A Second Chance at First Love - Chapter 7

Her bedroom at Ma's beach house wasn't one she recognized as her own. Her mother had turned it into a guest room of sorts, the walls painted a soft beige, the drapes a dark navy. The throw rug on the hardwood floor was a thick braided pattern in rainbow colors. Nothing she would have chosen for herself. Ma was out right now getting Gemma some essentials. Things like clothing, toiletries, the food and snacks that she liked.

Though she had to wonder just how much of her likes might have changed over the years she'd lost.

Louis carried in her suitcase and set it atop the bureau sitting under the window. Her heart still did a little jump in her chest whenever she saw him, though she couldn't explain why. Since that day walking along the hospital grounds, he hadn't so much as laid a finger on her.

He was being a perfect gentleman, giving her time to get acclimated to her new reality. More than once, Gemma's mind had wandered to dangerous territory.

She couldn't help but be curious. What had it been like to be intimate with him? To share his bed? Her lips tingled at the thought of their first kiss. She wanted so badly to ask when that might have happened but found herself too shy to say the words.

She scoffed out loud. Imagine, her husband was a stranger she felt shy with.

Louis shot her a curious gaze. "What?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about how strange this must all feel for you." That was a bit of a fib, but she had been thinking that very thing earlier. After all, she could hardly tell him what she'd really been thinking.

Louis rubbed his stubbled jaw. He clearly hadn't gotten a chance to shave over the past few days. The slight beard lent a look of ruggedness to his features that had her nerves dancing. "It's like we both woke up in some kind of strange Twilight Zone episode or fantasy movie."

She didn't recall watching such shows. Maybe she'd started after they'd met. There was so much about him she didn't know. This man she'd fallen hard enough for that she'd married him. What was he really like? Did he have a favorite food? Did she ever prepare it for him? What did their home in Singapore look like? What part of the city was it in?

Would she every remember any of it?

Suddenly, it was all too much. All the questions, the gaps in her mind. Gemma felt the hot sting of tears behind her eyes and was helpless to stop them from falling.

Louis reached her side instantly. This time, she didn't give him any chance to question whether he could touch her. She willingly collapsed into his open arms. "Does your head hurt, sweetheart? I'll go get you the meds."

Gemma shook her head, grasped his arm before he could pull away. She may not remember anything about him, but her body seemed to fit perfectly in his embrace.