Heat flooded my cheeks. “I’m fine. I just... the soap... I’m clumsy apparently.”
“You’re recovering from a coma. You’re allowed to be unsteady.” He helped me straighten up, his hands careful and respectful despite the circumstances. “Here, hold onto me.”
I gripped his shoulders, suddenly very aware of how his shirt was now plastered to his chest, outlining every ridge of muscle underneath. Water ran down his face, dripped from his dark hair, and he still hadn’t looked away from my eyes.
“You’re getting wet,” I said stupidly.
“It’s just water.” He shrugged, droplets flying from his shoulders. “You need me here, so I’m not going anywhere.”
My heart did a strange little flip in my chest. This man. This ridiculous, devoted, soaking wet man who was standing fully clothed in a shower just to make sure I didn’t fall again.
“Knox?”
“Yeah?”
I swallowed hard, gathering my courage. “I’ve been thinking. About my memories.”
His expression sharpened with attention. “Okay.”
“I want to try visiting familiar places. Doing familiar things. Being around familiar people.” I looked up at him, water running between us. “Maybe it will help trigger my memory. Maybe if I do enough things I used to do, my brain will start connecting the dots.”
The smile that spread across his face was blinding. “That’s a great idea. I’ll take you everywhere. The coffee shops, our house, the pack grounds. Anywhere you want to go. I’ll introduce you to everyone again, show you all your favorite spots, cook all your favorite foods.”
His enthusiasm was infectious. For a moment, I forgot about the fear and confusion and let myself feel hopeful.
“And if it doesn’t work?” I asked quietly. “If I never remember?”
Knox’s hands came up to cup my face, his thumbs brushing gently over my cheekbones. Water ran over his fingers, warm and steady.
“Then I’ll just make you fall in love with me again,” he said simply. “And again. And again. As many times as it takes.”
The sincerity in his voice made my breath catch. He meant it. Every word. He would court me all over again, woo me from scratch, rebuild everything we had lost.
I felt the urge to mess with him.
“You really think you could do that?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Make me fall in love with you?”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “Is that a challenge?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged, trying to look innocent. “I’m just saying, I don’t remember being in love with you. For all I know, you tricked me into this marriage. Or bribed me. Or...”
“Tricked you?” He sounded genuinely offended. “I’ll have you know, you pursued me first.”
“That seems unlikely.”
“You literally tracked me down at a hotel and demanded answers after I rejected you.”
“Maybe I was just angry. That doesn’t mean I wanted to marry you.”
“You proposed to me in a coffee shop.”
“I did not.”
“You absolutely did. You got down on one knee and everything.”
I gaped at him. “There’s no way I got down on one knee.”
“You’re right, actually. You didn’t kneel. You just threw a ring box at my head and said ‘marry me, you idiot’ and honestly, it was the most romantic moment of my life.”
