Page 129 of Mistaken Intention

“Okay.” I can’t tell him how relieved I am, although judging by the look on his face, I think he might already know. “So… that building…?”

“Livia’s parents live there.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Her father had a stroke a few years ago, and her mom was finding things hard, having to work and care for him. They lived in Maine and Livia hated being so far away from them, so I had a home built for them here.”

“That was generous of you.”

“Not at all. I love my wife. I’ve loved her since the moment I met her. You felt the same way about Josie, and when you get your memory back, you’ll remember how it feels to know you’d do anything to make her happy.”

“I don’t need to get my memory back to understand that. I haven’t stopped loving Josie just because my brain is scrambled.”

“You’re not mad at her anymore, then?”

“Yeah, I’m mad at her. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still love her.”

“And me?” he says, looking a little wary.

“What about you?”

“Are you still mad at me?”

“Yes. But it seems we’re family, so I’ll get over it.”

He smiles. “When you walked away earlier, I was wondering if you’d ever speak to me again.”

I shake my head. “I just needed some time to myself, like I said.”

He lets out a slow sigh. “I’m so relieved.”

“Because you thought I’d never forgive you?”

“Partly. But mostly because of Josie.”

“Why Josie?”

“Because I knew how in deeply in love you were with the woman I knew as Lexi’s sister. I could see you falling for Josie and I was powerless to stop it, even though it felt like your present was ruining your past. I was dreading your memory coming back, and you recalling the love you’d had for Lexi’s sister, and what it might mean for you and Josie. Except I had nothing to worry about, did I? Because Lexi’s sister and Josie are one the same person… thank God.”

I smile at him, shaking my head. “That sounds a lot more complicated than it is, when in reality, the simple truth is, there’s only one woman for me.”

“It looks that way.” He sits back a little. “Try not to be mad at Josie. None of this was her fault. She was told not to tell you about yourself. I was there when the doctor spoke to her. He was adamant it was in your best interests to be kept in the dark.”

“I get that, even if I don’t agree with it. But what I don’t fully understand is why she didn’t tell you who she was.”

“She gave us a reason for that. It made sense to me.”

“Did it?”

“Yeah. She wanted to be with you. I doubt her boss would have let her look after you if he’d known the truth, and that meant she could hardly tell me, could she? Besides, she probably thought I’d refuse to let her come here if I’d known about the connection between you.”

“Would you?”

“No, of course not. But Josie didn’t know that, did she?”

“No, I guess not.”

He reaches out, putting his hand on my arm. “You need to tell her how you feel, Drew.”

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