A Million Kisses or More (42 page)

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she shot back.

Releasing the hair, his hand was suddenly plastered over her stomach. Lowering his voice to a cruel growl, he said, “Nolan Mars’s bastard in your belly says otherwise.”

It took a few moments for Asher’s words to sink in because they were so absurd. “What the Hell, Asher? Even for you, this is too insane.”

“It’s all over the internet,” he sneered. “With pictures and everything.”

“It’s not true,” she whispered, the gears in her head shifting once more to the new development. She’d have Abby contact Nolan and make him tell everyone what had actually happened… unless he was too drunk to remember, which was a distinct possibility. No, as soon as Harrison was released from the hospital, she’d stick to his side like glue until he realized she was the one he was meant to be with. She’d tell him their history… they’re extremely brief history, no matter how intense it had been. Would he believe her, especially once she started to show? God, her life had become one of those cheesy romance novels that she loved to read. Unfortunately, living a cheesy romance was far, far different than reading one and she didn’t think she liked it at all, not even a little bit.

“I figured if you’d spread your legs for the likes of Nolan Mars, you’d spread them for me,” Asher said. He opened his mouth to spew more venom but the words were cut off when she slammed the palm of her hand across his face in a loud
SMACK
that echoed throughout the chapel.

“Go to Hell, you fucking dick hole.” In a low, furious whisper, she continued, “If what you said was true, which it isn’t, I would never sleep with you.
Never
.”

Cupping his bright red cheek, he asked in a low sneer, “How far along are you?”

“Three months,” she hissed fiercely as her mind raced with solutions. She didn’t care what anyone else thought of her as long as Harrison knew the truth…. But it didn’t matter because he didn’t remember her at all. God, if only he hadn’t lost his damn memory.

Asher let out a low whistle. “Jesus, you must have gotten knocked up shortly after you got to California.”

Slowly, she looked up and forced herself to meet his bitter gaze. “Actually, I got knocked up when Harrison flew out for the weekend in March. But it’s nothing for you to worry your pretty little head over because we’re already engaged and I’m going to marry him whether he remembers me or not.”

With that, she held up her hand with the perfect engagement ring on her finger. His lips parted in surprise but she didn’t care. There was too much to do and not enough time to do it in. Spinning on her heels, she left him standing there with that shocked expression on his stupid face. There was no choice for it now. She was going to have to fly back out to California, pack up her stuff and come back home. She’d move into her aunt and uncle’s house and plant herself on Harrison’s doorstep until he either remembered her and realized the truth or he fell in love with her again.

“Where are you going?” Asher asked, chasing after her.

“California,” she said, her thoughts already a million miles ahead. If she got a flight for that evening, she could pack her stuff and be back by the weekend. It would also give her enough time to prepare herself for Harrison’s reaction, or rather his non-reaction, the first time he saw her. Hopefully whatever injury that stole his memories didn’t affect his ability to write. The world would suffer a great loss if there were no more Harris Fallen books, whether they were about Justice Kane or a new hero.

Taking a few steps, she stopped when the door opened and Mrs. Miller stepped in. Glancing at Asher, she considered the possibility that he had lied to her about everything. As a kernel of hope took root in her chest, she said, “Mrs. Miller.”

The older woman’s head shot up at the sound of Ana’s voice and she looked like she was ready to turn around and walk the other way. Instead, she took a shaky hand and smoothed it over her hair as she plastered a polite if distant smile on her face. “Ana.”

“Tell me about Harrison,” Ana begged, closing the distance between them. “Does he remember me?”

Mrs. Miller paused for a moment, her eyes darting to Asher before she looked at Ana. Pursing her lips, she slowly shook her head no. “I’m so sorry, Ana, but he
doesn’t
remember you, not at all.”

The words crushed Ana’s heart and she hadn’t realized how much she had hoped Asher was lying until Mrs. Miller confirmed that he was telling the truth. Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she hesitantly asked, “Can I see him?”

“I think it would be best if you left him alone,” Mrs. Miller said, not without sympathy. “He’s already been through so much and it might be too… taxing if he was confronted by someone he no longer remembers.”

“Please,” Ana begged, tears welling in her eyes. Pressing a hand against her stomach, she didn’t miss the way Mrs. Miller’s lips tightened. Without thinking, she jerked her hand away from the telling gesture.

“You should leave now, Ana,” Mrs. Miller said dispassionately. “There’s nothing left for you here.”

Chapter 20

Sitting in her aunt’s living room, Ana tried not to fidget in her anxiousness to leave Minnesota so she could get back. Her sister had insisted they stay the week in case there had been any changes but so far there hadn’t. The couple of times she tried to get in to see Harrison at the hospital, someone was always there to keep her out. It didn’t matter that she tried to explain the misunderstanding, no one was willing to listen, more concerned about protecting Harrison than hearing the truth. She couldn’t blame them too much because they were only acting out of love and for now she’d let it slide. But when she got back, she was going to be prepared for war.

“I’m so glad you’re going to be moving back,” her aunt said with a genuine smile that lit her entire face. “It’s going to be so great having you around.”

“It will be,” Ana agreed, willing her sister to hurry up with her damn shower. It’s not like anyone would care that Abby was clean or not. It was a plane ride on a private jet and Ana just wanted to leave. Her eyes darted to the window and to the house across the street. In the time that she had been there, Harrison hadn’t been home yet. But that didn’t stop her from going over there and just hanging out. Because she was there anyway and had too many nerves to sit still for very long, she might have cleaned a little bit and she doubted there was a speck of dust remaining in his house. It really said a lot about her state that she willingly cleaned, since she hated cleaning under pretty much any circumstance.

Often, Abby would join her, though she usually remained on the couch while Ana behaved like a mad woman. They had discussed Ana’s options, from finishing out the internship, which was no longer a viable option, to how she was going to pay back the money. There had been some arguments over Ana’s preferred method of taking a loan out because she had other options, including her mother’s original offer. Abby had offered to give her the funds and she had also mentioned a trust fund that Maddox had set up when she was a baby but Ana didn’t want anything to do with it. Abby accused her of being too stubborn for her own good, that she should just accept the money, and she needed to stop being a brat. Still, it was nice having her sister there.

“Everything will work out,” her aunt said softly. Ana’s head snapped around and she blushed, feeling guilty that she wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation. Her aunt chuckled, “I knew the moment I met Harrison that the two of you would be perfect together.”

Ana blushed harder and even though he didn’t remember her, at least for the moment, she still smiled. “I hope so. I really do.”

A car pulled into Harrison’s driveway and without thinking, Ana stood up and went over to the window. She didn’t recognize the car but she still watched, hoping to catch a glimpse of Harrison, just to get her through the next few weeks, since she had to make a quick stop in Arizona before she could return. Seeing him, knowing that he was okay, was all she really needed. But it was his mother that got out of the driver’s seat which made her want to cry. Until she remembered that Harrison had a broken leg and probably couldn’t drive. She held her breath but no one else got out, even after Mrs. Miller unlocked the front door and went inside. Ana’s shoulders slumped and she went back to the couch, depressed that she wasn’t going to see him before she left.

Her aunt’s chuckle was tinged with worry but Ana didn’t want her aunt to worry. Pasting a smile to her face, she said, “You’ll have to take a picture of him when he comes home and send it to me. I want to see that he’s okay.”

“Of course,” Helen said easily. Biting her lower lip, she continued, “Perhaps I could talk with him….”

Ana shook her head, “I don’t want to cause him any problems. I think it will be better if I introdu… re-introduce myself to him when I get back.”

What was taking Abby so long?

“Are you going to make it to Arizona in time for the wedding?” her aunt asked, once again pulling Ana out of her own thoughts.

“Of course,” she said, still torn over the whole thing. She was happy for her mother, of course she was, but she really was in a rush to get back home. The wedding was going to add at least another week to her trip. Abby had convinced her that it would be okay, that maybe by the time she got back, Harrison’s memories would have miraculously returned and she wouldn’t have to re-introduce herself to him. Abby also offered use of the plane, saying she could hire someone to drive Ana’s car back. As tempting as that sounded, Ana still preferred driving. Now that Harrison was out of the woods….

Right, her mother’s wedding. Pasting another smile on her face, for some reason they kept falling off, she said, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll finally get to meet my father.”

Her aunt made a face but didn’t say anything else.

*****

“Are you coming in?” his mother asked as she pulled into his driveway and turned the car off.

“Give me a moment,” Harrison said, resting his head against the back of the seat, his eyes closed as he fought for any of his memories from the past six months. The doctor had told him that they should have come back by now, at least a few of them should have. But then she ruined it by saying the brain was a funny thing and the memories might never return, even though there had been no permanent damage.

He hadn’t even hit his head very hard.

“I’m going to start packing a few of your things,” his mom told him again, as if he didn’t know why they were there.

“Not too much,” he said. As much as it pained him to have to move back into his parents’ home, he knew that with a broken leg and arm it would be easier to have the help. Jolie already had half of her things at his parents’ house anyway from all of the time she spent with them. Twisting his head to the side so he could see her, he said, “I don’t plan on staying for long.”

“I know,” she answered with a soft smile, her eyes moving over his face in concern. “Just until you’re back on your feet.”

He smiled at that even though it hurt to smile. “Thanks, mom.”

Opening the car door, she got out and headed in, leaving Harrison alone with his thoughts. Despite the time he had spent recuperating, this was the first time he had actually been alone. One of his family members had remained by his side the entire time he had been at the hospital, their concern and love a bit overwhelming at times. They were all so very careful not to mention Ana and when he tried to ask about her, they quickly cut him off, telling him that he didn’t need to worry about her. They didn’t understand that he would always worry about her, no matter what had happened between them.

If he could just concentrate for a few minutes, he swore he’d be able to remember. It was all there, just behind a damn wall that refused to budge. Unfortunately, trying so hard to remember only gave him a headache and he finally got his sorry ass out of the car. Why hadn’t she shown up? He wondered if she even knew he had been in an accident, if she even cared.

Situating his crutches so he could hobble to the house, he ignored the tender ache in his chest at the loss. Maybe he would use the plane ticket she had given him and fly out west to discover for himself what the hell happened. If they were truly over, then there would be no need for him to fly out in December to drive back with her after her internship was over.

If he had his phone, he’d be able to see the last time that he talked to her, maybe jog his memory that way. But the damn thing had been broken when that bastard ran him over. About the only good thing Harrison could take from all of this was the fact that Olive Danvers had left her abusive asshole of a husband, taking her little boy with her. Harrison would gladly take the blame for giving her the opportunity to make her escape. Swallowing, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride in the woman who packed up her kid and left everything she knew for the chance at a better life.

It made his problems seem so insignificant in comparison. At least he was still alive to make amends.

Pushing open the front door, he was hit in the face with the overwhelming scent of Ana. It was enough to almost make him turn tail and run but the crutches stopped him. Why did his house smell like her? Had he bought her perfume and sprayed it everywhere after they broke up? If that was the case, it was no wonder why she left him; he was too much of a nut job to be worthy of her.

He heard his mom upstairs and decided to sit down on the couch since that was about as far as he was able to make it. He was going to have to get used to walking around with crutches. Rubbing his armpits, he grimaced at the dull ache. He’d have to get used to that, too. But the physical pain kept his mind from dwelling too much on Ana and what happened, at least it helped in theory.

Closing his eyes, he could see her face, the way she smiled at him, the way her eyes lit up when she laughed. Her scent was wrapping itself around his brain, haunting him, taunting him. Memories of their time together kept replaying in his head and he didn’t understand how it could have ended. All he knew for certain was that he still loved her and he would do whatever it took to get her back, even if he had to fight all of the actors in Hollywood to do so. He had an advantage having a broken leg. His opponents might take pity on him and he’d be able to use his crutch to sideswipe the other guys’ legs.