“That’s because you used to do this every morning. It was kind of our routine, since you always woke up before me.”

His eyes softened, as his brow relaxed, and he ran his fingers through my hair. “This feels familiar, too. Did I play with your hair like this?”

“Mmm hmm, you did. It’s how you’d wake me up most mornings. That . . . and a kiss.” I blushed.

“Hmm, maybe I should try that out, too. If you don’t mind of course—it could spark a memory—you know,” he said with his sexy smirk.

I slowly nodded my head, his gaze locked on my eyes, then down to my mouth, as I bit at my bottom lip.

He leaned his head down and gently pressed his lips to mine. He was tentative at first, and it took every ounce of my strength to not kiss him back with the heated passion I felt for him. But I knew we had to go slow. I couldn’t rush this. It was when he opened his mouth to mine, that I lost my resolve and rolled over, straddling his waist. I ran my fingers down his strong arms and brought my hands to rest in the center of his abs, stopping just beneath the waistband of his shorts. His breath hitched, as I glided my fingers along his skin around to his sides. When he looked up at me, I saw he was as lost as I was in our passion.

He slid the strap of my nightshirt off my shoulder, and pulled me down to him, so I was lying on his chest. He followed the touch of his fingers on my shoulder and neck, with kisses leaving tingles behind.

He rolled us over, so I lay on my back beneath his strong body. I sighed as his lips made their way up my neck. “Now this . . .” he kissed just underneath my ear, “feels familiar.” He turned my face to the side, and captured my mouth with his, leaving coolness on my lips, as his minty breath mixed with mine.

His mind might not have remembered me, but his body did, and at that moment, it was all we needed.

Sam decided we should go to over to Riley and Quinn’s to see all of our friends, so we took off in her little car. Mine was totaled, and I can’t even begin to say how pissed off I was when I saw it. I mean, damn, it was a red 1969 Chevy Camaro in mint condition.

Sometimes I was angrier about my car than I was about my memory loss, at least until Sam walked into the room, and I was reminded of this beautiful, young woman I clearly had an intimate relationship with, but couldn’t remember. I felt all kinds of familiarities, which made me comfortable being there in her—our apartment. But I constantly felt like a complete and utter dick for not remembering her. Her pain and sadness was a daily reminder. I dreamed of Alec every night, plagued by memories I wished I could forget, and those I couldn’t hold on to.

Her dog, Gage, was awesome. Everywhere I went, he lay at my feet or tried to body block me from leaving the apartment. The only time he was happy about me walking toward the door was when I had his leash in my hand. Guess he was more perceptive than I realized.

We arrived at Riley and Quinn’s house that afternoon, and there was a rental car in the driveway. I don’t know how I was able to remember some things, but not Sam or that Alec had died.

Motherfucker. I just couldn’t believe my little brother was dead.

Every morning, I woke up unsure how I would make it through another day without falling apart. I was off the pain meds, healing at a good rate, and only occasionally needed ibuprofen—so I began drinking more. But instead of a beer at the end of the day, I’d have whiskey. I wasn’t drinking a lot, but it was becoming a regular enough of a habit. I started to regret it, before tossing it back, leaving an empty glass behind. I wasn’t proud of it, but hitting the hard stuff helped calm my mind, and face the terrors of my dreams at night, where Alec was alive, but always just out of my reach.

It was a cruel thing what my memory was doing. Sometimes I wished I could forget Alec and remember Sam. It would have been easier than dealing with the pain of losing my little brother all over again each morning.

Sam reached over and grabbed my hand. “Are you okay, babe? Ready to go inside and see everyone?”

“Yeah, I was just thinking about Alec.”

Her breath hitched and she squeezed my hand.

“I’ll be okay. Let’s go inside and say hi to everyone,” I said as I kissed the top of her hand.

“Okay.”

We rang the doorbell, and John answered with a smile. “Hey Emmett, Peachy.”

It grated on me that he called her Peachy. I wasn’t sure why. He was my best friend after all.

“I’m surprised you’re here, John, you’re down earlier than usual.”

“Actually, I never left after our last barbeque. I was supposed to fly back the day after your accident. But, I wanted to be sure you were going to be okay. Then Sam called and said you’d lost some of your memory, and I just wanted to be here for you, man.”

God, I was a dick. I’m sure it was something we probably joked about, him calling Sam Peachy, especially with the smartass expression he sent my way as he said it. He looked like he genuinely cared for her, but in a friend way, I was sure.

“Well thanks, man. It’s been a hard few weeks,” I said with a nod.

“Yeah, let’s save the heavy talk for after a few beers.”

“Sounds good. Got any of the hard stuff? I’ve been more of a whiskey kind of guy lately.”

I didn’t miss the stiffness that crept into Sam’s shoulders. I guessed she noticed more than I realized.

John gave me a sideways glance and nodded.

“You know Riley and Quinn, always have stock of everything. Or maybe you don’t remember. I’m sorry man,” he quickly finished.

“Nah, it’s okay. I remember that,” I murmured, looking over at where Sam was talking with Tamron and Alison.

It was well after lunch, but I decided it would be better to start off with a beer rather than going straight for the whiskey, even though it was calling my name. I had a moment of pause, when I realized I was craving its sweet oblivion. But I shook it off, and tried to listen to the conversation around me.

John walked outside with two beers and hopped up on the top of the brick wall that surrounded the back yard. I followed his lead.

He cleared his throat as he handed me my beer. “So, uh, you remember everything except Sam?” he asked.

I couldn’t look at him, just kept kicking the brick wall with my heels. “Yeah, that about sums it up,” I murmured. “The doctors call it selective amnesia. Sometimes I act like I don’t remember things so Sam won’t think it’s only her I’ve forgotten, but I’m pretty sure she’s figured it out. It must show on my face. She hasn’t questioned me about it, but I can tell she knows. It sucks to see the pain in her eyes.”

“Damn, man, that’s harsh,” John said.

“Yeah, tell me about it. The only other thing I forgot, was that Alec died.” My throat hurt, and was so dry I took a long swig of my beer, nearly drinking the whole thing.

“Wow, dude, you gonna suck that shit down in one gulp, or enjoy the hops?” he asked with a shocked look on his face.

“Sorry, man, I just . . . I can’t get over that Alec is gone. Fuck. He was my little brother! How the ever loving fuck can he be dead?”

John looked down at his feet. “I know, Emmett. I know. I remember, and it’s still hard to accept.”

“You know, at first, I didn’t even remember my name. Once I’d heard it a few times, it felt normal. It feels natural for me to be with Sam, too, but I still don’t remember her. I mean, my body clearly remembers hers, and that has been nothing short of amazing.”

“Well see then, at least y’all have that,” John replied. “I don’t know what I would do if I forgot the love of my life, and before you say anything, let me tell you that is exactly what she is to you. She. Is. The. Love. Of. Your. Life. You guys were made for each other. Soul mates. I hope to find that kind of love someday.”