Page 121 of The Stolen Moments Trilogy

I smile to myself, the aching of my heart dulling at the thought of Sam. We met at university, and we were friends for years before I finally agreed to go on a date on him. I wish I hadn’t taken so long to give him a chance, because he’s been nothing but wonderful. “We’ve been dating close to a year now, and things couldn’t be more perfect,” I tell her. I didn’t think I’d ever be happy again, not truly, but what I feel for Sam is as close as it’s going to get.

“I’m glad you’re finally dating. For a while I thought you’d become a spinster, for sure. It’s good to see you happy.”

I roll my eyes. “Does anyone even use that word anymore? And I’m only twenty-seven, Alice.”

She shrugs. “You act like you’re eighty, though.”

I glare at her and take a sip of my cocktail. The truth is, for a long time I thought I’d become a spinster too. If not for Sam’s persistence, I don’t think I’d ever have dated anyone. Not a single man I met could measure up. I bite down on my lip and force my thoughts away. It’s stupid, but I can’t even think of his name without my heart hurting. Eight years, and I’m still not completely over him.

I finish my drink and Alice glances at her watch. “Let’s just call it a day. You and I have both barely gotten any sleep in the last week, so let’s just go home,” she says. I grin at her and shake my head. I’m so lucky to have her as my boss. She’s trained me from the very start, and she always has my back.

“Thank you,” I say, smiling. Alice looks at me, and she looks that way she occasionally does… like she’s worried about me. Sometimes I wonder if she can see right through me, to that broken part of me that I keep hidden. Thankfully she doesn’t say anything, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I’m absentminded the entire way home. The mere mention of Woodstock has me wondering what my life might have looked like if I hadn’t left when I did. Would we be married now? Would we be living in California? Would he and I have made it at all? It hurts to think of everything we could have had.

My heart twists painfully as I walk up to my apartment building and I close my eyes, steadying myself against my front door.

I inhale deeply before walking in, only to freeze in surprise when I realize my apartment isn’t empty, as it should’ve been.

Sam turns around in surprise, his eyes wide and his hands filled with pink decorations. Sam has a key to my apartment, but he doesn’t usually drop by without notice. “Hey, you’re home,” he says, frowning. “I was trying to surprise you.”

I glance at the decorations in his hands in confusion. “I thought you’d still be at the hospital?” I murmur.

He shakes his head and smiles. “I swapped shifts. I’m free all night today. Didn’t expect you to be back anytime soon, though.”

Sam walks up to me and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Did you have a good day?”

I smile up at him and nod. “What’s all this?” I ask, and his smile drops.

He inhales deeply and shakes his head. “You forgot,” he says, all the cheer leaving him instantly. I bite down on my lip and glance around, my eyes widening when realization dawns.

“No, of course not,” I murmur, trying to play it off. “Happy Anniversary,” I whisper. How could I have forgotten? I glance at the flowers on my dining table and the heart shaped balloons on the floor. I’m the worst girlfriend ever. I didn’t even get him a card. Scratch that, I didn’t even remember.

“You did forget,” he says, and the accusation in his voice is heart wrenching.

I sigh and drop my forehead to his chest. “I’m sorry, Sam,” I whisper. “It’s just been such a long week at work. I’ve barely had time to sleep. I’m just so tired.”

I know it’s an excuse, and I think he knows it too, but he lets me get away with it nonetheless. Sam wraps his arms around me and presses a kiss to my temple.

“I know, honey. It’s all right. I know how busy you’ve been this week,” he says, and I feel even worse. Sam is a doctor specializing in neurosurgery — he’s far busier than I’ve ever been, yet he nods in understanding.

“I love the balloons,” I murmur, smiling up at him. Sam shakes his head, and my eyes roam over his bright green eyes and his sandy brown hair. He looks as tired as I probably do, yet he’s smiling up at me with so much love in his eyes. How did I get this lucky? I need to do better. Sam deserves the world, and it’s past time I try to give it to him. I can’t keep living in the past.

Chapter 2

Carter

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. I’m so fucking exhausted. I’ve worked fourteen-hour days every single day this month, and I need a fucking break. I can’t, though. Not now. Not anytime soon.

I walk up to my car and yawn. How long am I going to be able to keep this up? I’ve already employed half the town, but it seems like I’ll need to hire even more people soon. The company is growing quicker than I anticipated, and Asher and I can barely keep up.

I pull up in front of John’s house without even realizing it. I’d been planning to go straight home, but I ended up here nonetheless. Every once in a while, I find myself back here without realizing it. I step out of the car and shake my head. Since I’m here, I might as well say hello and drop by my parents’ house next door too. I ring the bell and lean back against the wall as I wait for John to open the door.

He glares at me as the door swings open. “Boy, I gave you a key for a reason,” he says, scowling. I smile and follow him in, my eyes lingering on the photos of Emilia and John in the hallway. I’ve memorized every single one of these photos, yet the memory of her fades more and more with each passing day. When I close my eyes, I struggle to remember what her smile looks like. I struggle to imagine the way she used to look at me, yet I can never forget the way she’s always made me feel. I tear my gaze away and follow John into the living room.

“How have you been, old man?”

He looks frail and tired. The dialysis keeps getting harder on him, yet he’s refusing my help.

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