Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

"Do you, Maisy Smith, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health, till death do you part?"

"I do." Maisy's voice was soft, and it quivered the smallest bit.

Jack squeezed her hand in support. She smiled at him as their gazes stayed locked together.

"Do you, Jack Smith, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health, till death do you part?"

"I do," he said, surprising himself with the depth of feeling he experienced at those two simple words.

This morning hadn't gone as he'd expected. He'd thought Maisy would spend all morning getting ready and then they'd have a leisurely brunch before their vow renewal ceremony. But instead, he'd woken up with not only his head hurting—which was still fairly normal—but his knuckles as well, for some reason. Then Maisy had her hand on his bare chest, which made his cock hurt in the best way. And the kiss they'd shared had been life-altering.

There were things about his wife's situation that bothered him greatly. The most important was the clear disdain Jason showed for his sister. It felt incredibly wrong and had Jack on high alert. He didn't like the disrespect he'd shown by insisting this ceremony take place so early in the morning, but since he didn't understand the undercurrents, he didn't feel as if he could really interject his opinion.

But he'd been dead serious this morning when he'd told Maisy that he wanted out of this house as soon as possible. There was something about Jason he didn't trust. Not only that, but he didn't want to have to worry about his brother-in-law busting into their room anytime he felt like it. He wanted his wife to himself.

For the ceremony, she was wearing a simple lavender dress that came down to her knees. It clung to her upper body and flared out at her hips. She looked beautiful, and he hadn't hesitated to tell her so the second he'd seen her. The blush on her face and shy look she'd given him had made Jack want to throw her on their bed and show her exactly how pretty he thought she was, but he also didn't want to deal with an annoyed Jason, so he'd simply offered his wife his arm and they'd headed out of the room.

They'd walked down the stairs together, and the second they'd entered the dining area, Jason had said, "Good, I was just about to send someone up to find you two. Let's get this done." And the officiant had started speaking.

Jack had taken one look at the "officiant" and the hair on the back of his neck had stood up. He didn't know the man, but he definitely didn't look like someone who performed marriages for a living. He was bald, had a scraggly goatee, and his gaze lingered on Maisy's chest a little too long. Other than his inappropriate interest in Jack's wife, the man seemed almost bored.

As far as vow renewals went, this one wasn't exactly ideal. But Jack did his best to ignore the awkward aspects and concentrate on what was important.

Maisy.

Now, the ceremony was over almost as soon as it had begun.

"You may kiss your bride."

He'd been holding Maisy's hands while her brother's friend performed the ceremony, but now he palmed her face. She braced herself on his chest as she looked up at him.

The entire "ceremony" had taken about five minutes, if that. Jack hadn't had a chance to tell Maisy how proud he was to be her husband. How thankful he was that she was giving him a second chance. He hated that they'd grown apart, but he mentally vowed to do everything in his power not to let it happen again.

"You really do look beautiful," he said softly.

He felt her lean into him a bit more. "Thanks. You look good too." Jason had brought him a bunch of clothes earlier in the week, and Jack had put on a pair of slacks this morning instead of the jeans he felt more comfortable in…since this was a special day and all.

"For God's sake, kiss her already!" Jason exclaimed.

Jack didn't take his gaze from his wife as he slowly lowered his head .

Her chin tipped up as he got close.

Keeping his eyes open, Jack did his best to memorize this moment. He didn't have a lot of memories with his wife, so now he cherished each and every one. Like the way she lay boneless against his chest in bed and curled into him like a contented cat. How she worried about him, was extremely concerned about his memory and whether any memories had returned yet, and how she had no problem sitting at his side for hours and simply talking. He enjoyed being taken care of by his wife and wanted to do the same right back. He was protective of her, she seemed…fragile. Jack wasn't sure why, but the feeling persisted.

Their wedding kiss was short but extremely heartfelt. Jack poured all his feelings into the embrace. This felt right. He was still getting to know Maisy again, and because of his lost memories, it felt as if he'd just met her. But a part of him deep down had recognized her as his. If it hadn't, he might doubt every single thing he'd been told after waking up.

"All right, you two, that's enough. You can have sex after we do the paperwork," Jason said crudely. It was an intrusion on a beautiful moment, and once again, Jack resented his presence.

He reluctantly lifted his lips from Maisy's and stared down at her. She met his gaze and licked her lips sensually. Her fingers had curled into little claws, and she was leaning into him as if he was the only thing keeping her upright.

"Hi," he said inanely.

"Hi," she whispered back .

"Here," Jason said, once more ruining the moment by waving something at them.

Frowning, Jack turned and saw his brother-in-law was holding out a pen.

"It's time to sign the paperwork," Jason told them.

"Paperwork? We're already married," Jack said, frowning.

"Right, you are. But I thought you'd like a memory of today, something to put in a scrapbook. It's all good. It's just a memento. It's not as if you guys can be married twice."

Jack narrowed his eyes at Jason. It seemed to him that the man was speaking a little fast, as if he was nervous…or excited. He couldn't tell which.

"Here, you first, Maise," Jason told his sister, practically shoving the pen at her.

She dropped a hand from Jack's chest and turned to accept the pen her brother was holding out. Jack didn't let her go. He turned her in his embrace but kept an arm around her waist, holding her against him.

She peered up at him shyly, and Jack knew he'd never get enough of seeing that small blush on her face. He walked her a few steps over to the dining room table, where he saw an official-looking document laid out.

Jason leaned in next to Maisy and pointed at a signature line at the bottom. "There. You sign there," he ordered.

Jack felt Maisy stiffen, but she didn't hesitate to lean over and sign where her brother indicated. Then she turned and looked up at Jack, offering him the pen.

For some reason, Jack hesitated. He looked down at the paper, then at Jason. The man seemed a little too eager for them to sign whatever these papers were. Excited. Almost smug. Like a kid who was about to get a giant ice cream cone or something. It sent warning bells clanging through Jack. It was frustrating as hell not to know why he felt this way about his brother-in-law.

"Jack?" Maisy whispered.

Looking at her hand holding the pen, he saw it was shaking. Was she nervous? If so, about what?

"Usually the groom has the jitters before he gets married," Jason joked. "What, you regretting tying yourself to my sister again?" Then he laughed as if he'd said the funniest thing in the world.

If Jack hadn't already been looking at Maisy, he would've missed the affect Jason's barb had on her. She flinched, but it was a fleeting move. Her brother's words obviously hurt more than she'd ever let on.

Jack moved before he thought about what he was doing. He took the pen from Maisy's hand and leaned over the table, scribbling his name on the line above Maisy's then slamming the pen down on the table. "I don't regret anything about marrying Maisy. Now or the first time."

"Right, of course you don't. I'll just go and get this framed for you," Jason said, not seeming to care that Jack was pissed at him. He snatched up the piece of paper from the table, gesturing to his friend who'd performed the ceremony as he went.

The man's eyes came up from where he was obviously checking out Maisy's ass, and he smirked at Jack before following Jason to the door. The silence that filled the room after their departure seemed huge.

"Well," Maisy said nervously, but she didn't expound on what she was thinking .

"Hello, Mrs. Smith," Jack said, pulling her close until she was plastered against his front. He looped his arms around her and held her gently against him.

Maisy looked up at him, but instead of happiness he saw apprehension in her eyes. Which was unacceptable. Damn her brother for making today anything less than joyous. "You hungry?" he asked.

At that, her lips twitched. "Starving."

That was another thing, Jack didn't think his wife ate enough. He hadn't had many meals with her and her brother here in the dining room, but during the few that they'd shared, he hadn't missed the disapproving looks Jason had given his sister while she'd been eating.

"I think Paige was going to make us a special breakfast," she told Jack.

"You want to go somewhere?"

Maisy frowned. "Like, to a restaurant?" she asked in confusion.

"Yeah, Stellina . Like out to a restaurant. We haven't been out since…you know, my accident. I thought maybe we could take a drive, talk, have a nice meal somewhere. You could tell me more about you. There's so much I still want to know. It'll be a good chance for me to court you all over again."

"Like a date."

"Exactly." Jack didn't like how shocked she seemed that he wanted to take her out.

"Okay. But we need to talk to Paige. She's probably already started making brunch for us."

That was one more thing Jack liked about his wife. She was very cognizant of others' feelings. Didn't like to put them out. Was very considerate. Every day, he learned something new about her. She loved animals, wasn't much of an outdoor girl, didn't like seafood but for some reason could eat tuna from a can. She didn't snore, but kind of snuffled in her sleep, and she didn't sleep well unless she was plastered against his side. That last one, Jack loved more than he wanted to admit.

It felt…strange. Good, but odd. As if it was something new for him, someone sleeping at his side. Which was confusing since he was a married man, but then again, he'd apparently been living in Spokane while she'd been here in Seattle, so maybe it wasn't so unusual after all. Every night when they went to sleep, she seemed hesitant to climb into bed with him, but after she fell asleep, she inevitably migrated over to his side and clung to him like she was drowning and he was her own personal flotation device. And Jack loved it. Loved the feel of her in his arms. Loved having her close.

"All right, let's go find Paige, then we can get going. It sucks that my car was stolen while we were hiking. Piss-poor timing for sure. I need to get that replaced soon. I appreciate your brother renting one for us to use. You'll have to drive though, as I haven't replaced my driver's license yet."

"Um…shoot. I didn't think about that. I, ah, don't have a license."

"You don't have a driver's license?"

She shook her head. "No. I wasn't old enough when my parents died, and after, I didn't have an interest. It was all I could do to get through every day. And considering they were carjacked, I had even less desire to get behind the wheel of a vehicle."

Jack could understand that. Frustration pulled at him. He needed out of this house. He didn't know why, but he felt like a prisoner here. Which sucked, because this was Maisy's current home.

"Fuck it," he muttered. "If I get pulled over, so be it. I'll take the ticket for not having my license, but you'll have to tell the cops who I am so I don't get arrested."

Jack was joking, but the stricken expression on Maisy's face made him regret making light of the moment.

"We can stay here," he quickly said.

"No! It's fine. I'm sure you're sick of the house. I trust you, Jack."

"That means the world to me. You're safe when you're with me."

"And you're safe with me too," she responded.

He smiled at her and pulled her against him once more. He loved the feel of her against his body. She was soft to his hard, the yin to his yang. It was hard to believe he'd forgotten this woman. She seemed to take up every inch of his headspace now. His brain was full of all things Maisy Smith. His wife. It was unbelievable, but so right at the same time.

He lowered his head without a word and felt satisfaction rise up within him when she went up on her tiptoes to eagerly reach his mouth. One of her hands came up and caressed the back of his neck as he kissed her.

What had started as a way to show her how pleased he was that she was his wife, that he honored and cherished her, blossomed into so much more in a heartbeat. It was all Jack could do not to lay her back on the table behind them and take her right then and there.

He wanted this woman. His wife. He yearned to see her body. To find out what she liked in bed. To feel her clasping his cock as he pushed deep inside her warm, wet sheath.

She was his wife, he'd had her hundreds of times before now, but he didn't remember a damn one of them, and that made everything a little more exciting. How many men had a second chance to have a first time with his wife?

They were both breathing hard when Jack forced himself to lift his head. One of his hands had pulled up the hem of the pretty lavender dress she wore and was kneading her scrumptious ass cheek. The other he'd wrapped around her hair, holding her head still as he ravished her mouth.

Her pupils were dilated, and her lips plump and red from their kisses. She looked up at him in a daze even as her fingers caressed the sensitive skin on the back of his neck. Her nipples pressed hard against the bodice of the dress and it took all of Jack's control not to lean down and take one of them into his mouth.

"Nice."

The low voice had Jack moving before he understood what he was doing. He spun, putting himself between Maisy and whoever had dared interrupt them, letting go of her ass so her dress fell back down, covering her thighs once more. Turning, he glared at the man who stood just inside the door. He was tall and muscular. Had blond hair and ice-blue eyes that seemed lifeless. He wore a smirk on his face that rubbed Jack the wrong way and made him want to remove Maisy from his sight immediately.

Jack didn't recognize the man, hadn't seen him in the house before.

"Don't stop on my account," the man snickered. "Things were just getting good. "

"Who are you?" Jack barked. The man gave him the creeps, and he didn't want him even in the same room as his wife.

"No one," the man said with that same mocking smile on his face. "I was just looking for Jason."

"He's not here," Jack said gruffly.

"Right. I'll just be off to find him then. I hear congratulations are in order?"

Why he said that as a question, Jack didn't know. He gave a single curt nod.

"Right. Then congratulations. And sorry about the memory problem…but it looks like things turned out better than planned for you. Lucky."

Jack didn't understand what the man meant, but he definitely didn't like him. He didn't say anything, just continued to glare at the stranger.

The man tipped an imaginary hat to them, then left as quietly as he'd arrived. But it was the laughter that echoed through the hall and into the dining room that had Jack gritting his teeth.

"Who was that?" he asked, turning and pulling Maisy into his embrace once more.

"I don't know. I've never seen him before. But Jason has lots of…associates…that I've never met."

Jack's head was pounding harder than before. It was as if his unconscious was screaming out a warning, but he couldn't decipher it. It was frustrating and irritating.

"Jack?" Maisy asked. "If you don't want to go anywhere, that's all right. I'm sure whatever Paige has planned will be wonderful."

Taking a deep breath and willing his pounding headache to fade, he shook his head. "No, we're definitely going." Then he looked down at his wife. His gaze ran over her face, her still plump lips, her mussed hair, knowing it had been his hand that caused it. He blurted, "Tonight, I'd like to make love to my wife again…if that's acceptable to you." Yes, they'd talked about this before, but after vowing to love and honor her, he felt as if he needed to get her permission.

She looked nervous, even a little scared, which bothered Jack. But then she licked her lips and nodded.

"We don't have to, if you aren't sure," Jack felt compelled to say.

"I'm sure. I…I want you. But…it's been a while for me."

Jack frowned. "A while?"

She nodded and bit her lip. Her eyes flicked to the left for a split second, before she met his gaze again. "We haven't…you know…in several months. Since you moved out to Spokane. And I'll probably be…rusty. Can we…will you…go slow?"

Jack's heart turned in his chest. "I won't hurt you, Stellina . I give you my word."

She nodded. "Then yes, I'd like to…consummate our marriage tonight."

Jack chuckled at her words. "It'll be our second honeymoon. I'd love to hear all about our first one over breakfast. Shall we go find Paige then get out of here?"

Maisy swallowed hard and nodded.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead reverently, inhaling the scent of apples into his lungs once more. He'd forever associate that smell with this woman. It sucked that not even her scent could break through the fog covering his past. Wasn't smell supposed to be one of the strongest triggers for memory ?

It didn't matter. He'd make more memories, starting now.

Jack wrapped his fingers around hers and pulled her away from where Jason's "associate" had gone. He didn't want to see that man again.

Maisy's brother wasn't what he seemed, of that Jack was sure. The longer he was in this house, the more uncomfortable he became. And he definitely didn't like the fact that his wife had lived here without him.

Something was off about this place. Jack couldn't put his finger on it. All he knew was that he wanted out. Wanted Maisy out. And he'd do whatever he could to speed up the process of getting his life back. He needed to get an ID, a car, and figure out how to do a job he didn't even remember, so he could provide for his wife.

There were a lot of things he didn't yet know about who he was, and about his wife, but he'd do whatever it took to be the best husband he could be. And if he could make the worry and fear he sometimes saw lurking behind Maisy's eyes disappear, he'd be a satisfied man.