“He’s a plastic surgeon,” I told her. “So I’m gonna go with a probably not on saving your life. But it’s definitely a small world.” I grinned and pinned Tyson with a glare.
I hated lying to her and hated even more the way she looked at me whenever Sally came up. I doubly hated how she thought my heart had ever belonged—or could ever belong—to someone else. But I all-out fucking loathed each and every time I had to pretend I didn’t know her or about her past. And it shredded me that she’d noticed it too because I was a fucking dumbass who’d forgotten to ask questions I already knew the answers to.
I hated the constant deception. The fragile balancing act of what I should and shouldn’t know. The fear that we’d run into someone from our shared past—albeit there weren’t many who knew about our short three-week relationship before everything had fallen apart and she’d practically become a recluse, but all it would take was one. The only place I ever truly felt safe with Remi was at my house, alone, just the two of us.
But while I hated every single bit of the façade, seeing her so damn happy, healthy, and in love again? I had no regrets.
Besides getting my ring back on her finger and giving her my last name, I wasn’t sure what the endgame entailed. I had no clue when or how I’d tell her the truth. Or what would happen if she got her memories back. Currently, I was simply taking it day by day. The rest would come later. God willing.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Remi said, skipping a handshake in exchange for a hug.
Tyson chuckled and wrapped her up tight. He hadn’t always been her biggest fan, but much like anyone who had ever met Remi, he’d fallen in love eventually.
“Please say you’ll join us for a drink?” she asked.
Questioning her request, Tyson shifted his gaze to me. He wanted to stay. I wasn’t the only one who’d lost Remi after the crash.
It was probably a terrible idea. And if he fucked things up, I’d be spending the rest of the night digging his grave. She’d probably have more questions about why I’d made him leave than anything he might accidentally say.
I forced a grin. “Yeah. Stay.”
He shrugged. “Sure. I could go for a drink.”
“Awesome,” Remi said. “I need all the dirt you have on this guy.”
“Whew,” Tyson exhaled. “I don’t think the bar will be open that long, but we should be able to get a good start. Where to begin… Ah, yes. Our man Bowen here wet the bed until he was, like, twelve. He probably still uses a plastic fitted sheet. But he’s sensitive about it, so don’t bring it up much. On the flip side, sometimes he needs a reminder to go potty before night-night.”
She giggled adorably. “I like you already.”
“The feeling is very mutual.”
Pressing up onto her toes, she pecked me on the lips. “Coincidentally, I’m gonna run to the ladies’ room. Will you order me another wine?”
“Sure thing.” I settled back onto the stool beside my brother as she walked away.
We both fell silent until she disappeared around the corner.
As if a light switch had been flipped, his smile vanished. “What the fucking fuck is going on with you two? It feels like I just walked through a portal in time.”
I drew in a deep breath and gave him the one-minute version of the last few weeks. The courthouse. The safety pin. Margret Monstera. Bubble tea. The safety pin again. Quincy the cactus. The botanical garden. Burgers. Sugar and Clyde. Mark. Aaron. Jack. And last but not least, the fact that I’d somehow beaten the odds and made my Sally fall in love with me all over again.
“Shit,” he breathed. “I…I don’t even know what to say. Does Mom or Cass—”
“No,” I said firmly. “They both know I’m seeing someone. They just don’t know it’s her. And I’d really fucking appreciate it if you kept your mouth shut and allowed me to tell them when the time is right.”
“Yeah. Totally.”
I cut him with a side-eye. “I’m serious, Ty.”
“Me too. Not a word.” He zipped his fingers across his lips.
I nodded and then checked over my shoulder, but there was no sign of Remi.
“Holy shit,” Tyson said, gently punching me on the shoulder as if it were a speed bag. “This is huge! How fucking happy are you right now?”
I grinned and raked a hand through the top of my hair. “You have no idea. It’s stressful as hell though. I have to watch everything I say and do. But God, it is so good to breathe again.”
“So, what’s the plan? When will you tell her the truth?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Right now, I’m just living in the moment. She thinks my fiancée died in the crash. I told her that her name was Sally. I’m hoping maybe when she finds out the truth that she’ll understand why we lied. I finally feel like I have my life back. The way it was supposed to be before everything went to hell in a handbasket.”
“You two are meant to be together. If this doesn’t prove it, nothing will.” He tugged at my watch strap, silently referring to the scar beneath it. “Though I need to know you’ve got your head straight about this. Relationships don’t always work just because they’re supposed to. Look at me and Jared. We’ve broken up three different times trying to get our shit straight, and it’s nothing in comparison to what you and Remi have been through. She’s a different woman now. There’s bound to still be bumps in the road.”
I smiled. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. “She doesn’t remember that she loved me. I’m not winning her back. I’m winning her for the very first time—again. Nothing is a given. I’m well aware, but I’m working my ass off here. As any man should be if he wants to keep a woman like her.” I cupped my brother’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t worry about me, Ty. I’m in this for the long haul. This isn’t a fight I’m willing to lose.”
Exhaling and looking at the ceiling, shellshocked, he shook his head. “I still can’t believe you got her back. Mom’s gonna bawl her eyes out, ya know.”
I chuckled. “Mom cried when she thought I was dating someone else. She’s gonna be damn near hysterical when she finds out it’s her precious Remi.”
Tyson nodded. “Heads up, here she comes.”
Remembering I was supposed to order drinks, I lifted a finger to catch the bartender’s attention. “Don’t fuck this up for me, okay?”
“Oh, I won’t fuck it up. I’m about to embarrass the hell out of you though.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
Remi traced her fingers over my back as she nabbed the stool on the other side of me. She slid it around so she was wedged between me and my brother, her thigh touching mine. “Okay, now where were we? Bit of a bed wetter, huh?”
For the next two hours, Tyson told Remi every mortifying tale of my youth. And seeing them together, so genuinely happy and normal… I loved every fucking minute of it.
Bowen
“It was good,” I repeated for the tenth time while carrying our plates to the kitchen.