Page 121 of Say You Remember Me
“Then why are you asking?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged, the movement almost too casual. “I guess I was just curious about it.”
My brow furrowed as I studied him, sensing there was more to his question than he was letting on. Was he tiptoeing around something? Trying to test an idea without actually saying it?
“I think…” I started, choosing my words carefully. “I don’t know how often it really happens. I mean, people can know each other—maybe be acquaintances or friends—before falling in love. Like the brother’s-best-friend trope, or boy-next-door romances.”
“Uh-huh.” A faint smile tugged at his lips, clearly amused by my tendency to reference life through books, but he stayed quiet, listening intently.
“But if you’re talking about something like that movieSerendipity,” I continued, “where two people have a chance meeting, lose complete contact, and then somehow fate brings them back together…” I paused, my gaze drifting to Ian’s face, searching his eyes for any flicker of acknowledgment, any sign that he might know I wasn’t just talking about a movie. That I was talking about us—about that night on the beach so many years ago. “I don’t think that happens too often. That feels rare. Really rare.”
“Rare.”Ian licked his lips, his expression thoughtful as he nodded. “I like that word for it.”
I stared at him, waiting—hoping—for more. What was he thinking? What was he trying to say?
Was he hinting at what I hoped he was?
But before I could ask, the music changed and a hush fell over the crowd. Ava and Carter stepped into the center of the garden, all eyes turning toward them as they began their first dance.
“We should probably go watch them,” Ian said, offering me a hand.
So I placed my hand in his and let him lead me to the edge of the dance floor to watch the bride and groom enjoy their first official dance as a married couple.
Ava glowed as Carter pulled her close, the two of them moving together like they were in their own little world. And it was impossible not to feel the love radiating from them, to not be moved by the sweetness of it.
As the evening carried on, Ian pulled me onto the dance floor a few times, his hand warm against my back, his touch sending shivers through me every time he pulled me close. We swayed and spun, my dress catching the lights as I laughed in his arms, the magic of the night wrapping around us like a blanket.
Later, as the party began to wind down, Ian and I stood together at the edge of the reception, watching Ava and Carter twirl beneath the strings of lights.
“Hey, how did you two meet, anyway?” the voice of Evan’s wife, Addison, broke through the moment as she approached, arm in arm with her husband.
“Oh,” Ian said, his expression suddenly playful, like he might be considering telling them a juicy story like the ones we’d told everyone in Boston. But instead of making up a random story, he gave me a gentle look before saying, “We actually met on a beach in North Carolina. A little over nine years ago…”
And that was when the world tilted, the weight of his words hitting me like a wave. I gasped, my heart lurching as I turned to him, my voice trembling. “So you knew?”
His smile softened. “Yeah,” he said, his eyes meeting mine with steady warmth. “Of course I knew.”
My throat tightened, tears pricking at the edges of my vision. “H-how long?” I whispered, barely able to get the words out.
“Since we were in my hotel room, looking at those engagement rings together.”
The breath left my lungs in a shaky rush. “Really?”
He nodded, his gaze never wavering. “Really.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Addison exchanging a quick glance with her husband, her brows lifting slightly. Evan murmured something low, and without a word, they turned and slipped away with quiet grace, clearly sensing they’d stumbled into something private.
For a moment, the emotions surging through me were too much—shock, disbelief, and something deeper, warmer, that took root and spread through my chest. I stared at Ian, trying to process the revelation, the enormity of what he was telling me.
His fingers found mine, threading through them with a gentle certainty, and that small gesture anchored me.
He had known. This entire time, he had known who I was. And not once had he said anything—not until now.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, my voice breaking as I searched his face.
“Because I didn’t want you to question why I fell for you,” he said, his expression full of something that made my chest ache. “I didn’t want you to think it was because of some idea of fate or because I couldn’t let go of a memory. I needed you to know that I fell for you because ofyou. Because I couldn’t help it.”
The weight of his words settled over me like a warm, grounding blanket, wrapping me in something steady and real. “Oh Ian…” I whispered, my voice trembling.
