Page 22 of Please Remember

Without asking, I move closer to Jax who shifts to lie on his back. I nestle in against his side, my head on his chest to focuson his heartbeat. It makes me smile to hear it quicken when I first move to rest against him, but it eventually evens out into a calming rhythm. When his arm shifts to hold me tightly against him, I don’t shrug him off, instead, I relax and let my eyes close.

"You're safe, Allie. You're safe, and I'll never let anything happen to you again. The cops will find out who took you, and that bastard will pay. I'll make sure of it."

The quiet reassurances from Jax push me into the final stages of slumber, all tension leaving my body as the anxiety melts away.

I'm safe. I'm safe, I'm warm, and I'm loved.

Chapter Ten

Jax

It took me hours to fall asleep because I just stared at Allie sleeping on my chest. I was too scared to move more than simply breathing, and it felt surreal. Surreal but natural at the same time, and I didn't want to close my eyes.

As my consciousness returns, so does that voice in the back of my head, telling me that this is still just an elaborate dream, and when I open my eyes to find her gone from the bed, I panic.

Jumping up, I don't bother to find my slippers or my robe to slip on. I just run out to the kitchen and nearly fall over when I see her standing in the middle the room looking confused.

I sigh in relief and bend over to rest my hands on my knees as though I just sprinted a mile. Allie turns to me and frowns. "What's wrong?"

"I woke up, and you were gone. I... I thought..." I try and get the words out as I gulp in air.

"That it was a dream," she finishes. "I'm sorry. I woke up and had this strange urge to make blueberry pancakes."

My heart flutters as I stand upright. This was her thing. Every weekend, she'd make us pancakes. Blueberry pancakes. "You did?"

"Yes, but then I realized a couple of things."

"What're those things?"

She points at the cabinets. "I don't know where anything is. And I don't actually know how to make them."

"I can make them," I say with a smile and rub her arm. "I'll show you how you taught me to do it."

Her eyes look up into mine. "I used to make them?"

"Every weekend. Unless you were mad at me. Then you only made them for yourself," I say with a chuckle.

"Are they my favorite?"

I nod. "Do you want the story?"

Smiling a little, she gives a quick nod, giving me the okay. After last night, I'm scared to just tell her things because I don't want her to feel as though I'm pressuring her.

"When you were little, your grandma would make them whenever you stayed at her house. She passed away when you were about twelve, I think. You always said you never really appreciated it until she wasn't around anymore to make them for you. You wanted to make sure you never forgot."

Her face falls, and she looks at the ground. "Except I did forget. I forgot it all."

"It's not the same," I say, resting my hands on her shoulders. "It wasn't necessarily specifically the pancakes. It was how you lived life. You loved the little things, and you never wanted to take them for granted. You remembered them, even if you don't remember how to make them. Or why you want them. It's still in there." I tap her temple, determined to reinforce the significance of my words.

"It's so frustrating," she says and steps back, slapping her thighs with her hands. "It feels like everything is right there. Right under the surface, waiting. I know there's a trigger that will bring it all back. I feel it. I just don't know what that trigger is."

"We'll find it," I assure her.

I can't help but feel elated that she wants to remember it all. Remember me. And it gives me hope that she feels like it'll happen. I have the same feeling, but I'm not the one who forgot.

I move to the refrigerator to grab the milk and berries when a knock comes at the front door. Sage has a key and would have walked right in, and no one else would be here at ten in the morning on a Monday.

"Do you want me to answer it?" Allie asks.

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