by A C Warneke
“I’ve been sitting here for two hours while you’ve been sleeping,” Asher said. “I’m supposed to call your mom as soon as you wake up so she can bring Jolie in.”
“I’m awake,” Harrison growled, trying to push his aching body into a more upright position before he remembered his leg was in a cast as well. Glaring at his cousin, he said, “What happened with Ana?”
For a moment, a flash of guilt or remorse sparked in Asher’s eyes but it was quickly hidden beneath the usual cocky arrogance Harrison had grown used to over the years. Leaning forward in the chair, Asher lowered his voice as he glanced towards the door and then back. “I probably shouldn’t say anything but I think it’s better if you heard it from me instead of reading about it online.”
“What?” Harrison bit out, not appreciating his cousin’s theatrics when his guts felt like they were being scrambled with a hot skewer.
“Dude, she’s having another man’s baby.”
Harrison squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the pain before it reached his heart and struck him dead on the spot. What the fuck happened in California? God, what if he was the one who fucked up and he couldn’t deal with the guilt? What if his betrayal had sent her into someone else’s arms? He could come up with a million scenarios in his head and he had no idea which one it was. Maybe Asher had lied earlier when he said it wasn’t him. After all, his cousin had made no secret about his interest in Ana, even pursuing her when she had been taken. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at Asher, “Is it your child?”
Asher jerked back against the chair, his eyes widening in disbelief and… hurt. “How could you think that of me?”
Harrison arched an eyebrow and was only slightly mollified when Asher had the sense to look ashamed. But then another thought occurred to him, one that he would have thought of sooner if his head wasn’t so fucked up. “How do you even know she’s pregnant?”
This time, the look of regret was even stronger, though his eyes were burning with excited anticipation. “The story is everywhere, man. Apparently she accosted Nolan Mars at a party last night and told him she was pregnant with his baby. He looked damn excited for a man who had just been sentenced to impending fatherhood.”
Harrison understood the words but he couldn’t wrap his head around them. Jesus, did he do something in a previous life that made all of the women he fell in love with cheat on him? Of course, if Carrie hadn’t cheated on him, he never would have met Ana, never would have fallen in love with Ana. Never would have had his heart cut out by Ana.
No, there was something wrong about the story, he just couldn’t put his finger on what. Maybe he should have gotten a bigger ring when he proposed, maybe he should have flown out to California and begged her to come home with him, maybe he should have never fallen in love with her. There were a thousand maybes and nothing that made sense. The story Asher was telling didn’t make any sense with what he knew about Ana. Of course, he had only known her for a few short months and the rest was lost. For now, at least. He just wasn’t sure he wanted to remember.
Before he could sink any further into depression, the door swung open and his little girl burst into the room, a brilliant smile lighting her entire face. She flung herself onto the bed and he didn’t even care how much it hurt his ribs when she threw her arms around his neck. “Daddy!”
“Sweetheart,” he breathed, closing his eyes as he hugged her with his one good arm. Holding her tight, he knew that as long as he had Jolie, the world would keep on spinning.
*****
With a smile of relief on her lips, Ana spied on the reunion between father and daughter a moment longer. As badly as she wanted to burst into the room, she couldn’t intrude upon this moment. Jolie had to have been insane with worry and seeing her father for the first time since the accident was time she needed to have alone. Taking a step back, she startled when the door opened and Asher stepped out.
Without saying a word, he wrapped his fingers around her arm and dragged her down the hall, away from Harrison’s room. When they reached the chapel, he pushed open the door and tugged her inside. After making sure they were alone, he turned on her with a grim expression on his face and said, “It’s a good thing I caught you before you made a fool of yourself by going in there.”
“Asher,” she gasped, tugging out of his iron grip. Taking a step away from him, only stopping when she bumped against the pew, she said, “I wasn’t going to interrupt them.”
“You don’t understand,” he grimaced, dragging his fingers through his hair. Pacing back and forth in the small chapel, shaking his head, he finally stammered out, “He doesn’t remember you, Annie. He’s forgotten the entire past year. He’s forgotten you.”
Reaching behind her, Ana grabbed the pew to keep herself steady as her heart skipped a beat or six in her chest and her brain whirled through a million scenarios. “It’s only temporary, though, right?”
Asher came to a stop as he gave her a look filled with pity. “I’m afraid not. The doctor said that in cases where there was too much damage in the prefrontal lobe memory loss was permanent. Harry was lucky to retain any memories whatsoever.”
Oh, god, this was even worse than she expected. Pressing a hand against her stomach, she stared past Asher and tried to figure out her next move. If he didn’t remember her, could she make him fall in love with her again? She had the latest Justice Kane novel, the one he had written over their time together, and she could give it back to him. The proof copy had been sitting on his desk when she went to his house that morning and even though she knew she shouldn’t take it, she couldn’t resist. Instead of sleeping, she had taken a shower and then she had read the entire book, falling in love with Justice and Harrison all over. In her opinion, it was the best Justice Kane novel yet, and not just because it was dedicated to her and the entire novel was basically a love letter to her.
The story was rich and complex, and the growth of Justice from an undead necromancer to a powerful dragon in his own right was a thing of beauty.
She hadn’t even realized Harrison had been so close to publishing it even though he had told her weeks ago that he had wrapped up the first draft. The beautiful man had kept her in the dark, just as she had kept him in the dark about the possible movie deal. Her lips almost started to curve into a smile until she wondered why she was even thinking about the book now when she should be thinking about Harrison. The smile vanished as she considered the possibility of handing him the book and telling him that she was his Mercy. Or was that too… weird?
“Ana,” Asher murmured in a husky voice, bringing her back to the present and reminding her that she wasn’t alone. A wall of heat pressed against her back as strong, male hands clasped her shoulders. In a velvety rasp against her ear, Asher continued, “Do you remember how it was between us?”
Ana closed her eyes, the memories becoming jumbled in her head at Asher’s confusing and, frankly, inappropriate behavior. Harrison was just down the hall with no memory of her and Asher wanted to rekindle a romance that was long dead? “Honestly? No.”
“Liar,” he chuckled. Was he seriously flirting with her right now?
Just because she didn’t want to remember didn’t mean she couldn’t remember. After all, he had made her laugh and she had had fun with him despite the way it had ended. But that was neither here nor there because she was with Harrison, even if he didn’t remember her. Swallowing, she repeated her earlier answer, “No.”
His dark laughter mocked her, “Even if he ever got his memories back, you need more than what Harry can offer you, Ana. You need passion and Harry is strictly vanilla.”
She nearly choked on her incredulous laughter. Didn’t he know that vanilla was, strictly speaking, an incredibly rich, complex flavor? But that was neither here nor there because Harrison was far from bland, with more passion in his little toe than just about anyone she knew. And once he fell in love with her again, she was going to relish every single moment with him. Running her tongue over her low
er lip, she said, “That’s none of your business.”
“Ana, you have to know that I’ll always be there for you,” he crooned, drawing his fingers down her arm in an almost loving caress. His words raised an alarm in her head but she wasn’t certain why. “We could be so good together.”
“Asher,” she sighed. “The only reason you want me is because you can’t stand failure.”
“That’s not true,” he protested, his fingers still moving over her skin.
“It doesn’t matter, Asher,” she told him, turning around to look him in the eye so he could see how serious and determined she was. “I will fight for Harrison no matter how long it takes.”
Asher snorted, his eyes drifting over her face, along her neck, down the front of her body, and coming to a rest on her stomach. Looking back at her face, he made a mocking sound as he reached up and grabbed a strand of her hair. Twirling it between his fingers, he said, “Are you trying to worm your way back into his heart after what you’ve done? Now that he’s forgotten you, do you really think it will be that easy to pass off another man’s child as his?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she shot back.
Releasing the hair, his hand was suddenly plastered over her stomach. Lowering his voice to a cruel growl, he said, “Nolan Mars’s bastard in your belly says otherwise.”
It took a few moments for Asher’s words to sink in because they were so absurd. “What the Hell, Asher? Even for you, this is too insane.”
“It’s all over the internet,” he sneered. “With pictures and everything.”
“It’s not true,” she whispered, the gears in her head shifting once more to the new development. She’d have Abby contact Nolan and make him tell everyone what had actually happened… unless he was too drunk to remember, which was a distinct possibility. No, as soon as Harrison was released from the hospital, she’d stick to his side like glue until he realized she was the one he was meant to be with. She’d tell him their history… they’re extremely brief history, no matter how intense it had been. Would he believe her, especially once she started to show? God, her life had become one of those cheesy romance novels that she loved to read. Unfortunately, living a cheesy romance was far, far different than reading one and she didn’t think she liked it at all, not even a little bit.
“I figured if you’d spread your legs for the likes of Nolan Mars, you’d spread them for me,” Asher said. He opened his mouth to spew more venom but the words were cut off when she slammed the palm of her hand across his face in a loud SMACK that echoed throughout the chapel.
“Go to Hell, you fucking dick hole.” In a low, furious whisper, she continued, “If what you said was true, which it isn’t, I would never sleep with you. Never.”
Cupping his bright red cheek, he asked in a low sneer, “How far along are you?”
“Three months,” she hissed fiercely as her mind raced with solutions. She didn’t care what anyone else thought of her as long as Harrison knew the truth…. But it didn’t matter because he didn’t remember her at all. God, if only he hadn’t lost his damn memory.
Asher let out a low whistle. “Jesus, you must have gotten knocked up shortly after you got to California.”
Slowly, she looked up and forced herself to meet his bitter gaze. “Actually, I got knocked up when Harrison flew out for the weekend in March. But it’s nothing for you to worry your pretty little head over because we’re already engaged and I’m going to marry him whether he remembers me or not.”
With that, she held up her hand with the perfect engagement ring on her finger. His lips parted in surprise but she didn’t care. There was too much to do and not enough time to do it in. Spinning on her heels, she left him standing there with that shocked expression on his stupid face. There was no choice for it now. She was going to have to fly back out to California, pack up her stuff and come back home. She’d move into her aunt and uncle’s house and plant herself on Harrison’s doorstep until he either remembered her and realized the truth or he fell in love with her again.
“Where are you going?” Asher asked, chasing after her.
“California,” she said, her thoughts already a million miles ahead. If she got a flight for that evening, she could pack her stuff and be back by the weekend. It would also give her enough time to prepare herself for Harrison’s reaction, or rather his non-reaction, the first time he saw her. Hopefully whatever injury that stole his memories didn’t affect his ability to write. The world would suffer a great loss if there were no more Harris Fallen books, whether they were about Justice Kane or a new hero.
Taking a few steps, she stopped when the door opened and Mrs. Miller stepped in. Glancing at Asher, she considered the possibility that he had lied to her about everything. As a kernel of hope took root in her chest, she said, “Mrs. Miller.”
The older woman’s head shot up at the sound of Ana’s voice and she looked like she was ready to turn around and walk the other way. Instead, she took a shaky hand and smoothed it over her hair as she plastered a polite if distant smile on her face. “Ana.”
“Tell me about Harrison,” Ana begged, closing the distance between them. “Does he remember me?”
Mrs. Miller paused for a moment, her eyes darting to Asher before she looked at Ana. Pursing her lips, she slowly shook her head no. “I’m so sorry, Ana, but he doesn’t remember you, not at all.”
The words crushed Ana’s heart and she hadn’t realized how much she had hoped Asher was lying until Mrs. Miller confirmed that he was telling the truth. Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she hesitantly asked, “Can I see him?”
“I think it would be best if you left him alone,” Mrs. Miller said, not without sympathy. “He’s already been through so much and it might be too… taxing if he was confronted by someone he no longer remembers.”
“Please,” Ana begged, tears welling in her eyes. Pressing a hand against her stomach, she didn’t miss the way Mrs. Miller’s lips tightened. Without thinking, she jerked her hand away from the telling gesture.
“You should leave now, Ana,” Mrs. Miller said dispassionately. “There’s nothing left for you here.”
Chapter 20
Sitting in her aunt’s living room, Ana tried not to fidget in her anxiousness to leave Minnesota so she could get back. Her sister had insisted they stay the week in case there had been any changes but so far there hadn’t. The couple of times she tried to get in to see Harrison at the hospital, someone was always there to keep her out. It didn’t matter that she tried to explain the misunderstanding, no one was willing to listen, more concerned about protecting Harrison than hearing the truth. She couldn’t blame them too much because they were only acting out of love and for now she’d let it slide. But when she got back, she was going to be prepared for war.
“I’m so glad you’re going to be moving back,” her aunt said with a genuine smile that lit her entire face. “It’s going to be so great having you around.”
“It will be,” Ana agreed, willing her sister to hurry up with her damn shower. It’s not like anyone would care that Abby was clean or not. It was a plane ride on a private jet and Ana just wanted to leave. Her eyes darted to the window and to the house across the street. In the time that she had been there, Harrison hadn’t been home yet. But that didn’t stop her from going over there and just hanging out. Because she was there anyway and had too many nerves to sit still for very long, she might have cleaned a little bit and she doubted there was a speck of dust remaining in his house. It really said a lot about her state that she willingly cleaned, since she hated cleaning under pretty much any circumstance.
Often, Abby would join her, though she usually remained on the couch while Ana behaved like a mad woman. They had discussed Ana’s options, from finishing out the internship, which was no longer a viable option, to how she was going to pay back the money. There had been some arguments over Ana’s preferred method of taking a loan out because she had other options, including her mot
her’s original offer. Abby had offered to give her the funds and she had also mentioned a trust fund that Maddox had set up when she was a baby but Ana didn’t want anything to do with it. Abby accused her of being too stubborn for her own good, that she should just accept the money, and she needed to stop being a brat. Still, it was nice having her sister there.
“Everything will work out,” her aunt said softly. Ana’s head snapped around and she blushed, feeling guilty that she wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation. Her aunt chuckled, “I knew the moment I met Harrison that the two of you would be perfect together.”
Ana blushed harder and even though he didn’t remember her, at least for the moment, she still smiled. “I hope so. I really do.”
A car pulled into Harrison’s driveway and without thinking, Ana stood up and went over to the window. She didn’t recognize the car but she still watched, hoping to catch a glimpse of Harrison, just to get her through the next few weeks, since she had to make a quick stop in Arizona before she could return. Seeing him, knowing that he was okay, was all she really needed. But it was his mother that got out of the driver’s seat which made her want to cry. Until she remembered that Harrison had a broken leg and probably couldn’t drive. She held her breath but no one else got out, even after Mrs. Miller unlocked the front door and went inside. Ana’s shoulders slumped and she went back to the couch, depressed that she wasn’t going to see him before she left.
Her aunt’s chuckle was tinged with worry but Ana didn’t want her aunt to worry. Pasting a smile to her face, she said, “You’ll have to take a picture of him when he comes home and send it to me. I want to see that he’s okay.”
“Of course,” Helen said easily. Biting her lower lip, she continued, “Perhaps I could talk with him….”
Ana shook her head, “I don’t want to cause him any problems. I think it will be better if I introdu… re-introduce myself to him when I get back.”
