Page 81 of Invisible String (The Underground #1)
MAX
R ainey lies on my chest, weeping. I never thought I’d see her again. For all those years, I carried her belongings with me. It’s all I had to hold on to, to remind myself it was never a dream; she was real.
When I moved into a new home and school, I searched for her. My heart sank when I didn’t see her. All those times we ran into each other, I tried to regain her memory by calling her sunshine, Twizzlers, dancing with her, and buying her a dog named Daisy. I’ve tried too hard to get her to remember.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she muffles into my chest.
With my index finger curled under her chin, I lift her head to meet my eyes. Gently, I wipe her tears. “You did nothing wrong. You have nothing to be sorry about, baby.”
“Yes, I do because I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember us at that age. And I’m sorry for how my adopted parents treated you. I’m sorry I left you alone. I’m sorry you had to continue throughout the years in different homes while I was living a make-believe life.”
“ Amor mío, none of it is your fault. I’m happy you lived a safe and happy life.
I was so worried about you all those years, I wondered.
Then, when I saw you at Highland Academy.
I thought I was dreaming. My heart sped up.
I wasn’t sure if you had gotten your memory back.
When you approached me, fuck, I was scared.
I was a skittish kid back then. I didn’t know how you would react to seeing me again. ”
“Were you upset I didn’t remember you?”
“I’ll admit I was upset a little at first when you spoke and said your name was Rainey and you seemed different in some ways.
I hated people’s hands on me, but that same day, you took my hand like old times.
Wanting to get to know you again was hard because you weren’t Sol anymore; you were Rainey.
The more you forced your way into my heart again, the more I realized you were still my Sol.
Sweet, smart, witty, and beautiful. Then seeing you smile and be so damn cheerful all the time, I knew you were happy with your new life.
You weren’t in pain from losing your parents and what had happened to you in that home. ”
“What if we get married and have kids? And we spent all these years together, and I never got my memory back. They said you could trigger it back.”
My lips brush every tear on her face. “If you never regain your memory, that’s fine.
Your memory might not have remembered me, but your heart did.
What a coincidence. Our gaze met on the first day of school, and you ran up to me.
” I laugh at the memory. “You were attached to me all over again. Then you asked me to kiss you. Although it wasn’t our first kiss, it was our first kiss with tongue and me getting hard as a rock. ”
Rainey’s arms wrap around my neck as she steadies herself on my lap. “Then you left.”
“When Andrew told your dad, he came looking for me. He wanted to see the guy who was with his daughter. Turned out it was me. The last person he would think of being around you again. He remembered me and told me to stay away from you, that I was nothing more than a trigger. He said a lot of other shit and had me sent me away.”
I hate that she looks so broken and lost. I never intended to hurt her by telling her the truth, but I couldn’t make a life with her and keep it from her.
She needed to know she had a life before being Rainey.
I don’t care if she doesn’t remember me.
Okay, maybe I do care, but she should know about her biological parents, who loved her. They shouldn’t be forgotten.
“I’m so overwhelmed. I have so many questions.”
“Take your time. We don’t have to rush it. If you want, we can sit in silence and watch TV, and when you’re ready, you can ask questions. We can do that.”
Her nose brushes my neck. She holds on to me like someone would rip her away from my arms. I bask in her warmth.
“My God, baby, I love you so damn much. You’re my lost treasure, mi tesoro.
I’d find you in any universe, realm, world, or dimension, even after death.
Our paths were always meant to cross. You might not remember, but you were my savior.
I’d tear down anything in my path to get to you. ” Sounds a bit dramatic, but it’s true.
“I might not remember, but I know your heart, Max. You were my savior when I needed you. I’ll forever be grateful.”
“We were for each other.”
“Yes.”
I kiss her forehead multiple times.
“I feel lost, Max.” Her voice cracks, and my heart does too.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’ll get us to a better place. I’m here for you.”
“Who was the baby? In all the baby pictures? Do you know? How can they have lied to me?”
“Your brother knew. Your parents told him to keep quiet. From what he told me. It was just pictures they found online. Your sister doesn’t know the truth.”
“You mentioned I knew Spanish. How?” She sits up, and I wipe another tear.
“You’re Hispanic, Rainey. You don’t remember your native tongue, mi amor , because your memory was wiped.
Amnesia does that to you. Your trauma was so severe that you don’t remember being in the hospital.
And when your parents took you home, they fed you a different story—a new life.
When people have amnesia, you want to show them pictures and tell them memories, so they remember in hopes they regain it all.
Even then, some people don’t. It didn’t help that they kept it away from you. ”
“Why can’t I remember being in the hospital?"
“From what I learned, you also had post-traumatic amnesia. It could happen after a head injury. It is a temporary inability to form new memories or recall recent events.”
Her laugh isn’t humorous—it’s one filled with pain. “See, I don’t even know who I am.”
“You’re my woman. That’s who you are—the love of my life.” I brush my lips on hers. “Take a nap. Give your beautiful brain a rest. I’ll be here holding you in my arms when you wake.”
She nods, and her eyes close. “I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you more.” Her white German-shepherd blanket lies next to us, and I wrap it around her.
In less than five minutes, Rainey is sound asleep. I’ve memorized every breath of hers. I know when she’s in a deep sleep. She’s emotionally exhausted. Deep down, I feel a weight that is slightly lifted. Carrying the weight on me took a toll on me. I never wanted to keep secrets from Rainey. Never.
I’m unsure how long we slept, but I fell asleep with her. My neck aches from my head tilted back. Feeling Rainey’s gaze on me, I open my eyes. She’s watching me with a soft smile on her pretty face. I groan, wiping my eyes.
“You’re cute when you sleep.”
“Cute?”
“Yup.”
“Did you get some rest?”
“Not much,” she admits. Rainey sighs. “What do you know about my biological parents?” She moves from my lap, but I set her back down. “Your legs are probably numb.”
“No, sit. I can’t handle not touching you.” Her skin is soft and red from crying. I cup her cheeks and kiss her puffy lips. “Are you asking how they passed?”
She nods. “Yes, everything.”
“You shared with me that your mom, Lisa, died while in surgery. She was ill. I’m uncertain if it was cancer.
Your father died a couple of months before your mom’s surgery.
Alejandro was in the military and was supposed to be back for your mom’s surgery.
He had taken a leave to watch over you, too.
He never made it back. He died in a helicopter crash.
You said so many beautiful things about them.
” My arms tighten around her, giving her a comforting hug.
“I also did some digging after we met up at the cabins to prepare myself with information. In case your adopted parents never spoke the truth to you, I wanted to tell you and have information on hand, so you’d believe me. I was worried you wouldn’t.”
“I would have believed you, Max. Always.”
“I dug up your parents’ records, like the marriage license and the funeral obituary of both of your parents. Your dad’s obituary has a picture of you and your mom. It honors the hero lost. I also have your old birth certificate, and I found out where they are buried.”
She sobs, and it steals the air from my lungs. Her suffering wounds me.
“Never in my life did I think I was adopted. Hell, my siblings don’t look like me. They have my dad’s copper highlights. My mom, why didn’t she tell me? A part of me feels she wanted to. She loved you—” She blinks, then frowns. “She already knew who you were at the cabin, right?”
I close my eyes and nod. “She did. When we were having dinner, you excused yourself to go to the restroom. I asked her why she hadn’t told you. All she said was it wasn’t the time.”
We sit at a popular steakhouse. Jenna glances at me with soft eyes. She is kinder than her husband, that’s for sure. “Honey, how do you like your steak? Rowan and I have been coming for years.” She takes a bite of her steak salad. “This is my favorite.”
I smile at her. “It’s very good. Thank you for the suggestion. It’s a great place.” And it is, although it is quite expensive, but it’s worth seeing Rainey smiling like the world is a perfect place, and nothing can tear us apart.
“I love their steak salads. The cranberries and pecans give it a great chewy crunch.” Rainey says, while giving me those eyes that can set a room on fire.
I’m not a fan of nuts and fruit in my salad, but if that’s what she likes in her salad, then maybe I’ll try it someday.