“It’s okay,” Damon soothed. “Take your time. You’re safe. I have you.”
She tried to slow down her breathing, needing to press through before the fog once again overtook the memories. “They gave me a drink in the limo, trying to make me calm down even though they’d tied my hands. My father had already left in his own car while I went with the two muscle-heads. By then I was truly terrified. I took the drink and didn’t scream because they said they could get one of my siblings next, but that’s how they drugged me the first time.”
“Your father must have stayed behind to leave your wedding bands and pack a few of your things.” Not letting go of her, Damon pulled his phone from his pocket with his other hand. “I’m going to text Officer Downey that you have additional evidence so he knows to keep your father in custody.”
It would be so easy to tip her head onto Damon’s shoulder. To soak in every bit of comfort she could from his presence. But she knew walking away from him would be even more harder if she gave in to that impulse now.
“Thank you.” She straightened, telling herself to keep it together. “I know you wanted to talk to me privately, and instead, I’ve dominated the conversation completely.” Her heart ached for her husband and the love they used to share.
He set his phone aside. “What you remembered was too important to risk delaying. I couldn’t be happier for your sake that your memory is coming back. I can’t imagine how frustrating it’s been for you missing pieces of the past.”
He took her hand. Squeezed. She had to close her eyes to prevent herself from overthinking the simple gesture. She wanted it to mean so much more.
“Thank you for understanding,” she said finally, her throat dry, her eyes burning with tears for her failed marriage. “But please, tell me. What did you want to talk about?”
Nodding, he shifted beside her. “I wanted to see you alone to ask you for another chance to prove to you that I love you and trust you. I—” He took a deep breath, his blue eyes darker with emotion. “I know that doesn’t mean much for me to tell you now, after you’ve proven your loyalty beyond all doubt.” He shook his head. “I should have told you before. I never stopped loving you, Caroline. Not even when it hurt the most.”
It scared her how much she wanted to believe him. So she stuffed down all the hope that wanted to dance to life inside her to focus on what he was saying. She needed to be sure.
“Why should I believe you?” She felt tears sting the backs of her eyes that she would need to question him after he’d told her the words she’d longed to hear. “I have to ask, Damon, because you’ve had days to return the feelings I shared with you. And instead, you retreated into your work and pushed me out.”
She couldn’t be married to a man who didn’t share her love. She had thought Damon was so different from her father. Open and warm. Ready to play and let work slide sometimes to simply enjoy life and be. The daisy necklace had reminded her of that. Of the simple pleasures.
Like winter picnics in Central Park? a contrary voice inside her asked. Maybe she had seen signs of his playful side since her return. But she needed him to trust her, too.
Outside her office, she heard voices in the reception area. The meeting must have broken up. But Damon didn’t move to join them.
“Things happened so fast between us when we fell in love.” His knee brushed hers as he spoke, a warm stroke of wool-gabardine on her bare knee. “I probably should have questioned it more at that time, but it was the most exciting, passionate love I’d ever experienced, and I couldn’t wait to just make you all mine.”
“Me, too.” Her throat burned at the thought of losing that. Still, he’d said that he loved her. “That’s how I felt.”
“But maybe we didn’t take enough time to really think about how we could fit together long-term. When we argued after the honeymoon, it felt like the end of the world to me. That’s the only reason I could believe for a second that you’d walked away on your terms and left me. I figured I hadn’t lived up to my end of the fairy-tale relationship and I lost you.” He stroked a strand of her hair that lay on the shoulder closest to him.
Her scalp tingled.
Maybe his love was still there after all?
“I couldn’t wait to see you and make up with you when I got home.” She knew that for certain. “But even if I was upset, I wouldn’t just walk out. For better or worse, Damon, my father did raise me to be the kind of woman who works hard at everything. And I would never give up on something so easily.”