Help Me Remember (Rose Canyon, #1)(56)

Another step. “Then tell me. Please, just tell me so I can know.”

He leans his forehead against mine before pressing his lips to the same spot. Spencer lets out a breath through his nose. “I want to, but I can’t.”

Another door slams, but this time, I don’t jump. This time, I feel calm and secure. He’s right here, looking down at me, and I search for something to explain why I feel this way with him. A knock comes almost a second later, breaking the moment, but I don’t move away from him until the person on the other side knocks again.

Throwing on my best smile, I open the door, and Charlie is there with a man in a tux.

“Good, you’re still here,” Charlie says, looking like a supermodel. “This is my husband, Mark Dixon.”

He extends his hand, and I shake it. “I’m Brielle.”

“It’s great to meet you,” he says and then sees Spencer. “Cross! Who knew that you could look like something other than a bag of ass?”

Spencer laughs and walks to him. They shake hands and do that manly hug where there’s a lot of back slapping. “Good to see you, Twilight. It’s been a long time.”

“Well, when I heard we were out here guarding someone on your request, I figured I should come see what’s going on in this . . . small fucking boring town.”

They laugh, and Spencer jerks his head toward me. “Brie has managed to find the only trouble that exists in Rose Canyon.”

I shrug. “Guilty, I guess.”

Charlie smiles. “I think trouble finds beautiful women.”

“She would know,” Mark says with a smirk. “That one can find trouble where it doesn’t even exist. I swear she makes it just to have fun.”

“Yes, because you’re the poster child for saintly living,” she chides.

Mark walks back over, wrapping his arm around her back. “I am divine.”

She rolls her eyes and focuses back on me. “Anyway, we’re heading over and didn’t see you guys exit the apartment, so I wanted to check on things and make sure we are all on the same page for tonight.”

“I really don’t think anything is going to happen at the MOTY awards.”

I understand why I need security, to some extent, but I wish if something were to happen, it would already. It’s been over three weeks and not even a peep.

“Sometimes, it’s the places we think we’re safe that we actually aren’t,” Mark says.

Spencer and I glance at each other and then I look away. I just said how safe I felt with him. He just warned me I shouldn’t.

Charlie steps forward. “Has something happened?”

“No, why?”

She smiles softly. “No reason, but if someone has contacted you and it slipped through our safeguards, you need to tell us.”

“I would. I haven’t had any strange calls or messages. No one has been following me around or threatening me.”

“Good.” Mark nods once. “Let’s head out and see what this Man of the Year thing is all about.”

Charlie looks at me. “Make sure you have your keys.”

Right, the button is on my key ring. I grab those, toss them in my clutch, and head for the door. Before I get there, Spencer’s fingers wrap around my wrist, halting me. “What?”

“Are we . . . okay?”

God, that one question has so many damn possible answers. “Are we going to have fun tonight?”

“I hope so.”

“Do you have water balloons strategically placed anywhere?” I ask with a grin.

He laughs. “I wish I did.”

I tilt my head. “Hopefully, you have better evasion skills tonight then.”

“So, you have them hidden?” Spencer asks.

I lean in, my lips grazing his ear. “You’ll just have to wait to find out.”

I kiss his cheek, and he chuckles. “God, I love—like being around you.”

He extends his elbow, like the gentleman he’s always been, and I take it. We lock up and make our way to where Charlie and Mark are waiting by the main entrance. “We’ll follow you in our car,” she explains.

Spencer places his hand on my back, guiding me to where he’s parked. When we get to the sidewalk, I stop dead in my tracks. I blink back the tears that threaten to form.

In front of me is the red sports car from my memory. The one Isaac bought but Addison made him sell. I turn to look at him. “You have it?”

“He sold it to me and made me promise to keep it safe from your sister-in-law.”

My world seems as if it’s spinning backward. “Do you own it?”

“I do.”

Okay. So he’s who bought it. “For how long?”

He shrugs. “Not that long.”

“How long?”

“Brielle, I want to answer you, but we both know that these questions lead us down a very dangerous path.”

“No lies,” I repeat his words.

“Exactly, it’s better if we avoid talking about specifics, okay? Besides, does it matter how long I’ve had it? I could’ve bought it two days ago and that doesn’t change anything.”

“Did I ever get to drive it?”

He lets out a soft chuckle. “Isaac never let you, but you might get a different answer if you were to ask me.”