He’d let it happen with every decision he’d made after coming to consciousness in her house the day she’d rescued him. When he’d insisted she come with him to the mainland. When he’d sought her out. When he’d kissed her. When he’d followed her to Islehaven. He’d been pursuing her almost from day one without consciously understanding the depth of what was going on inside him.
He hadn’t spent time weighing his feelings for Remy because he’d been preoccupied doing stuff . . . mainly trying to fix his forgotten life. With all the drama he’d been dealing with, these last months hadn’t been the time to fall in love.
But love didn’t care about timing, did it? He’d met Remy when he’d met her. And love had come for him when it had come for him. A person didn’t get to choose when.
This was not ideal.Hewas not ideal. She’d been at her best these past months, but she’d seen him at his worst—hypothermia, injured, no memory, trying to sort out the Alexis mess.
He wished . . . Well. It was pointless to wish she could have met him at a time when he’d have been better and more lovable. What was done was done.
He loved her. And she’d kicked him out. And why hadn’t he realized he loved her sooner so he could have told her he loved her yesterday? She didn’t know where he stood.
What if she didn’t let him back into her life and so he didn’t get the chance to tell her?
Fear sliced toward him like a guillotine blade. For the past thirty hours, he’d been telling himself that surely she’d contact him. That he hadn’t done anything terrible enough to deserve her breaking up with him for good. He’d shown her his character across the past few months, and he knew her character. She’d contact him. She’d give him the benefit of the doubt.
Right?
He told himself yes. Which would have been a relief if he’d been able to make himself believe it. In truth, he worried that he hadn’t had enough time with her. Hadn’t done or said enough to convince her to give him another chance.
Figuring out what happened to Alexis, getting his memories back, understanding how he’d ended up in the ocean . . . these were things that had value. But it was clearer to him than ever that those things didn’t have nearly as much value as Remy herself. So how had he managed to lose Remy in the process of going to the mainland to chase less important things?
If needed, he could let go of all those other goals.
The only non-negotiable for him . . .
Was her.
On the fourth day after their fight, desperate to keep his body busy, Jeremiah went out on the lobster boat with Leigh. After they returned to the harbor, he walked across to the church.
He stayed for a long time, sitting in a pew, praying, thinking, struggling to find peace. There was no way he wanted to leave the island while things between him and Remy were a mess. But he didn’t know how much time she’d let pass and it made no sense to wait here while she figured things out on her end. She could reach him on his cell phone just as quickly on the mainland as she could here.
He would make himself go. Tomorrow. Unless she contacted him between now and then.
She didn’t contact him. And so, the next afternoon, he packed his things.
“Thank you very much for letting me stay here,” he told Leigh as he dragged his suitcase into the living room.
Leigh waited by the door, prepared to drive him to where he'd docked his speedboat. “You’re kidding, right? I’m the one who should thank you for staying here and paying me such generous rent.” She gave him a one-armed hug that ended with a powerful thump to his back. “I’m convinced that you’re a fallen angel and it’s not every day I get to share my house with a fallen angel.”
“Can we keep my secret identity just between us?”
She grinned. “Ayuh.” Winking didn’t come naturally to her, but she managed to execute a wink on her second try. “Here. I have something for you.” She fished in the front pocket of her pants and held an item out to him.
His Omega watch.
“I thought you pawned that,” he said.
“I hope you’ll forgive me for lying and saying I had. You weren’t going to rest until you had some money to your name. But Remy and I didn’t want to sell this. We worried it might hold sentimental value.”
“It does.” He secured it to his wrist. “My family gave this to me to commemorate my first F1 win. It’s my favorite watch.”
“Well good, then. It’s important for angels to tell time. Wouldn’t want you to be late for a heavenly assignment.”
“I’ll forgive you for lying about the watch on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ll allow me to reimburse you for the cash you gave me and the clothes you bought.”
