“At this rate, you’ll be released tomorrow morning—you’re doingamazing. Being in as good of shape as you are helped quite a bit, and even though you shouldn’t have any downtime, don’t go all out at the gym right away. Take it slowly. Remember, it’s the tortoise that crossed the finish line.”
“Good advice. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind.” I give her a friendly smile.
She shakes her head and laughs. “For some reason, I doubt that. I’ll send your next visitor in.”
Once this next hurdle is over, I can move on to more important things. With the way it sounds, things are tense between Rebecca and me, so it shouldn’t be difficult. She may be upset at losing out on the full payout, but that would take two years, and this way, she’ll have money in her pocket immediately. It’s unfortunate I can’t remember a single thing about her, but that may be in my favor at the moment.
“So you finally have time for your fiancée, huh?” she questions sarcastically, waltzing into the room.
“Come on, you and I both know this isn’t real.”
“Do we, though? Or is that what you’re telling yourself since you can’t remember?”
“Cut the crap, Rebecca. My brother and I tell each other everything, which means he holds all my memories and didn’t waste time filling me in. I’m not sure the exact nature of our relationship, other than sex, but judging by the final incident and ensuing panic it caused according to the text my brother received, we weren’t the happy couple we pretended to be. So I have a proposal.”
“Ooh, another one? This should be good, since the last proposal you made had two million dollars attached to it.”
“Don’t forget about the two years that went with it. I’m offering you an out… with compensation for your time, of course.”
She blows out a breath and shakes her head in disbelief. “Wow, so that’s it. Poof, you wake up eight months in the past, and now I mean nothing to you.”
“Did you ever mean anything to me? From what it sounds like, we merely entered into an agreement. How did we even meet? I remember you initially from Cici’s office and then that time at the club when I told you she and I were dating. How did you enter the picture?” She smirks, and I backtrack before she answers. “Actually, it doesn’t matter. This isn’t going to work. I’m sorry for stringing you along if that’s what I did. Hell, I’m sorry for making this insane arrangement in the first place. I never should have done it.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not like you wanted to. For what it’s worth, I like you. I may not love you, but it would’ve gotten there. The problem is, Cici was always the one you wanted. It was apparent the night of our engagement party when you said you loved me”—my eyes widen in shock—“except Cici’s name followed those words, not mine. So when I heard she was coming to town, I panicked. I mean, who wouldn’t? Here’s an amazing opportunity to marry the perfect guy with a ton of money and be set for life. I guess I thought if I told you I was pregnant, you’d suddenly realize you were in love with me, and we’d ride off into the sunset. Boy did that backfire. Maybe I’d have had a chance if you hadn’t lost your memory.” She shrugs. “Or maybe not, but either way, I’m sorry. I’m honestly sorry if I was the cause of your accident.” Her eyes are tearing up, and her sincerity rings true.
With apologies out of the way, we’re both ready to move on, and the path forward couldn’t be clearer. “Rebecca, crazy enough, this is the best thing that could’ve happened, so don’t feel bad. We just weren’t in the cards. But I’ll make it worth your while.”
It didn’t take long for us to come to terms. Once she left, Lily and Sebastian were allowed in together and stayed until I started drifting off to sleep. Sebastian tried to keep me awake for fear I’d fall back into a coma until the nurse assured him that I’d be okay and that they would check on me throughout the night. She also said that after the scans and my progress so far, it was unlikely to happen. Nevertheless,the relief in his eyes was palpable when they returned the following morning to bring me home.
We filled Lily in on the conditional trust issue and ensuing engagement to Rebecca. But I made her promise she wouldn’t speak a word to Cici. She said that between this and knowing about the baby for so long, she’s been clouded in secrets, but she’d keep this last one since she approves of my plan to win her back.
Smoothing things over between my brother and Lily for Sebastian withholding information from her went better than expected. Apparently, my insistence not to tell her and his reluctance to agree aided in her forgiveness. It also helped that she knew about the baby without telling him. I’d say they’re even with the way they each held their own in the discussion—it was fascinating to watch. Few people fare so well going head-to-head with my brother. They’ve been married for a year, but it’s only been a couple of months in my mind. Either way, it’s clear they’re perfect for each other. I’m happy for them, and it makes me crave that for myself.
If all goes according to plan, it should happen sooner than later. I’ve been home for a few days and have yet to regain my memory, but I’m hopeful. I’ve had snippets here and there, but nothing that makes sense without the entire picture. It’s frustrating as hell, but not enough to deter me from my goal. I’m rummaging around in my nightstand, taking stock of anything different, when I stumble upon a ring box. It’s not Rebecca’s, since I let her keep the damn thing, so that leaves one possibility.
Pulling out the turquoise Tiffany box, I inhale deeply, anxious to look inside. Opening the lid slowly, I examine the exquisitely designed ring. It’s nothing like the one Rebecca wore and rightly so, since this one means so much more. I carefully remove it, and the minute my fingers grasp it, I’m flooded with visions… memories. The night I proposed, the night I met Rebecca, the next month, and the month after—it all comes rushing back in one fell swoop, making me jolt as I fall back on my ass to the mattress and slide to the floor.
With my eyes closed, I take it all in, every detail, every moment, every emotion. Love, anger, resignation… until the only thing remaining was despair. The day of the accident comes last and the terror I felt from my life taking a nosedive in the wrong direction. The helplessness I felt at losing control. My head explodes at the powerful sensation of having all these emotions at once. It’s surreal to envision your life from completely different perspectives one second to the next. Breathing deeply, the memories continue to replay, one after another, until everything makes sense and falls into place.
I open my eyes, and they instantly go to the plant on my nightstand that I brought home from the hospital. It’s the orchid I gave Cici. The same one she took to Bozeman with her and must’ve brought back when she came while I was in a coma. She obviously felt it was time to leave it behind. But I’ll take it as a sign if there ever was one, because if that thing can survive through all that, then we can too.
It’s true when I said this was the best thing to happen, because if I’d stayed the course I was on, I’d never have made it out intact. Something would always be missing and out of reach. My goal of not having any regrets in life would’ve been smashed to pieces had I gone through with marrying Rebecca, because losing Cici would have been the biggest regret of all.
This fresh start I’ve been given is the miracle I needed, and the only thing left to do now is play it out. Now is not the time to look a gift horse in the mouth. With my memories intact, I’d like nothing more than to go to Cici right the fuck now and convince her that we belong together, but there’s one more matter to take care of. Her family needs to approve.
With renewed determination, I contact Cici’s parents and Jackson, asking them if I could come by this week, saying time was of the essence. Luck is on my side since they agreed to tonight, probablycurious as to what I have to say. Hopefully, if this goes well, I’ll be on the jet tomorrow. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, since I’m not sure how they feel about me knocking her up. This may be more difficult than I imagine—but there’s only one way to find out.
When I pull up, Jackson’s car is already in the driveway. I’m nervous, knowing this could make or break my future. The last thing I want to do is come between Cici and her parents, especially after their reconciliation. Gathering all my courage, I raise my hand and knock.
Jackson is the one who opens the door, which gives me little relief. He has no idea what I’ve done since I regained consciousness and isn’t too happy that his baby sister left with no indication that I would be a part of our baby’s life. But I’ve had to focus on getting shit handled before I came clean to everyone. I’m ready to set the record straight.
“This better be good,” Jackson says as he steps aside for me to enter.
“You can decide for yourself, but to me, it’s everything. Thanks for seeing me.”
With a nod of acknowledgement, he leads me to the living room, where Mia and his parents are waiting.
Taking the easy target first, I address Jackson’s fiancée. “Hi, Mia. I’m happy you’re here.”
