Chapter 21
MELLIE
“Oh, c’mon, like that was a hard one,” Lyric taunts.
He leads me over the rocks to the beach, and I inhale sharply when I take in the scene before us.
“You like it?” he asks nervously.
I jump into his arms, wrapping myself around him like a spider monkey. “I love it. A candle-lit dinner on the beach… What’s not to love?”
“This isn’t just any candlelight dinner,” he says, carrying me closer to everything he has set up. “It’s special.”
I push against his shoulders so I can look him in the eye. “It’s not my birthday, and it isn’t our anniversary, so what’s the occasion?”
“Do I need one to spoil you?”
I laugh. “No, but I know things have been busy with the club. I’m sure Rowdy had something to say about you taking the night off.”
He smirks. “He didn’t, actually.”
“Oh?”
“Anyone ever tell you that you ask too many questions?”
“You might have mentioned it a time or two.”
Setting me on my feet, he drops onto one knee. “Well, I’ve got a question of my own.”
My eyes widen when he takes a black box from his pocket and opens it, revealing a sparkling diamond set in white gold and surrounded by a ring of smaller diamonds.
“Mellie Elizabeth Kensington,” he says reverently. “Will you marry me?”
I jolt awake and shoot into a sitting position, ignoring the throbbing in my head. The details of my dream remain lucid in my mind, and I search the room for Lyric, desperate to lay eyes on him.
He’s sitting in a chair, strumming his guitar and singing softly.
“I know that song,” I blurt, and he stops to stare at me. “You distract me with your melodies.”
“I’m still singing, it’s echoing in my head for you,” he sings back.
“‘All Of Me’ by John Legend,” I say.
His grin widens. “I sang that to you the night I proposed.”
I remember.
“You did?” I ask instead of admitting that the memory returned.
His face falls, and he nods. “Yeah, I did. You told me it was just the right amount of cheesy.”
Shit, I remember!
As if it’s playing out on a giant drive-in movie screen, flashes of memories fly through my mind from the moment Lyric punched Johnny Millhouse in the seventh grade to my conversation with Rowdy after he picked me up from the hotel to get me to my wedding.
I remember everything.
Every single detail that was lost to me becomes crystal clear. Excitement wars with fear as I stare at the man I love, the biker who I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.
I know I should tell him that I remember, but I keep it to myself because what if the memories are only temporary? What if this is just a glitch, and my brain is still broken? The last thing I want to do is get his hopes up.
Taking a deep breath, I ignore the stabbing pain in my ribs that the action causes. “I’m sorry.”
Lyric sets his guitar next to the chair, gets to his feet, and walks closer to the bed. “For what?”
“Fighting with Peach.”
He throws his head back and barks out a laugh. “Oh, baby, the only thing I’m mad about is that I missed it. Well, and that she hurt you at all.”
I’m unable to stop my grin. “Please tell me she looked as bad as I feel.”
“Worse,” he counters, pushing hair behind my ear. “How’s the head?”
“Hurts, but I think I’ll be okay.” My eyes shift to the door. “I’m surprised Sawbone isn’t in here checking on me.”
“Do you need him?” Lyric asks, his tone filled with concern.
“No,” I say with a shake of my head.
What I don’t say is that I need to talk to Sawbone about my returning memories. Maybe he can offer insight as to why they came back. Did Peach’s blows to my head jar something? Did the dream trigger it? Why can I remember now?
It doesn’t matter why.
But it does because if this is temporary, I need to know.
“Actually, maybe I should have him check me over,” I say after a few quiet minutes. “My head is pounding, and my ribs hurt like a sonofabitch. At the very least, maybe he can give me something for the pain.”
Lyric nods. “I’ll get him,” he says. “Need anything else while I’m out there? Something to eat or drink?”
As if on cue, my stomach growls, which only sets off a wave of nausea, reminding me that I had a lot to drink before shit hit the fan. “Maybe some crackers to sop up the alcohol in my stomach.”
“You got it.”
A few minutes later, Sawbone strides into the room. “Lyric said you wanted to see me.”
“Where is he?” I ask, my eyes darting from him to the door and back again.
“Getting you something to eat. Is everything okay?”
I fiddle with the quilt covering me, nervous about going behind Lyric’s back. “I, um…” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I remember everything.”
Sawbone nods. “Makes sense. The amnesia doesn’t stop you from forming new—”
“No, I mean, I remember everything.”
His eyes widen as he rushes to the side of the bed. “You mean…” I nod, confirming his unspoken question. “Wow. That’s great. I’m sure Lyric was thrilled when you told him.”
“I didn’t tell him.”
“But… why?”
“What if this is a fluke or something?” I ask, tears filling my eyes.
“Well, there is a risk of you losing them again if you experience another trauma, but why borrow trouble?”
“Because Lyric’s been through enough,” I explain. “What will it do to him to lose me again?”
“Pres is stronger than you’re giving him credit for, Mellie. If you lose the memories again, he’ll help you find them. He loves you.”
“And I love him.”
“I know. That’s never been in question.”
“So, you think I should tell him?”
“I do.” He lifts a bottle of painkillers off the nightstand and taps out a few pills into his palm.
Then he grabs the bottle of water and hands me both.
“Here, these will help with the pain. As for this other business, I can’t tell you what to do.
I think he deserves to know, but I can respect the fact that you’re unsure about it. ”
“Will you tell him?”
“No. I don’t like lying to him, but I guess I’ll file this under doctor-patient confidentiality.” He smiles. “Can I offer you one bit of unsolicited advice, though?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t wait too long to tell him if the memories stick. Lyric loves you and can forgive pretty much anything where you’re concerned, but secrets are hard to get past.”