I'll Remember You (Hell Yeah!) (27 page)

And in his arms was an angel. Her sweet lips were touching his, gently, searching, learning. And he could no more have resisted her than he could have denied himself his next breath. Accepting her kiss, he returned it. Lips as soft velvet caressed his. She tasted like the sweetest honey, and her tongue teased him, lured his out to play. There was no hesitation here. She was welcoming him home and he would be a fool not to accept the invitation.             

Emotions swelled and exploded in Libby’s heart. She tightened her arms around his neck and hugged herself close to his big body. The familiar sensation of hard muscle against her softness—husband and wife—male and female—was enough to make her moan. “Aron, are you real?” Her breasts swelled, her nipples drawing tight.

“Yea, I’m real, baby.” Aron wanted to cry. For her. For him. For what they’d lost. God, she didn’t even know. How would he tell her? Should he tell her? Looking at her face, the joy in her eyes, Aron knew he had to tell her, he couldn’t lie to her. But not just yet. 

“Kiss me, please. Kiss me like you’ve missed me.”

Her small request nearly floored him. His eyes devoured her face. “You’re so beautiful.” He put a hand on her belly. “My babies.” He breathed with a smile.

“Yes, your babies.” She covered his hand, interlacing their fingers; the naked happiness in her eyes took his breath away. Aron cupped her face in his hands. Slowly he lowered his mouth, allowing his lips to relearn the softness and shape of hers. Rich, smooth velvet. One smooth touch of his lips blossomed into a dozen drugging kisses. At the insistent rub of his mouth, teasing nibbles and tiny flicks of his tongue, Libby’s lips parted with a soft sigh. His tongue slipped inside and her flavor burst in his mouth - sweet chocolate, sweet woman and sweet promise. He knew it had been an eternity since he’d kissed her this way, with need, with promise, with a renewal of commitment.

Aron slanted his head, kicking the kiss up from a slow get reacquainted touch to an aching hunger. For Libby. Only ever for her. A warm, intense reunion of tangling tongues, panting breaths and the powerful build into passion their hearts and bodies had been denied so long. In spite of the passion and the heat of yearning, he held himself back. Tthis was too critical to rush. He had to tell her everything before he could lose himself in her softness. Aron forced himself to ease up, break the kiss.

But Libby would have none of it. “I missed you, Aron.” She stood on tiptoe and pressed butterfly kisses from his jaw to his neck. “I dreamed of you.”

“I dreamed of you, too.” He knew he had.

“Who hurt you?” She gently touched the marks on his face and neck. Before he could answer, Joseph knocked on the door.

“Hey, you two.” He stuck his head inside. “Can we come back in?”

“Oh, lordy.” Libby fanned herself. “I forgot we weren’t alone. They missed you as much as I did.” Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. Putting her hand on her hip, she pinned him with a stare. “Where have you been?”

Isaac broke out in laughter. “It’s gonna be a long night.”

Chapter Thirteen

Aron let himself be led into the living room. He had a hard time taking it all in. Nothing was familiar, but it all felt right. He could feel the pull of the connection with his brothers, especially Nathan. When the young man had hugged him, an overwhelming sense of love had welled up like a fountain. Their ladies seem to take it all in stride. He looked from one to another, just enjoying the fact he was a part of something so beautiful. A family.

And Libby. He had a hard time keeping his eyes off of her. She belonged to him? What a treasure. Her every touch spoke love. She brought him a plate of food, then sat at his feet while he ate, handing him a glass of tea when he needed a drink. Not once did she cease to touch him somewhere as if she couldn’t quite believe he was actually here.

After they’d finished their meal, he drew her into his lap. She had been patient. “Libby, I don’t remember the accident that caused all of this.” He spoke of their snorkeling trip and how he had been injured. “The next thing I knew I had been picked up on a yacht and told I was someone else. They weren’t good people,” he spoke slowly. “The Delgado’s were part of a drug cartel and when my memory started to come back, they drugged me. I didn’t know who I was or where I was. You have to realize, I would never have stayed away from you if I could help it.”

Touching his face, she whispered, “I knew it had to be something like that, you’d never willingly leave me. Would you?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I’m just thankful Jaxson saw me down there, recognized me and called Noah.”

She looked at Noah, who came over to where they sat. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Her look was hurt and a bit accusatory.

“I had to be sure. You’d been hurt enough.”

She realized he was talking about the memorial from the Cattle Barron’s Ball and the fact he had questioned where Aron was and why he hadn’t come home. “I’m strong.” She lifted her chin.

“Yes, you are,” Aron agreed. “The people who took me in told me my name was Austin Wade. I worked at a ranch in northern Mexico. But soon I realized they were into more than just cattle. The rancher’s brother-in-law and daughter were the head of a massive drug operation, responsible for millions of dollars of drug sales a day and countless deaths.”

Libby drew in a harsh breath. “What did you do?” Oh, God. “I could have lost you so easily.” She nestled down in his arms. “Nathan dreamed about you!”

“He did?” Aron didn’t understand her meaning. “When my memory started coming back, they felt threated. And well they should have, because I started gathering information to use against them. When they realized that, they gave me something which erased my memories.”

Libby froze. She was just about to ask a question when there was a car honking outside. Nathan ran to the window. “It’s Jacob and Jessie. And BT!” Everyone got up. Aron kissed Libby and she walked slowly behind the group, deep in thought.

They all walked out on the porch to see the little family get out of the car. Jacob ran around to open the door for his wife and to unstrap the carrier. “Look who’s here!” he announced. The whole family cheered at seeing the proud parents and the new baby who had had such a rough start to life.

Aron was filled with pride. Looking at each face, he knew he would remember. He wanted it all back, he wanted to know their habits, what expressions they used, their likes and dislikes. He wanted to know it all.

“Come in out of the cold.” Cady opened the door and urged everyone back in.

Jessie took in the decorations. “Oh, it is so beautiful! Where are you going to stand for the ceremony?” she asked Cady.

“Next to me.” Joseph teased.

Everyone took turns holding BT, but it was soon evident that Nathan had appointed himself as the baby’s guardian.

The atmosphere in the room was celebratory. Libby had never heard so much laughter. The relief she felt was tempered with fear. Something was wrong. He had all but told her, but she couldn’t bring herself to even think the thought, much less say it out loud.

An ache was centered in her chest. It was evident. The way everyone kept explaining everything. And the nicknames he always used to call her, they were missing. He looked the same. He sounded the same. He kissed the same. But he wasn’t.

He didn’t remember her.

Libby was devastated.

Then she was embarrassed.

It took a while, but Aron finally realized Libby wasn’t near him, not like she had been. He looked around the room. She was standing as far away from him as she could get and still be in the same room. This wouldn’t do. When he gazed at her, something familiar spoke to him. True, his mind was having trouble placing her, but his body responded with a heated ache. He had touched this woman, kissed her, made love to her. His heart remembered, even if his brain did not. And he wanted more.

“Excuse me,” he told Joseph and Cady. Aron had just consented to be Joseph’s best man at the wedding, which was only two days away. Christmas was only two days away. According to what they had told him, he had been gone since October the 17
^th
, over two months. Two damn months of his life had been stolen and so had his memories. The time, he’d never get back. But he fully intended to remember, especially Libby. He was greedy. He wanted it all—every nuance, every image, every word they’d ever whispered, every secret they’d ever shared.

Aron moved across the room toward her.

Libby saw him coming. Her heart clenched in her chest. What was she going to do?

“Hey, why aren’t you standing by me? Are you tired of me already?” He grinned.

“You don’t know who I am. Do you?”

For a moment, he was taken aback. “Of course, I do. You’re Libby McCoy, my wife.”

She held her ground. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

He was quiet for a moment. She closed her eyes as if she was in great pain, then she took off across the room and ran upstairs.

Everyone was quiet. They were all watching. Aron looked around at his family. “I’m so happy to be back. I don’t have the words to tell you grateful I am that you cared enough about me to throw another Texas revolution. But I need to take care of my wife. Please, excuse me.”

No one tried to stop him.

Aron went upstairs. Hell, he didn’t even know which room was his. Looking around, he saw his bags sitting by one door. Surely she hadn’t set them out? No, that was probably where Joseph or Isaac had put them when they’d come in from the airport. Going to the door, he tapped on it. “Libby?”

Silence.

“Libby?”

“What?” He heard her small voice.

“Can I come in?”

“It’s your room.”

“It’s our room, isn’t it?”

“Used to be.” She was speaking into the pillow.

Aron stopped at the edge of the bed. The sight of the beautiful woman lying among the pillows, her heart-shaped behind turned up for his delectation, made it hard to keep his mind on the matter at hand. He was still a little weak, but he was a man. “Libby, talk to me.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

At least she was honest. “I didn’t choose for this to happen, you know.”

She sprang from the bed. “God, I know that.” She batted away tears from her spiked lashes. “I don’t blame you, Aron.” Hiccupping back a sob, she went to her knees in front of him. “I’m so glad you’re alive. I promised God all sorts of outrageous things if he would just bring you back to me.”

Aron sat down on the bed, drawing her into his lap. This was his world, right here in his arms. His wife and his children. One day he would remember their past, but he had no trouble at all seeing their future. “I want to remember. Don’t think I don’t.”

Easing up out of his lap, she went up on her knees facing him. “This is almost a new beginning for you, I guess.” She looked into his eyes, trying so hard to read his expression.

He didn’t know what she was getting at. “What do you mean?”

“My faith was strong,” she told him. “I don’t think I want to wait till Christmas to give you this.” She got on her knees and dug under the bed. “Pulling out a present, she gave it to him.

“What have you done?” He couldn’t help but feel a little thrill. “I guess I like presents, I feel like a kid.”

“Well, this isn’t a game or anything, you’ll have to wait for Christmas Day for those.” She pointed to their entertainment center so he could see his array of video games and players.

Aron laughed. “Super! Do we play together?”

“Yea.” She winked at him. “I beat you all the time.” She didn’t really, but for right now – he wouldn’t know that.

“I bet.” He winked at her. She was fun, his wife. He couldn’t wait to find out more about her. Unwrapping the gift, he found an album. “What’s this?”

“While you were gone, Noah had an identity crisis.” He might as well know, he would find out eventually. “Noah is adopted. You have the same dad, but different mothers.” He was looking at her sort of blankly. “I didn’t know. No one knew but you and Jacob. The family more or less ignored it. Which was a good thing, until he accidentally stumbled on the truth.” She could see this was not ringing any bells. “If you get your memory back, I’m sure you’ll be able to shed some light on the situation, but apparently, Noah’s mother was a woman your dad met on the rodeo circuit.”

“Shit.” He stared at the floor as if he were trying to conjure up answers.

“Anyway.” She waved her hands. “While he was digging in the attic for answers, he came upon these boxes of papers and photos. I thought about making you an album of your life and family.”

He opened it. “Wow,” he breathed, turning page after page.

She knew it was probably asking too much, but she began to hope something would ring a bell, or jar loose whatever was damming up his memories. Libby sat by him and pointed out people and times and places. “Yea, you won every award you can think of.” His high school and college sports days were fully chronicled.

“That’s Kyle Chancellor.” He pointed at a teammate. “He helped get me out of that hellhole.” He picked the book up closer. “The son-of-a-bitch won the Heisman?”

His incredulity made Libby laugh. Then there was his rodeo days and his sculpting awards. “Yes, you sculpt.”

“No.” He laughed. “Really?” Aron stared at the accolades and newspaper articles about his art career. “Who woulda thought?”

“You’re very talented. And handsome. And smart.” He thumbed on over until he came to pictures of the two of them. “Way out of my league.”

There it was.

She had always wondered how in the world Liberty Belle Fontaine had won the heart of Aron McCoy. It had been a fluke. An aberration. A once in a lifetime miracle.

And there was no way she could expect it to happen again.

Aron’s hand stilled. He lifted his head and looked at her. “Have you lost your mind?” She didn’t answer. “I’m the one who’s been tortured and starved and had the shit beat out of him.” His words were harsh, but his heart was breaking. He didn’t know what to do. “I know things don’t make sense. Especially for me. I look in the mirror and don’t know who I am half the time.” He went to the door and pulled his bags in. Picking up the duffle, he took out the shaving kit. “When they found me, I was clasping this coin in my hand. I held it so hard that it cut a circle in my palm. See?” He held his hand out to show her.