Chapter Eleven

Josie

I think Drew was tempted to take me to bed after that kiss. If he’d suggested it, I wouldn’t have said ‘no’. If he’d asked the way to my bedroom, I’d have told him.

I felt guilty for all the misery I’d caused, and I wanted to make it up to him. But it was more than that. I wanted to prove to myself that what we have means more than all the secrets and lies that seem to be the foundation of our relationship. Except all I’ve done is add to the lies.

He asked me why I hadn’t told him my secret, and all I could say was that I wasn’t allowed to. I couldn’t think of another excuse, although we both knew that wasn’t true. Even as he was asking me to come clean with him ‘next time’, I was thinking that I might not be able to… not if telling him meant revealing parts of his life he’s not supposed to know about. But what could I say? How could I explain without revealing our past connection? It had been hard enough telling him my story while keeping Lexi and Maisie out of it.

I’d wondered, just briefly, if things would come to a natural head when Drew said he might not be able to have children himself. Naturally, I knew that wasn’t true, and I glanced over at Hunter to see how he reacted, hoping he might say something… perhaps decide to enlighten Drew about his daughter. He looked a little pained, but didn’t say a word. I guess because he’s taking his lead from me, and not the other way around. Before I could decide what to do for the best, though, Drew carried on talking, saying he only wanted to have children with me. How was I supposed to answer that? How could I tell him that, even though I might be infertile, he already has a daughter? And that her mother was my sister?

The problem is, not telling him feels like I’m just making things worse, because I’m denying him something I now know he wants… and already has.

Telling him would be selfish, though. I’d be doing it for myself, because I’m uncomfortable with the lies, not because it’s in Drew’s best interests.

I worked that out before Drew even broke the kiss, which he did eventually, staring down into my eyes.

“Where are your things?”

“In my bag. I haven’t unpacked yet.”

“Good. We can go now, then.”

“You’re sure this is what you want?”

“Yes.”

He went to pull away, but I grabbed his hand, pulling him back. “I mean it, Drew. You need to be absolutely certain. I couldn’t bear it if I came back with you and it all went wrong.”

He cupped my face in his hands. “Were you listening to me at all last night?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’ll have heard me say you’re everything I want… everything I need.”

“I did. But that was before you knew that having children with me won’t be possible.”

“It makes no difference. I love you because you’re you. Not because you can carry a child.”

“That’s good. Because I can’t.”

“I know… and I’m sorry.”

I blinked back my tears. “So am I. It’s never really bothered me before, but for the first time, I’m truly sorry I can’t have children.”

He kissed my lips. “This doesn’t define you, Josie. It doesn’t alter who you are.”

He put his arms around me and I rested against him, letting his strength seep into me. He didn’t suggest we go to bed, or ask the way to my bedroom, but after a while, he leaned back, a smile etched on his lips.

“Shall we go?”

“Okay.”

He carried my bag out to the car where we found Hunter waiting for us, as promised. We climbed into the back and sat, side by side on the journey to Newport. Hunter didn’t say a word, and Drew spent most of the time just staring at me, like he was scared if he took his eyes from me, I’d disappear.

My thoughts were all over the place. That mixture of fear and worry about the lies was ever-present, but there was something else.

It was hope.

That wasn’t just because of the things he’d said about us and our future.

It was more than that.

I remembered about five minutes into our journey that Drew had forced an admission out of Hunter that he hadn’t slept with anyone for over a year before the accident. He wanted to know because he was worried he might have put me in danger by not using a condom. That thought had never occurred to me, although I don’t know why. It ought to have done. But I guess I had other things on my mind. I’d waited for Hunter’s answer with bated breath, knowing that, while it wouldn’t change how I feel about Drew, it might make things difficult for both of us when he finally remembers his past. He’d sent me a message before the accident, saying he wanted to see me again, but I didn’t know why, or what about. I had no idea what he’d been doing while Lexi was pregnant and during those early months of Maisie’s life, but it seemed unreasonable to hope that our meeting had meant as much to him as it had to me. It seemed unfair to hope he’d have missed me, like I’d missed him… until Hunter said there had been no-one else.

Could it be?

Could it be that he’d been waiting?

Waiting and hoping that maybe our time would come?

I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but it was impossible not to dream.

When we got back, we left Hunter by the car, Drew thanking him for his help. I felt embarrassed and didn’t say a word. I just let Drew lead me back to the cottage.

Once inside, he dumped my bag and captured my lips with his.

“Don’t ever do that to me again. Okay?” he growled, and I nodded.

And that was when he took me to bed.

I don’t feel like Drew’s nurse anymore. I might have enjoyed that role, but I much prefer being Drew’s lover.

We’ve spent the last five days, since he brought me back here, just being together. We haven’t left the house… in fact, we’ve barely left his bedroom, except when someone knocked on the door the day before yesterday. Drew went to answer it, and came back up to the bedroom, smiling, a package in his hand.

“What’s that?” I asked as he opened it.

“Hunter left it on the doorstep. It’s his way of telling me to smarten up my facial hair.”

He pulled out a box, containing a beard trimmer, and we both laughed. I watched him shave, getting his stubble to the length he wanted, pointing out the bits he’d missed, and when he was finished, he kissed me.

“It’s not too rough against your skin, is it?” he asked, gazing down at me.

“No.”

He smiled then and kissed his way down my body…

When we’re not making love, or snatching moments of sleep, wrapped up together, we simply stare at each other, like neither of us can believe this is really happening. I know I can’t. I spent too many months living without him, knowing he had to put his daughter first, believing we’d never get the chance to be together. Now we are, it feels like a spell has been cast over us, and even though we’re bound by it, I’m aware it’s a spell that could break so easily.

I want to make the most of it, just in case this is all we ever have.

Just in case he can’t forgive me once he knows everything.

I’m lying across the bed, my head on Drew’s stomach, his fingers playing gently over the side of my breast. We showered and ate breakfast a while ago, before coming back to bed, but I’ve lost track of time.

“We really should go out, you know?” I say.

“Why?”

I turn over onto my front, resting my chin against him, and I smile up into his perfect face. “Because you need some exercise.”

He smiles. “Sex counts as exercise, doesn’t it?”

I feel like it should, after the last five days. My muscles certainly feel as though they’ve been pushed to their limits. “Probably. But we need some fresh air, too.”

“Okay… if you insist.”

I kneel up. “Come on, then.”

He reaches out, tweaking my nipple between his forefinger and thumb. “I can’t tempt you to a little indoor exercise before we go?”

“We can do that when we get back.”

“Okay. I’ll hold you to that.”

“Good.”

He grins and gets out of bed, offering me his hand. I crawl over and take it, getting to my feet and he pulls me into his arms, our bodies fused, his erection pressing into me.

“I love you, Josie. You know that, don’t you?”

“Yes.” I couldn’t doubt it. He tells me all the time. “And I love you.”

He smiles, his eyes roaming over my face in that way they sometimes do, like they did after the first time we made love… like I’m new to him, even though I’m not.

It’s a strange sensation, being studied in this way and sometimes, when he does it, I wonder if he’s trying to remember.

Except he has no idea I’m a memory.

Not like he is to me.

When we came back the other day, after we’d made love, Drew went downstairs and fetched my bag, bringing it back up. He took it into his dressing room and made space for my things… a sign, perhaps, that he wanted me to stay. I haven’t used the guest bedroom since, and we both like it that way; sharing our space, along with everything else.

I fetch us both some clothes, bringing them back, and sit on the bed, watching him dress, while I pull on jeans and a t-shirt, neither of us bothering with underwear, although after I’ve dragged my t-shirt over my head, I look up at him and smile.

“Do you think I need to wear a bra?”

He studies me, taking far longer than necessary. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether you want this to be a long walk, or a really short one. If you don’t put a bra on, I swear to God, I’m gonna drag you back here within five minutes, and rip your clothes off.”

“And if I do?”

“I might last thirty minutes…” He tilts his head one way and then the other. “Maybe twenty…”

“You’re incorrigible, you know that?”

“Yeah… but you love me.”

“I do.” I stand, pulling off my t-shirt again as I walk back into the dressing room. “And I’m gonna find a bra.”

I open the drawer where I put my underwear, pulling out a white lace bra, which I put on, along with my t-shirt, and go back out to find Drew sitting on the bed, fully clothed, his shoes already on his feet.

“You’re keen,” I say.

“I know, but the sooner we go, the sooner we can get back.” He stands, coming over, and pulls me into his arms. “You’re so sexy… you know that?”

I rest my hands on his chest, feeling his muscles flex. “You’re the sexy one.”

He groans, grinding his hips into mine. “If we don’t go now, we’re never gonna make it.”

I chuckle and take his hand, leading him down the stairs.

Outside, it’s warm enough, despite the slight breeze that keeps catching my hair, and I wish now I’d taken the time to put it up. Drew walks beside me across the grass, taking my hand and looking down at me, a smile twitching at his lips.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“Yes. Sorry for staring… it’s just my short-term memory still has a habit of developing holes, and I know I won’t remember every look, or word, or sound. I want to do my best to imprint as many of them as I can onto my brain.”

I rest my head on his shoulder. “That’s a lovely thing to say.”

He kisses the top of my head and we both breathe in a deep breath at the same time, letting it out slowly.

We’re walking toward the main house, but from where we are, we can see the pool, my eyes caught by the opening of the glass doors, and the arrival outside of Livia and Maisie, and Ella and her baby boy. They’re talking, unaware of our presence, and they sit on loungers, holding the babies, deep in conversation.

“That dark-haired woman seems to spend a lot of time here,” Drew says and I realize he’s noticed them, too.

“Yes.” I can’t tell him that’s because she lives here… because she’s his sister.

“I guess that makes sense if she’s a friend of Livia’s.”

“You remember Livia?” I say, turning to face him.

“No. But I remember Hunter telling me his wife’s called Livia, and that she’s blonde. I’m just putting two and two together.” He shakes his head. “You’d think I’d remember things like that… things like my brother having a baby, wouldn’t you? But there’s nothing there… not even the baby’s name.”

“It’s Maisie.” I blink back my tears, realizing I probably shouldn’t have told him that. I let my emotions get the better of common sense and professionalism, and now they’re about to overwhelm me.

“Oh, God, Josie. I’m sorry.” He stops walking, pulling me into a hug.

“What for?”

“That was really insensitive of me. It must be hard enough for you, being here and seeing other people’s babies, without me talking about it as well.”

“It’s okay.” It isn’t, but how can I explain?

“No, it’s not.” He turns us both around so my back is to the house. I guess he wants to protect me from having to see the baby he thinks is his brother’s… the one he thinks is upsetting me, when the reality is, I’m upset because she’s his, and he doesn’t know it. “Why don’t we go away?”

“On vacation, you mean?”

“No. For good. I can hardly expect my brother to leave, but I can see how hard this is for you.”

I pull away from him, shaking my head. “No, Drew… no.”

“But…”

“No!”

I turn and run, but I’ve only gone a few paces when I feel him tug at my arm, pulling me back and turning me around to face him.

“Stop it. Stop running, for Christ’s sake.”

“I hate conflict. I always have. Can’t you see that? Don’t you get it?”

“This isn’t a conflict, Josie. I just want what’s best for you.”

“And you think that’s leaving here?”

“Yes,” he says.

“But this is your home.”

“Yeah. A home of which I have almost no memory.”

Did I hear that right? “What do you mean ‘almost’?”

He shakes his head, like he’s confused. “Don’t change the subject.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m really not. I just need you to tell me why you said ‘almost’ just now. Have you remembered something? Tell me, Drew. It’s important.”

Especially now. If his memory is coming back, it could change everything.

He sighs. “Okay. But I don’t know if it meant anything.”

“What happened?”

“It was just, the other day, when you left, I went over to the main house to find Hunter. I needed his help, and as I was walking there, I got the feeling I’d made that journey before.”

“You had. With me, when we went swimming.”

He shakes his head. “No. This was different. And it was more than that. When I got there, I knew straight away that the glass doors led to the kitchen.”

“Like you’d gone into the house that way before?”

“I don’t know. It didn’t feel like a memory, if that’s what you’re asking, and I’m not reading too much into it. I just knew that’s where the kitchen was, although when I got inside, there was nothing familiar about the room.”

“This is exactly why you have to stay, Drew. It might not feel like a memory to you, but it’s a fragment of one. It’s a start, and being here will help you remember the rest.”

“I don’t care about that.”

“Then you should.” More than you know .

He moves closer, holding me. “I told you the other day, before you left, if I have to give up my past to keep you, then I’ll do it.”

“No. You can’t do that.”

“I’ll do anything for you.”

We’re both breathing hard, staring at each other, and I know now, beyond any doubt, that it’s vital he remembers… and remembers soon. He needs to know Maisie is his daughter and that abandoning her, even for me, is out of the question.

I might want to keep him in this perfect little bubble of ours, hiding away in the cottage and pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist, but how can I? How can I deny him his one chance at fatherhood?

I have to do whatever it takes to help him…

He cups my face with his hands. “Love is about making sacrifices, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been in love before. But even if it is, I don’t think it’s about sacrificing your life.”

“I’ve never been in love before either, but I wouldn’t consider myself as having sacrificed my life, as long as I can be with you.”

My brain feels like thick molasses, and is working just as slowly. “Wait a second. Did you just say you’ve never been in love before?”

“Yes, I did.”

“But how do you know that? Is this another memory you haven’t told me about? Because I’m still your nurse, you know, even if it doesn’t feel like it most of the time.”

“I know. And it’s not a memory. It’s something Hunter told me.”

Is he serious? “When was this?”

“The other day, when we were driving into the city to find you. I asked him to tell me what I was like before.”

“In what way?”

He sighs, pursing his lips. “With women. You’d left me. I couldn’t work out why. I guess I was looking for clues.”

“In your past?”

“Yes. I don’t have anything to go on.”

“What did he tell you?” I ask.

“Not very much. He refused to answer me. So I told him I’m in love with you and asked if that was something I did all the time.”

“I—I see. And he told you it wasn’t?”

“Yeah, he did.”

A thought suddenly occurs to me, and I lean back slightly in his arms. “How do you know he’s right? I mean… I know he said the other day that you hadn’t slept with anyone for over a year before the accident, but how would he have known? Did you used to talk to him about things like that?”

I might have had a sister until a short while ago, but we rarely talked about relationships. That evening when she told me about Manuel was a first for us.

Drew chuckles, and I frown at him. “I asked him the same question,” he says.

“And how did he reply?”

“He said we used to talk… a lot.”

“About relationships? Because talking a lot could have meant you discussed cars, or sport, or food… or anything.”

“No. I specifically asked him if I’d discussed my relationships with him.”

“And he said you had?”

“No. He said I hadn’t.”

“Then why…”

“Let me finish. He said I hadn’t, because there hadn’t been any relationships to discuss. Evidently, I hadn’t had any.”

“None at all?”

“Well… I’m guessing he meant serious ones, worthy of discussion, but that was what he said.”

I lick my bottom lip, only aware of the action when the breeze chills against its surface. “So you’ve never had a serious relationship?”

He drags his eyes up from my mouth to my eyes. “Not until now, no. He said I’d had sex, though.” He winces slightly. “Sorry.”

“Why? I think it’s pretty obvious I wasn’t your first.”

“Was it obvious?” He frowns, and I realize how close I’ve come to making a mistake… to letting it slip that the evidence of his sexual history is sitting with his sister-in-law, beside the pool, behind me.

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Because you knew what to do. You said it was an instinct, but it felt like more than that… like there was a wealth of experience behind everything you did.”

That’s not a lie, even if I am still hiding the truth.

“Wealth of experience?” He tilts his head to one side. “I’m not sure I like how that makes me sound.”

“Does it matter? It’s in the past now. It can’t be changed.”

“I know. Hell… I can’t even remember it, so what chance do I have of changing it? But I think finding out I hadn’t been in a relationship before made me wonder if I’d screwed up in some way… if I’d done something to make you run.”

“Like what?”

“Like talking about having kids when we’d only been together for a few hours. When I told Hunter that, he asked if maybe I’d made you feel pressured.”

“You told him what you’d said?”

“Yeah. Sorry. I know it was personal, but I needed his help.”

“It’s okay. You weren’t to know the real reason I’d gone.”

“No. At the time, he made me think I’d gone too far, too fast. He told me he and Livia hadn’t discussed having children until just before they got married.” He looks over my shoulder, presumably studying her and Maisie. “When was that, by the way? He didn’t say.”

“It was in February.”

“This year?”

“Yes. He told me the other day, when he asked me over to the house…” I stop talking, realizing I’d been about to say ‘when your mother was here’. What’s wrong with me? I know I said my brain was moving as slow as molasses, but how could I have almost let that slip? He nods his head, his brow furrowing, and I wonder how I’m going to explain myself. “I don’t remember how we ended up talking about it…” That’s another lie. I remember it perfectly. It was when Hunter asked how long it would take for Drew to get his memory back, because Livia was struggling with looking after Maisie. I can hardly say that either, though, can I?

“That doesn’t make sense,” he says.

“What doesn’t? I just said, I can’t even remember how…”

“No. You’re missing the point. Hunter told me he and Livia only talked about having kids a few weeks before their wedding. You’ve just told me that was only six months ago. So how can they have a baby already? That’s not possible. Even I know that.”

My blood has frozen in my veins, my skin prickling with fear.

I’ve come so close to giving the game away in the last few minutes, but it seems Hunter is the one who’s been careless, not me. The question is, what should I do? I can’t lie. Not now. The lie would be too calculated. That means I have to tell him. But how will he react? Is he ready to hear it all? And am I ready for the bubble to burst?

“I—I…”

His eyes switch over my other shoulder, and his frown deepens. “Who’s that?” he says and I turn, relieved I’ve been saved from having to answer… for now.

There’s an enormous car driving toward the house, the sun gleaming off of the bright metal grille at the front. From here, neither of us can see who’s inside, or even how many people there are, but I’m relieved to have the distraction… the momentary delay in having to explain who Maisie is. Ideally, I’d rather do that with Hunter present, so he can help me and maybe mitigate some of the fallout. Except, with this new arrival, it seems that might not be possible.

We watch as the car pulls to a stop at the front of the house, the door slowly opening, and I gasp as a man climbs out. Even from here, I know who he is, although it’s been years since I last saw him.

“What’s wrong?” Drew turns to me, his eyes betraying his concern as he moves closer to me. “Josie? You’ve gone as white as a sheet.” I nod my head, although my voice won’t work and Drew looks back at the man, who’s now standing by the front door. “Do you know him?”

I nod my head again, knowing I don’t need to worry about explaining who Maisie is anymore.

The bubble has already burst, and my entire world is about to come tumbling down.

***

Drew

What the hell is going on here?

I was confused enough before. I didn’t think my brain could get any more disoriented. But it seems it could, because I honestly don’t know which way is up right now.

I hadn’t even begun to get my head around how Hunter could have a baby who was conceived before he and Livia even talked about having kids together. Josie didn’t look too keen on explaining that to me, either. But I wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. I was going to make her tell me… at least, I was, until that enormous car pulled onto the property. It had the look about it of someone who means business… if a car can have ‘a look’.

There was something menacing about its shiny black angles and the way the sun glinted off of it, like it was trying to blind you to whoever was inside.

I decided I could wait a minute or so for Josie’s explanation… until the guy inside the car climbed out and I heard her gasp, then saw the look on her face. Her skin paled to a grayish-white and her eyes were filled with fear, like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

She knows the guy and now nothing else matters to me, except the need to understand who he is, and why his presence here seems to scare her so much.

My brother opens the front door, and the two of them talk for a moment before Hunter steps outside, pulling the door closed. He didn’t invite the guy in? I don’t know my brother, but he doesn’t strike me as inhospitable.

I look down at Josie. She’s shaking, her body trembling beside me, and I pull her into my arms.

“What’s going on, baby? Talk to me.”

“I—I can’t.”

I lean back, looking into her tear-filled eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Please, Drew. Let’s just go back to the cottage.”

I’m about to say ‘no’, when I hear raised voices and turn back to the house. Hunter’s waving his arm toward the gate, presumably telling the guy to leave, and the stranger is standing up to him, wagging a finger in his face. Any hope Josie had of persuading me back to the cottage just vaporized. I step away from her.

“I’m gonna see if Hunter needs any help with this.”

“No!” She grabs me by the arm, pulling me back. “Hunter will be fine.”

“How do you know that?” I shake my head at her. “Something’s wrong here. It doesn’t add up. You’re scared of this guy, but you won’t tell me who he is, and Hunter clearly wants him gone. Is he connected to me in some way?”

“Please, Drew… for my sake. Don’t go.”

I notice she didn’t answer me and I stare down at her. “Tell me who he is, Josie.”

“I—I can’t.”

“Then I’m gonna find out for myself.”

I move away, but she runs around, standing in my path. “Don’t… please, I’m begging you.”

I shake my head. “I’m done with all this bullshit, Josie. The stories you and Hunter are telling me don’t even add up anymore, and I wanna know the truth. I know you think you’re protecting me, but you’re not, and if you won’t tell me what’s happening here, maybe this guy will.”

“No, he won’t.” I can hear the desperation in her voice, but I mean every word I say. Holding things back from me might have felt like a good idea to her and the doctor. I might even have agreed with it for a while, but it’s not working anymore. There are too many nagging doubts; too many questions. I need answers, and I don’t care where I get them from.

“Well… let’s go ask, shall we?”

I dodge around her and stride toward the house, the sound of raised voices greeting me.

“You lied to my housekeeper to get onto my property,” Hunter says. “And if you don’t leave now, I’m gonna call the cops.” He sounds mad. He looks it, too… but I focus on the other guy.

He’s around six feet tall, with light brown hair peppered with gray. I’d say he’s in his mid-fifties, wearing an expensive-looking suit and what appear to be handmade shoes. A man of business, by the looks of things, and for a moment, I wonder if this has nothing to do with me at all… whether it’s related to Hunter and his job.

Except Josie knows him.

“I’m not going anywhere until I’ve seen her.”

He wants to see Josie? What the hell for? And why is Hunter so riled up about it? If anyone should be defending my girlfriend, it’s me.

“Can I help you?” I wade in, Hunter flipping around, the shocked expression on his face taking me by surprise. He glances over my shoulder, and I turn to see Josie just a few feet behind me. Despite her reluctance, she must have followed me, although the fear in her eyes has been amplified about a hundred times over.

The man turns, facing me, and then looks at Josie, tilting his head. There’s no obvious sign of recognition, and I wonder for a second if Josie’s made a mistake.

“This doesn’t concern you, Drew,” Hunter says. “This man is just leaving.”

“Like hell I am.” The guy turns back to Hunter. “I told you. I wanna see my granddaughter.”

“Who’s your granddaughter?” I ask, quickly working out the math in my head. It can’t be Josie. That wouldn’t add up. But who else can it be? And whoever his granddaughter is, why is she here? And what’s the connection between this guy and my girlfriend? “Is she here?”

“Of course she’s here.” He gives me a withering look. “She’s been here ever since she was kidnapped from the hospital after my daughter was killed in that accident.”

This gets more confusing by the minute. His daughter was killed? And someone here kidnapped his granddaughter? That doesn’t make sense. The people here might be unknown to me, but they’ve been kind. They’re not kidnappers. I open my mouth to say so, just as Josie steps up, passing me and walking straight up to the stranger. The color is back in her cheeks and I barely have time to see the spark in her eyes before she turns and points a finger at him.

“What makes you think you have a right to see her?”

The man looks down at her, a smirk touching at his lips, like she’s no more significant than a fly he’d swat away. “What’s it got to do with you?”

“Answer the goddamn question? Why do you think you have a right to see her?”

“Because she’s my flesh and blood,” he says, raising his voice.

“You weren’t too worried about that when you found out your daughter was pregnant, were you? You disowned her.”

I glance at Hunter, to see he’s looking as confused as I feel, and the stranger is just the same, frowning down at Josie.

“How do you know about that?”

She takes a deep, stuttering breath and looks over at me, tears filling her eyes. “I’m sorry, Drew,” she says, puzzling me still further. “I’m so sorry.” And then she turns back to the man. “You don’t even recognize me, do you?”

He shrugs. “Why? Should I?”

“Yes. I lived with you…”

I step forward, and Josie stops talking, my movement grabbing her attention. “Wait a second. You lived with this guy?”

She nods her head. “Yes. But not in the way you think.” What does that mean? I don’t know what to think anymore. She blinks a few times, biting on her lip and then says, “This is my step-father.”

The ground shifts and I feel myself stumble. Hunter moves closer and Josie reaches out, but I hold up my hands, halting them both. “Your step-father?”

“Yes. He married my mom when I was three years old.”

For a split second, I feel the tug of a memory… a story, told to me by someone else, but I can’t hold on to it, and I’ve got more important things to think about.

The man studies her again, frowning, his eyes narrowed. “You mean, you’re Josie?”

“Yes,” she says.

“What are you doing here?” He looks up at the house behind her.

“Good question,” I say and they both turn to me. I’m captured by the sadness in Josie’s eyes. It fractures my heart, splintering it into fragments that stab at me… painfully. She doesn’t say a word to me, though, but turns back to her step-father.

“It’s none of your business what I’m doing here.”

“Oh? You don’t think you owe me an explanation?”

“No. I owe other people explanations – and apologies – but I owe you nothing.”

He opens his mouth, then closes it again, brushing his hand down his face.

“Fine. But these people don’t have the right to keep my granddaughter here against my will.”

“Yes, they do,” Josie says, even as Hunter steps forward again. “They have every right to keep her here and to look after her. They’re related to her.”

“So am I,” he thunders. Josie takes a half step back and on instinct, I move closer to her. I might not know who she is right now, but the need to protect her is still flowing through me as strongly as the blood through my veins.

“Then why didn’t you ask after her at the hospital? Why did you disown her mom when she got pregnant? Why did you ignore her, instead of giving her the support she asked you for?” she says, her voice stronger and louder than I’d expected. “I’ll tell you why… it’s because you’ve always had to be the center of attention. Everything has to be about you. It was the same with my mom. When you married her, you expected her to make you the focus of her world. And she did it, because she thought you loved her as much as she loved you. She ignored the way you put her down, and the tantrums, and the bullying. She ignored all of it.”

“Huh… so that’s why she divorced me, is it?” he says, raising his chin.

“No. She divorced you because you had an affair when I was sick in the hospital. You resented me for taking her away from you, and you punished her by sleeping with her best friend… the only person she had left to turn to.” Josie steps up close to him, glaring into his face. “She thought I was gonna die, but were you there, helping her, holding her hand, comforting her? No. You were thinking of yourself and taking from her the only other person she cared about in the world.”

“That’s ancient history.” He waves his hand, dismissing her.

“Yes, it is. But I won’t let you try to control Maisie’s life and then drop her when it doesn’t go your way.”

Hunter steps forward, looking down at Josie. “Neither will I.”

I’m beyond confused now. What has any of this got to do with Maisie? She’s Hunter’s daughter, and surely can’t have anything to do with this guy… or with Josie.

“Whatever you think your rights are,” Josie says, “Maisie’s place is here.”

“Yes, it is.” Hunter turns to me and Josie does too, both of them looking right into my eyes. “With her father.”

Everything stops. The wind, the heat from the sun, the birds singing in the trees… the pain in my chest. It all ceases at once.

Her father?

I focus on Josie. It’s obvious from the guilty look in her eyes and the way she’s biting on her bottom lip that she’s known about this all along. The baby I’ve assumed to be my brother’s, who I’ve talked about and discussed with her as belonging to him and Livia, is mine. I can tell just from the look on Hunter’s face. Josie’s kept that from me, and built a web of lies so great, I can’t see beyond it.

How could she?

Part of me wants to take a leaf from her book… to run away, to hide, to pretend this isn’t happening. But I can’t.

I’m suddenly overwhelmed by a much stronger force than self-perseveration… a need to protect my daughter, even though I don’t remember her.

I step forward, ignoring Josie and put myself in front of her step-father.

“Maisie is my daughter.” The words sound alien on my lips, but I give them enough conviction to fool him, and he raises his eyebrows. “She belongs here, with me.”

“What about me?” he says, sounding pitiful. “I’m her family, too.”

“You should have thought about that when you had the chance. You’re not gonna take my daughter from me, especially if all you want is to make her dance to your tune. No-one will ever do that to her. If my daughter wants to dance, she’ll make up her own goddamn tune, and sing it at the top of her voice.”

“But…”

“But nothing. I have nothing more to say to you… now get off of my property.”

I glare at him and he stands his ground for a moment or two longer before he lets out a huff and strides back to his car, getting in and driving away with a screech of his tires.

I wait until he’s disappeared from view, so I know he won’t be able to see us in his rear-view mirror, and then I turn around.

Hunter is right behind me, and Josie’s to my left, just a foot or so away. My brother is the one to step forward, but I push him away.

“Fuck off, Hunter.”

He stumbles back, righting himself quickly enough, his eyes wide, and Josie steps away, like she thinks I might lay a hand on her. As if that would ever happen.

“Please, Drew,” she whispers.

“Please, Drew, what?” I growl, and she stills, her bottom lip trembling.

“Don’t be mad.”

“Are you fucking serious? You lied to me.”

“I had no choice.”

Hunter stands beside her. “We had no choice,” he says.

“You lied to me,” I yell. “You kept my own daughter from me.”

Hunter moves forward again, but I push him back, although he keeps his footing this time. “What else were we supposed to do? The doctors told us…”

“Bullshit. I don’t care what the doctors told you. You’ve been pretending my daughter is yours all this time. You’re supposed to be my brother, but you’re playing happy goddamn families with my daughter.”

“That’s not fair, Drew,” Josie says, shaking her head. “Hunter and Livia volunteered to take care of Maisie when there was no-one else to do it. They’re not playing at anything.”

There was no-one else. The words play over and over in my head. “Maisie’s mom, that guy’s daughter… she was in the car with me?” Hunter nods his head, looking miserable, but I ignore him, my eyes fixed on Josie. “How could you? You told me I wasn’t responsible… that I didn’t kill anyone. But Maisie’s mom is dead.”

“Yes. But I didn’t lie. You didn’t kill her. She was driving. It was her car that crashed.”

“She died at the scene,” Hunter says. “There was nothing they could do for her.”

This is too much to take in… and yet I need to know more. I need to know all of it, even if I’m struggling to fit the pieces together.

“What was her name?”

“Lexi Doyle,” Josie says. “We never shared the same name. Her father didn’t adopt me or anything like that.”

Hunter turns to her. “But she was your step-sister?”

“Yes.” She blushes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

He shakes his head, frowning. “I remember asking you whether Lexi’s sister had been informed about her death. You could have told me then, couldn’t you?”

“Not really. I’d already lied to the doctors about the connection between us.”

“Why?” he asks. “Why did you do that?”

“I was scared they wouldn’t let me stay with Drew if I told them the truth. I’d have had no way of knowing how he was, either. By the time you asked me, we were on the verge of leaving the hospital, and I thought you might not let me come here and help him.”

I feel like we’re getting side-tracked. “Can I just confirm something?” They both turn to me. “Are you saying I had a relationship with your sister? Because according to my brother, I didn’t used to do relationships. Or was that a lie, too?”

Hunter shakes his head. “No, it wasn’t a lie. You didn’t have a relationship with Lexi.”

Josie sighs. “But you did sleep with her. And she was my step-sister, not my sister. We weren’t that close.”

“Was there a reason for that?” I ask, my head spinning.

“We liked different things, and we were very different people. When we were growing up, we had nothing in common, and then I got sick and, like I just said, her dad resented my mom having to spend so much time with me at the hospital.”

“And he had an affair with her best friend?”

“Yes. Her name was Hannah. I’d known her all my life. She and Mom had been friends since high school, and Hannah had helped mom through her pregnancy, when her boyfriend walked out on her. She’d been there throughout those first three years until Mom met Lexi’s dad and moved to New York. They stayed in touch, though, and when I got sick Hannah came to stay, to help out. Mom spent a lot of time with me at the hospital, but she went home one afternoon to take a shower and get a change of clothes and found Hannah and my step-father in bed together. She didn’t breathe a word about it to me… not then. She knew how sick I was, and she kept it to herself, but when I came out of the hospital, we didn’t go home. We went to a hotel, and then after a few weeks, when I was a little better, we moved back to Boston… and we never saw Hannah again.”

“And your step-father?” Hunter asks.

“I never saw him again, either. Mom divorced him.”

“How did you find out about his affair?”

“Mom told me before she died.”

“She died?” Hunter says.

“Yeah. She was diagnosed with cancer just after my seventeenth birthday, and died six months later. Not long before that, she told me what he’d done and made me promise never to let a man do that to me.” She blinks away her tears. “H—He’d broken her, and I don’t think she ever recovered from it.”

“And Lexi?” he asks.

“She’d stayed with her dad in New York. I didn’t hear from her again until just a few years ago.”

“I have no memory of her,” I say, and they both turn to face me. “What happened between us? I get that we didn’t have a relationship, but how long did I date her for?”

Josie shrugs, looking uncomfortable. “I honestly don’t know.”

“It wasn’t for very long,” Hunter says. “And I’m not sure you could even say you dated her.”

“What did I do then?”

“You met her last year, in the summer, when you were working together in the Caribbean.”

“Working at what?”

He glances at Josie, and she nods her head.

“You’re a photographer,” he says. “Just like you thought you were. The assignment you were on then was a fashion shoot, and Lexi was one of the models. From what you said at the time, the shoot went horribly wrong. The weather was terrible and all the models except for Lexi got sick. There wasn’t very much the two of you could do, so…”

“We found other ways of amusing ourselves?” I say and he nods. I glance at Josie and note the blush on her cheeks, and the way she curls in on herself, but what can I do? What can I say? I get that hearing me say things like that can’t be easy, and I wish I didn’t have to. But the thing is, she’s kept so much from me. She owes me the truth, even if it is uncomfortable.

“Yes. Eventually the agency who were employing you abandoned the project, and you came home.”

“With Lexi?”

He nods his head. “Except things didn’t translate well when you got back to the States. The way you told it to me, it wasn’t serious for either of you, and you were both thinking of breaking up when…” He stops talking and glances at Josie, frowning, although his face quickly clears, and for some reason, he smiles.

“When what? She found out she was pregnant?” I say.

“No, that came later.”

Josie clears her throat. “I think what your brother is trying to tell you is, you and Lexi were both thinking of breaking up with each other when she took you to a friend’s birthday party, and you met me.”

I stare at her for a moment, my brain clouding, fogging with yet more confusion. “Y—You mean I knew you before? Before the accident?”

She sucks in a breath. “Yes. But not until that party.”