Don’t Forget to Remember Me (21 page)

“I see them, and I do think the table is
large enough. Can you just bring one more chair please?” I asked
politely, trying to mask how furious I was. I walked toward them
and I took in the scene. Julia was sitting with her back to me; her
beautiful tresses flowing down over the top of her strapless black
dress in luxurious waves to the middle of her back, and the creamy
skin of her shoulders and arms were there for the world to see. A
haze of red flooded my vision, I clenched my teeth and my nails dug
into the palms of both of my fisted hands.

Moore was talking softly with a smug smile
on his thin lips, his eyes raking over her. The thoughts running
through his head were clear in his expression. I wanted to beat his
fucking face in. I was barely in control when I finally reached the
table.

He caught sight of me first, stiffened and
paused mid-sentence. I stopped a few feet behind Julia and waited.
When he stopped talking altogether and stared, she finally turned
to look over her shoulder.

Her mouth fell open and a
look of shock crossed her delicate features. “Ryan,” she gasped as
her eyes met mine. What did she expect me to do
under
these circumstances?

“Good evening, Julia. Dr. Moore.” I pulled
out the chair next to her. “May I join you for a few minutes?” I
sat down without waiting for an answer.

The other man opened his mouth and promptly
shut it.

“Of course,” Julia murmured, still stunned
as her eyes shifted over my jacket and white shirt, then back up to
my face. She frowned and shook her head slightly. “Wha…What are you
doing here?”

“Aaron and Jen were going out and I was
starving. I haven’t eaten since late morning.” I spoke to her but
my eyes narrowed on the other man. “Aaron suggested this place.
What a coincidence to find you here.”

“Yes. Isn’t it?” Moore pushed his chair back
a little and threw his napkin on the table.

“We’ve only just ordered, so why don’t you
all join us for dinner?” Julia looked anxiously into my face. She
knew damned well this was no coincidence.

My eyes were trained on
Moore’s face and the corners of my mouth lifted slightly at her
invitation.
What did you think? That she was going to
tell me to leave you two alone? Fucking hardly.

“That would be nice, thank
you. You look gorgeous, baby,” I said, my voice purposely
caressing. “Spencer, do you mind?” My eyes dared him to say
no
. I settled into the chair next to
Julia, my lips still twitching at his pissed-off expression. The
waiter brought another chair and set it on the other side of the
table
.

“No, not at all,” he smiled tightly. “Julia
and I were just talking.”

“Oh? Did I interrupt a therapy session? And,
at the Four Seasons, no less.” Sarcasm dripped off of each
word.

Julia shot me a look that said I was pushing
a boundary. Thankfully, Aaron and Jenna walked up to the table.

“Julia, fancy finding you here,” Aaron said
jovially. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

“Hi, Julia. It’s nice to see you. Dr.
Moore,” Jenna said politely as she took the seat between the two
other men. “Have you already ordered?”

Julia leaned toward me when the waiter
brought us menus. “I thought you wouldn’t be home until late.”

“Uh huh. I guess
ten
is late when you
start at
five fucking
AM
,” I said shortly under my breath, so
only she could hear me. She stiffened and moved back to her
original position. I instantly regretted the words that made her
withdraw.

Shit.

The meaningless conversation continued until
we ordered and then I sat back and glared at Moore. It made Julia
uncomfortable, but I could barely contain myself from flying across
the table and strangling the little bastard. I knew what he was up
to, even if Julia was oblivious.

Right on cue, Jenna went into action.

“Julia,
will
you come with me to the bathroom? My zipper is
broken and I need your help to pin up the back.” The corners of my
mouth lifted as Julia nodded and they both rose from the
table.

“Oh, of course. Please excuse us,” Julia
said as they left and we all stood with them as they moved away. My
eyes took in the rest of her dress, how it hugged her perfect
curves and left her long legs visible from six inches above the
knee, to the stiletto heels that I loved on her.

Normally I’d be completely aroused, but I
was livid that she would dress that way for another man.

“Well, well, well,” Aaron
began and started to rub his hands together as we took our seats.
“This should be fun. I haven’t seen my little
bro
’ this worked-up in years.” I held up a
hand to silently ask him to let me speak.

“What do you think you’re
doing,
Dr.
Moore?
This is seriously close to crossing the line of professional
ethics,” I said coldly.

He shifted in his seat, smoothing down the
front of his shirt with his left hand. “Julia is no longer my
patient. We’re friends, so it’s nothing of the sort,” he replied,
his tone flat. My chest tightened. “Ryan, this is evidence of how
Julia has changed. Surely, she would have told you if you were as
close as you believe?”

I was getting more and
more furious with every syllable he uttered. “You know nothing of
our relationship or the feelings between us. She’s mine and you’d
do well to remember it. If you think I’d let some little
prick move in on her, then, you’re seriously mistaken. I’ll tell
her everything, even at the risk of hurting her, before I’ll lose
her.”

Aaron sat back, glancing
between the two of us, rubbing his jaw and sporting a silly
grin.

“That will accomplish exactly what you fear.
Julia may feel differently now. She tells me you two are friends.
You may have to accept that’s all she wants now.”

“Hmmph.” I snorted. “Not fucking likely. She
doesn’t tell you everything. I should never have listened to
you.”

He shrugged. “Clearly, she
is not telling
you
everything
either, Ryan. The fact remains that she isn’t ready to remember the
miscarriage. It’s not in her best interest to tell her or to
consummate your relationship, which could be the catalyst. I’ve
come to care for her as I know you do. I’m simply trying to offer
her friendship and guidance.”

“By bringing her to
a
hotel
? You’re crazy if you think
I don’t know what you’re up to. I ought to beat the shit out of you
right here and now. You’ll never touch her while I have a breath
left to prevent it,” I growled. I wanted to kill the bastard.
My
breathing increased
and my heart felt
like it would fly from my chest. “Never doubt that our relationship
has been consummated a thousand times over. She
knows
she belongs with me even if
she doesn’t remember. She lost
my
child.
Mine
.” My throat
thickened and my vision blurred.

“Calm down, Ryan. You’re
overreacting. I understand that your emotions are out of control,
but you’re completely misreading my intentions. This is a nice
place, and she deserves an evening out. From what Julia tells me,
the only thing she
knows
is that
you’re never around and are pushing her away. She’s confused by the
mixed signals. She needs to spend time with someone
more…emotionally available.”

“You bastard,” I spat at him. “Julia is
aware of my obligations right now. You know nothing of her needs.”
I was ready to tell him that I knew her better than anyone else,
but the girls came back to the table. Julia looked at my face and
her brow dropped in concern. She swallowed and then glanced over at
Moore. Rage filled me that she would give a Goddamn what his
reaction was.

The waiter brought our salads and I ordered
a bottle of white wine that I knew was one of Julia’s favorites.
Jenna struggled to carry the conversation and Julia and Moore made
small talk, but overall, I spent the meal brooding. Suddenly my
ravenous appetite was non-existent.

I drank three glasses of wine, but didn’t
eat more than five bites.

“Ryan, I thought you were starving,” Julia
leaned into me and her perfume became more pronounced. I’d given
her that perfume for her birthday the year we met and she’d worn it
ever since. My eyes glanced over the translucent skin of her
shoulders, her bare arms and then to the creamy curve of her
breasts visible over the top of the dress.

“I’ve lost my appetite,” I said shortly.
“You look…amazing.”

She smiled softly. The compliment pleased
her very much. “Thank you.”

“You know how gorgeous you
are and don’t think
that looking
beautiful
will keep me from being pissed off.”

“Why are you upset?” She grinned and then
bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh. Her eyes were sparkling in
the candlelight and my heart stood still.

“Stop baiting me, Julia. What in the hell
are you doing here with him?”

She started to respond, but the waiter came
by to remove our plates. I used my hand to motion him to me, “Do
you have a piece of paper and a pen, please?” Moore’s eyes landed
on me many times during the meal and then his gaze always settled
back on Julia. I decided to show him that she did remember on many
levels and she belonged to me by her own free will.

I wrote down the title
that had become
our song
ever since
the Christmas Eve night in Estes Park, Colorado when I gave her the
bracelet four years ago; ever since the first time we made love to
it.
God, would she remember the lyrics, would she
remember the reason her wrist felt empty?
I
handed over the note and asked him in quiet tones to give it to the
band.

“What are you doing?” Julia questioned.

“Nothing,” I said. I knew she felt like I
dismissed her, but I wanted her true reaction when the song
began.

“Well, should we call it a night?” Moore
asked stiffly. “Julia, I can take you home.”

I chuckled menacingly. “I don’t think so.
She lives with me, so obviously she’ll leave with me. Don’t strain
yourself.” The wine relaxed me to a degree, but I was still on
edge. Julia’s tight expression said the confrontation was getting
to her, but I needed to remain where we were until the song played.
“Besides, I’m enjoying the music and I’m sure Julia would like to
stay out for awhile, wouldn’t you, babe?”

Her eyes lit up and she nodded.

“Sure. Spence…wanna stay?” she asked.

I hoped he would. If he left, he wouldn’t
get to witness what I knew was about to happen.

“Hell, let’s
all
stay!” I flashed a smile that didn’t
reach my eyes.

“Oh boy,” Aaron muttered.

“No shit,” Jen added. “This oughta be
good.”

“Okay, I’ll stay,” Spence replied.

I helped Julia with her chair and placed a
hand on the back of her waist. We found a new table closer to the
dance floor. I needed some liquid courage, so I went to the bar and
ordered a round of Julia’s favorite shots.

I set the lemon drops down in front of
everyone, lifted my glass and waited for Julia to pick hers up.

“Do I like these?” she asked with a soft
laugh.

“Yeah. Ellie hates them, though.” We both
downed the drinks and she wrinkled her nose a little.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be so sour, but
it’s good.”

The music was soft and
when Moore got up and moved to Julia, I tensed. He really was
living on the edge
.
My jaw clenched as he
held his hand out to her. All I could think about was that his
hands were about to be on Julia’s body.

“Julia, shall we dance?”

“Uh…” She bit her lip. I could feel her gaze
but I didn’t meet her eyes. “Okay.”

I watched him lead her to the dance floor,
sighing deeply.

“Ryan, it’s just a damn dance,” Jenna
cautioned.

“I know,” I nodded, my eyes still on Julia.
“But, he wants her.”

“She’s a beautiful woman. Men are going to
want her, and…women want you, too. Just look at those two at the
bar. They’re eye-fucking you right now.” I hadn’t even noticed.
“Maybe you should ask one of them to dance. Give her a taste of
what she’s dishing out,” she suggested.

“Jen, this isn’t a damned game,” Aaron shot
at her. Apparently, our little altercation in the gym had clarified
his thinking.

“Yeah, that would only confuse things more,”
I agreed, never taking my eyes off the couple on the dance floor.
He held her hand in his, while the other rested lightly on her
waist. Anything more and I’d be out of my chair in a flash.
“Anyway, I’m not interested.”

Aaron got up. “Okay, well, we’ll keep an eye
on him, then.” He took Jenna to dance, leaving me alone at the
table. I reached for Jen’s half-f glass, downing the rest of it
in a quick gulp. I ordered another round as the song ended and
everyone came back to the table. Julia sat down and I pulled her
chair closer to mine.

“Did you have a good time?”

“It was fine,” she said shortly. Moore took
the chair on her left so she was effectively sandwiched between us,
but the table was round so he and I were almost facing each
other.

“Mmmm…” I answered as I threw some money at
the waitress who brought the drinks.

“Cheers, Spencer.” I lifted my glass and
waited for him to lift his. His name felt like acid on my
tongue.

“Thank you, Ryan.”

“No problem.” We both drank at the same
time.