I ran my fingers through her hair and gently down the side of her face. Her eyes began to flutter awake, and she turned her head toward me. Her lips turned up into a beautiful smile.

“Hi.”

“Hi Peach,” I replied. “Did you sleep well?”

She stretched her arms up. “Yeah, I slept better than I have in a long time.”

“Me, too.” I leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Let’s get some coffee, my little caffeine junkie.”

She smiled and nodded. “Sounds good.”

She sat up and the covers fell from her chest. I thought briefly about pulling her back down and postponing the coffee, but decided there would be time for that later. I wanted to get my things from the hotel and move back home where I belonged. Plus, Gage was now sitting at the foot of the bed, whimpering to go outside.

I nodded toward the dog. “I’ll take him out while you get the coffee going.”

“Deal,” she replied.

I put Gage’s harness on. She’d bought a new red one, and I could see why; it was a good color on him. Hooking his leash to the harness, I slipped on my shoes and unlocked the front door. We walked outside, and Gage did his business. I decided to take him for a short walk around the apartment complex. When we returned and walked through the front door, I saw her texting on her phone. She set her phone down on the counter and looked up at me. I cocked an eyebrow in question.

“The girls. I couldn’t wait to tell them you remembered and came home. They’re going to tell the guys.” She smiled.

“Cool.”

She walked over and hugged me hard. “I just needed to feel you again, to know you’re real and actually here, and not some cruel figment of my imagination. It feels good having you home again.”

“Yeah, it feels good to me, too. I love you, Peach. I just can’t say it enough. I’m so sorry for what I put you through.”

“Don’t say that, Emmett. You didn’t put me through anything. We were both victims of a cruel twist of fate that took your memory from you. I was constantly thinking about you mourning Alec alone, and it made me sick to my stomach. I was so worried about you.”

“Oh God, that was hard. But when I left you, I stopped dreaming of Alec, and started dreaming of you. The moment I remembered you was one of the best and worst of my life. I was afraid I was too late, afraid that you’d moved on. Then, when I was waiting for you at school yesterday, I saw you with that . . . guy. I felt my worst fears had come true,” I told her.

“Oh, Aiden? No need to worry. He’s just a friend. I told him right away I wasn’t interested in anything more. He’s actually pretty cool. I think you’d like him. He’s very funny.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. No way I could handle someone trying to steal you away from me. Especially right now.”

She walked over to the Keurig and made herself a cup of coffee. Her smile as she tasted her first sip was beautiful. Content. Happy. It made me feel good.

“Hey Peach, I have an errand to run, and I want to pick up my stuff from the hotel. Do you want to meet back here after class this afternoon? I only have one class this morning,” I said.

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

I dressed in a pair of jeans I’d left behind. It was a good thing I only took one suitcase of clothes when I left, or I’d be wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Pulling a t-shirt over my head, I walked into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. I ran a comb through my hair, Sam liked it messy, and that was fine by me; less time in the bathroom.

I walked out of our bedroom and saw her flipping through the newspaper ads. She looked up at me and gave me a small wave. Something was off about it though.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m just worried. I mean, the last time you went to run errands, you ended up in the hospital and had forgotten me completely. What if something else happens? I can’t go through that again.” She ended on a sob.

“Nothing will happen, Peach. And if, for some crazy reason, it did, we’d overcome it. We always do. Please don’t worry.”

“That’s easier said than done, Emmett.”

I sighed. “I know, but it’s not like I can stay here forever. I still have to live life.”

She stood up and wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me to her. “Well, I can think of things we can do to pass the time while you stay here forever.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

I leaned my head down and captured her lips with mine. Smacking her on her cute little behind, I stepped back toward the front door. “I gotta go. I’ll be back soon.”

“I love you. Be safe,” she called.

“I will. Love you, too, Peach.”

I got in my rental and drove to the hotel. As I packed up my things, I threw the empty and half-full whiskey bottles in the trash. I couldn’t imagine what the housekeepers must think of me always throwing away empty whiskey bottles. Whatever . . . that was done.

After I loaded up the car with my things, I went to the front desk to check out. Getting in my car, I fought the urge to drive back to the apartment. She was probably in the shower and I’d just make her late for class. I headed to the jeweler instead, to pick up the engagement ring I ordered what felt like a lifetime ago.

I wasn’t sure when I was going to ask her, but I just wanted it with me, so it was ready when the time was right. I didn’t want that time to come and not be prepared for it.

I smiled knowing she was going to be my wife. She was going to be my forever.

Emmett had been home for a couple months. Everything was great and back to normal. We argued, we loved, we both spent time trying to forget the hell fate, and our choices had put us through. One day while he was gone, I actually went to the library and researched fate. It basically came down to whether one believed in it or not. I had a hard time not believing in something that had so cruelly toyed with our lives. I still cursed fate for all it had put us through.

I’d been feeling sick for a few days and meant to get more rest, but every night we got caught up in a movie or each other. I took vitamins and drank a lot of water, determined to shake whatever it was.

I locked up the apartment and drove to school. After I parked, I pulled my phone out to call my sister.

“Hey, Tricia, it’s me. I just wanted to see if you’re coming home next week for Dad’s birthday. I miss you. Call me back. Love you. Bye.”

My phone chirped a minute later as I was getting my backpack out of the backseat. I leaned against my car and saw it was from Tricia.

T:

Yeah, I’ll be there. I’m heading into class right now, so I can’t talk. Miss you, too.

Me:

OXOX

Good, I thought. I’d call and let Mom know. So far, it would be Mom and Dad, Tricia, Emmett, and me. I loved family gatherings.

As I walked toward the buildings, I saw Aiden sitting in his car. I waved, but he just sat there, his hands rubbing the back of his neck. Usually he got out and met me at the walkway. I wondered if something was wrong, so I walked over and tapped on the driver’s window. He looked up, and his mouth, at first in a hard line, turned up into a smile when he saw me. He got out and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

“Hey, Sam. What’s up?” he asked.

“Not much. I was wondering the same about you. Everything okay? You looked upset.”

“Nah, I’m okay. Just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night,” he evaded.

I knew that wasn’t all of it. There was something he wasn’t telling me. I hoped he would confide in me. I was worried for my usually carefree friend. He’d been there for me, and would have listened had I chosen to tell him what was going on with Emmett. It wasn’t his fault I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it.