Asher (Ashes & Embers 6)

Our memory box.

I toss the shovel off to the side, and we lock eyes, both of us breathing heavily. So many emotions pass between us. Love. Desire. Longing. Devotion. A thousand feelings that words can’t come close to describing.

We kneel down in front of the hole, and I pull out the small, wooden treasure chest I made when I was a teenager. Ember’s hand trembles as she puts the key in the lock, turns it, and lifts the lid open.

“It’s all here,” she whispers with tears falling down her cheeks. “Our memories and our wishes, Ash.”

I’m subdued with emotion, unable to do anything but watch her in total wonder as she pulls out each item and narrates what it is.

“This is our first photo together. And this is the first flower you gave me. And this is the first song we wrote. This is the guitar pick I gave you. This is the teddy bear you gave me when I was sick. This is the keychain from your first car, where we—”

“Had sex in the back seat,” I finish, raising my eyebrows at her and touching the metal ring with the guitar charm hanging off it. One of my favorite memories.

“And this is Kenzi’s first pacifier. And here’s the butterfly keychain you gave me when I got my first car! This is a sketch of our dream house with the waterfall inside. And the Valentine compound dream! Remember this? And a picture of your dream car—a Porsche. We never thought you’d actually get one. And our list of future song titles! Wow, we actually did write all of these!” She hands me the list.

“These little baby biker boots…for the second baby we wanted to have someday. And Teddy’s favorite toy.” Her smile wavers as she turns the tiny boots and toy in her hands. “And these.” She pulls out two envelopes, one with a black ribbon, one with a pink ribbon. “Our letters to each other.”

I sit back on the ground and look at all the stuff in front of us. It’s overwhelming. So many memories. So many emotions. All these hopes and dreams we had and worked for.

I’ve never forgotten them. Everything in that box is what made me never give up.

And now, Ember remembers too.

I grab her wrist and pull her onto my lap, and we wrap our arms around each other tight. Tighter than the last time we held each other here, to make sure neither of us slips away. She lays her head on my shoulder, and I lean my head against hers. We cling fiercely to each other, sobbing quietly.

I don’t ever want to let go or move. I’m terrified I’ve wandered back into the past, before the accident, and if I leave, Ember’s memories will stay here. Lost forever.

“I love you,” she whispers. “I missed you. I love you so much. I love you. Please don’t let go.” She chants it over and over again, rocking against my chest. I hold her, softly kissing her forehead. I think she’s coming down from the adrenaline high of remembering everything at once. Her body and mind are slowly relaxing and coming to terms with her new reality.

“You’re okay, baby,” I soothe. “I’m here. I’ll never let you go.” Never. I’ll never let her slip from my grasp in any way again.

“Just hold me for a little while.”

I hug her tighter. “I’ll hold you forever.”

“Ash?” I can barely hear her over the sound of the waterfall. “Sing for me. Until our hearts stop pounding.”

“Okay, baby girl.”

I clear the emotion from my throat, blink back tears, and sing her favorite love songs, slowly rocking with her, until her breathing calms. She sighs and pulls my head down to hers, kissing me softly, lingering against my mouth. I run my tongue along her lips, tasting her. Remembering her. Us. She hums with pleasure and opens her mouth, deepening the kiss.

It feels like kissing her for the first time. It feels like kissing her for the millionth time.

“Em,” I whisper, touching her cheek. “Tell me what happened.”

She stares up into my eyes, and her special sparkle—the one just for me—is back. I’ve seen glimpses of it over the past year, but not like this.

The love of my life is back. All of her.

“I don’t know. Everything just…came back. Just like that. I had a dream last night, and I felt really strange this morning, and I had a bad pain in my head. I took a nap with Teddy after you left and when I woke up…it was all there. A bit jumbled, but there.” She takes a deep breath. “I just had this feeling that we had to come here. Right away. I’m not sure why.”

“Maybe because this is the last place you remember being? Or maybe because we have so many memories here?”