Page 107 of Mistaken Intention

“And you think that’s leaving here?”

“Yes,” he says.

“But this is your home.”

“Yeah. A home of which I have almost no memory.”

Did I hear that right? “What do you mean ‘almost’?”

He shakes his head, like he’s confused. “Don’t change the subject.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m really not. I just need you to tell me why you said ‘almost’ just now. Have you remembered something? Tell me, Drew. It’s important.”

Especially now. If his memory is coming back, it could change everything.

He sighs. “Okay. But I don’t know if it meant anything.”

“What happened?”

“It was just, the other day, when you left, I went over to the main house to find Hunter. I needed his help, and as I was walking there, I got the feeling I’d made that journey before.”

“You had. With me, when we went swimming.”

He shakes his head. “No. This was different. And it was more than that. When I got there, I knew straight away that the glass doors led to the kitchen.”

“Like you’d gone into the house that way before?”

“I don’t know. It didn’t feel like a memory, if that’s what you’re asking, and I’m not reading too much into it. I just knew that’s where the kitchen was, although when I got inside, there was nothing familiar about the room.”

“This is exactly why you have to stay, Drew. It might not feel like a memory to you, but it’s a fragment of one. It’s a start, and being here will help you remember the rest.”

“I don’t care about that.”

“Then you should.”More than you know.

He moves closer, holding me. “I told you the other day, before you left, if I have to give up my past to keep you, then I’ll do it.”

“No. You can’t do that.”

“I’ll do anything for you.”

We’re both breathing hard, staring at each other, and I know now, beyond any doubt, that it’s vital he remembers… and remembers soon. He needs to know Maisie is his daughter and that abandoning her, even for me, is out of the question.

I might want to keep him in this perfect little bubble of ours, hiding away in the cottage and pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist, but how can I? How can I deny him his one chance at fatherhood?

I have to do whatever it takes to help him…

He cups my face with his hands. “Love is about making sacrifices, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been in love before. But even if it is, I don’t think it’s about sacrificing your life.”

“I’ve never been in love before either, but I wouldn’t consider myself as having sacrificed my life, as long as I can be with you.”

My brain feels like thick molasses, and is working just as slowly. “Wait a second. Did you just say you’ve never been in love before?”

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