I laughed and looked at him as I deliberately took a large bite from the sandwich to taunt him. But as soon as I bit into the beef brisket and fried egg sandwich, I realized my mistake. My bite broke through the yolk, causing it to ooze out of my mouth.

Ethan laughed. “Damn, now that’s how a girl should eat.”

I blushed and made a face at him. “You bring the messiness out of me.”

He leaned in with a smirk. “I like it messy,” he said in a low, hoarse voice that only I could hear in the crowded shop. I swallowed hard and washed down the bite with my glass of water. He then held my face with his hands and wiped the corner of my lips with his thumb.

As his rough touch moved along my lips, I felt a jolt of electricity explode from the end of his thumb to my lips, radiating out to every fiber of my body. I swallowed hard as I watched him suck the yolk from his thumb as he held my gaze with his deep, dark eyes.

“I…” I tried to say something, but I couldn’t seem to think of anything to say. This is just crazy, Liv. How can you just fall for this man? Should you even trust him? I heard a voice scream inside me. But I pushed away those thoughts. Something about his previous words rung in my mind. “Life’s waiting.”

“Liv, my life has been filled with too many regrets, and I vowed a long time ago that I wouldn’t stop myself from saying what I wanted to say when I wanted to say it.” He paused and leaned closer to me, leaving only a few inches between us. “I like you. I don’t care if you’re with someone else. I don’t care if this might make you feel uncomfortable. I don’t care if you think this is sudden and crazy. I can tell you feel something here too. I want to see where things can go.”

Then he leaned down toward me and I could feel the heat of his breath on my lips. But just before our lips met, I backed away from him as I took in his words. I’m with someone else. Connor!

He frowned as I pulled back. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t do this.”

“You can, and I know you want to. I can sense it.”

I shook my head, trying to not think about what I wanted at the moment. “No, Ethan. I’m engaged. This is wrong. You’re a good guy, Ethan. I had fun today. You helped me relax and forget about some of the things going on in my life. But…”

“So why is it wrong if you’re having fun and enjoyed yourself today? I can tell you want me as much as I want you. What’s wrong with that?”

“Because I’m with someone else…” I realized I was reasoning with him as much as I was trying to reason with my own feelings.

“I don’t care,” he repeated. “I only care about what you want.”

“But I care.” I looked away from him, and shut my eyes, trying to not let his words confuse me on how I felt. “And this is what I want.” I paused and looked back at him. “I enjoyed your company, Ethan,” I said in a flat voice. “That was it. We can’t be anything more than what we are now—friends. I’m engaged. That may not mean anything to you, but it means something to me. I’m engaged to a kind, loving, and generous man who adores me. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.”

Ethan looked at me, but said nothing. His eyes were dangerously dark and stormy, his jaws set as he clenched his teeth. I could tell it wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear. It wasn’t what he’d expected to hear.

“Can you please take me home now?”

After a few more seconds of silence, his demeanor softened and he forced a smile. “Fine. If that’s what you want.”

***

“You look gorgeous, baby.” Conner looked me up and down. “Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful, Connor.” I forced a wide smile as I looked down at the elegant turquoise chiffon dress I was wearing. “You really shouldn’t have.”

“Liv, I felt terrible leaving you by yourself all of yesterday and most of today while I was in New York. This was the least I could do. And since we’re going on our first date night since your return from the hospital, I wanted tonight to be a little more special.”

“Oh Connor.” I felt touched by his thoughtfulness. “I checked out Talula’s Garden’s menu online and it looks amazing and extravagant. Just dinner there would’ve been more than enough.”

A smirk appeared on his face. “Well not quite enough for the future Mrs. Brady.”

“What do you mean?” I was puzzled by his expression and comment.

In response, I saw him reach for something from his briefcase. It was a velvet rectangular jewelry box. His face glowed with pride as he met my surprised gaze and handed me the box. “Go on, open it,” he urged with a light chuckle.

I held my breath as my fingers moved across the soft velvet. When I opened the box, I let out a loud gasp. Inside the box was a gorgeous, emerald pendant surrounded by diamonds. “Oh Connor…” I whispered.

“I had this specially designed and made for you, Liv. You have no idea how happy I was when you finally woke up from your coma. I was so scared that I’d lost you forever.” His words were strained and he paused to regain his composure. “I wanted to give you something to show you how much you mean to me.”

So stunned by this surprise, I was left momentarily speechless as I gazed down at the necklace.

He helped me take the necklace from the box and placed it around my neck. “You once told me that emerald was your favorite gemstone because that was your mother’s birthstone. I know she meant a lot to you, so I wanted to have something special made that reminded you of her and me—the two people in your heart.” There was a warm smile on his face as he looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something.

Tears welled up in my eyes at how sweet and thoughtful this man was—more sweet and thoughtful than I knew I deserved.

“It’s beautiful, Connor.” I grabbed his neck and kissed him passionately. “You’re just too good to me,” I whispered between our parted lips. I buried my face into his chest and the guilt of what I’d almost allowed to happen with Ethan consumed me on the inside.

“So does that mean you like it then?” He looked down at me hopefully.

I shook my head in amazement at how incredible this man was. “Yes, of course. I love it, Connor.”

“I’m glad.” He beamed at me. “I was worried you might not like it and wouldn’t wear it often.”

“I’ll wear it all the time. I promise.” I hugged him and inhaled deeply his familiar scent as I allowed myself to relax into his arms. “Thanks for being so amazing to me.”

“You deserve it, babe.” He then pulled away and looked at his watch. “Now let’s get going before we miss our dinner reservation.”

I nodded and smiled up at him. I felt lucky to have him in my life and wished I remembered him more.

***

“Oh my God, this is amazing,” I moaned as I took another bite of my skirt steak.

“I’m glad your tastes haven’t changed.” Connor laughed as he savored his red wine and watched me enjoy my meal.

Then I paused and frowned. “Is something wrong with your steak?” I looked over at his skirt steak, which he’d barely put a dent on, and wondered why he had also ordered the steak if he didn’t want to eat it.

“No, it’s perfect as usual. I had a late lunch, so I wasn’t too hungry. But don’t worry, Scooter loves the steak here. It won’t go to waste.”

I giggled and scrunched my nose at him. “You know what? You spoil everyone, including your dog.”

He chuckled. “I only spoil the ones I love.” He grinned at me and reached out for my hand from across the table. “It’s really so great to be here with you. It’s like we’re back to how things were.”

I forced a smile. “I really wish I could remember everything so we could go back to how things were.”

He squeezed my hand. “Have you been remembering anything lately? You mentioned going through your photo albums. Were they helpful?”

I shook my head. “They weren’t helpful, but I’ve had a few random memories here and there.”