Remember Me (Men of Honor Series Book 1) by Lara Van Hulzen Page A
Authors: Lara Van Hulzen
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stricken as well. What if they lost them both?
She pushed the thought from her mind and moved through the water as fast as she could.
“Look!” Emma shouted. “There they are.”
Mike’s head bobbed in the water, his arm tight around Ben’s torso. Ben’s head lay limp against Mike’s shoulder. Getting to where he could stand, Mike dragged Ben up toward the shore and laid him in the sand.
Tess and Emma made their way toward the men. Ben’s body convulsed with coughs and he spit up salt water. Tess exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Coughing was good. It meant he was breathing. She dragged her board to shore and tossed it aside before kneeling next to him. He lay back in the sand, no longer coughing. Wrapping her arms around him, she laid her head on his chest. His skin was cold from the cool water and his chest lifted with each breath. Closing her eyes, she held him, not wanting to ever let him go.
***
His lungs burned with each breath, but nothing could keep him from wrapping his arms around Tess.
He blinked. It felt as if someone had turned on all the lights after a long night of sitting in a dark room, unable to navigate or maneuver. One second he was feeling the rush of the wave beneath his surfboard and smiling at Tess, the next, his entire life moved through his mind, not unlike a movie trailer, with each scene flowing into the next. Faces and places flashed before him as if it all happened just yesterday.
He remembered. He remembered everything.
***
Ben felt sick to his stomach, and it wasn’t because of all the salt water he’d swallowed. He held Tess tight to his chest. Even though her eyes were closed, fear and worry were evident in her expression. He hated being the cause of that, and he knew he was to blame for even worse.
“Hey, you two. As much as I hate to interrupt this love fest, Ben should probably sit up.” Mike stood over them, water dripping off his swim trunks, clumps of wet sand clinging to his chest. Emma knelt beside Tess in the sand.
Tess blinked, her wide emerald eyes staring at Ben. It broke his heart to see her so concerned for him. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve her.
She sat back on her knees, giving him room to sit up, but left her hands on his arm.
“Thanks, man.” He sat up and coughed a few more times.
“No worries. Thankfully, Tess saw you go down, so I knew where to look for you.”
“What happened?” Emma asked.
Ben shook his head and rubbed his face. Afraid he would reveal too much, he avoided Tess’s eyes, but was painfully aware of the electric current her hands were causing as her fingers rubbed his arm.
“I’m not sure. I just lost my balance, I guess.” It sounded lame, but it was the best he could do. His brain was spinning out of control, and Tess’s nearness wasn’t helping. He certainly didn’t want her to leave, but he needed time to think through everything.
As if reading his thoughts, Mike said, “Let’s get you inside and cleaned up.”
Emma and Tess stood on either side of Ben and helped him stand, making sure he wasn’t dizzy or lightheaded. Mike ran to retrieve his board and Ben’s. Once it was clear Ben could walk on his own, Emma left them and grabbed her board and Tess’s. Tess held Ben’s hand as they made their way up the sand to the house.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” The look of concern was still etched on her face. “I saw you right before you fell. It didn’t look like you just lost your balance. It looked like something distracted you. A thought or…something.”
He knew she wanted to say memory, but there was no way he could blurt out that he remembered. His chest ached at all he recalled, and his hand tightened around hers.
“No. I just fell.” His tone didn’t sound convincing, but she nodded, accepting his answer. “I’m sorry if I scared you guys.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” Her smile melted his heart. She squeezed his hand and then
She pushed the thought from her mind and moved through the water as fast as she could.
“Look!” Emma shouted. “There they are.”
Mike’s head bobbed in the water, his arm tight around Ben’s torso. Ben’s head lay limp against Mike’s shoulder. Getting to where he could stand, Mike dragged Ben up toward the shore and laid him in the sand.
Tess and Emma made their way toward the men. Ben’s body convulsed with coughs and he spit up salt water. Tess exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Coughing was good. It meant he was breathing. She dragged her board to shore and tossed it aside before kneeling next to him. He lay back in the sand, no longer coughing. Wrapping her arms around him, she laid her head on his chest. His skin was cold from the cool water and his chest lifted with each breath. Closing her eyes, she held him, not wanting to ever let him go.
***
His lungs burned with each breath, but nothing could keep him from wrapping his arms around Tess.
He blinked. It felt as if someone had turned on all the lights after a long night of sitting in a dark room, unable to navigate or maneuver. One second he was feeling the rush of the wave beneath his surfboard and smiling at Tess, the next, his entire life moved through his mind, not unlike a movie trailer, with each scene flowing into the next. Faces and places flashed before him as if it all happened just yesterday.
He remembered. He remembered everything.
***
Ben felt sick to his stomach, and it wasn’t because of all the salt water he’d swallowed. He held Tess tight to his chest. Even though her eyes were closed, fear and worry were evident in her expression. He hated being the cause of that, and he knew he was to blame for even worse.
“Hey, you two. As much as I hate to interrupt this love fest, Ben should probably sit up.” Mike stood over them, water dripping off his swim trunks, clumps of wet sand clinging to his chest. Emma knelt beside Tess in the sand.
Tess blinked, her wide emerald eyes staring at Ben. It broke his heart to see her so concerned for him. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve her.
She sat back on her knees, giving him room to sit up, but left her hands on his arm.
“Thanks, man.” He sat up and coughed a few more times.
“No worries. Thankfully, Tess saw you go down, so I knew where to look for you.”
“What happened?” Emma asked.
Ben shook his head and rubbed his face. Afraid he would reveal too much, he avoided Tess’s eyes, but was painfully aware of the electric current her hands were causing as her fingers rubbed his arm.
“I’m not sure. I just lost my balance, I guess.” It sounded lame, but it was the best he could do. His brain was spinning out of control, and Tess’s nearness wasn’t helping. He certainly didn’t want her to leave, but he needed time to think through everything.
As if reading his thoughts, Mike said, “Let’s get you inside and cleaned up.”
Emma and Tess stood on either side of Ben and helped him stand, making sure he wasn’t dizzy or lightheaded. Mike ran to retrieve his board and Ben’s. Once it was clear Ben could walk on his own, Emma left them and grabbed her board and Tess’s. Tess held Ben’s hand as they made their way up the sand to the house.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” The look of concern was still etched on her face. “I saw you right before you fell. It didn’t look like you just lost your balance. It looked like something distracted you. A thought or…something.”
He knew she wanted to say memory, but there was no way he could blurt out that he remembered. His chest ached at all he recalled, and his hand tightened around hers.
“No. I just fell.” His tone didn’t sound convincing, but she nodded, accepting his answer. “I’m sorry if I scared you guys.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” Her smile melted his heart. She squeezed his hand and then
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