The Billionaire's Forgotten Fiancée

The door shut behind them, leaving Ginger and Shane alone.

* * *

Debbie sat next to Trevor in the stairwell. She didn’t trust him to be on his own without doing something stupid—men could be hot-headed and dumb at the best of times, much less when they’d received a blow as nasty as the one Trevor had just gotten.

He buried his face in his hands and sobbed, the sound pulling deep from his gut. She’d never heard a grown man cry like this. She looked up at the ceiling, blinking away her own tears. All that pain and hurt, and all because Trevor was overprotective of his sister. She couldn’t even kick his ass for Ginger.

“Did she suffer a lot? Her baby…” Trevor asked, his voice thick. “Jesus, what the fuc—what am I saying? Of course she suffered.”

“She had some pain, but she also had an excellent team of medical professionals who did everything they could to make her comfortable.”

He shook his head. “I killed her baby. If she hadn’t been flying, it would’ve been okay.”

“Maybe, and maybe not. Sometimes things just…happen, and it’s nobody’s fault.” It was such a comforting mantra, such a good guiding principle, for easing one’s shattered soul.

He wept some more, then finally said, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being there for my sister. Now I know why you went to Amsterdam and took her on that ‘shopping spree.’”

Debbie gave him a lopsided smile. “It was nothing.”

“I should pay you for that.”

“Shut the fuck up. I did what any good friend would’ve done. The sightseeing cheered her up, so that’s more than enough for me.”

“I’m glad she had you there.” He sniffed hard and stared at a spot straight in front of him. “She’ll never forgive me, will she?”

Debbie shook her head. “If you really think that, you don’t know your sister very well. She’ll forgive you soon enough. The girl’s just not capable of holding a grudge.” She put a hand on his back. “But you gotta do something here, okay? You have to make up your mind that you’ll never, ever meddle in her life like this again.”

“Jesus, never.” He looked at her, then clutched her free hand. “I swear it.”

Debbie nodded. “I believe you. Now let’s give our couple some time to work things out.”

They stood up slowly, like a pair of old people. “They’re going to get back together, right?” Trevor said.

“I don’t know.” She frowned. What Trevor had done was so big, she wasn’t sure exactly how Shane and Ginger would deal with it. “Let’s hope so.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ginger’s legs quivered, then folded beneath her. She extended an arm to catch herself, but Shane wrapped his arms around her before she could hit the floor.

She closed her eyes at the sweet sensation of having his body pressed so tightly against hers. Nobody else could make her feel so protected and wanted and cherished.

Except…she wasn’t sure about what he felt anymore. Her brother had done incalculable damage to them both, but especially to Shane. If he hadn’t sent the fake photos, Shane would’ve never left the States or had the accident or lost his memory. He’d missed out on so much in the past year—his brothers’ engagements and his sister’s marriage.

And then there was their baby. Shane had always wanted children. He adored them.

He ran a thumb over her cheek. “Stop crying, Ginger. You’re going to make yourself sick.”

“Already feel sick.” She squeezed her eyes shut as more tears flowed, and pressed a fist against her heart. “It hurts.”

“I know.” He kissed her forehead, then swung her up and carried her into the bedroom. He put her down on the bed and curled around her, warming her cool skin. His shirt was soaked now, but she couldn’t stop crying.

“You must be so angry,” she said through the lump in her throat.

He merely sighed and rubbed her back. Ginger clenched her hands. He was probably too angry to even talk about it. She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel if their positions had been reversed.