by Angel Devlin
The moment we walked into the second property I knew, and as I looked at Ezra he knew too.
"Is this the home we'll raise our babies in?" he asked me.
"I hope so. God willing," I answered. Ezra kissed me, his lips lavishing me with love.
"Do you still want to see the other two properties?"
"No. I've found the one."
"So have I," Ezra said, and then he did something I'd not expected in a million years. Not then. Not in that moment.
He dropped to one knee in the living room of what we hoped would be our family home and opened a ring box.
"Lisa McKenzie. I am sorry it took me so long to realise what I couldn't live without. You. I love you so much and I'm asking you if you'd be my wife."
I began sobbing while nodding yes.
He placed the diamond solitaire on my finger and I looked as it sparkled as I moved it this way and that.
"I really hope we do get the house after all this," I said and then laughed.
"There's no competition. I can match and beat any offer, unless another Hollywood millionaire decides to make a bid."
"So cocky."
Ezra wiggled his hips. "You'll know that cockiness in every room of this house. We have babies to make."
My stomach flipped with excitement and I looked at my ring once again.
We pulled up outside our current home and I wondered what Ezra would do with it. I’d ask him later. Right now, my feet were aching and cold, and I wanted to get inside and warmed up, preferably by Ezra.
Harry, the driver/security man looked up and down the street and then let Ezra out of his car. "Just give me a moment to open the door for my fiancée."
Harry's eyes widened, and he looked at my hand. "Oh my. Congratulations, Mr Waite and Miss McKenzie."
"Thank you."
Ezra walked around and opened my door and held out a hand for me to step out. I did and we smiled at each other. The days just got better and better.
Car tyres screeched from the corner of the street. Harry dived to get us out of the road as it began its journey towards us. Ezra grabbed hold of me, but I lost my footing trying to make it to the pavement. As I fell, I banged my head into a lamppost. Then everything went black.
Chapter Nineteen
Ezra
I ran over to Lisa at the same time as the driver ran after the car speeding up the street and away.
He came running back. I was calling an ambulance. Lisa was out cold.
"I've got the registration number of the vehicle for the police."
I nodded. "Great. We'll deal with that bastard later. Right now, I just need Lisa to be okay."
We heard the sirens get nearer. Harry handed me the car details.
The paramedics exited the ambulance and a male stepped towards us.
"A car tried to run us over. Lisa tripped and banged her head," I told him.
"Okay, sir. If you could step back."
There were checks and medical jargon I didn't understand and then they put her in the ambulance. I climbed into the back alongside her and the paramedic. Lisa groaned as she began to come around.
"It's okay. You banged your head. We're on our way to hospital."
Her eyes opened slightly. "Wh- what? Ezra?"
I squeezed her hand. "Yes, it's me. I'm here. Don't say anything else for now. Just let the ambulance people do their job and let's get you checked over at the hospital, okay?"
They'd asked me her next of kin and I'd explained I was her fiancé and that her parents were still abroad. She was taken through to triage. As soon as I got chance, I'd call George and tell him what had happened.
"Okay, Lisa, could you tell me what happened?" the paramedic asked her.
I began to open my mouth.
"No, I want Lisa to tell me," the guy said.
"Sorry."
"I- I don't remember," Lisa replied.
"You can't remember how you banged your head?"
She shook her head. "No, I can't remember." She looked down at her clothes and lifted up her hand looking at her ring and her brows creased with confusion. "I don't know what's going on." Her eyes went wild with panic and she looked at me.
"I know it's you, Ezra, but you look older. How old am I? I can't remember. Who am I engaged to?"
My heart thudded in my chest and panic swept through my body, a feeling like electrified chills.
"It's okay, Lisa. Temporary memory loss can happen with a head injury. I know it's easier said than done but try not to panic.” The paramedic smiled at Lisa in reassurance. “We'll get the doctor in to see you as soon as possible and arrange some scans. Just hold tight. Your fiancé will take care of you."
Lisa's eyes widened. "We're engaged?"
"What's the last thing you remember about me?" I asked.
"I’d had my hair done. You came back down to the kitchen. You asked me if I wanted a drink," she said.
I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs.
To rant at fate, at God.
We'd had the most perfect day and our future looked bright.
And then this. What if the memory loss wasn't temporary? What if she never remembered us? Not any of the past ten years?
Well, I'd just have to make sure Lisa McKenzie fell in love with me all over again.
The day was spent doing a lot of waiting. Waiting for scans, waiting for blood tests, waiting for doctors to tell us the results of the scans. But Lisa was transferred from the accident and emergency department to the Neurology ward and so had a bed now. George was on his way and he'd informed his parents who were looking for a flight home.
I'd also been in touch with Jules because Quinn had seen me getting in the back of the ambulance and had immediately phoned her.
Later, the doctor came out to talk to me and George. "Lisa's brain scans are clear, but she took a significant blow to the head which has resulted in retrograde amnesia. Obviously, at the moment she has a lot of swelling to her forehead and she'll be pretty bruised for a while, but I'm hopeful that over the coming days or weeks her memory will return."
"Oh thank God," George said.
"Is there anything we can do to encourage her memory to return?" I asked.
"Be patient," the doctor emphasised.
They were keeping Lisa in overnight and so I said my goodbyes to George and made my way home. I was tired and emotional and when the police came to knock on my door that evening, I was ready to kill whoever had been driving that car.
But as the policeman talked to me and revealed that the driver was one of my fans, one who couldn't cope with the idea that Lisa was the love of my life, because it wasn't possible as they were the love of my life, it became apparent to me that in a way, I was the one who had caused this. I'd brought the crazy of my life to Willowfield and tried to live in a house on a normal street when I needed a gated prison with round-the-clock security.
At that point I wondered whether if Lisa's memory loss remained, I should just let her go. But I guessed the damage was already done.
The next morning brought more drama and shocks. I woke to find press camped on the street because the news had broken about the stalker causing Lisa's brain injury and they wanted more details than the ones slipped to them by someone inside the hospital. I needed to get out of here because I was causing problems for the neighbourhood now. They didn't want my circus on their doorstep. I was looking out of my back window when the privet hedge between mine and Milo's property suddenly began moving. I walked to the side door and walked around the back to see what was happening. I could hear lots of broken branches and then Milo burst through.
"I'll not sue you for any damage to this impeccable body, but you'll have to fix the hedge if I've damaged it beyond repair," he announced, shaking bits of twigs and leaves off him.
"What are you doing?"
He looked at me like I'd forgotten Christmas. "I've come to see how you are, you great tool. Can't go round the front because all the paps will want to take pics and th
en they'll realise just who the hottest Waite brother is and Violet'll get all jealous of the females' attention when my own stalkers start calling around. So I've come round the back. We should get a gate between us, dunno why I didn't think of that before."
"Mainly because your thoughts are usually mainly coming from your groin? Anyway, I'm selling up, bro."
"What?"
"The day of the accident, Lisa and I had picked a new place. I'm going ahead with buying it. Got to live in hope that one day she remembers us and gets to live there, but hey, I waited ten years right? I can wait a bit longer."
"It's in our name, Ez. I waited a long time for my Rapunzel to turn up. Now my princess is my life. Lisa'll come back to you. In the meantime, get your castle sorted." He shivered. "It's bloody cold out here, bro, go and put the kettle on so we can have a good chat about things."
"Did Violet send you around?" I raised a brow.
"Actually, no. I thought of it myself. It's quite worrying."
We went into the house and I made us both a coffee, although I could have used a whisky. "It's weird being in here. I still remember it as Becca's, being here when all the shit went down with her husband. I hope one day it's a happy home for someone, because it's not doing so well in its current form. I mean, I'd get icked out being in that bedroom where Rob died."
"I sleep in the back bedroom, but thanks for that visual. Aren't you supposed to be here helping? Oooh actually," I leapt up from the sofa, "you've given me an idea. You're planning on babies with Violet, right?"
"If I have my way, at least three."
"So how about I sign this house over to you and you get planning permission to knock through? It's what Dad did, and you can use the family home as evidence to get yours approved. Change this house's luck, make it your family home and fill it with kids."
Milo's mouth had dropped open and I could almost see the cogs whirring as the builder considered it all. "I'd need to talk to Vi, but I think we might just buy it off you and do that."
"I don't want you to buy it, Milo. I have stacks of money. Use your money to turn it into the home you want. It can be an early wedding present."
"Fuck me, bro. Looks like I won't need to build a gate between the properties after all. Just remove some hedges." He beamed and walking over to me embraced me in a bear hug. God, he was muscly and strong. It was like being attacked by a giant Care Bear.
"Okay, that's me sorted. Now, let's iron out what we're gonna do with you," he said and sat back down.
My phone rang from its position on the coffee table and for a moment I just stared at it. It had been pretty constant in ringing between my PR team, family, and friends. Milo swiped it up.
"It says Lisa's mum."
I grabbed it from his hands. "Hello? Is everything okay? Is Lisa okay?"
"Yes, Ezra. She's feeling fragile but the doctors have said she can come home."
I breathed out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness. Okay, hold tight, I'll be there as soon as I can to pick her up." I grinned at Milo who gave me a thumbs up.
"That's why I'm calling, honey. The thing is that Lisa's asked to come home. To our home, the family home. It's what she's most familiar with. Her old bedroom. Also, I wouldn't want her returning to yours anyway after what happened. George said you were buying a new place where it will be safer and until you have somewhere like that and Lisa agrees to live there, she'll be staying with us, Ezra. I'm sorry."
"I was going to rent somewhere while I waited for our home to go through. I wouldn't bring her back here, well…" I realised I could do nothing immediately and it was right now Lisa was being discharged. I sighed. "No, sorry, you are so right. She needs to be with you. Where she feels safe. Do you want me to arrange any extra security?"
"Yes please, Ezra. Nothing heavy, but I need to feel certain that no one is going to try to break in and harm my daughter."
Guilt flooded through me. I could see Milo trying to work out what was wrong, but I just slumped further into the sofa.
"I am so very sorry, Tammy. All I've ever done is love her and all it has ever done is hurt her." I felt a tear roll down my cheek because it was true. I'd hurt this woman, this kind and gentle, beautiful woman, over and over again. My heart broke with the thought that she might never know we'd made it to the next level, would have made it to our happy ever after. Yes, the doctors said they expected her memory to come back, but they'd also said that in the rarest of cases it might not, and we'd never had a lot of luck. What was going to be different this time?
"I'd like to come visit her."
"I know, honey, and you can, but not just yet. I want to get her settled and rested and relaxed. Maybe that might bring her memories back. She's struggling with the fact she can't remember. For the time being I've put her ring someplace safe."
"Do you want me to bring her belongings around?"
"No. Her father went and bought her some fresh pyjamas and a couple of other bits. It's not like she's going far at the moment."
"Can I ring to check in?"
"Of course you can. Just be patient, okay? Her rest and recovery come first."
"I get that. Anything you need just let me know, Tammy, okay?"
"We will do. Take care, Ezra. Speak soon."
I ended the call and then I did something I'd rarely done except for as an actor since our mother had left. I broke down in tears.
Chapter Twenty
Lisa
It had been a week since my accident. I still remembered nothing about it. All I could recall was coming around in the ambulance and seeing a man who looked like an older Ezra, and then finding out that not only was it an older Ezra, but I was wearing an engagement ring and I was marrying him.
I didn't remember the proposal.
Didn't remember the ring being placed on my finger.
I couldn't remember 'us'.
My last memory of Ezra Waite was his double take as I sat at the table with my work from college and my satisfaction at seeing him realise I wasn't some stupid little schoolgirl.
It would appear he'd noticed a whole lot more. But the time between that and wearing his ring was a cavernous space.
I knew from Mum and the police that I’d been living with Ezra in a house near to his parents' old home. My mind was filled with so many questions and I could see my parents were getting frustrated with providing me with answers because of course one question led to another and for a lot of them they couldn't give me the answer. They didn't know the history of mine and Ezra's relationship.
I wanted to get in touch with him, but my mother had begged me to leave it a little longer. To wait until the swelling on my head had gone down a little more. Then maybe my brain might recover and my memory come back.
It gave me an excuse to not face him, as although I was keen to learn the facts, Ezra would be searching for the Lisa he knew before the accident and my feelings for him were just the crush and excitement of a teenager. How did you tell your fiancé you didn't love him?
A soft knock came at my bedroom door. My mother's tell-tale sound.
"Come in."
She walked in bringing a fresh jug of water—my self-appointed nursemaid—but she had a magazine tucked into the waistband of her trousers.
"I think you're ready to see this today," she said. "It might help you remember."
"What is it?" She passed me the magazine. I noticed the title first Hot Right Now. It took me a few seconds to realise that the sophisticated couple gracing its front pages were myself and Ezra.
"You did a magazine article to announce the two of you having got together and there's a lot of information here about the path to it. There's no in-depth details; maybe what you read might trigger you to remember more? But don't stress if it doesn't, honey. I'm going to leave it with you and you look at it when you're ready. Also, do you fancy a walk later? The security man will take us to a park and make sure no one comes near us."
I shook my head. "No thank you. I'm not ready yet."
<
br /> Mum's mouth downturned as it did when I didn't give her the answer she thought I should, but she nodded. I didn't expect her to understand, not really. She was wanting me to get some fresh air and not be cooped up inside, but I was full of fear. I knew they'd arrested the stalker who admitted to driving her car at us but there were others like her. And what about if I bumped into people I knew, but I didn't remember them? What if I slipped and fell again? Until I felt stronger, I didn't want to leave my house.
Your parents' house. I reminded myself, and yet I felt like I was still the seventeen-year-old who lived here.
It was just weird things. I knew I could drive but couldn't remember my car. I could remember how to cook many different dishes but not my mother's new oven. How to pull a pint and yet I couldn't remember serving anyone a drink.
Mum left and I sat back on the bed and pored over the photo on the front cover. Ezra and I stood side by side, tilted towards each other. My hand on his chest. Though we looked at the camera our body language was focused on each other. I was wearing an emerald green wrap dress. My make-up was sleek, elegant, and sophisticated, and my hair had been curled so it fell in ringlets over my shoulders. I knew that this look was not me, felt it was for the cameras, could feel it deep down inside in my gut. But the joy in my face, the love, also mirrored in Ezra's face, that showed me the truth. I may not remember right now but I was in love with Ezra Waite. Deeply in love.
Ezra himself was dressed in black slacks and a mint green shirt with a tie. We were standing next to a window that faced a garden, although they'd blurred out the backdrop so that we stood out the most.
I read and re-read the headline.
World Exclusive. Bafta winning actor Ezra Waite finally opens up about his private life. "Lisa is the love of my life and she always has been."
There were subheadings.
Where they met.
Why Ezra is opening up now.
I wasn't sure if I was strong enough to turn the pages and read the words we'd spoken, but I couldn't resist the temptation either.
