Forget Me Not by Marliss Melton Read Free Book Online Page A

eyetooth had been. He'd had a bad experience as a kid, when the Novocain had failed to take. He didn't like people messing with his mouth.
    By the time he reached the water, Gabe was quaking with fatigue. Mallory and the dog had headed down the beach to his right, too far ahead for him to catch up. They hadn't even seen him.
    Dam Neck Naval Base stood on his left. Gabe studied the sweeping shoreline, relieved to recognize the missile detection drones rising from the dunes a short distance away. Farther down the beach stood the Shifting Sands, club and restaurant combined. Beyond that, the city of Virginia Beach.
    Hallelujah! He knew this place. There wasn't any question he belonged here. This was his life. He planned to settle in and find himself. And then his wife could kick him out.
    The strength leaked out of his legs, and he sat abruptly in the sand, brooding.
    Not only was his career in jeopardy but his marriage was falling apart.
    Unless he could fix it. She hadn't kicked him out yet.
    As stubborn as he was, he didn't intend to bow out without putting up a fight. He shoved his feet into the sand and earned a nasty pinch on his pinky toe .
    A crab scuttled back into his burrow. Gabe regarded the hole where the crab hunkered out of sight, kind of like his memories.
    With a perverse need to expose the crab, he grasped a reed that had washed ashore, inserted it into the burrow, and teased the creature into grabbing on. Gabe tugged, but the sucker had a solid toehold. He tugged harder, and the crab let go.
    Well, there you have it. He tossed aside the stick with disgust Sebastian was right. His memories would have to come on their own.
    But was he ready for them? The thought of remembering everything filled him with sudden dread. Was it just that he didn't want to relive the torture he'd endured? Or had he done something awful that he didn't want to face?
    Aware that his jeans were growing damp, Gabe turned his head to eye his house, his cozy little cottage by the sea. He thought of the woman inside—gorgeous, strong in a way that both pleased and worried him.
    Determination made him sit straighten He didn't want to move out, not even when his memories returned. He liked what he'd done with his life, couldn't understand why he'd taken it for granted. He liked his house, his dog, his stepdaughter. His wife was incredible, taking the time to care for him, even when it was obvious she had better things to do. Not only that, but she smelled good.
    He wanted to keep her. Whatever it took, even if it meant sacrificing his commitment to the SEALs, he was determined to make her change her mind. He rose to his feet and beat the sand off his jeans.
    Mallory had caught sight of him and was running toward him, dog straining at the leash. "What'd Mom say?" she asked, out of breath, as she drew up alongside him.
    He was struck by the vulnerability in her eyes. "It was nothing," he said, forcing a smile. He could sense that Mallory needed careful handling.
    "She's letting you stay, isn't she?" she asked, bending to pet the dog.
    "Yeah, sure."
    "Come on then." She gestured toward the house. "Let's go have lunch."
    Grateful that at least the kid wanted him, Gabe fell into step beside her as Priscilla pulled her sled-dog style toward the house.
    "You want some advice?" Mallory asked as they moved along the fence.
    He glanced at her, intrigued. "Okay."
    "If I were you, I'd take it slow. Mom still has feelings for you, you know. They just need to grow back." She gave him a sidelong look full of teenage wisdom.
    Gabe's heart beat faster. Was Mallory right? Did Helen still have feelings for him? God, he hoped so. If she did, he would nurture those feelings the way Helen nurtured her wildflowers. But did he even know how? He'd married her, thinking he could make her happy and look what had happened. She'd stated herself that it wasn't his absence that had driven her love to extinction. It was the sad fact that he'd ignored his family, that he