Help Me Remember (Rose Canyon, #1)(86)

All too soon, she drops back down, both of us struggling to catch our breaths. “I remember the shooting and who did it.”

“Did you tell Emmett?”

“I did. I have to talk to the DA in an hour. I . . . I just needed to see you. I needed to make this right.”

“You being here is right.” And I was right too about Emmett. It’s why he was heading out there. “Where is Quinn?”

“He’s right there.” She points to the chair on the porch.

“Don’t mind me,” Quinn says. “I’m just glad I got to witness this. She’s cried so much over the last few days, that it’s nice to see her smile.”

It’s the best thing in the world. “Brie, you’re not safe now that your memory has returned.”

“You won’t let anyone hurt me.” The confidence in her voice is too much for me. I’ve been in agony these last few days. I’ve missed her so much that it felt as if everything in my life had been upended.

“No, but we still shouldn’t take chances. Plus, I want to hear everything.” I usher her up the steps, and Quinn stands, jerking his head to indicate he has information to share. “Can you let Quinn tell me whatever he needs?”

“Sure.”

As soon as she goes inside, he comes closer. “Listen, I know that you know. If you didn’t, you would’ve asked her who it was the second she told you her memory returned. She told me the name and what happened, but I don’t have a good description. Can you . . .”

“I’ll grab the file in a second.”

“As soon as we had a name, we started digging, but he hasn’t been seen in weeks. I do find it strange that no one in town thought that was suspicious. It seems like a place where everyone knows everyone,” he notes.

“They moved here a few weeks before the shooting, so I don’t think they were here long enough for anyone to notice. Still, the fact that they’re gone is alarming. I have no idea where they went. The youth center was so focused on losing Brie and dealing with the town mourning the loss of Isaac, so it was likely the best time for them to disappear.”

He scratches the back of his neck. “Do you think he got whatever he was looking for in her office and fled?”

“Wouldn’t you if you were him? We’ll still find him,” I vow. Not only did this man take away my best friend, he almost stole the woman I love.

Like I said before, there is no stone I will leave unturned. I will find him, and he will pay for what he did.

We walk to my car where I grab my file with the information and the thumb drive with the video. “Here is what I have.”

Quinn smirks. “See, I knew you’d do some good while you were all sad about losing your girl. I’ll get this to my people and see what they can come up with.”

I give him a small smile and clap him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man. Now, I am going to need at least three hours with Brielle . . . uninterrupted.”

He laughs. “You do your thing. I have some work to do. Lock the door, though.”

“I will.”

I head inside, and Brie isn’t in the living room. So, I walk through the house, checking the rooms, and then I find her in my office.

On the desk is my notepad that I started the story on. She’s reading it, oblivious to the fact that I’m watching her.

As she flips to the second page, I interrupt, not wanting her to get any farther. I got a little dark when I started to write about the panic button. “You know it’s rude to read someone’s story without their permission,” I say, slightly joking.

Her head turns quickly. “Oh, God. I’m sorry—” She stops herself. “No, I’m not, actually. You’re not just someone, you are—or, were—my fiancé. And . . . it’s about me.”

“Am,” I correct. “I am your fiancé, and you are my whole fucking world.” I step into the room, and she nibbles on her lower lip. “How far did you get?”

Brielle’s eyes move to the paper and then back to me. “The part where you started actually talking about what you know about the case instead of how much you love me.”

I rub my thumb on her lips. “The entire story is a love letter to you.”

“Then I should get to read it.”

“Maybe, but right now, I’d much rather kiss you.”

She grins. “I’d like that too.”

So, I do as the lady wants and kiss her again. The fact that I’m doing it is surreal. I wasn’t sure I’d ever have this again.

I break the kiss and stare at her. “Why did you come back?”

“For you. For us. Because I needed to make things right all the way around. It wasn’t just because of my memories,” she assures me. “I was already coming back before that. I think I was coming back the minute I left, I just . . . I needed to go. I was so scared and tired of the constant feeling of being crazy. I’m sorry that I hurt you. I know I left you and said you were drowning me.”

She’ll never know how those words struck me. The fact that my mother said it constantly, telling me I was the weight on her ankles, drowning her. “She used to tell me that when she dropped me off with whoever was willing to keep me that week.”

“She was wrong, and so was I. I was drowning and refused to take the life raft you offered. It wasn’t you, Spencer.”