Tell Me Lies (35 page)

              “Darren is gone. He got a job in San Francisco. He didn’t push me into the path of that car. No matter what any of us think of him, he’s not a monster. We just brought out the worst in each other. I lied to him and he cheated on me. We are over and I wish him well.”

              “Do you forgive me? I know you must have been furious with me for not answering all your questions,” Jonas asked, turning on the bed to face her.

              “I wasn’t angry, frustrated maybe, but never angry. I won’t say that I understood why the doctors didn’t want anyone telling me what I was missing, but I can’t say I am upset with anyone for going along with their recommendations. But I have it all back now and there are a few things I don’t want to forget, ever again.”

              Jonas took both her hands in his and placed kisses on her knuckles. “Just a few things?” he asked.

              “One in particular,” she said, easing her right hand from his grasp. “I saw your mother when I was in New York. Actually, she is the reason I am here so soon. She persuaded Gray to let me borrow a private plane. Anyway, we talked and she gave me this…” she said, reaching into the bedside drawer to pull out a small black box.

              “That’s…” he began.

              “It is…” she said, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “When we were at the cabin, I know we agreed that we rushed our relationship and that if we ever got back to each other that we would slow things down, take our time…”

              Jonas took the box from her shaky hand and opened it to reveal the engagement ring that he had bought for her in New York City at Christmas. “We were so happy that day…,” he whispered, taking the ring from its velvet pillow. “Can we be that happy again?” he asked, looking at the ring and the way it sparkled in the light.

              “I don’t know. I would like to think so,” Paige said, swiping at the tear slipping down her cheek.

              Jonas looked at her, thumbed away another tear and cocked his head to the side. “What do you say? Should we give it another whirl?” he asked.

              Paige smiled and nodded her head. “I was hoping you would ask.”

              “Would you do me the great honor, of being my wife?” Jonas asked, slipping the ring on her finger.

              Paige nodded. “Yes.”

              Jonas pulled her down to the bed with him, holding her tight against his chest. He closed his eyes, breathing in the sweet smell of her perfume. At one point, he had thought he had lost her, that she would never regain her memories of their brief love affair. He had resigned himself to having to move on without her, to never feeling her against him again.

              To have her in his arms once again, to know that she loved him and wanted to be with him, was overwhelming. Taking a deep breath, Jonas counted his many blessings. Life was good and it filled his heart.

“I love you. We will take our time, do things right. No secrets and no lies. I will make you the happiest woman in the world, I swear it.”

              Paige pulled from his loving embrace and looked into his blue-green eyes. “You already have.”

~*~