby arrived, and we parted ways with zero drama.

Hayes and I drove first to a car dealership. I was able to find a sturdy used SUV for what the insurance company had given me for my previous vehicle and just a little extra.

I followed behind Hayes as I drove to the farm, inhaling the scent of leather and new-to-me car by the lungful.

As we had waited on all of the paperwork to process, I had asked Hayes about our routines and preferences. “So, weekends. No school for you, and I’m home. What would we typically be doing?” His eyes blazed at me and I recognized lust. “Besides that,” I added hastily.

He smirked, not at all repentant. “We spent a lot of time on ‘that,’ to be honest. But let’s see…other stuff. You’d be working in your studio, painting on some piece of furniture, or baking.” He lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “You really didn’t have much of a schedule. You’re creative...you work when the mood strikes, even if it’s midnight.”

“That doesn’t sound very efficient.”

“You were always busy,” he said. “Always moving, always doing something. A few weekends before the accident, you spent all day processing apples from the little grove we have. Peeling, slicing, canning some, baking others...you went straight from that to visiting the flea market for more pieces.”

“What about you?”

“Sometimes I had grading, planning to do. Sometimes I worked outside, repairing stuff. We went for drives, visited friends.”

When we arrived at the house, Hayes carried my things into the master bedroom, which he insisted I have for ‘familiarity’s sake.’ I changed into a comfortable pair of joggers and decided to start with exploring. I’d only half finished last night.

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