Chapter 1
Harley
“He’s not your fiancé,” my father said, the words swirling around in my head as the air was sucked out of the room. “In fact, you had a restraining order issued against him that expired just a day before the accident.”
I stared at his familiar features, trying to make sense of what he was saying. I knew him, knew every inch of his face. There were a few new wrinkles that weren’t there the last time I remembered seeing him, but he was still my father. And my mom, sitting beside me holding my hand, was the same as she had always been. And then there was the man standing just inside the room, a shadow darkening his handsome features. Less than ten minutes ago I was kissing that man, touching him. Convinced that he was the man I pledged to marry months ago. But the thing is, I don’t remember him. In fact, I remember very little about the last three years of my life. More than I did when I woke from a medically induced coma, but not enough.
I was in an accident weeks ago. Xander told me I’d been jogging when I was hit by a car that forced me into a tree. I had an injury to my head, and I was in a coma for fifteen days before I finally woke up with a cast on my leg, several broken ribs, a broken clavicle, and the last three years of my life completely erased.
I woke to an impossibly handsome man staring at me. Xander Boggs. My fiancé.
I had no idea who he was.
He told me we were in love and I’d lived in this house with him and we were planning our wedding when the accident happened.
Well, he said we were planning our wedding. He never actually said when or where or how. In fact, he never told me any details about the wedding itself.
“I don’t understand.”
My mom patted my hand. “I know it’s confusing, sweetheart. That’s why we’re here. We want to take you home.”
My father knelt in front of me. “You’ll be safer back in Texas with us.”
“Is that what you’re worried about? That I’ll hurt her in some way?” Xander asked.
“You already have,” my father said. “How dare you convince her that your engagement was still on!”
“The doctor—”
“Don’t talk to me about doctors,” my father said, standing to confront Xander. “You never should have been at the hospital in the first place. Why didn’t you call us? Why didn’t you let her family know what was happening?”
“I tried. You were on a cruise—”
“You could have called our attorney!”
“And I could have hired a pilot to fly out to your cruise ship and bring you back.”
The sarcasm dripping from Xander’s voice was so different from the man I’d been getting to know over the past week or so. I could see anger rushing over my father’s face, anger mixed with something that was a lot like hatred. I didn’t understand. If I was going to marry this man…
“Why was there a restraining order?”
Everyone turned to look at me, as though they’d forgotten I was in the room. My father almost smiled. My mom seemed a little chagrined. And Xander…the color drained from his face.
“Because he wouldn’t leave you alone,” my father announced.
“I was trying to convince her to come back to me.”
“You were harassing her!”
“I was romancing her.”
My father laughed, the sound bitter and darker than anything I’d ever heard come out of his mouth before. “You waited for her outside her place of work every day for two weeks. And then you parked outside her apartment and chased her into the building when she wouldn’t talk to you, breaking the glass on the security door when she managed to get away from you.”
None of this rang a bell for me. Yet, I could see from the look on Xander’s face that there was truth to it.
I may not remember him, but he had a surprisingly expressive face. And that face was telling me there was some truth to what my father was saying.
“You didn’t want to have anything to do with him, Harley,” my father said. “You wanted to
Harley
“He’s not your fiancé,” my father said, the words swirling around in my head as the air was sucked out of the room. “In fact, you had a restraining order issued against him that expired just a day before the accident.”
I stared at his familiar features, trying to make sense of what he was saying. I knew him, knew every inch of his face. There were a few new wrinkles that weren’t there the last time I remembered seeing him, but he was still my father. And my mom, sitting beside me holding my hand, was the same as she had always been. And then there was the man standing just inside the room, a shadow darkening his handsome features. Less than ten minutes ago I was kissing that man, touching him. Convinced that he was the man I pledged to marry months ago. But the thing is, I don’t remember him. In fact, I remember very little about the last three years of my life. More than I did when I woke from a medically induced coma, but not enough.
I was in an accident weeks ago. Xander told me I’d been jogging when I was hit by a car that forced me into a tree. I had an injury to my head, and I was in a coma for fifteen days before I finally woke up with a cast on my leg, several broken ribs, a broken clavicle, and the last three years of my life completely erased.
I woke to an impossibly handsome man staring at me. Xander Boggs. My fiancé.
I had no idea who he was.
He told me we were in love and I’d lived in this house with him and we were planning our wedding when the accident happened.
Well, he said we were planning our wedding. He never actually said when or where or how. In fact, he never told me any details about the wedding itself.
“I don’t understand.”
My mom patted my hand. “I know it’s confusing, sweetheart. That’s why we’re here. We want to take you home.”
My father knelt in front of me. “You’ll be safer back in Texas with us.”
“Is that what you’re worried about? That I’ll hurt her in some way?” Xander asked.
“You already have,” my father said. “How dare you convince her that your engagement was still on!”
“The doctor—”
“Don’t talk to me about doctors,” my father said, standing to confront Xander. “You never should have been at the hospital in the first place. Why didn’t you call us? Why didn’t you let her family know what was happening?”
“I tried. You were on a cruise—”
“You could have called our attorney!”
“And I could have hired a pilot to fly out to your cruise ship and bring you back.”
The sarcasm dripping from Xander’s voice was so different from the man I’d been getting to know over the past week or so. I could see anger rushing over my father’s face, anger mixed with something that was a lot like hatred. I didn’t understand. If I was going to marry this man…
“Why was there a restraining order?”
Everyone turned to look at me, as though they’d forgotten I was in the room. My father almost smiled. My mom seemed a little chagrined. And Xander…the color drained from his face.
“Because he wouldn’t leave you alone,” my father announced.
“I was trying to convince her to come back to me.”
“You were harassing her!”
“I was romancing her.”
My father laughed, the sound bitter and darker than anything I’d ever heard come out of his mouth before. “You waited for her outside her place of work every day for two weeks. And then you parked outside her apartment and chased her into the building when she wouldn’t talk to you, breaking the glass on the security door when she managed to get away from you.”
None of this rang a bell for me. Yet, I could see from the look on Xander’s face that there was truth to it.
I may not remember him, but he had a surprisingly expressive face. And that face was telling me there was some truth to what my father was saying.
“You didn’t want to have anything to do with him, Harley,” my father said. “You wanted to
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