Page 16 of Forget Me Not
Mackenzie wasn’t married to the doctor we were investigating, nor had she ever been married. Yet—she had a son. A son who would have been born nearly eight months after I left Barclay. My mind was spinning and there was not a damn thing I could do to stop it.
“This is it.” Her soft voice pulled me from the internal debate I was having with myself.
I pulled in and cut the engine, hopping out. Before she could protest, I had scooped Danny into my arms and headed toward the front door.
“Thanks. I’m not sure I can carry him anymore.” She sighed in relief as she pushed open the front door.
As soon as I stepped in, my worst fear was glaring at me from the mantle over the fireplace. It was like I was sucked back in time to a place I didn’t want to leave but had walked away from to become something great.
“Is that Danny’s father?”
Her eyes traced the line of my vision and stopped on the photograph. “Yes.” I could hear the pain in her response. “He died in a car accident a month before I learned I was pregnant. It kills me he never knew he was a dad.”
I stood there frozen, my feet heavy on the floor. “Where should I put him?”
“Shit. Sorry. Follow me.”
She led me upstairs and into what I assumed was his room. I laid him down and tugged the covers over his body. I wished I had paid more attention to him when he was awake, because now I wanted to see him—really see him.
“Thank you again. For the ride and helping me get him inside.”
I paused, watching her in front of me. God, I wanted to tell her, but I knew she wouldn’t understand. How would I explain something like the secret I had to her? Especially when I was supposed to love her. Mackenzie turned suddenly, causing me to bump into her. Her body smacked into my chest, causing me to reach out and steady her. She glanced up and froze. Her eyes were locked on mine, searching them for something. What, I didn’t know.
Her gaze flicked to my lips, causing my dick to twitch behind the zipper. Everything about this was wrong, but I couldn’t turn away. I found myself winding my fingers in her hair and bringing her lips to mine. I wish she had resisted, but it was like two magnets pulling toward one another. The moment our mouths touched, I knew I was irrevocably screwed. She tasted just as I remembered. When she leaned into me and moaned, I nearly lost it. I pulled back and put some space between us.
“Fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t expect that to happen.”
“I.” She paused. “Me either. But I can’t say I minded. There’s something familiar about you, Drake. You make me feel comfortable.”
“You have a boyfriend.”
“A boyfriend? Who? Austin? We just started dating. I’d hardly call him a boyfriend. This is crazy. I just finally started dating.”
“What do you mean you just started dating?” I scoffed.
“Since Danny’s father died, I haven’t been with anyone. God.” She covered her face. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”
“You’re telling me a woman as beautiful as you, hasn’t been with a man since your son’s father died?”
“Yes. Pathetic, huh?”
I couldn’t believe what she was saying. She hadn’t been with anyone in ten years. Ten fucking years. Knowing how many women I had been with trying to erase her memory made my stomach churn with disgust.
“See. Your expression shows you think I’m pathetic.”
“No.” I grabbed her by the hip and pulled her in front of me. “I’m just wondering why you would shut yourself off when he’s dead.”
“They never found his body, and I always thought—maybe he’d come home. That maybe he was off somewhere with amnesia and that’s why he never came back. Stupid. But I love him, and I don’t know that I will ever stop.”
I crushed my mouth to hers and pressed her against the door. I had nearly crushed this woman with a decision I made, thinking it would be for the best. Instead, I had ripped out both our hearts when I walked away. And I couldn’t even tell her. I should have turned and left. But I couldn’t. Not again. So, instead I kissed her like a man who had found his way home. We were lost in each other, one of us caught up in a past life, the other trying to forge a new one. I should have felt guilty, instead all I felt was overwhelming love for this woman. When our bodies finally separated, I found myself staring at her swollen lips. The sound of my phone vibrating shocked me into the present.
“Shit. Alex, what’s up?” I pressed the cell to my ear and listened. “Yeah. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
“Your friend?” Mackenzie giggled.
“I gotta go. Can I see you again?”
“Um.” She blinked and looked down at her feet. “Yeah. I think I’d like that.”
