“Yes, I’m still in Louisiana.” She’d texted him months ago to let him know she needed time to herself but hadn’t elaborated as to why. Nor had she told him where exactly in Louisiana she’d gone to. Nobody knew that other than her three closest friends. Had she told Kurt that Devon was alive, there was no way she could have kept him from returning to the States immediately.
“I just had a strange conversation with a guy a short while ago, Ash. A conversation you need to know about.”
Ashley lifted her brow. “Oh? What was it about?”
“A man called because of the results of a DNA test he’d taken. Because we’d used the same company, he was sent my name as a close match. He sent a message through the company we used, asking me to contact him. At first I disregarded his request since I know I don’t have any cousins. But out of curiosity, I called him back today.”
Ashley moved to sit on the edge of the bed. She understood, since as far as they knew, Devon was his only cousin. “And?”
“And the minute he answered the phone I was taken aback. He actually sounded like Devon. But since I knew that was impossible, I regrouped. He wanted to ask about the test results to see how the two of us were related. I told him there must be some mistake because I didn’t have a living cousin, and that my only cousin, on either of my parents’ side, had been killed in an automobile accident three years ago.”
Ashley nervously nibbled on her bottom lip. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. “Was he satisfied with that?”
“I’m not sure. Not certain if what he told me next is true or not but he claimed he’d been in some kind of an accident three years ago and had woken up in the hospital without his memory.”
Ashley jumped up, certain blood had drained from her face. “Did he give you his name?” she asked, nearly frantic.
“Yes, and calm down, Ash. I figured the call wasn’t on the up-and-up when he asked if Devon had a wife and children. That’s when I ended the call.”
“What was his name, Kurt?” she asked, hearing the edge of hysteria in her voice and certain Kurt heard it, too. “I need to know his name.”
“Ashley, are you okay?”
“What’s his name, Kurt?” she repeated again, agitated. Needing desperately to know.
“He said his name was Ray Sullivan.”
“Oh, my God!” She forced back the urge to scream.
“Ashley? Are you all right?”
“No. Yes. Look, Kurt. I need to go.” She needed to get to Ray. What if he put two and two together? The information might cause a setback with him finding out that way.
“Ashley, what’s going on?”
“I can’t tell you now, but I promise to call you back later, Kurt, and tell you everything. Bye.” She quickly clicked off the phone, grabbed her purse off the bed and headed for the door.
Ray had said he was going straight home after work before coming to her place. Chances were he was home, and she hoped what he’d discovered, if he’d figured out anything, hadn’t—
At that moment her front door flew open in a way that nearly rocked it off the hinges. Ray slammed it behind him and he stood there looking madder than hell. His legs were braced apart with arms folded across his chest. And if looks could kill, she would be dead.
When he spoke, his voice trembled in rage. “Why didn’t you tell me I was your supposedly dead husband?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“I CAN EXPLAIN, RAY.”
Ray honestly doubted she could. They’d spent practically the entire summer together and she hadn’t explained then. What he wanted was answers. “So? Am I your husband? The one you claimed was dead?”
She was nervous. He could tell. Her lies had caught up with her. She should be proud of herself since she had played him well. What had been her motive for keeping quiet? Did it have anything to do with insurance money? What?
“Yes, you’re my Devon.”
Her words made something within him snap. He moved from the door to come stand in front of her, boiling in rage to the point where he could feel a vein pulse at the base of his throat. “I am not your anything. You lied to me. You used me. Played me. You could have told me the truth at any time, yet you didn’t. I trusted you.”
“Don’t you think I had a reason for not telling you? You didn’t know me and telling you could have caused you to have a setback. Could have made it even more difficult for your memories to ever return.”
“So you lied to me?”
“I didn’t lie to you. Everything I told you about Devon and my marriage was the truth.”
“You lied by omission, Ashley. You told me what you wanted me to know.”
“I talked to your doctor and he—”
More anger poured through him. “My doctor? You don’t even know my doctor.”
“I got in touch with him through Kaegan and—”
“Kaegan? Kaegan knows who you are?” he roared as crimson haze practically covered his vision.
“Yes. Sawyer and Vashti know as well. They’ve known from the first when I told them who you were.”
At that moment a shimmering wave of fury clouded every word she’d said. Black rage consumed his every thought. “You got to my friends? My only friends? The only people I trusted? You somehow convinced them to lie to me? To go along with your sick plan?”
“It wasn’t that way at all. I—”
“No! I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. You are not the woman I thought you were and I don’t want any part of you and I hope you leave town. If you think you have a claim on me, you’re wrong. If I am married to you, then I’m getting a divorce. I don’t and won’t have anything to do with you. Ever.”
And then he stormed out the house, slamming the door behind him.
* * *
“RAY!” ASHLEY RACED to the door, calling after him, but he refused to look back. He got into his truck and took off like the devil himself was after him. She closed the door as tears she couldn’t hold back rolled unheeded down her face.
Why hadn’t Ray let her explain? Why had he refused to listen to anything she had to say? Now he believed she had deliberated played him for a fool. And because of her he thought his friends had betrayed him.
That gave her pause. That was the last thing he needed to believe.
She pulled her phone out of her purse to call Sawyer. He answered on the first ring. “Ray found out, Sawyer. He found out my true identity and now he hates me. And he’s hurt that you guys knew and didn’t tell him.”
She could hear Sawyer mutter a curse through the phone. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He just left here and he’s mad. I’m worried about him.”
“I’ll contact Kaegan. We’ll find him and talk some sense into him. I’ll call you later.” He clicked off the phone.
Placing her phone aside, Ashley swiped at the tears that were beginning to fall again. At that moment she wasn’t sure anyone would be able to talk any sense into Ray.
* * *
RAY KNEW HE should pull over to the side of the road and let the fury roll off of him, but he couldn’t. He kept driving. He felt like going somewhere and ramming his fist in a door, kicking a hole in a wall or something. How could he have allowed himself to be taken in?
Not wanting to go home, he kept driving toward the marina. He needed to go out on his boat. Right now he wanted to find solace out on the waters. He needed to be out on the ocean.
He continued driving until he saw the pier. He turned his car into the crowded parking lot. It looked like a party was going on at one of the bar and grills. Then he remembered. The New Orleans Saints had a preseason game tomorrow and the town was celebrating a win before it happened.
After parking his truck he got out and walked down the long pier toward his boat. It was hard to ignore the loud noise coming from inside the establ
ishment. At least some people had a reason to be happy and celebrate. His jaw hardened with every step he took. This was where he needed to be.
And alone.
* * *
THE RINGING OF her cell phone had Ashley pulling herself up in bed and wiping at the tears she couldn’t stop from falling. She’d found Devon only to lose him all over again. The caller ID indicated it was Vashti. She quickly clicked on the phone.
“Vashti? Did Sawyer find Ray?”
“No. Both he and Kaegan are still looking for him. Ray didn’t go home after leaving your place. That’s the first place they checked. That means he’s probably on his boat, so they’re headed for the docks. I want to know how you’re doing.”
“Oh, Vashti. Ray actually believed I had an ulterior motive for keeping my identity from him. He wouldn’t let me explain.”
“He’s upset, Ashley. Ray is a rational man. Once he calms down and thinks things through, he’ll see just how wrong he is. Men are stubborn creatures. Trust me, I know.”
“I want to believe he’ll think things through, but—”
“Believe, Ashley. Keep the faith. Since we’re not going out to eat, I’m going to have the chef prepare something here at the inn if you want to join me.”
“Thanks but I’m fine. Besides, I can’t eat a thing until I know Ray is okay. He wants me to leave town.”
“Are you?”
Ashley shook her head. “No. I can’t.”
“And you shouldn’t. I’ll call you back if I hear anything from Sawyer.”
“Thanks.” She clicked off the phone. Easing off the bed, she went into the bathroom to wash her face, then changed out of the outfit she’d planned to wear for dinner and replaced it with a caftan.
Returning to the bedroom, she picked up her phone. It was time to call Kurt and tell him everything.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“COMING ABOARD, RAY,” Kaegan said, stepping onto Ray’s boat.
Ray didn’t bother to glance up. He was out in the middle of the ocean and he’d heard another boat approach from behind, but he hadn’t checked to see who it was. He preferred just sitting there while nursing a bottle of beer and staring at the water.
“And what if I don’t want you here?” he said, frowning. Finally turning around, he wasn’t surprised to see Sawyer as well.
“That’s just tough,” Sawyer said, dropping down on one of the benches. “I’m missing a good meal at the Lighthouse because of you, Ray.”
Ray narrowed his gaze at him. “And you think I give a damn about that. I thought you guys were my friends. Men I could trust, and in the end, you—”
“Cared enough to want what was best for you,” Kaegan said, just as angry.
“What was best for me? You didn’t even know her. For all you knew, her falling into the ocean might have been a setup just to get close to me.”
Sawyer crossed his arms over his chest. “You ought to know me better than that. I’m a suspicious bastard by nature and don’t take anything at face value. I had her checked out. And what I discovered was a woman who for the past three years has been grieving hard over the loss of her husband. A woman who came here to try to get on with her life and found the husband she thought was dead for three years, walking around like he didn’t have a damn care in the world. A world that didn’t include her.”
“Are you blaming me for not knowing who she was?”
“No. And a part of me understands why you’re upset. At least until she explains things. But you didn’t let her do that, Ray. You didn’t give her the chance,” Sawyer said.
“If you had,” Kaegan said, sliding on the bench beside Sawyer, “you would have learned that it was Dr. Riggins’s suggestion that she not tell you.”
“And you believed that because she said it?” Ray bit out.
“No, we believed it because we heard it. We were with her when she spoke to Dennis. I called him myself only after I was certain she was who she claimed to be. Hell, she still had your wedding pictures in her phone to prove it,” Kaegan said.
Ray stared at Sawyer and Kaegan. “She should have told me the truth.”
“Like Kaegan said, your doctor suggested she didn’t. He said when people try to force someone with amnesia to remember, it can make things worse, make it even more unlikely those memories will ever return. It was his idea that she give you the chance to get to know her. The perfect plan would be for you to fall in love with her a second time.
“She took a chance on you, Ray, not knowing how things would turn out. She moved here to be near you, to be a part of your life, to get to know you as Ray Sullivan and not Devon Ryan. Because she loved you that much.” Sawyer leaned against the back of the bench.
When Ray didn’t say anything, Kaegan said, “And you did fall in love with her.” He reached for a beer out the cooler and added, “Any fool can see that. So what’s the problem? Not everyone can fall in love with the same woman twice.” He cleared his throat. “Hell, let’s just say that most men wouldn’t want to, but Ashley’s different.”
Ray still didn’t say anything, just took a long swig of his beer. “Are the two of you through?” he finally asked.
“No, but for now yes,” Sawyer said. “I hope we gave you something to think about. We believe that you will. Otherwise, you will lose the best thing that has happened to you since you became Ray Sullivan. Like Kaegan, I believe you’ve fallen in love with her. If you accept the woman Ashley is, the woman who truly loves you, you’ll see just what a special person she is.”
Sawyer stood. “Kaegan and I are leaving.”
Kaegan stood as well. “You can stay out here and feel sorry for yourself, Ray, or you can thank your lucky stars for Ashley and do something to make sure you can keep her. Hell, she might be ready to get rid of you after this. Think you weren’t worth the effort and trouble and that she wasted three years mourning for an ungrateful ass.”
Neither man said anything else as they climbed back into their boat and left. Ray remained sitting in the same spot, drinking his beer while thinking about everything Kaegan and Sawyer had said.
Finishing off his beer, he stood and crossed to where the makeshift bed was and lay looking up at the sky. It was getting dark and the stars were coming out. He needed to go back but wasn’t ready yet.
Instead he lay there, replaying in his mind all the time he’d spent with Ashley since her near drowning. He shook his head. All the times he thought he’d been competing against Ashley’s dead husband he’d only been competing against himself. She’d still been wearing her ring—her wedding ring—from him.
He didn’t remember a life with her but he could see how he would have one with her. He rubbed a hand down his face. Why couldn’t he remember falling in love with her the first time around? Why couldn’t he remember his past life with her? No wonder she’d called him Devon when they’d made love that time.
Sawyer and Kaegan were right. He did love her and right now he was letting his anger hijack his common sense. Now he knew why he’d gotten so angry at the thought she had betrayed him. It was because he loved her so much. If he hadn’t loved her so much, he wouldn’t care.
Now he had to decide what he was going to do about it. He lay there for no telling how long. Possibly an hour or two. It was completely dark now.
He eased to his feet and moved to the controls of the boat, ready to go back to shore. He needed to see Ashley.
* * *
ASHLEY CHECKED THE clock on the nightstand again. It was close to ten at night. Vashti, who’d been worried about her not eating, had been kind enough to bring her a plate from the inn. She’d told her that Sawyer and Kaegan had found Ray out on the ocean in his boat. Whether they’d been able to talk some sense into him, they weren’t sure. They had tried but Ray could be stubborn at times. That had been four hours ago.
She knew and understood Ray’s a
nger. She just needed him to hear her out. Recalling her conversation with Kurt, she couldn’t help but feel full with emotions. Devon’s tough-as-nails older cousin had cried over the phone at the news that Devon was alive. She warned Kurt about coming here because Devon’s memory still hadn’t returned.
When she heard the knock on the door, she quickly eased out of bed and slipped into her robe. Was it Ray? Why would he knock when he had a key? What if it wasn’t him but Sawyer or Kaegan telling her something had happened? It couldn’t be safe for him to be out there in the middle of the ocean alone at night.
When she looked out the peephole, she saw it was Ray and opened the door. “Ray.”
“May I come in, Ashley?”
She nodded and stepped back. “Yes.”
Entering, he closed the door behind him. “I owe you an apology for how I acted and what I said. Kaegan and Sawyer took me to task about it.”
She lifted her chin. “That’s why you’re here? Because they took you to task?”
“No. I needed time to think, Ashley. I can’t remember my life with you as Devon Ryan.”
“I don’t recall asking you to remember,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “The reason I stayed was to know you as Ray and to give you a chance to know me. You don’t know the hell I’ve been going through. And for me to come here, see you, talk to you, kiss you and make love to you, knowing to you I was nothing more than any other woman, it hurt, but I did it because there is no other man I could ever love but you. If you can’t believe that, then I truly don’t know what to say.”
She felt like she had bled out her emotions to him. Forcing back tears, she refused to cry. “I loved you as Devon and love you even more as Ray.”
He seemed nervous, which was a lot different from when he’d stormed in hours ago, full of anger. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. When I came here earlier, I’d been only thinking of myself, Ashley. I was both angry and afraid.”
Forget Me Not Page 26
