“I tried to warn you.”
“Wow.” Her face turned crimson red.
“Was that a goodwow? Or …”
“Well, it’s not a badwow. It’s not like you haven’t had the full tour. Multiple times.”
“Same goes for you.”
“Definitely. Again, wow. I can’t believe we have this history,” she said, her eyes sparkling devilishly over the mug.
“But how do you feel overall?”
“Like the missing parts are filling in. It’s weird because it’s not my own memories, but at the same time, they are. And this strange attraction, this magnetic pull I’ve had drawing me toward you … it makes perfect sense to me now. We have something real, don’t we?”
“Yes. What we have is very real.”
TWENTY-THREE
ALLIE
“Ican tell you're deep in thought over there. Care to share with the class?” Marc asked as he steered his truck into her driveway.
“I'm thinking that I'm glad that I agreed to go see Gabby with you, but at the same time, I'm really upset because I'm still missing my version of our story. I want those memories back, Marc. I know that only Helena can restore those memories. I have to find a way to get them back. I don't know what it's going to take, but there has to be a way. There just has to be,” she said.
Allie wasn't sure what she had expected from Gabby or if Marc’s plan would even be successful. She had definitely gotten more than she had bargained for, that's for sure. She was glad to know what they shared was real, even if she had been temporarily embarrassed by her wanton behavior.
How she had reacted to their first meeting definitely wasn't her normal reaction to guys. She'd never slept with a guy within hours of meeting him and certainly had never thought of herself as one who would jump into a lifelong commitment in less than twenty-four hours after meeting the person, but she clearly had with Marc.
It wasn't that she didn't believe his memories. She did. She absolutely did. What she wanted to know waswhyshe had reacted to him the way she did. What had her thought process been?
She may have had the memories, or his version of them, but there were still so many questions floating around in her mind. She wanted that knowledge back, and there was only one way to get it. She had to confront her parents, and somehow, she had to talk them into getting Helena to restore her memories. It was not just Marc’s version of what had happened, even if she was quite happy to know how things had gone down between them.
The idea of never remembering her version of what had truly happened between them didn't sit well. She felt like she had been robbed by her parents and Helena, and if she were being perfectly honest, Clinton. She absolutely hated how the entire situation made her feel. Gerri had been right when she said it was a violation. That was exactly how she felt. Like she’d been desecrated. And she didn't like it. Not one bit. The anger inside her bubbled to new heights.
“What do you have in mind?” Marc asked.
“I'm not sure yet. Part of me wants to storm right over to my parents’ house to confront them, but I know that's not the wisest choice and would likely lead nowhere good … especially after the bullshit they pulled last night. I can't trust them. As much as it hurts to admit the truth, it is what it is.
“They broke my trust when they violated my mind to destroy and erase our relationship. I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive them for that.” Allie’s chest ached. Her heart was splitting in two. She didn't know how to reconcile what had happened. The people who had given her life, who were supposed to love and protect her, had turned on her, and that awareness alone stung like a bitch.
“I think confronting your parents would be the worst option possible. Is there any way to get a hold of the witch, Helena?” he asked.
Allie shrugged. “She can't be that hard to find, can she?”
“When you put it like that …” He smiled back at her.
“My thoughts exactly. I say we get in the house and start doing some good detective work. With any luck, we'll be able to track her down quickly so I can get my memories back and tell my parents to fuck off. Forever.”
“I like the way you think.”
* * *
A few hours later,they were exactly where they had started … with absolutely zero information about the witch. Marc had called several of his friends, and not a single one of them knew of a witch named Helena. Several of his friends had also checked with local covens, and they all came back with the same thing. Nada.
Allie's frustrations were growing by the second. How the hell was she supposed to get her memories back if she couldn't find the witch who took them to begin with?
“Let's take a break, baby, and go get some food. There's a great little diner right around the corner from my house that serves breakfast all day long. I don't know about you, but I could put away some pancakes right about now,” Marcus suggested.