by Marla Monroe
Skyler looked over at Owen and knew that something was really wrong. “Who’s Luke?”
Chapter Fifteen
Skyler woke to the sound of another voice she didn’t recognize. She assumed it was Luke. Then the voices moved into the room where she and Owen were. She glanced over at Owen. He smiled at her and winked.
“That’s Brice. He’s the one who helped take care of us.”
“I keep remembering something about wolves and a cellar. What happened, Owen? Why won’t you all talk to me about it?”
“They don’t want to chance overwhelming you, Skyler.” The new man, Brice, eased closer to the side of the bed. “You’ve had a major trauma. Give it some time and you’ll remember on your own. Now let me check your wound.”
She winced when he pulled back the covers and lifted the shirt to look at her bandages. He gently lifted them then replaced them and covered her back up.
“Everything looks good. You’re healing nicely.” He smiled down at her then looked over at Owen. “You’re next.”
She watched him walk around the bed to look at all of Owen’s injuries. He nodded and finally settled the covers back around Owen. He didn’t look worried so she felt like Owen was doing fine, too.
“You’ve got some redness around the wound in your thigh, but it’s not bad. You need to watch it. If it gets worse or starts draining, it will need cleaning out to get rid of the infection. I think it will be fine, though.”
Simon followed the other man out, and she could hear them talking as they went downstairs. A little while later, she heard the front door open and shut. Simon didn’t immediately reappear. He was probably fixing something to eat. She knew by the way the sun was coming through the window that it had to be close to noon. She had no idea what day it was or how long she had been in bed. Everything was so blurry in her head.
“How are you feeling, babe?” Owen was squeezing her hand.
“My head doesn’t hurt as badly as before. I keep thinking of things that don’t make sense. You know? Like why do I remember canning tomatoes? I’ve never canned anything in my life.”
“Baby, a lot has happened in the last few years. You’ve forgotten it all for some reason. Probably that wound to your head. We live with Simon now, and he’s just as much your…”
“Don’t, Owen.” Simon’s voice stopped him from whatever he was going to tell her.
Skyler looked over at the other man as he walked further into the room. He had dark shadows under his eyes and his expression seemed strained. She was sure he was worn out from having to take care of everyone.
“Brice thinks that forcing her to remember anything could cause problems. She needs to remember on her own.”
“I don’t understand. What aren’t you telling me? What am I not remembering?” She felt panic rising in her stomach.
“It’s okay, Skyler. Just rest and everything will come back to you soon enough.” Simon patted her hand. “I’m going to bring up your lunch. I’ll be right back.”
Skyler watched him leave and once again felt like she had hurt him. She turned to Owen as much as she could and searched his face for some hint of what she was missing. His grim expression only tightened her chest.
“Don’t push it, baby. Brice is probably right. You need to remember on your own. I love you.”
“I love you, too but this is scaring me.”
“There’s nothing to be scared about.”
“Yes there is. I can see it in your eyes. I’m not going to like what I’m not remembering, am I?”
Owen pressed his lips on the back of her hand once again. His eyes pleaded with her to let it go. She would for now. She didn’t want him getting upset. He was badly hurt. How they had both gotten shot and weren’t in a hospital, she had no idea. She would have to wait and play it by ear until her memory returned.
Simon walked in with their meal, and the next few minutes were spent eating. It didn’t take long for her to grow tired once again. She fought sleep as long as she could, afraid that when she woke up next time something else would be different.
* * * *
“I don’t like holding the truth back from her, Simon.”
“I know, but Brice is afraid that with her head injury, forcing it could cause more problems. If she hasn’t remembered by the time she can get up and down, then the stimulation of how everything around her is so different will slowly set things right again.”
Owen drew in a deep breath and nodded. His body ached. He wanted to get up, but Simon and Brice didn’t want him moving around too much. He could sit up in bed more, though, and he let Simon help him up. When Skyler woke up again, they were going to sit her up as well. He wanted her up and around as soon as possible. Not only so she would remember again, but also because seeing her pale and confined to the bed scared him. He wanted her healthy and happy again.
“At some point we’re going to have to talk with everyone about the situation and make some decisions about sharing houses.” Simon’s voice jerked him back to the conversation.
“Yeah, I agree. How is Luke doing?”
“He’s better. His family has been here off and on to care for him. They are talking about moving him back home tomorrow. Brice thinks he’ll be fine to travel the short distance as long as they go slow.”
“Do you have a preference of who moves in with us?” Owen didn’t really. They had all been good people, banding together to take care of each other.
“Not really. I think it’s going to depend on who agrees and who doesn’t.
“We’ll have to do some rearranging and cleaning out. That last room is a total junk room.”
“I don’t like giving it up as a hideaway for Skyler. We’ll have to figure something else out and make it big enough for two women.” Simon looked over at where Skyler was gently snoring.
Owen watched a faint sad smile cross the other man’s face before he straightened up and walked back around to the chair. He figured the other man had to be worn out from sleeping in the chair.
“Why don’t you lie down next to Skyler for a little while, Simon? You need to rest or you’re going to end up sick from exhaustion.”
“I’m scared I’ll hurt her without meaning to. Plus, she’d probably have hysterics if she woke up to me sleeping next to her.”
Owen sighed and nodded. He was probably right in the situation they were in right now. When she woke up, maybe she would have remembered everything once again.
They talked softly for several minutes before Owen drifted off to sleep. When he woke up the next morning, it was to find that Simon was gone and Skyler was sitting up in bed with a pillow to her back.
“Hey.” He smiled at her.
“Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?”
“Better. What about you?”
“Good. I’m ready to get out of this bed. My butt is sore.”
Owen chuckled then groaned. It hurt to laugh. “Where’s Simon?”
“He’s helping some others get Luke down to the truck. They’re taking him home this morning. Brice said that I could sit up in the chair today for a while.”
“That’s great news, baby.” He hesitated then continued on. “Have you remembered anything?”
“No.” Her eyes clouded over with sadness. “I’m almost scared to remember now. Everything seems so different.”
“I know, Sky. Take things slow. It will come back when you’re ready to remember it.”
Owen heard the front door downstairs close. Then footsteps on the stairs let him know that Simon was on his way back up. When the other man appeared in the doorway, he had a slight smile on his face.
“Luke must be doing better.”
“He is. He actually woke up this morning before they showed up to move him. He’s going to be fine. You were sleeping well this morning. You missed all the cursing and everything when they started carrying him downstairs.”
“I don’t know. Something woke me up.” He grinned.
“Can I move to the cha
ir now, Simon?” Skyler interrupted them.
“Are you sure you want to this early?” Simon didn’t look convinced that she should.
“I’m sure. I want to sit up to eat breakfast. Besides, I’m tired of lying in bed.”
“She said her ass hurt.”
“Owen!” He grinned when her cheeks grew red from embarrassment.
“Well, we can’t have your ass in pain. I’ll help you move.” He winked at her and moved the chair. “Let me get the chair ready for you.”
When he had it like he wanted it, Simon bent over Skyler and started to pull the covers back from her waist.
“Wait! I don’t have anything on but a T-shirt.”
“That’s okay. I’m going to cover you up with blankets so you will be warm.”
“But…”
“Skyler. Simon has seen you naked before. It’s no big deal. Let him move you over to the chair.” Owen patted her hand and tried to reassure her.
Her face seemed to grow even redder than before and her mouth opened in a little O before she closed it and nodded her head. He and Simon exchanged glances. Then his friend leaned over and slipped his arms beneath her to lift her off the bed. Once he had her settled in the chair with several blankets wrapped around her, he hurried out of the room.
Owen could tell that his friend was hurting inside at Skyler’s inability to remember him and the relationship they had. He didn’t know what to do about it and finally came to the conclusion that there was nothing that he could do. Only time would heal the rift between the two.
* * * *
It was obvious that she had hurt Simon’s feelings. He wouldn’t look at her when he had brought her plate to her earlier. She couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable around him without clothes on. She didn’t remember him. Every once in a while she got glimpses of a memory that startled her then slipped away. For a brief second, she felt as if they had been lovers, and that just couldn’t be true. Could it?
She turned to look at Owen. He was sitting up in a chair on the other side of the bed. Simon had stripped the bed and remade it while they were both sitting up. Owen looked a little peaked from being up for so long. He probably needed to lie back down.
“Are you ready to go back to bed?”
Owen’s head jerked over to look at her. She almost laughed at the look of desperation that crossed his face.
“No. I’m not getting in that bed again until time to go to sleep. I’m sick of it.”
She giggled, holding her side to keep from jarring it. She felt the same way, but he was hurt much worse than she was.
“I’ll probably be ready for a nap after lunch. You can keep me company then.”
He smiled at her and nodded. “I can do that. It’s not quite lunchtime yet though. No need to get in bed now.”
“Owen?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“Were Simon and I… Um, did we—” She couldn’t seem to get the words out. What would Owen think of her if she asked that question and what she was feeling wasn’t real?
“What, Skyler?” His eyes seemed to be encouraging her to say it.
“I keep thinking I remember something, but it seems so wrong. I’m scared I’m just making something up in my head.”
“Just say it. I’ll tell you the truth, Skyler. I always have.”
“I know. It’s just that this is really weird. I mean I don’t really know Simon, but I get these snatches of memory that make me think that–that we’ve been, um, intimate.” She hurried through the last few words and looked down at her hands.
“Hey, look at me.” Owen’s voice was soft and kind.
She expected him to yell at her. When he didn’t, she slowly lifted her eyes that were suddenly blurry with tears.
“You and me and Simon all live together here in his house. You’re both of ours’ wife.”
She gasped. Her mouth fell open and then closed again before she was finally able to speak. Shock had her head pounding as more thoughts tumbled through it. Pictures of them having sex in the bed together with Owen and then alone.
“That’s illegal!”
“Not now, it’s not. Things have changed in the world, Skyler. Most families now are made up of a woman and two or even three men. It’s how we keep our women safe. You’ll start to remember more and more now, I think.”
She began to shiver and wished that Owen was closer to hold her. Her side ached from the tremors.
“Simon!” Owen yelled from across the room.
Skyler was so shaken that she never even heard him run up the stairs and into the room. All of a sudden he was holding her in his arms with her sitting on his lap. One hand held her lightly at the waist while the other one smoothed her hair. His chin was resting lightly on top of her head.
“Shh, baby. It’s all right now. Just relax.”
She could hear Owen talking to him in a soft voice now.
“She remembered that you and she had been having sex and it overwhelmed her I guess. I probably shouldn’t have pushed it when she hesitated to tell me, but I was so excited that she was remembering that I did it anyway.”
“Skyler is strong. She’ll be fine. She just needs to rest and think now. Isn’t that right, baby?”
She couldn’t answer him. Everything was bombarding her all at once. She couldn’t stop the memories as they came flooding back into her mind as if a dam had broken farther up river. Events and emotions tore through her as if they had all just happened yesterday. It hurt. She wasn’t sure she could handle it all.
Finally, the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings subsided and she was able to catch her breath. She found herself enveloped in Simon’s arms. It felt right despite her earlier panic at finding out that they had been lovers. Now she felt almost empty inside from all the intense emotions that had nearly buried her. The only thing left floating around in her head was guilt in the knowledge that she had hurt Simon in forgetting who he was to her.
“I’m sorry, Simon.” Her voice barely made it past her dry, cracked lips.
“For what, baby?”
“For not remembering how important you are to me. For not remembering how much I love you.”
She felt his sudden indrawn breath and the slight tightening of his hand at her waist. His other hand hesitated in its downward caress over her hair.
“You love me?”
“Yes. I love you. I remember wishing that I had told you sooner when the men were coming to get us in the basement. I thought that I was going to die or be taken away and never have told you that I loved you.”
“Oh, Sky. I love you, too. When I saw you covered in blood, I thought I had lost you forever. I’ve never been so afraid in my life.”
She wrapped her arm around him and squeezed as much as she was able to. Never would she let a day go by without telling her men that she loved them. They were the most important things in her life.
“We’re going to be making some changes as soon as everyone is well again,” he told her.
“What kind of changes?” She pulled away to look up at him.
“Changes to make sure that you are always safe. I don’t ever want to have to worry about you like that again.”
Skyler wasn’t sure what sort of changes he had in mind, but as long as she wasn’t going to lose either one of them, she would be happy with them.
“I want to hear more about these changes you’re talking about.”
Owen’s bark of laughter reminded her that her other lover was sitting across the bed from her. She turned and scowled at him.
“I suppose you have a hand in these changes, too.”
“Of course, baby. We work together to keep you safe and happy and always will.”
Chapter Sixteen
Winter’s tight hold slowly loosened over the next few weeks, and Skyler felt as if she could finally breathe easier. Owen was back to doing chores with Simon now that he was fully healed. The two men had been driving her crazy ever since she had gotten back into the swing of things. Th
ey wouldn’t leave her alone for any length of time and followed her everywhere. Not only were they getting on her nerves, but they were wearing themselves out trying to keep up with everything while monitoring her.
She muttered under her breath that she couldn’t go to the bathroom in private as she was washing dishes one night and Owen heard her.
“It’s not that bad, baby.”
She turned and glared at him over her shoulder. “Yes it is. I haven’t had one moment’s privacy since the attack. I know you want to keep me safe, but this isn’t working.”
“Skyler. That’s enough. You know the dangers out there. We don’t have any other way of protecting you than to keep our eye on you.” Simon’s deep voice startled her as he walked into the room.
“What about combining families like they were talking about before? Then there would always be at least two men in the area all the time.” She dried her hands on her apron and fisted them on her hips.
“There are a lot of issues with that idea. Privacy being the main one.” Simon frowned.
“Sometimes you have to make concessions. You know that.”
“It’s not the only issue. We don’t know that it would be that much more effective. Taking a chance without thoroughly exploring all the options is just asking for trouble.”
“Who’s doing the thorough investigation?” She couldn’t help the bite in her voice.
“Hold on, you two. Let’s not get all riled up. Simon, you’re intentionally baiting her.” Owen shook his head.
“Why do you say that?” He wouldn’t look at Skyler, which told her that Owen was right.
“Simon.” Owen frowned now.
The other man sighed and finally looked at her with a rueful expression. She could tell that he was enjoying this.
“We’re all meeting next week to vote on the issue and iron out the particulars of combining households. I was going to tell you tonight at dinner.” He glared over at Owen.
She pursed her lips to hold in the smile of triumph that threatened to break through. It wouldn’t do any good to gloat on the matter. Still, the news thrilled her. She would have another woman in the house who she could spend time with and talk to. They would share chores and ultimately have a little more time to relax with their men.
