Page 12 of Love Me Again

"Cole, come on, one more bite."I shake my head with an agitated sigh, glaring at the forkful of food being shoved in my face.

"I don't want any more." I snarl, and Shayla glares back at me with those dark green eyes of hers. "I don't want it." I push it away from my face and roll my eyes.

"Cole, you need to eat so you can build up your strength. Come on, finish your food." She urges stubbornly, and I sigh, closing my eyes. I've never met a more stubborn and annoyingly persistent person in my life.

How the fuck did I end up married to her?

"Christ. Will you stop mothering me. I said I don't want it." I grit out, and Shayla exhales heavily, narrowing her eyes at me. "And while you're at it, you can stop glaring daggers at me too.”

Shayla rolls her eyes, "Cole, the doctor said--"

"I know what the goddamn doctor said! I was in the room when he fucking said it. I don't need you to be persistently clucking around me. I get enough of that from my mother."

"Would you rather I let you starve? Or let you try and do it yourself and wind up hurting yourself more? Is that what you want, Cole?"

"What I want is to be left in peace for a goddamn minute without you fussing over me."

Shayla drops the fork and pushes her chair back, getting up furiously. "You can't take care of yourself in this state, Cole. You can barely move, for crying out loud! Unless you'd prefer your mother come in here and give you your sponge baths?" She argues, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at me expectantly.

I stare up at her, and when I don't say anything, she snorts and takes her seat again.

"I'm really struggling to understand why we ever got marriedin the first place. Remind me why I married you again?" I hiss testily, and she rolls her eyes in exasperation.

"You weren't such an arsehole the first time around. You also married me not once but twice." She retorts with a smarmy smile and proceeds to shove the forkful of chicken and mushroom pie in my face again. "Eat."

I push her hand away, scowling at her. "I must have been delirious," I utter cuttingly. "You still haven't told me how we met," I ask, staring at her questioningly, and she looks at me, wetting her pink lips

"I'll tell you what, for every forkful of pie you eat, I'll answer a question or give you a piece of information." She answers, lifting her brows challengingly, and I scoff.

"Stop treating me like a fucking child,”

"Then stop acting like one." She hisses back, dropping the fork on the tray and brushing her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Cole, I'm trying to help you. And all you've been doing is snapping at me.”

"Did you ever stop to consider that I might not want your help? No one is forcing you to be here." I retort irritably and watch as she gets up and paces the room.

"Cole, I'm your wife!" Shayla grouses hotly. "Of course, I'm going to be here. Where else am I going to be?"

"How many times am I going to keep repeating myself? I don't know you—therefore, you're not my damn wife. I have a girlfriend! Sophie!"

Shayla stares at me for a long moment and shakes her head before she starts pacing again, her fingers curled in her dark hair while she mutters incoherently to herself. I watch her as she strides over to me and takes my face into her small hands, and she stares deeply into my eyes.

"Cole, listen to me. You do not have a girlfriend; you have a wife. I'm your wife, and I'm so in love with you, and you love me back. We're having a baby. Look..." She takes my hands and places them on her stomach. "That's our baby girl, our Alaia Mae, please, just try and remember me, remember us, Cole." She pleads, tears flowing down her pale cheeks. I avert my gaze, and she turns my face so I could look at her again. “Look at me, Cole.” She cries, gazing penetratingly into my eyes. “Look into my eyes and feel the love I have for you, please.” She sobs.

I search her green eyes and pull my hands away from her stomach and fist them by my side. "Shayla, I can't force myself to remember you,” I state, pulling her hands away from my face. “I don't know you. I can't place you anywhere in my mind or my life. You've never existed to me before now...I'm sorry, but you don't." I tell her sincerely, and she takes a couple of steps back and shakes her head, her slender fingers trembling as she wipes away her tears.

"You'll remember, I know you will. You can scream and shout at me all you want, but I'm not giving up on us. I can't, not after everything we went through to be together. We fought too hard to be together just to throw it all away."

I rub my forehead and sigh tiredly, "Shayla, I can't fight for something I don't recall ever having. There's no saying when or even if my memory will ever come back. There's a chance I might never remember you or the life I had with you."

Shayla shrugs, sighing.

"Well, that's too bad because you're stuck with me. I'm not giving up, so I suggest you get used to having me around, Lord Hoult." She retorts back, placing herhands onher waist, and stares at me decidedly.

I close my eyes and tilt my head back. I was so beyond frustrated with everything. I've been awake for two days, and all I keep hearing from everyone is how much I love this girl and how we had this intense, magical love, but if it was so great, why was it wiped from my memory? Why don't I remember her? I should remember the girl I'm in love with--especially if she's pregnant with my child--at least that's what everyone keeps telling me.

"It's time for your walk," Shayla says, walking over to me and pulling the covers back. I study her for a moment while she pulls her long brown hair over her right shoulder. I rack my brain for something familiar about her, but Idraw a blank.

"When did you get pregnant?" I blurt out, and she looks at me startled, her olive-green eyes wide, and I swear she blushes a little.

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