Page 91 of Forget Me Not

RHEA

Alaricand I stayed up nearly all night talking. I curled under his arm and fell asleep, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. It’s strange the amount of peace you can find in one sound with one man.

Alaric caught me by surprise in so many ways and my life seems to be changing so quickly. But I actually like the changes. I feel safe in this small town that I now want to call home. For the first time in my life, I actually have a place to call home.

I plan to go to school and get my GED and who knows, maybe after that, I can find something I love to do. Maybe there's a position in Alaric's company I might want to try out and actually earn my place in the world. While it's great he has money, I also want to know I’m good enough to earn my own.

We talked about that and so much more. He supported me in every dream I confessed to him. Even something as insane as wanting to ride a damn unicorn. He only laughed and said he would find a way to put a horn on a horse so I could live that dream.

We talked about him being HawkEye and when he first saw me. He confessed to being the man in the black car and I confessed that I always thought of him as some sort of guardian angel. It was nice to have a constant in my world, even if it was creepy as hell. I also drew the conclusion that he was the one who saved me after I lost the baby.

That was the hardest talk of the evening. I cried and let it all out about my dreams of being a mother and making that baby's life the best it could be. We both agreed we didn’t want children in the end, but getting to tell him about that part of my life helped me heal in ways I didn’t know I still needed today.

I asked him why he never came to me, especially that night, and he was honest in telling me he was afraid.

“I didn’t want to be your knight in shining armor. I just wanted to be there for you. I watched you enough to know that if you knew who saved you, you would have thought I did it out of wanting something back. But the truth is, Rhea. All I want is your love, and I’m desperate to earn it.”

Little does he know, he’s earned it a thousand times over. I just don’t know how to reciprocate it. Or even accept it. But as I fell asleep in his arms, feeling safe for the first time in who knows how long, I think my heart began to let him in through some of the cracks.

Then I woke up to him bringing me breakfast in bed. A delicious plate of pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. He said he helped Gladys make it, but after a long debate, he fessed up to only buttering the pancakes, which was still super sweet of him. Even if he was trying to take credit for the sweet lady’s work.

I always assumed Alaric was only getting in Gladys’s good graces because it was a zip-line to me, considering we live in her house. But when he told me she reminds him of his late grandma, whom he spent most of his weekends with as a child, I realized he actually enjoys her company.

It’s hard to imagine Alaric being anything but abrasive, but I’m beginning to see who he is beneath his hard exterior. There’s a gentleness inside him. He’s kind and attentive and protective as hell, but that part of him is saved only for the people he cares about.

I never wanted to fall for anyone, ever. But I’m falling fast and it’s scary as hell.

A knock at my door has me setting the breakfast tray to my side. I pick up my napkin and dab my lips as I holler, “Come in,” knowing it’s Alaric. He went out after bringing me breakfast, saying he had some business to take care of. I suppose his work life doesn’t stop just because he’s in Lockhaven with me.

The door opens and I’m surprised to see that it’s Heather.“Good morning,” I say as I set my napkin on top of the tray.

“Good morning, Rhea. Gladys sent me in to collect your dirty dishes.” She eyes the tray beside me. “That was really sweet of Alaric.”

My cheeks lift with a wide smile. “It was. He just keeps surprising me.” I grab the tray and get off the bed to carry it to where she’s standing in the doorway.

“Where is Alaric, anyways? I wanted to talk to him about something.”

“Oh, he had to go out for a bit. He should be back soon.” Feeling nosey, I press on the matter. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Everything’s fine.” She sweeps the air with her hand. “It’s nothing important. I’ll just catch him later.” Something about the way she says it puts my nerves on edge.

She reaches for the tray, but I hold it back. “I can bring this to the kitchen. You really don’t have to.”

“No. I insist. Gladys and I are just cleaning up the mess from breakfast. It’s no big deal.”

“You’re sure?” I don’t like it when people go out of their way for me, it makes me feel helpless. I know I should be doing more around the house to help Gladys and the guests, but I’ve just been so consumed by work and Alaric.

“Absolutely,” Heather insists, taking the tray from my hand.

She turns to leave, but I stop her. “Heather, wait. How are things going with you and Tyler?”

Spinning back around, I can see that the mention of Tyler has brought a smile to her face. “Really good, actually. He’s so sweet. We’re kind of going to the party at Taryn’s together tonight.”

I clutch my chest, feeling so much happiness for Tyler. “I’m so glad. He really is a good guy.” I shake my finger at her, grinning. “Don’t you go breaking his heart or I’ll come for you.”

Her shoulders slump and a look of remorse flashes over her features. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I just hope I don’t break my own heart.”

The look on her face is all too familiar. It’s the same one that stared back at me in every mirror I’ve looked into since I lost my mother. “Hey.” I lay a hand on her shoulder. “Is everything okay?”

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