What She Forgot (What She 2)

Will didn’t get out of his car right away. He sat there for a few minutes, just staring at me. I sat down on the top step and waited. I could wait all day. I rested my elbows on my knees and stared out at the vast emptiness that was the woods around the house. A person could get lost in there for days. I knew. I’d explored all of it.

Finally, Will got out of the car and closed the door behind him. He wore a pair of sunglasses, and his head was shiny with the sun on it.

“Hi,” I said, as he settled down next to me on the step.

“Hi,” he replied. He rocked to the side so that he bumped his shoulder into mine. “I missed you.”

“Are you okay?” I asked. I wanted to strip his clothes off and search for wounds, just to be sure I hadn’t genuinely hurt him.

“I’m okay. They said I shouldn’t do any dishes or laundry for the next twelve years, but if I follow those rules, I’ll be just fine.” He chuckled.

This time, I rocked into him, unable to bite back my grin. “MeeMaw won’t let you skip out on doing the dishes.”

He said nothing else, and a comfortable silence settled around us.

When I couldn’t stand it any longer, I asked, “How’s Marley?”

“She’s in the hospital, but she’s fine. She’ll probably never b

e out again. Mason’s parents are treating her.”

“They’re the best.”

“She deserves the best.”

“She was really happy to see you last night.”

He nodded. “I was happy to see her too.”

He waited a beat. I grew fidgety.

“I want good things for Marley. She deserves a break. And some happiness. In that order.” He picked a piece of lint from his trousers. “She deserves to be happy.” He leaned close to me and raised his eyebrows comically. “But it won’t be with me.”

My heart skittered in my chest. “I don’t understand.”

“You did the right thing last night. You did what it took to save everyone. You could have killed Megan at least ten times over. Instead, you took the high road, and you brought Marley back. Thank you for that.”

“Is this…is this goodbye?” I asked, my stomach dropping toward my toes.

“You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried, woman.” He bumped me again. “I love you and I hope that one day you’ll make me a bracelet. And I’m going to wait until you do.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I’ll be right here until then.”

I pointed to the steps we sat on. “Right here?” I teased.

“Right next to you, wherever you go. If you want me there, that is…” He let the words hang in the air between us, waiting expectantly.

“You made me forget for a while,” I said. The words tumbled past my lips before I could even think of pulling them back in.

He turned to face me, tenderly pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. “What do you mean?”

“You made me forget that I’m not made for that kind of life.”

His brow furrowed. “What kind of life?”

“The kind with hearts and flowers and romance. That’s not me.” I pressed my fist to my chest. “Deep down inside, I’m not made for all that. You made me forget who I am. And then last night, I remembered. I will always be the person who shoots you in the ass so I can save the other people in the room. I’ll do it safely, mind you. But I’ll still do it. I will never be anybody but who I am.”

He nodded slowly. “That’s good. Because I’m in love with exactly who you are. I don’t want you to forget who you are or change anything.”

“There’s a lot about me that you don’t know.” I paused. “I’ve done a lot of crazy shit.”