Page 72 of Forgetting You, Forgetting Me

“Seriously, are you going to tell me what’s bugging you? You go from happy to homicidal in point two seconds. What’s going on?”

I shrug, reaching for his beer. When he attempts to stop me, I raise a brow. He raises his hands in surrender.

“You were right. Sam is a big, fat a-hole.”

He sits higher on his stool, not masking his surprise. “I could have told you that years ago. Why the sudden change of heart?”

Sipping my stolen beer, I sigh. “I think I’ve been sleepwalking.”

One of the many things I like about Saxon—he doesn’t need a manual. “And now you’ve awoken from a very long sleep?”

I nod.

I’m unsure if it’s the alcohol, or the fact I find talking to Saxon so incredible easy, but I decide to divulge it all. “This entire time, I thought Sam’s bad behavior was because he was frustrated, confused, and scared. But now…I’m not so sure. What if you’re right? What if this Sam is the real Sam and I’ve just been too blinded by love to see it? Both of you have said it. Am I just a hopeless romantic, desperate for my happily ever after?” I’m questioning everything and I hate it. I know Sam, the old Sam loved me, but why doesn’t the new Sam remember me?

“No, Lucy.” Saxon’s tone is sympathetic. “You’re just a girl who fell in love. Unequivocally and wholeheartedly. Samdoeslove you. He always has.”

I wipe my eyes, brushing away impending tears. He’s right, but I still feel helpless. “I’m a love struck fool, that’s what I am.” My engagement ring catches my eye, confirming my foolishness. Tugging at the ring, I attempt to slide it off my finger.

However, Saxon’s hand gently rests over mine before I can take it off. “Leave it. It’s yours. When Samuel gave that to you, he wanted you to have it.”

Looking down at his hand, I frown. “Why are you defending him?” I don’t understand. I thought he’d be jumping at the chance to have a major bitch session about his brother.

“I’m not.” He shakes his head. “I’m defending you.”

“I don’t get it.”

He smiles. “You’re drunk, you’re upset, and you’ve been thrown a massive curveball. I want you to make that decision when you’re sure. Right now, you’re running on emotion. It’s a dangerous thing.”

When his fingers squeeze mine, my heart does a tiny flip flop. “Have you always been this smart?”

He smirks, and the sight, it takes my breath away. “I’ve always been the practical one, while Sam was always the pretty one.”

I know he’s joking, but the alcohol lowers my guard as I reach out to stroke his whiskered cheek. “You’re pretty too.”

The surprise is evident on his face. And honestly, it’s on mine, too. But I don’t question it. I accept and embrace. Just how I should accept and embrace Saxon’s words of wisdom.

A loud roar has us both turning to see a group of people cheering and clapping as a young man rides a mechanical bull. He appears to have done this before, as he’s riding the bull like a pro. Above him sits a sign stating anyone who can stay on for eight seconds wins unlimited drinks and a cowboy hat.

The grin reveals what I want.

“C’mon,” I say, jumping up from my stool and dragging Saxon to where the action is. “That hat is mine.”

He doesn’t protest and chuckles as we push through the rowdy crowd. When we speak to the guy running the show, he initially thinks its Saxon who wants to ride, but when I tell him otherwise, he looks down at my small frame and laughs. His response has me even more determined.

“All right. Just wait here. I’ll call on you when it’s your turn.” I watch as another cowboy takes to the bull like a duck to water. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

As Saxon stands beside me, arms folded as he watches on with interest, a group of girls to my right have deviously migrated closer to us, not bothering to mask their appreciation of the tall, dark, and handsome next to me.

“Ask him,” I hear one girl whisper.

“No, you ask him,” another says.

“He’s gorgeous,” girl number one says—the girl who is about to get her eyeballs gouged out. “Excuse me?” She rudely leans across me and taps Saxon on the arm.

He looks at her and smiles.

“My friends and I were just wondering if you were going to ride the bull.” I bet they were.

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