In Love with a Stranger

by Rose von Barnsley

  I rested my head on his shoulder for a while, letting what I could remember fall into place. I could now clearly recall all the details of when we’d first met, and I hoped to keep the memories coming. “I slept on the plane. We flew in first class. I remember being embarrassed about being up in the front of the plane and wondering if I’d ever be able to pay you back. That was the first time it ever crossed my mind that you’d send me home. We hadn’t spoken of me going to London with you, just to New York.”

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. I knew he hadn’t known that.

  “Your room only had one bed,” I smirked.

  “You were a virgin.”

  “You stayed on the couch that first night, and I woke up to you asleep on the floor.” I giggled at the memory. “I led you to the bed, sure you weren’t even coherent at the time.”

  He awoke looking worried. “I’m so sorry, beautiful. I don’t know how I got here. I swear I didn’t mean to…” I cut him off with a kiss and told him it was me.

  “That was the first time you called me beautiful. That was the first time we kissed.”

  It was chaste, but perfect. His ears turned red with his adorable blush. I laid down on him, my head on his shoulder, and that was the end of it. He slept in the bed the rest of the time we were together. Things progressed painfully slowly between us. He held me at night and kissed me, but never once tried to grope me. It made me insecure, and I wanted to know if I affected him at all. So when we were kissing on the couch after dinner, I just reached down and grabbed him. He fell off the couch shocked, his eyes wide. He was definitely hard, but wasn’t expecting me to be so forward. He looked so confused at me, but I was having none of that. I joined him on the floor, straddling him for the first time, taking our relationship from sweet kisses to so much more.

  It was me who’d wanted more and decided it was right to lose my virginity.

  He’d brought home the papers for me to get my passport two days before. I hadn’t filled them out, afraid he’d take me there and would abandon me, but over dinner, he asked me to look at some flats online with him. He needed to know what I wanted in a place. He made it very clear I was coming with him to stay. I saw no reason to wait anymore, he was mine, and I was his. Nothing was ever going to change that.

  Chapter 8 – Daddy

  HANNAH

  After our talk, William cleaned up our takeout and brought me a cool rag to wipe my teary face. Once he’d put that away, he brought me some water and eyed the blanket on the back of the couch. I was sure he was making note of it, just in case I needed it. He didn't even realize he was doing it. His steady hand and gentle touches proved the depth of his feelings and pulled at mine. I loved him. I always had, since the moment I’d met him, and now that I had my memories returning, my love was back in full force, as it had been before.

  In each new memory I recalled, William had doted on me in some way, whether it was a helping hand or a sweet observation that led to my needs being met. He cared for me so deeply it was second nature, and he didn't even notice how he moved around me, making sure I had everything I needed.

  I glanced at the clock. "It's getting late."

  He frowned, looking worried. "Can I sleep on the chaise downstairs? I promise not to bother you," he begged.

  "No." The word seemed to crush him, until I took his hand. "You'll sleep next to me, where you belong."

  He looked at me shocked. "Are you sure, Hannah? I don't want to push you. I'm okay with the couch or the chaise or even the floor. I just…"

  I covered his mouth before he could ramble on. "My bed, William, it's where you've belonged since the first night we met. That hasn't changed."

  He nodded, still looking timid. God, I remembered how cute he’d been before, and he still was adorable. "I'll wait out here while you get ready for bed, then. Let me know when you're done."

  When he said those words, "Get ready for bed," I knew he was looking out for me. The seriousness of the situation hit hard, as soon as I closed my bedroom door behind me. Away from the humming touch and heavy draw, I started to panic. Did he want to do more? Did he think I wanted to do more? What should I wear? I didn't think I was ready to make love yet. I didn't want to give him the wrong impression. I settled on sweats. They covered everything, so he'd know I wasn't ready. I called him back into my room, and he stood nervously at the door. "I can sleep on the couch," he pointed at it.

  I considered telling him to do that instead, but when I took a step in his direction, I felt that pull again. I wanted him closer. I needed to touch him, so I did. I reached out and took his hand in mine, leading him over to the edge of the bed. His eyes darted from the covers to me several times. I turned them down, inviting him in, and then walked around to my side. I saw him swallow hard. "I don't want to mess this up. I can't lose you again," he whispered.

  "You won't."

  He unbuttoned his shirt and hung it on the bedpost, but made no move to take off his undershirt. I saw him shifting, and knew he was prying off his shoes. My breath hitched, when he reached for his belt. My face heated up, and my eyes hit the floor. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I saw him hang his belt by his shirt, and the covers moved. I peeked up to see he was still in his trousers, and I let out a sigh of relief. I literally dove onto him, snuggling into his side, like I remembered doing. He kissed the top of my head, and we fell fast asleep.

  We woke to Ophelia shouting, "Rise and shine!" from the living room. She’d yet to open the bedroom door, but we could hear her coming fast. I pulled up the blanket higher and hid my face in William's chest.

  "Morning, beautiful," he whispered, as he kissed the top of my head.

  The door swung open as she said, "You've got to tell me about your hot date…" She stopped in midstride, her eyes wide and focused on me snuggled into William's side. "Wow," she finally got out, since no one was saying anything else. "Man, you work fast, Greyson."

  William shook his head no.

  "It's him," I said, trying to tell her William was the one I’d been looking for.

  "I should say so," she taunted suggestively, referring to his sexual prowess.

  "No, he's the one."

  "That's so sweet, a bit fast, but…"

  "No, Ophelia, it's William."

  "I know William, silly. We've met."

  "The guy! He's the guy!"

  "Okay…" She was confused.

  "From the past, I'm the one she forgot," William stepped in to save me from my frustration.

  Her eyes grew comically wide. "Oh, my God! Oh, my…everything makes so much more sense now! No wonder you were acting all crazy creeper."

  William blushed and tried to hide his face in my hair.

  "Ophelia," I tried to reprimand.

  "Wait, do you actually remember him, or is he taking advantage of you?" she glared at him.

  I shifted to block her glare. "I remember him. He told me who he was last night, and then as we talked, it all came back. I remember everything." I suddenly needed to kiss him. I pressed my lips lightly to his, and then Ophelia had to fawn at us and ruin it.

  "Let me get you some coffee, while you catch up with your friend, beautiful." He slid out of the bed, making me pout. He gave me a quick peck on my cheek, before he disappeared out the door.

  Ophelia belly flopped on the bed. "Holy shit, Hannah, is it really him?"

  I nodded my head yes. "I'm positive, it's him, and he's so adorable. I love him so much. I can't believe it. It's so weird and scary, but just…gah!"

  She fell into a fit of giggles. "So, tell me about him."

  "It was crazy then, just like it feels crazy now. I only knew him for three hours before he asked me to come to New York with him, Ophelia, and I said yes! It was so intense. It is so intense." I looked over at the door, willing him to come back in. "He's just…we'd only known each other for three weeks, when he'd had to go back to England for work. We were waiting on my passport. We were looking at flats to live together in London. We talked about backy
ards for kids. He was just it. He still is, and it's scary how badly I need him."

  William walked in holding a coffee cup and handed it to me carefully.

  "She doesn't take it black," Ophelia informed him.

  "I know," he smiled proudly.

  It clicked in my head. "You remembered how I take my coffee. You still remember. That's how you got it right at the coffee shop," I accused, and he blushed but nodded yes.

  "My goodness, he's so cute, Hannah, you have to keep him," she ordered, while stealing a sip from my cup.

  "I'm sorry, how rude of me not to offer you a cup. Would you like one?" he asked Ophelia.

  "Only if you're getting one for yourself."

  "I don't like coffee."

  "YOU DRINK TEA!" I shouted at him. "I have tea."

  "You hate tea," they both said in unison.

  "I know, but when I pass the Earl Grey, I have to buy some. I never knew why. It's you. I was buying tea for you, and I didn't even know it." I was so proud of myself for tackling another memory. I remembered all of the big stuff. It was the little details, like his favorite tea, that I wanted to work on now.

  "That's so sweet," Ophelia fussed, waving her hands in front of her eyes, trying to keep from messing up her makeup.

  "Aunty Ophelia?" we heard my daughter call.

  "Oh, my God, Penny, he's Penny's dad!" she hissed. "Does she know? Does he know?" she looked frantically between us.

  William nodded yes and smiled widely, when little Penelope appeared in my doorway. "Why's everybody in here? Hi, Mr. Greyson, do you have my candy?" she asked, holding her hand out.

  We all burst out laughing. She pouted, climbing up on the bed next to me. "Good morning, sweetheart," I said, trying to think up a way to tell her about her father.

  WILLIAM

  My daughter was a cheeky little thing.

  "Penny, why don't we get you ready for school," Ophelia said, ushering her out of the bedroom.

  Hannah had a pout on her face, so I leaned in and kissed her to cheer her up. She gave me a weak smile. "I don't know how to tell her."

  I pulled her into my arms, afraid she wouldn’t want to tell Penelope she was my daughter. I took a deep breath, trying to hold myself together. "We'll figure it out together," I said to comfort her and myself as well.

  She turned around in my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. She kissed my lips softly and pulled back smiling. "Yeah, together."

  Those two words gave me so much hope. I kissed her again lightly, knowing we both had to get up and get dressed. When we pulled apart, we saw little Penelope standing in the doorway, looking at us curiously. I think Hannah and I both had deep red faces after that. "Aunt Ophelia is going to burn the bacon," she said plainly.

  I gave Hannah one last kiss on the cheek. "I'll take care of that."

  My daughter surprised me by taking my hand and leading me into the little kitchen, where Ophelia was hopping around. "I got it," I said, taking the spatula from her and quickly plated the bacon. I saw she had a second pan out sitting next to some eggs. "I've got this, why don't you two go set the table."

  Ophelia looked at me like I was crazy, but my daughter hugged my leg, before she took off out of the kitchen. I cooked the eggs in the bacon grease, because that was the only way eggs should be cooked if it was available. I didn't know how much they ate, so I made the full dozen. I made Hannah's eggs soft the way she like them and popped the bread into the toaster for her. I scrambled Penelope's, because that seemed the simplest for a little kid, and I cooked mine and Ophelia's all the way through.

  I brought in the plates of food and doled out the eggs as planned. There was an open place setting next to Hannah, so I sat by her, pleased that someone had set it there for me. "You girls did great setting the table," I directed my compliment more towards Penelope.

  "It's my job," she said proudly.

  We were halfway through our meal, when Penelope shocked us all. "So, you're my dad?" I looked at Hannah, not sure what to say. "You kissed my mom, and no one kisses her. You also have my eyes," Penelope tipped her head to the side, double checking. "You talk weird."

  "Penelope," Hannah was finally able to find her voice, but I didn't think she knew what to say, "That's not a nice thing to say," her voice wavered.

  "Where do you live?" Penelope pressed forward, not deterred by her mother at all.

  "London, England, but I've decided to move here." I looked over at Hannah, hoping for help. Was I supposed to confirm I was her dad? I didn't want to tell her I wasn't.

  "Why'd it take so long for you to come back? Is it a long way away, or didn't you love my mom anymore? Did you not want me?"

  I couldn't stand for this. I didn't care what Hannah wanted, there was no way I was letting my daughter believe I didn't want her. I quickly moved around the table. "Penelope, I swear to you, if I’d known where you and your mother were, I would've been here. I would've been here in a heartbeat. I never left on purpose. Things happened that…" I looked back at Hannah, looking for help.

  I was surprised when it was Ophelia who stepped in. "Penny, you remember us telling you about when your mom and I met a long time ago, when she was sick, and that was why you guys lived with me?" Penelope nodded her head yes. "Well, part of her being sick was she forgot who your daddy was."

  "FORGOT? How can you forget that?" Penelope asked wide-eyed.

  "She got a really bad bump on the head and lost her memory."

  "Like in the cartoons?" Penelope clarified.

  "Yes, just like that, and since she didn't remember who your daddy was or where she'd lived with him, they couldn't find each other. But your daddy found you guys now, and I don't think he's gonna leave anytime soon," Ophelia smiled and nodded at me.

  I shook my head no vehemently. "I'm never leaving again. I swear it."

  My daughter jumped into my arms, hugging me tight. I squeezed her back, fighting my tears and failing. Penelope finally stepped back, looking very serious. "So, since you're my dad, does that mean you can give me candy, even if mom says no?"

  We all burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, I think you'll find that I'll always do what your mum says. It's just easier that way." She let out a sigh with her shoulders sagging, and it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. "How about I talk to her about it? Maybe I can convince her that a little candy now and then never hurt anybody."

  Her face lit up with a bright smile. "Really?"

  I looked at Hannah, who rolled her eyes at me. "You're going to spoil her," she warned.

  "I've got some time to make up for."

  "This is great! I can't wait to tell Grandpa Scott I got a dad!"

  I saw Hannah go stiff. I knew talking with her father was going to be hard, but it needed to be done. Ophelia reached over and took her hand, sensing something was wrong, but wasn’t sure what.

  "It's time to go to school, honey. I want to take you today." Ophelia gathered up my daughter and headed out the door.

  "Hannah," I approached her slowly, not sure what she wanted me to say or do.

  "I can't…I know what he did, but why, William? Why would he do this to us? Why would he keep me from you, keep Penelope from her father? You'd think he'd know how important having a daddy is, and he just…"

  She was furious and crying at the same time. I didn't know if she wanted me to hold her or not. I settled for taking her hand in mine, so she could tug me to her if she wanted. She threw herself into my arms sobbing. I was furious with the bastard for hurting my girls and keeping them from me, but I didn't know what to do about it. I didn't want to get deported, and I was afraid I would be if I went after him. No, I had to leave it to Hannah. I had a feeling she’d do more damage to him than I ever could.

  Chapter 9 – Co-Crazy

  HANNAH

  When my daughter mentioned my father, all my anger came rushing back. He’d purposefully lied to me, to keep me away from William, to keep my daughter away from her father. I didn't give a damn that he didn't like William. He h
ad no right to make that choice.

  I climbed out of William's lap, where I’d been crying. I was so hurt by my dad. I couldn't believe he'd done that to me. I snatched my cell phone off the counter and dialed his number, putting it on speaker phone. I wanted William to hear the bullshit my father was spewing. He had a right to hear the lies and dispute them to the best of his abilities.

  "Hey, baby girl, how are you and my little Penny doing?" my dad answered his phone cheerfully.

  "William Greyson," I said the name to see how he'd react.

  He was silent for a moment, and then he asked, "Who's that, honey?"

  "Who? You're asking me who? Why don't you tell me who the hell William Greyson is, Dad?" I shouted at him, and William pulled me into his arms, trying to calm me.

  I heard my dad let out a sigh. "He's not someone you want to mix with, Hannah. He's not someone you really know."

  "I know him well enough that you should've told me who he was!" I snapped.

  "You don't need to know who he is. He's trouble, that's what. Stay away from him. Nothing but trouble follows them foreign folk, especially his hoity-toity kind."

  "He's Penelope's father! How could you keep him from her? How could you keep them apart? You're a dad! How would you feel?" I shouted, furious.

  "That's exactly what was planned, wasn't it? You running off with a stranger to some foreign country, where he could get away with murder, and I’d lose you forever. I’d never see you again! Nuh-uh, not gonna happen on my watch, you stay away from him, Hannah. You don't talk to him. It's not safe, not his kind."

  "You’re being ridiculous and unreasonable, just like last time. I can't believe you! Your prejudice and irrational fear of foreigners warped your stupid mind into thinking your heinous crime was justifiable!"