Remember Me: Oakville Series:Book Two (2 page)

“Amber, I'll be back in a few hours to check on you. If you need anything, the nurses will get me,” Dr. Scarn tells me on his way out the door. I nod my head and try to smile.

“I’m Lee Beasley, your dad. You can call me Beasley, everyone does. Do you mind if I sit with you for a while?”

“Not at all. Will Kyle be okay?” I ask, wiping the tears from my face. Beasley sits in the chair next to my bed.

“He’ll be fine. He's been so worried about you, he hasn’t left this hospital in three weeks. I think he’s just overstressed and needs to clear his head.”

“How long have I been married to him?”

“Well, the accident happened on your wedding day. The two of you have known each other since you were both very young.” He smiles, as if remembering something happy. Beasley seems like such a nice man. I must be very lucky to have a father like him. I wonder if we are close.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“Are you sure you’re up for it?”

I nod and he begins to tell me about my wedding day. It sounds like it was so beautiful and perfect. From everything he describes, Kyle and I are very much in love. My heart warms, knowing that I cared so deeply for the man in here just moments ago. Then, he tells me about Beau. I can't help but feel a slight relief at not remembering. Why would someone do such awful things? It doesn't make sense to me. The slight pang in my heart returns as I realize how hard this must be for Kyle. I wish I could take his pain away. I feel something wet on my hand and look down. It’s a tear. I didn’t even realize I was crying.

“Amber, are you okay? I can stop. I shouldn’t have told you this so soon.”

“No, I need to hear it. I'm hoping it will help me to remember something. I just... I feel so connected to Kyle even though I don’t remember him. I hate that he's hurting.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. It's going to take a lot more than amnesia to break the bond you and Kyle share.”

“Can you tell me more about my life with Kyle? Please?”

“I’ll tell you everything I know.”

For the next hour, Beasley tells me all about my life. I learn of my grandparents, who sound amazing. He tells me about my mother and Charles and the terrible way they died. Then, he fills me in on the six-year separation between Kyle and me. Finally, he tells me about everything leading up to the accident. By the time he finishes, I’m exhausted. My eyelids flutter as I drift in and out of consciousness, trying my best to stay awake.

“I will come by and see you again in the morning. As long as it’s okay with you?” Beasley asks, obviously noticing how tired I am.

“I would really like that. Thank you for staying and telling me all that you did.”

“Anytime. Everything is gonna be okay. I promise. We will get through this together. You’re not alone, Amber,” he says as he kisses my forehead. I give him a smile before he walks out the door. I sure hope he’s right.

W
HEN
I get to the bar, I grab a bottle of whiskey and head to my office. I sit on the leather sofa in the corner. Opening the bottle, I lift it to my lips, and take a long swig. I welcome the burn of the whisky as it travels down my throat. I don’t care as long as it stops this ache in my heart for just a little while. Why does it seem like the universe is trying to keep Amber and me apart? Every time I think we are finally going to be together and happy, something comes along and fucks it up.

Over and over, I prayed that she would wake up. When she does, I think my prayers have been answered, but I knew by the way she looked at me that something was wrong. I always thought we could get through anything together, but how can we get through this if she doesn’t even know who I am? How the hell do I fix that? I take another swallow of the whiskey. It’s not helping, only clouding my thoughts. Like I wasn’t confused enough. Fuck it. I’m not going anywhere tonight anyway. I might as well drink until I’m numb.

I open my eyes when I hear the door open. Amber is standing there looking at me hungrily. My heart beats faster at the sight of her. She closes the door and slowly saunters over to me. I take in the beauty that is my wife. I just watch her, afraid that if I move or speak, she’ll disappear. My pulse quickens and I can feel myself harden. Damn, if I don’t calm myself I’ll be finished before she even touches me. When she reaches the couch, she smiles that breathtaking smile, and then lowers herself onto my lap. Her short denim skirt slides high up her thighs exposing her soft creamy skin. Drawn to them like a magnet, my shaky hands slowly caress her. Leaning down she begins trailing soft kisses along my neck as she runs her hands through my hair. I close my eyes and enjoy the feel of her body on mine and her warm breath on my skin. I want to tell her how much I’ve missed her, but before I can, something or someone is ripping her from my arms. I tighten my grip on her but it does no good. As soon as her body leaves mine, I feel empty.
“Amber! Don’t go! Please don’t leave me again,” I cry out
.

Snapping my eyes open, I realize my head is still foggy from all of the alcohol. Was I dreaming? I hear a screech, then a thud.

“What the fuck?” I shout as I look over and see Holly holding Leena against the wall by her throat. “Please tell me that wasn’t her kissing my neck,” I plead.

“Oh, it was. Please tell me you had no idea what was going on so I don’t have to kick your ass next,” Holly growls.

“He knew what he was doing. He wants me just as much as want him,” Leena taunts, struggling to remove herself from Holly’s grasp.

“I was passed out. I was dreaming about Amber. I thought I was holding Amber.” I’m starting to lose it. Reality is sinking in once again. Not only was Amber not in my arms, but Leena was trying to take advantage of the situation. “I had no fucking idea she was in here doing that shit. Holly, you know I would never do that to Amber.” I give her a pleading look, begging her to understand that I would never hurt Amber. Holly is hurting too; I can see the pain in her eyes. She loves Amber and it kills her to see Amber hurt in any way.

Before I can register what is about to happen, Holly’s fist connects with Leena’s face.
Crack.
Leena wails as blood sprays from her nose.
Ouch.
Holly let’s Leena out of her grip and she drops to the floor, crying and holding her nose. Holly grabs a towel out of the closet and throws it at Leena.

“Don’t get any blood on the floor. I’m not cleaning it up and you no longer work here. I warned you not to fuck up again.” There is so much venom in Holly’s voice, I’m afraid she is going to go after her again.

“You can’t do that, you’re not my boss,” Leena whines. Both girls look to me for confirmation.

“Yes, she is. Even if she weren’t, I agree with her anyway. You have been asked to stop more than once. This went way over the line.” Before she can start to protest, my office door opens and in walks Jax with a bewildered look on his face.

“What the hell is going on?” He looks at Leena and she looks down at her lap. “What did you do now, Leena?” His voice isn’t one of concern. He sounds plain pissed. It seems he’s used to his cousin’s antics. When Leena doesn’t answer his question, he looks at me. Great. Just what I need. He already thinks I’m no good for Amber; here is the perfect thing to twist around to make me look like the bad guy.

“I was passed out on my couch and Leena decided to take advantage of the situation,” I tell him truthfully. I didn’t do anything wrong, so there’s no reason to lie. Jax glares at Leena. If this were a cartoon, his face would be bright red and smoke would be coming out of his ears.

“Why? You promised me you would stop going after Kyle. When will you learn to leave people who don’t belong to you alone?” He shakes his head. “I think it’s time you go back home to Atlanta. You have caused more than enough trouble here.” She starts to protest, but Jax shoots her a look and she stops. “Let’s get that nose looked at, I’m pretty sure it’s broken,” Jax says as he helps her off the floor.

“Sorry, Jax. I didn’t mean to hit her that hard. She just...”

“Don’t worry about it, Holly. I know my cousin, I’m sure she deserved worse than this. I should be apologizing for bringing her here in the first place. You don’t need this shit right now, Kyle. Not with everything else you have to deal with. I’ll make sure she gets back to Atlanta,” he says as he helps Leena out the door. When the door closes behind them, Holly marches up to me.

“I know you’re hurting and I get it, but drinking is only going to make it worse. Next time, I may not be around to keep you from making a mistake that can’t be taken back. Go upstairs to the apartment, sleep it off, and in the morning, go see your wife.” She walks out the door before I can respond.

Holly is right. Drinking is only going to bring me trouble. I am just so fucking lost right now. I’m so fucking happy and relieved that Amber is awake and doing okay, but the fact that she doesn’t know who I am is killing me. It’s like being an alcoholic in a room full of booze, but it’s just out of reach. You want it so badly, but you just can’t seem to get it.

First thing tomorrow, I’ll go see Amber. Nothing is going to keep us apart. If I have to, I’ll make her fall in love with me all over again. She may not remember all of the things we’ve shared, but I do. I have to fight for her. I can’t give up. Not yet.