Help Me Remember (Rose Canyon, #1)(11)

I turn to him. “Will you stay for a while, please?” I ask.

Henry dips his chin. “Of course. I was planning on being here for the day, if that’s what you wanted.”

“I would. You’re one of the last things I really remember, and it would mean a lot if we could talk a bit.”

“Well, then,” Mom says quickly. “I’ll visit Addy. If you need anything, just have them call me.”

Henry and I walk back to my room, and I hold on to his outstretched arm. We’ve walked like this hundreds of times, just not in a hospital, and I settle into the familiarity of it. I look up at him, trying to see the differences that may trigger a memory.

“Do you smoke cigars?” I ask.

His head jerks back. “No, they’re disgusting. Why?”

“I just . . . I had a memory.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, but it was the taste of cigars, and I can’t place it. I thought maybe it was you.”

Henry shakes his head. “Definitely not.”

“So, what are we?”

I sit on the edge of the bed, and he takes the chair. “When your mom called, she explained that I’m not supposed to give you answers due to the memory lapse.”

Of course they got to him too.

“No, you’re not, but there’s this block of time that’s just gone,” I explain. “It’s really frustrating, and people not telling me anything is making it harder. I am not asking for all the details, just something about us now?”

He leans in and gathers my hands in his. “I can tell you that I love you.”

I smile and release a breath through my nose. “I know that. You’ve always loved me.”

“Since the day I met you.”

While it’s nice to be reassured, it doesn’t really answer my question. “Do we live together?”

He shakes his head. “No. I live in Portland, and you’re here.”

“Have you taken over your parents’ firm completely?”

“Not completely. Dad should retire in the next year. Right now, I’m managing a team and all high-priority accounts.”

Maybe it’s a memory because I think I already knew that.

“I really thought we were living together. It would make sense, especially since I remember the key so vividly.”

Henry laces our fingers together, lifting them between us. “It was a big night for us.”

“Did we get engaged?” I ask, already knowing I’m not wearing a ring. Even if they’d taken it off when I’d been admitted to the hospital, I would have a tan line from it, right?

He smiles, releasing my hand before brushing his knuckle against my cheek. “We’ll get to it all, but for now, you just have to allow yourself to heal and see how things turn out. Maybe you’ll find that you want things to go differently, and I don’t want to change your mind either way.”

There’s a hesitation in his voice, and I move back. “But what if things were perfect? What if I was happy and I choose the wrong path this time? What if we break up because this new version of me, who can’t remember anything, is really selfish and hates being away from you?”

“I’m not going anywhere, Brielle. I can take some time off in the next few weeks if you want. We can maybe spend time together and revisit the places we loved to go. Maybe it will help you remember.”

I breathe a little easier because I know that taking time off work is a huge issue in his life. His father is demanding and expects perfection, especially from him. If Henry is close to taking over, I can only imagine that suggesting that wasn’t easy.

Hope fills me that we found a way to make our relationship work. It was something that was a source of contention before, I never felt like I mattered when it came to his job. “Really? You’ll take time off?”

His smile is wide. “Yes, love.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for you,” he says before giving me a soft kiss.

Someone clears their throat, and I look over to see Spencer enter the room. “Sorry to interrupt.” He looks to Henry and then to me. “I wanted to check on you.”

My heart sputters a little at the sight of him. Spencer has always been the one that could wear the most hideous pattern or color and still be incredibly sexy. In slacks, though, Spencer is a freaking God. His broad chest looks as if it’s ready to split open the seams of his shirt. Each muscle is defined, and I force myself to focus on his face. It may be safer.

Nope. It’s not.

He trimmed his beard, and his dark green eyes are intense as he watches me.

Dear Lord.

I force myself to smile. “You’re not at all.”

“Henry,” Spencer says cordially, but there is an undertone of something brittle in his voice.

“Spencer, it’s nice seeing you under better circumstances.”

Spencer’s brow raises. “Brielle’s brother being killed and her having memory loss is a better circumstance?”

“I didn’t mean it that way.” Henry’s voice is light. “I meant that the last time—”

Spencer turns to me. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m better now.” I’d be much better if they’d explain the tension between them, which they won’t. “Did you hear about Addy?” I ask.