“I see.” I giggled with amusement. “And what exactly is your power as a superhero?”

“I’m pretty powerful if you really must know,” he answered with a sarcastic air of confidence. “There’s my dashing good looks, my undeniable charm, and my ability to make you laugh even at a time like this.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “I never knew anyone could actually be this cocky.”

He chuckled. “Well I’ll take that as a compliment.”

For a few minutes, we walked in silence as we continued to search for Scooter.

Ethan broke the silence. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Didn’t you mention last night when I dropped you off that you have a butler and a housekeeper at your house?”

“Yeah, Jim and Debra.”

“You said that Connor couldn’t leave work, but how come they didn’t help you look for the dog?”

“I had told them earlier in the night that they could take the night off. I didn’t want to trouble them.”

“Okay.” He paused and thought about my response. “But you called me and troubled me.”

“I didn’t mean to—” I quickly defended myself but he cut me off with laughter.

“I was only teasing, Liv. It’s really no trouble at all.” The warmth of his smile echoed in his voice as he looked at me with those compelling, dark eyes. “I just enjoy being around you.”

“Thank you.” I flashed him a small smile, completely unsure of what to say as I felt tormented by the conflicting emotions that swarmed inside me.

“So how long have you guys had this dog anyway?” he asked as we turned the corner to another street.

I frowned at his question. “Scooter’s not my dog.” I paused. “Connor got the dog eight years ago in a previous relationship.”

He stopped mid-step and stared at me. “You’re shitting me, right?”

“What?” I tried to hide my feelings.

“How are you okay with this? How is Connor not out here looking with you when it’s his dog, and one from a previous relationship no less?” He looked at me incredulously.

“He’s tied up at work. It was an emergency and he couldn’t get away.”

Ethan’s expression became darker and I saw his grip tighten around the umbrella handle. “I just don’t get it. How can Connor let his fiancée, who just recently came out of a coma with amnesia, wander the streets aimlessly by herself in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain, to look for his dog? What kind of man is he?” His jaw tightened with every passing breath.

For some reason, I felt defensive over Connor at that moment. “He doesn’t know I’m out here looking for Scooter. Connor’s a great guy, and he’s been amazing to me.”

“I’m starting to find that hard to believe. I think you deserve better, Liv.”

His words rang too close to home after what had happened tonight with Connor, and I felt my defensive walls go up against this man.

“Well you don’t have to believe me. The truth is the truth. Connor’s been by my side through my accident. He’s been so understanding, loving, and patient with me through all this, and I know it hasn’t been easy for him to love someone who doesn’t even remember him. He may not be here right now, but he means more to me than you do.” The moment my last few words escaped my lips in spite, I regretted them.

Ethan’s face fell and he turned his gaze away from me. When he turned back to face me, his demeanor had changed.

“I know he means a lot more to you than I do. As hard as it is for me to accept, I get that. I just don’t want to see you hurt. I’m sorry if I’ve upset you with my comments—sometimes my straight-forwardness gets me into trouble.”

“Why do you care, Ethan? I don’t mean to be rude, but you hardly know me. At first, I thought you were just some guy who was looking for a fun time, and you saw me as an easy target. But that doesn’t explain why you’re here helping me tonight, or the comments you’ve made about Connor. So why do you care?”

To my surprise, he let out a chuckle and shook his head. “You know what? I can’t explain it, and I don’t understand why, but the more I get to know you, the more I want to be around you.” He paused and a smile curved onto his lips. “You really don’t know how different you are, do you?”

I frowned, confused by his question. “What do you mean?”

His infectious smile widened as he met my eyes. “You really care about the people around you, and you put others first. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself about losing your memory, or focusing on yourself, you’re thinking about how hard your amnesia has been on Connor. Instead of telling your housekeeper and butler to go look for the dog, or at least help you look, you don’t want to trouble them and want them to enjoy their evenings off. So while they’re having a relaxing night at the house, you’re out here in the pouring rain, without an umbrella, in the middle of the night, looking for a dog that your fiancé got with his ex girlfriend.”

“There’s a lot of people who would do that. It’s not that unlikely,” I tried to dismiss his comments as I felt my cheeks flush at the sincerity of his words.

He shook his head in disbelief. “That’s not normal, Liv. That’s you. The way you care for someone is selfless and unadulterated. You have real heart and depth. You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met.”

I stared at him, unsure of how to respond to his words.

Then he laughed awkwardly, breaking the silence. “Well, I guess I was wrong. I guess I can explain why I care about you and why I want to be around you.” A sheepish grin appeared on his face and he looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something.

“You’re not what I’d expected, Ethan.” Our eyes met and we shared a smile. At that moment, I felt something shift inside of me. It was a feeling that was new, something that scared me. But it was also something I couldn’t seem to turn my back to. Something about this man intrigued me and as much as I wanted to deny it, I knew I wanted to know more about him.

***

After almost two hours of walking in the rain-drenched streets, Scooter was nowhere to be found. Ethan walked me to the house before grabbing a cab home.

As I walked up to the front door of the house, I felt the weight of anxiety return, constricting every nerve of my body.

But the minute I walked through the door, Scooter came running down the hall and jumped up at me.

“You’re home!” I cried in disbelief as tears of relief ran down my face.

“Hey, babe,” came Connor’s voice as he rushed toward me. “Where were you? I was getting worried.”

I stared at him, unsure of how I felt after our last conversation. “I was out looking for Scooter.”

“Good God, Liv.” He rushed over to the hallway closet and took out a bath towel. “You’re soaking wet. Why were you out there by yourself? How come Jim and Debra weren’t with you?”

I stood there looking at Scooter and then Connor blankly. “Was he here when you got home?”

“Yeah. He was waiting by the door when I got in half an hour ago. What happened to you? Are you okay? I tried to call you but your phone was turned off.”

I looked down at my phone and realized it was dead. “It must have died while I was out.”

Connor tried to wrap the towel around me but I moved away. I saw the hurt on his face by my brush-off.

“Liv, I’m really sorry about earlier. I was so stressed out about the deal falling through that I took it out on you. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I was an asshole.”

I met his gaze and for a moment, I felt my anger waver. Then a question popped into my mind. “Who is Cindy?”

“Oh.” An expression of understanding appeared on his face. “I’m sorry for blurting that out without giving you any context. I don’t know what I was thinking. At that moment, I think I completely forgot about your amnesia.” His face twisted with guilt.

“So why did you mention her?”

Connor sighed. “Cindy was my college girlfriend. We were together for three years. She passed away from cancer when we were together.” His voice shook as he spoke. “She’d always talked about getting a dog together while we were dating. So when she was diagnosed, I took her to the animal shelter and we got Scooter. She passed away five months later.”