Page 46 of The Echo of Forever

I nodded and stepped aside, my heart beating to her every step. She stopped at the door and held onto the handle.

“My forever,” I murmured. “That’s what you are to me. I’ll wait however long you need, but I won’t stop my plans.”

She spun around and walked up to me.

“What exactly are your plans?”

I forced myself not to touch her.

“Make you fall in love with me again.”

Forever looked away, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Kill everybody who’s trying to keep us apart,” I went on. “Find out if my ma is dead or alive, but you’re my top priority right now.”

I thought she’d ask about my mom, request the name I hadn’t gotten to drop at the gala. But instead, she stared off into space for far too long and then blurted, “I’m sorry.”

She turned to leave again, and I did the only thing that ever worked and wrapped my arms around her from behind.

The move was a long shot, but I couldn’t let her leave like this. My heart wouldn’t allow it.

“I’m the one who’s sorry,” I whispered, grateful she didn’t pull away but wishing the love was understood and reciprocated. “I didn’t protect you.”

“I don’t even… I’m not sure how much of my memories are gone, but I know myself, and I don’t think I’d blame you for this. But… ho-how long did we know one another?”

She slipped from my hold and faced me. Our eyes met, and hers were making me regret my jealous ways the other night. Had I stayed the course, we’d be having this conversation in a few weeks, not today.

“One year and eight months.”

She frowned and mumbled something under her breath.

“So, over a year of my life is gone if I can’t remember our time together. How did we meet?”

I took steps away from her and went to sit behind my desk. No matter how much I loved her, or how badly I wanted to be near her, she didn’t know me.

“You took a contract to kill a rejector accused of raping a society girl,” I revealed, leaning back in the chair and staring up at the ceiling. “I stepped in after he sought me out and begged for help.”

The first time we met was because of a message I left in her office at EG headquarters. She talked about how security in my building was lacking, but it’d been easy to slip into her workspace undetected after hours.

My carelessness was calculated; theirs was because of ego.

“He didn’t do it, and I believed you?”

I chuckled, turning in the chair to face the window behind me.

“Nah, you pointed a gun at me and said I’d be the first to die and then Nicholas, but I had proof and we both know, even now, you only deal in truth and facts.”

Her silence lasted longer than I could handle, forcing me to turn around, only to find she’d moved from the door and was now sitting in one of the chairs across from me.

“And then what?” she asked, brows pulled together like she couldn’t believe anything I was telling her. “I fell in love?”

“Nah. But I did.“

I leaned into the desk and stared at her, taking in every part of that pretty face.

“If I never get to see you again, I hope I always remember how beautiful you are.”

She fucking gagged, and I dropped my head to hide the smile pulling at my lips.