Chapter 21
Grant hurried across the room toward his wife as she collapsed with a groan.
She clutched at the sides of her head before she gasped.
Grant rubbed her shoulder. “Julia, what is it?” He tried to keep his voice calm and measured though fear cascaded through every fiber of him.
She lifted her gaze to him, her eyes clouded with confusion and something else. “I remembered something new.”
His heart lifted at the words. Was her memory returning? Had she recalled something about their past?
A smile curled the corner of his lips. “Julia, that’s wonderful.”
Her smile faded quickly as she sat back on her heels.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Are you in any pain?” Kyle pressed two fingers to her wrist again. “Your pulse is steadying, but I still think we should get you into bed.”
“No, I don’t need to go to bed,” she said with a vehement shake of her head. “I’m fine. The pain is gone. But the memory isn’t.”
Grant tugged her up to stand before he led her to the chair and eased her into it. “This is great progress. See, I told you.”
“What was the memory?” Kyle asked.
Julia flicked her gaze to him, shifting in her seat before she glanced back to Grant. “Uhh…”
Was she hesitating because it was of another intimate moment with his son or was her memory hazy?
“Was it not clear?” Kyle asked.
“No, it was very vivid. I just…”
His stomach turned over as he started to question the nature of her memory. Perhaps it was something she didn’t want to share.
“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to, Juls. It’s okay.” He squeezed her hand, every part of him wanting to know what she’d remembered.
“No, it’s okay. I’d like to know if it’s real.”
“You’re afraid you’re having a false memory?” Kyle asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It came so suddenly, it just seems…surreal.”
Kyle perched on the edge of the other armchair as he leaned closer to her.
Grant tried not to show his annoyance at his proximity. “Whenever you’re ready.”
She swallowed hard, her features pinching as she looked at him. What was upsetting her? “It’s about Kyle.”
His heart dropped at the words. Another memory of his son and not him. Why? He couldn’t deny it crushed him, but perhaps it was just one more uncomfortable step toward her recovery that would lead her back to him.
“What was it?” Kyle asked.
“You and I were discussing DG Industries. We…went on a stakeout?”
He smiled at her, and it took all in Grant not to smack it off his face. “We did. Yes. I did not expect your skills at tailing someone. But you are always impressive, Julia.”
“So, it’s real. I have another memory.”
“You do,” Kyle said with a grin. “Looks like our conversation helped.”
Grant pinched his eyebrows, annoyance brimming over the man’s boast. “Really? She didn’t remember until I was here. Maybe I should claim credit.”
“Why would you have anything to do with her memories of me?”
“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Julia said as they argued again. “Let’s just…take this as a win no matter how it happened.”
Grant patted her hand. “Julia’s right. We should just be happy her memories are returning. Slowly, but hopefully surely.”
“Oh, I’m very happy,” Kyle said, a smug smile on his face.
He bit his tongue, holding back from saying something that may upset Julia. “Well, I think we should let Julia rest after that. I’m afraid that took a toll.”
“Really, I’m fine. In fact, I’d like to keep trying to get more memories.”
“No,” Grant said. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I think we should just let them come naturally. They seem to be painful for you. Continuing to push may do more damage.”
Julia heaved a sigh. “But–”
“For once, I agree with him. We shouldn’t push it. But I’m happy to stay. Maybe just talking will bring more of your memories back.” Kyle flicked his gaze to Grant. “Unless you’re going to put a stop to it because you’d like to control the situation.”
Grant clenched his jaw again, one hand curling into a fist. “I do not control Julia. But I do care about her wellbeing. And if something is going to hurt her, I will put a stop to it. If you want to call that controlling, go ahead.”
Julia rose and patted his arm. “It’s not controlling.” She shot Kyle a glance as he stood.
“Fine. Then I suppose it’s okay if I stay.”
“Actually, why don’t we both stay? Unless there’s some reason you’d put a stop to it, Kyle?”
Kyle shot him an annoyed glance. “No, of course not. I think we should let Julia decide.”
He squeezed her shoulder as he offered her a consoling smile. “Whatever you want us to do, Julia. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
She flicked her gaze between them when another voice interrupted. “Whoa. Looks like I came at a good time,” Sierra said as she hovered in the doorway. “You two look like you’re ready to kill each other again.”
“We’re fine, Sierra,” Grant said. “Good news, though.”
Sierra stomped her way into the room. “Yeah, it really looks like it.”
“It is,” Kyle said. “Julia remembered something new.”
Sierra grinned at her. “Really, Julia? What was it? Wait, what were they both? I never heard what the first one was.”
Julia licked her lips, her eyes going to Grant.
“It’s not important,” Grant said.
“Do you know?” she asked.
Grant nodded. “I do.”
“Then why can’t I? I want to know! What is it? Your wedding?”
“No, Sierra,” Julia said with a wrinkled nose. “I remembered being somewhere with Kyle.”
“Both times?” Sierra asked.
“Yes.”
“Both memories of me, sorry, half-sis.”
Grant could have pummeled him for that as Sierra’s features fell.
“I’m sure more will be coming. Maybe if we sit and talk, I’ll remember something about you next.”
Sierra brightened at the idea. “That’s a great idea, Julia. That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”
She looped her arm through Julia’s before she flicked her hand at them. “Bye. You’re both excused.”
“Watch her, Sierra. Because the memory she got earlier came with a lot of pain,” Grant said with a rub of his daughter’s shoulder.
“I’ll take good care of Step-mommy,” she said with a grin.
“Come on, Kyle. I’ll walk you out,” Grant said with a smirk at his son.
“If you need anything, Julia, just text, okay?”
She nodded at him with a tight-lipped smile as they both reluctantly left the room.
“Well, that was an interesting turn of events, wouldn’t you say, Dad?” Kyle asked as they strode through the halls.
“As long as her memories are coming back…” Grant answered, allowing his voice to trail off as he tried to console himself with that thought.
“Of me, they are. That’s interesting, don’t you think? Why would she not remember you?”
“Maybe she’s getting all the bad memories out of the way first,” Grant suggested.
“I don’t think she considered our stakeout bad. In fact, she seemed to rather enjoy it.”
They reached the cold marble floor of the foyer, and Grant twisted to face his son. “What do you think she’s going to think when she gets to the memory of you forcing Sierra out of your car at knifepoint and forcing her to go with you.”
Kyle’s jaw tightened. “She understood once. I’m sure she will again.”
“Maybe. We’ll see. Until then, I’m going to keep a close eye on you. She’s vulnerable right now, and I don’t want you taking advantage of that.”
Kyle flicked his eyebrows up. “I’m not the one who takes advantage of women. That would be you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a shift at the hospital this afternoon.”
Grant waved toward the door. “Bye.”
He narrowed his eyes as he watched the man stride from the house. This war over Julia now that she couldn’t remember bothered him. Prior to the accident, he’d worried about Kyle’s interest in her, but he knew she could handle it. Now, he worried it would break her. Or worse…them.
He still stared at the closed door when Worthington strode into the room. “Mr. Harrington, everything alright?”
“It is now, Worthington. Kyle’s gone. Julia’s starting to remember.”
Worthington’s eyebrows lifted. “Really? That’s wonderful.”
“Mmm, yes and no. She has only remembered Kyle so far.” Grant sighed heavily, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.
“But her memories are returning. They often come back in fragments, sometimes the most unexpected ones. She will remember you soon enough, I’m certain.”
“I certainly hope so.”
Worthington dangled a key fob in the air. “Perhaps this will help.”
“It’s here?”
“It is. Mr. Bennett just delivered it to the front and left the key with me.”
Grant snatched it from his butler’s hand. “Excellent. She’s with Sierra now, but as soon as she’s finished, I’ll give it to her.”
Grant stared down at the key fob as his butler shuffled away. He recalled when he’d given her the first car. She hadn’t said anything and for a second he’d thought she didn’t like it, but she’d said it was beautiful, though she’d been surprised to have received it.
His lips curled up as he recalled his admonition that she couldn’t go anywhere dangerous. The smile faded as he realized she’d nearly died in that car.
He shook it from his mind. This one would be fine. He couldn’t wait to give it to her. Maybe it would even trigger a memory of the first car. He’d take anything to cling to. Any memory of him.
He waited impatiently for Sierra to leave before he wandered back to his wife’s room and knocked on the open door. “Hey, any new memories?”
She frowned. “No, still just the two, sorry.”
“Maybe soon it’ll be three,” he said. “Are you too tired for a short walk?”
“No,” she said as she rose from the chair. “Where to?”
“Just downstairs. I have something I want to show you.”
“Okay,” she said with a smile, slipping her arm through his.
He led her through the halls and down to the foyer. With a grin, he opened the door and led her to the driveway outside. The red Porsche sat with its bow still on it. “What do you think?”
She glanced at him, then at the car, and shrugged. “It’s a pretty car. Is it for Sierra?”
“No,” he said with a chuckle as he dangled the key fob in front of her. “It’s for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes,” he said as he circled behind her, “you need a new car.”
“Oh,” she said, her lips tugging into a frown, “right. Well, you didn’t have to replace my car.”
“I did. I gave you that car, so it’s up to me to replace it.”
Her eyes went wide. “Oh, no. I’m so sorry I wrecked your car.”
“No, you wrecked your car. And I don’t care about the car. I care that you were okay. And I also don’t want you to feel trapped here.”
Her eyebrows knitted at the words.
“Julia?” he asked.
She swallowed hard, her lips tugging into a wince. She bit into her lower lip as her features twisted.
His heart hammered against his chest. “Julia?”
“It’s okay, I’m okay. Just…a memory, I think.” She massaged her temples as she leaned into him to steady her.
“Do you want to go back inside?”
She shook her head as she straightened after a moment, her features still pinched. She licked her lips as her eyelashes fluttered.
“Are you okay? Did you remember something?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
The pained expression on her face bothered him. “Another memory of Kyle?”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “Of you.”
His heart lifted as the corners of his mouth did, too. “Oh, Julia, that’s fantastic. What was it? Was it when I gave you the first car?”
She licked her lips and shook her head. “No, it was…” She sucked in a breath, turning an apologetic glance toward him. “An argument. You assumed I had been cheating. You had pictures.”
Her face settled into a frown. It looked like the emotions that had been present that day still coursed through her. That had been the day that had sent the tumultuous events with Kyle into motion.
The memory cut him and a shiver ran down his spine. This wasn’t the first memory of him he hoped she’d recall. Their argument and his accusation were the last thing he wanted her to remember. Her first memory of him was tainted with distrust and anger. Could he bridge the gap now and turn this painful recollection into a steppingstone to move forward? Or did this memory feed into everything Kyle had told her?
She’d had two memories of Kyle, both that she associated with being positive, and the sole memory she now had of him was a negative one.
She glanced up at him, her features still pained. “I wasn’t, was I?”
“No,” he said as he rubbed her shoulder. “It was all a misunderstanding. It was your brother-in-law. And…I’m sorry I had you followed.”
Her brow crinkled again.
“Julia? It’s okay. We discussed it and worked everything out. It was just a misunderstanding.”
“Right,” she said with a fleeting smile. “Unfortunately, I still can’t remember that part. But I’m glad we did.”
“I guess I should probably tell you we don’t see other people. We agreed to that.”
“That makes sense. If this is all about image, it wouldn’t look very good if we did, would it?”
His heart sank with every word in the conversation. The memory that had filled him with so much hope now led to nothing but disappointment. He wanted to explain it was far more than appearances, but with her patchwork memory, he didn’t want to overwhelm her.
Their estrangement at this point was obvious. She couldn’t remember any connection between them and every step they took closer to regaining her memory seemed to set them back ten steps.
She sucked in a breath, giving him a smile that looked fake. “Sorry, I think I’m going to go lie down.”
“Of course,” he said with a nod. “Let me know if you need anything.”
She glanced down at the key fob in her hand, then back at him. “Thanks for the car.”
“You’re welcome,” he murmured as she pushed through the door into the house. He stood next to the car that he’d hoped would make her day, feeling empty, his heart a mix of hope and anguish. He recalled the early days of their marriage, the hesitant smiles and slow-building trust. Now, faced with only fragmented memories, he felt a deep sense of loss, not only for what they had but also for what could have been. As she left him behind, she took a piece of his heart with her, and it was one she didn’t even remember she was holding.
With a sigh, he let himself back into the foyer.
Worthington offered him a questioning glance. “Did she like it?”
“I’m not sure,” he answered as he let his gaze linger at the top of the stairs.
“She didn’t say? That seems most unlike Mrs. Harrington.”
“Well, unfortunately, she’s not really having the best time of it lately,” Grant answered as he shuffled into his office and poured himself and Worthington a bourbon.
Worthington glanced down at the proffered drink with raised eyebrows. “It went that badly, did it?”
“Sit down, Worthington, and I’ll tell you just how badly this entire week is going.”
The butler eased the doors closed before he took a seat across from Grant who eased into his desk chair.
Grant sipped his beverage as he leaned back in the supple leather. “I really thought our worries would be over when she woke up.”
“Yet you seem more upset since,” Worthington answered.
“I am. I’m thrilled she’s awake, but this memory loss is really difficult.”
“For her or you?” Worthington asked.
How did his butler always know? “Both, I imagine. It can’t be any fun for her. She doesn’t remember much from her life.”
“Including her life here and all the connections she made.”
“Unfortunately, she remembers one connection.”
“Oh?”
“Kyle. She keeps having all these memories of Kyle.” He shook his head as the reality of the situation washed over him. With a frown, he studied his distorted image in the liquid’s reflective surface.
“Dr. Carter? I can’t imagine that is very pleasant for her.”
Grant offered his butler an unimpressed stare. “Unfortunately, each memory seems to be positive to her. And she keeps reaching out to him for more information in the hopes that it will help her remember more. I hate it.”
“I can imagine, sir. Hopefully, she will soon regain memories of others.”
“Oh, well, she did. She had one memory of me while we were talking outside.”
“And?” Worthington pressed.
“Remember the time I had her followed because I thought she was seeing someone else?”
“But it turned out to be her brother-in-law. Yes, I recall.”
“Well, that’s the memory she has of me. She has a memory of us arguing over it.”
Worthington tugged his lips back with a wince.
“Yeah, exactly, Worthington. She has two positive memories of Kyle and one negative one of me. And after she got it, she jetted away as fast as she could.” Grant let his forehead fall into his palm. “This is a disaster.”
“Though it is quite good news that her memories are returning.”
“I just hope they all come back, not these bits and pieces. It’s making things worse.”
“You connected with her once, sir, you will again.”
“Not if she’s constantly with Kyle, and he’s spreading all his misinformation.”
Worthington offered him an amused glance. “Do you really believe Mrs. Harrington will not eventually figure it out? She has successfully pieced together many things while with us.”
Grant sighed as he stared at the bourbon again. “I don’t know, Worthington. I wish I did. That would make this so much easier.”
“I think you are giving her far too little credit, sir. She successfully prevented you from being set up for murder, she is the one who discovered the connection between you and Dr. Carter, and she pieced together the tax returns.”
“That was before she nearly died.”
“You think she is not the same woman?”
“I think she’s confused and scared. And I think she’s turning to Kyle because that’s the only connection she knows. I’m worried that could change everything.”
“But with her memories returning–“
“Some of them, Worthington. Just some of them. What if they never come back? What if this is all she remembers?” He traced the rim of his glass as worry washed over him again.
“If I may, sir, Mrs. Harrington was always independent. Perhaps, in her journey to rediscover her past, she will rediscover the bond between you. It’s just only the memories, but the emotions we carry with them that define the connection.”
He let the words sink in, finding a sliver of hope in them, but it did little to ease his concern. “Did you know she called me right before her accident and said she knew who was behind DG? If that guy hadn’t hit her, this may have all been over. We could have figured out how to stop what’s happening to Harrington Global, I could have told her the truth…”
His voice trailed off as the mix of loss and lament cropped up.
“Yet, that did not happen, sir. Perhaps it’s best not to dwell on what didn’t happen and work on what’s to come.”
Grant shook his head. “That’s difficult to say. And you know how I don’t like things I can’t predict.”
Worthington finished his drink and rose from the chair. “Yes, I know. This is quite a hard lesson in taking things as they come.” Worthington strode to the door and slipped into the foyer. Before he pulled the doors shut behind him, he glanced at Grant. “We will all be hoping Mrs. Harrington recovers her memory soon.”
Grant offered him a fleeting smile before he flicked his gaze outside. The red car still sat outside the front door. He stared at it, a symbol of his affection for her. An affection still unspoken. And now maybe forever secret.
He forced himself to remain in his seat and not go upstairs to check on her, but his thoughts remained on her. Was she piecing together more memories, or allowing the one negative one she’d just recalled overwhelm her?
One question burned through his mind as he pondered her absence. Would he lose the only woman who ever mattered to him?