Remember Me Always: A Contemporary Romance (9 page)

He's grinning at me with perfectly straight white teeth.  I smile back, and this seems to please him immensely.  He tears his eyes away from me as he sets his gaze onto the target to the left of me.  Just as he's winding up to throw, I hear a commotion coming from the back of the line.

My eyes steel over to see Colton and Grady Parrish wrestling on the ground.  I hold my finger up to the stranger in the line and say, "Wait a minute.  I'm sorry."  I scurry down the ladder, and I'm running as fast as my legs will take me to Colton.

Grady is on the ground and getting the shit pounded out of him.  Blood is pouring from his nose and his mouth.  "Colton!" I scream.

Colton doesn't stop.  He just keeps swinging and kicking.

Grady is begging for mercy.  "I'm sorry!  Make him stop!  Make him stop!  I'm sorry for what I said!"

Without even thinking about the consequences, I jump up and grab onto Colton's fist with both of my hands before he has another chance to swing.  I pull his fist towards me and look him dead in the eye.  "Colton James!  Stop!" I scream at him.

The look on his face is murderous.  I don't know what the hell Grady Parrish said to him, but he obviously shouldn't have said it.  Seething, Colton finally focuses on me and begins to relax.  His muscular chest rises and falls in desperate pants as he tries to catch his breath.

"Go home, Grady!" I tell the man on the ground.  I don't have to tell him twice, because he quickly picks himself up and hightails it to the parking lot.

Then I pull Colton into the back door of the bar.  As I'm looking for the first-aid kit, Colton paces around the room, fuming.  I return with the kit and look at his bloody knuckles.  "Is that your blood or his blood?" I ask carefully.

He glances down at his hands and shrugs.  "Probably both," he answers.

I guide him over to the sink, and I wash his hands for him.  The sound of his panting breaths fills the room, and I'm scared that Colton can go off the handle like that so easily.  "What the hell did Grady say to you anyway?"  I feel his hands tense up under my ministrations, and I regret asking the question.  "Never mind.  You don't have to tell me," I assure him.

After his hands are washed, I see that one of his knuckles is cut pretty badly.  "Come over here."  I guide him to a chair and push on his shoulders to make him sit.  I hunker down and carefully clean his wound and wrap up his hand.  I notice that Colton hasn't stopped staring at me the entire time.  My eyes meet his, and we have our own little staring contest.

After a few minutes, Colton's other hand moves towards me, and I stop breathing.  His palm touches my cheek, and I lean into his touch, closing my eyes, savoring the contact.

"You," Colton mutters, his voice hoarse.

My eyes snap open, and I stare at him in confusion.  "What?"

"He was talkin' about your pie."

I narrow my eyes at him.  He's upset over food?  "What about my pies?"

"Not your pies, Penny.  Your
pie
," he says, and his dark gaze flickers down my body.

"Oh."  My heart stutters.  Colton, back in the day, would kick anyone's ass just for looking at me wrong.  He was very protective, and some would say, namely my parents, that he was overly protective.  Colt always made me feel safe when I was with him, though, like he would come between me and anything and everything in this world that ever threatened to cause me harm.  And maybe I always kind of loved that he wanted me all for himself.  That protectiveness made me feel wanted.  "And what exactly did he say about my…pie?"

"Doesn't matter."

I stand up quickly, glaring down at him.  "It doesn't matter?  Of course it matters, Colt.  You were beating the shit out of him over something he said.  Tell me what he said!" I demand, stomping my foot to the concrete floor.  Now I'm the angry one.  "I'll kick the shit out of Grady myself!" I exclaim.

And then Colton does something I haven't seen him do in five years.  He laughs.  And it's not just a quiet chuckle.  It's a loud, boisterous laugh that fills the entire room.  He's laughing…at me.  He's laughing at me!

Furious, I step back and snap the first-aid kit shut.  "You think I couldn't take him?" I ask seriously.  And then a grin slowly breaks out on my face as I realize what I'm saying.  I guess it is pretty funny to picture me, five-foot-three Penny Preston, up against six-feet tall Grady Parrish.

Colton stops laughing and smiles up at me.  "I think you could."  He stands and stalks over to me.  His palm returns to my cheek, and, damn it, if I don't want it to stay there forever.  "You're quite the little firecracker when you want to be," he says with amused eyes.

The old Colton did always call me a little firecracker, and, boy, did he love getting me riled up.  That was our thing, though.  We would fight.  He would make me mad.  And then we would make up.  Hard.  Everyone always said he liked to break up so we could make up.  I think that was totally true.

Colton's thumb brushes over my bottom lip, and my breath hitches in the back of my throat.  I gaze up at him, completely mesmerized and beguiled.  He hasn't shown me any real affection since I returned to Willowbrook.  Why now?  I start to wonder if he hit his head during the fight.

And then his mouth is coming towards mine, and all thoughts and reasoning go right out the window.  Our lips touch.  At first, it's just a tiny spark…and then it's like an inferno igniting between us.  Suddenly, he grabs me and pulls me hard against him, making me gasp, and he steals the opportunity to invade my mouth with his tongue.  He tastes sweet like cinnamon and smells so damn good.  I can't get enough of him.

My hands wrap around his neck, pulling him down to me as his hands explore my skin…and there's
a lot
of skin to explore with this bikini.  His touch feels so good that I find myself moaning into his mouth as his tongue tangles with mine, completely possessing me.

The door opens, and it kills the mood instantly.  I quickly break the kiss and turn to see Buddy walking into the room.  He always has the worst timing.

"There's a line for the dunk tank and ---."  Buddy stops talking and stares slack-jawed at us in amusement.

Growling, Colton pulls away from me.  "See somethin' you like, Buddy?"

Buddy leans against the counter and smiles a shit-eating grin.  "Oh, yeah.  I could watch you two all day."  He chuckles and then says, "I wondered where the two of you disappeared to."  Turning his attention to Colton, he says, "Someone just told me you beat the shit out of Grady Parrish."

"Yeah.  So what if I did?"

Buddy suddenly grows very serious, the smile long gone from his face.  "So what?  This is a fuckin' fundraiser, Colt.  You couldn't keep your hands to yourself for just one day?" 

Colton looks to the floor as if embarrassed by what Buddy said.  I begin to wonder if Colton gets in a lot of fights.  He was always a make love, not war type of boy growing up.  He would rather make peace with someone than fight.  But maybe that's just another part of his personality that has changed since the accident.

"He was talkin' shit about Penny.  So I shut him up."

Buddy's anger quickly recedes, and he nods in understanding.  "Okay.  Well, I can understand your reasonin' then.  I would have beat his ass for doin' that too."

I'm positively beaming.  I can't help it.  It's nice to know that people will stick up for you when you need it.  "I'm sorry about disappearing, Buddy.  Colt broke his knuckle open, and I was just bandaging it up for him."

"Did he hurt his mouth too?" Buddy asks with a smirk.  "Because it looked like you were givin' him CPR."  Colton glares at him, and Buddy puts his hands up in defense.  "Okay.  Sorry, Colt.  I don't want you to kick my ass, too."  He hooks his thumb and motions out the door.  "If you two are done, I could really use your help runnin' this thing."

I let the two of them leave while I linger in the bar just a moment longer.  My knees feel weak as my fingertips graze my lips, reliving what just happened in my mind.  That kiss with Colton was…incredible.  It almost felt like all the time we had apart had vanished in that moment.  If only it were that easy to make the past five years disappear.

Running my fingers through my hair and taking a deep breath, I slowly walk out the door.  I return to the dunk tank, expecting to see the blond-haired blue-eyed stranger, but he's no longer in line.  My eyes scour the crowd for him, feeling bad that he paid money and lost his turn because of me.  When I don't see him, I continue my climb to the top of the ladder and sit on the platform.

The sun feels even worse this time around since I was just in the cool air conditioning in the bar.  After about twenty minutes and no one hitting the target just the right way, I see Buddy approaching.

He stands to the side of the tank and grins up at me.  "So what happened in there?" he asks.

I shrug.  "You tell me.  You were watching," I say with a sarcastic tone.

He chuckles.  "Well, it was quite the show," he quips.

I roll my eyes.  "I've been sitting here all day, Buddy, and no one has dunked me."

"You actually
want
to be dunked?" he asks.

"Yeah.  Haven't you noticed it's like two-hundred degrees out today?"

"Well, darlin', all you had to do was ask."

I watch in horror as Buddy goes over to the target and hits it with his fist.  The platform collapses under me, and I immediately go down into the cool water.  I stand up, sputtering and glaring at Buddy.  "You know, I kind of hate you and love you at the same time right now."

Buddy fluffs the collar on his shirt and grins.  "All the ladies love to hate me, baby."

Giggling, I climb back onto the platform, finally feeling cooled off.  A few men in line whistle as I realize my little yellow bikini is suddenly wet and clinging to me.  Embarrassed, I hurry up and sit down on the platform, crossing my arms in front of me to cover as much as I can.

My eyes catch a glimpse of Colton off to the side.  He's staring at the men who whistled, looking like he's fixin' to kick some ass again.  Yeah, maybe a little of the old Colton
is
finally coming back to me.  The notion sets my heart sailing.

Suddenly, things are starting to look up.

*  *  *  *  *

COLTON

I KISSED PENNY, and it felt…incredible.  It felt
right
.  She fit so perfectly in my arms, and I couldn't think of anything else in that moment that we shared together.  It was as if the past didn't matter, nor did the future.  I just wanted to feel her with me in that span of time with no distractions.  Of course, the moment was ruined when Buddy interrupted.  I wonder how things would have progressed if he hadn't walked in the room.  Would she have let me keep kissin' her?  Would she have let things go further?

The thoughts of what could have been crowd my mind, and I have trouble concentratin' on takin' money at the baked goods table.  Mrs. Benfield has to correct me five times before I finally give her the right change for the twenty she handed me ten minutes ago for a pie and a couple of cookies.

"It's all right, dear," the old woman coos with a knowin' look.

She probably thinks I can't count worth a damn because of the accident.  I'm surprised myself really that I have any sense with all the swellin' I had on my brain.  The doctors didn't even think I was gonna walk again, but that gave me even more incentive to prove them wrong.  I did everything they said I wouldn't…and then some.  It was a long, hard road; but now that I look back on it, it was worth it.

After the line for baked goods has dwindled down, my eyes immediately stray over to the dunk tank.  I watch as Buddy and Penny talk.  Then Buddy walks over and hits the target, dunkin' Penny into the water.  She spits and sputters as she comes up, lookin' madder than an old, wet hen.  But she quickly starts to laugh and joke around with Buddy all over again.  He's easily forgiven.  For some reason, I have a feelin' that Penny doesn't hold grudges all that well.  That's a good thing for me, because I'm usually a grade-A dick with her.  I'm sure I'll need that easygoin' forgiveness sooner or later, because I'm bound to fuck up a time or two…or ten.

Penny resumes her place on the platform with that tiny yellow bikini…which is now wet and showin' off her pert, little nipples.  Some men in the line catcall, and it takes everything in me not to march over there and punch them in the throat.

I glance back to Penny, and she's starin' at me with a dreamy look on her face.  My eyes dart down to that tiny bikini, and I turn away with a growl.

Looks like I'll be takin' another cold shower tonight.

CHAPTER 7

PENNY

IT'S THE NIGHT of Colton's birthday, and Buddy and I have organized quite the birthday bash at the bar.  I made a giant four-tiered cake for the hundred or so guests, and Buddy hired a DJ.  It took us almost four hours to decorate the bar with streamers, balloons and confetti, but it was all worth it to see the look on Colton's face.  Buddy said he hasn't celebrated his birthday in years, so it was the perfect surprise party.  Colton didn't seem like he was too keen on the idea of celebrating at first; but once his friends started pouring in and the beer started flowing, he seemed to lighten up and actually start to enjoy himself.

"Another shot for the birthday boy!" Buddy calls to me.

He slides the shot glass across the bar, and I shake my head as I catch it.  "Should he really be drinking this much?" I ask, yelling over the loud music.

Buddy shrugs.  "You gotta live sometimes, Penny," he remarks.

With a shrug, I carry the shot out on the dance floor where Colton is currently the center of attention.  Surrounding by a huge crowd and dancing to Florida Georgia Line's
Cruise
, Colton moves his legs and hips in rhythm to the music.  I never knew he was such a good dancer, but maybe he just picked up the moves within the past few years.  I stare at him, mesmerized as he dances.

Colton's face turns up towards me, and he brushes his hair away from his forehead.  Our eyes lock, and that cocky grin he always seems to be wearing shows up in record time.  His eyes dart to the liquor in my hand, and he hollers out, "Shot!  Shot!  Shot!"

That gets the crowd chanting around us as I approach him, stop within a few inches and allow him to take the shot from my hand.  He chugs it back and sets the glass down on a table a few feet away.  Before I can turn away, he moves in front of me, blocking my exit.

"Dance with me!" he yells over the thumping bass.

I shake my head and point my thumb towards the bar.  "Work!" I call back.

"Good thing I'm the boss," he says with a smile as he sidles up next to me.  His body moves fluidly as he belts out the lyrics and dances around me, and I stand there staring at him.  When I realize I'm the only one not dancing and I'm sticking out like a sore thumb, I reluctantly begin to dance.

Colton's eyes blatantly skim over my body as I dance with him.  We gravitate towards each other, and I don't know whether it's on purpose or by accident.  Pretty soon his knee is between my legs, and we're doing this sort of bump and grind action that makes me feel hot and sweaty…and completely turned on.  His arm snakes around my back and pulls me closer to him.  My breasts are rubbing against his chest as he smiles down at me with an expression I haven't seen in a long time.  I know that look.

He wants me.

Now.

Before I can combust from all the grinding action, the song comes to an end.  The DJ decides to play a slower song, and everyone around us quickly couples up.  I pull away from Colton, but he doesn't let me get far.

Carrie Underwood's
Heartbeat
pumps through the speakers as Colton grasps my hand and pulls me into his arms.  We don't move at first.  He just holds me and stares down at me, his eyes darting from my eyes to my lips.

I want to say something to break the tension, so I tell him, "Happy Birthday, Colt."

I can tell he's almost completely wasted by the glassy glaze over his eyes, but he seems to sober up quick when I'm in his arms.  Instead of answering me or telling me thanks, he pulls me closer and rests his chin on top of my head as we dance slowly to the music.  I tentatively wrap my hands around his waist, sighing contentedly and relishing in the feeling of him being this close to me.  It seems like all we ever do is fight and argue, so it's nice to have him like this.  It feels like what used to be our normal.

His mouth is by my ear as he whispers, "This seems so familiar.  It's like you're meant to be in my arms."

My breath hitches at his words.  If only he could remember what it was like.  I'm hoping that the birthday present I spent the past few weeks working on takes our friendship to the next level.  Maybe he'll start to remember.  I pull back and stare up at him.  "I have a birthday present I want to give you after everyone leaves."

His eyes never leave mine as he says, "Can't wait."

We dance the rest of the song in a comfortable silence, staring into each other's eyes as if the answers of the universe are contained there.  When the DJ starts playing another fast song, I break apart from Colt.  "Enjoy the rest of your night," I tell him before heading back to the bar.

Once I duck under the pass-through and pop up behind the bar, Buddy looks at me with a cocked brow.  "What was that ---?" he starts, but I don't let him finish.

"Nothing.  Don't jinx it," I warn him.  I finally feel as if Colton and I have a chance of reconnecting.  I just pray that I'm not getting my hopes up.

An hour later, Buddy helps me carry the huge cake out into the middle of the dance floor.  We carefully set it on a big table that I had stocked with plates and napkins ahead of time.  It takes a bit of maneuvering, but I manage to light all of the candles on the four tiers in record time.  The DJ cuts the music off as the whole crowd begins to sing
Happy Birthday
to Colton.

I can't help but grin at the big smile on Colt's face.  He looks happy, and it's been way too long since I've seen him like that.  He puts his arm around me and Buddy, swaying us back and forth as everyone sings.  He's clearly wasted, but I'm just glad he's having fun.  I'd much rather see him like this than so damn broody and melancholy all the time.

The singing ends, and Buddy says, "Make a wish, Colt, and blow out the candles."

Colton leans towards the cake, pulling me close to him.  "Help me out?" he asks with a whispered question in my ear.

I nod before we both lean in, take deep breaths and blow as hard as we can.  We get all the candles blown out in one try, and then Colton scoops me into his arms, holding me tight as he plants a big kiss right on my lips.  "Thank you for my cake, Penny," he says with a big grin.

Shocked, I stagger back a few paces when he releases me from his arms.  I'm almost too stunned to speak.  "You're welcome," I manage to say.  I feel like all eyes are on me, and a shiver runs through me at the unwelcome attention.  As a distraction, I quickly start to cut the cake as the music resumes.  After passing out what fills like the hundredth piece, I head back to the bar to help Buddy with drinks.

Buddy just smirks at me when I join him, but this time he's smart enough to know not to say anything.  I wouldn't even know what to tell him if he asked anyway.  I don't know what the hell is happening between Colton and me, but I hope it keeps going and leads to somewhere good.

*  *  *  *  *

AFTER BUDDY HAS ushered the last patron out of the bar, I venture into Colton's office.  He's reclining in his office chair with a big grin on his face.  "Best birthday.  Ever," he says as I enter the room.  His words are slow and slurred, so I don't know how much of this night he'll actually remember.

I reach behind my back and reveal the gift that I have spent almost every waking hour the past few weeks putting together.

"Happy Birthday," I say shyly as I set the scrapbook on his desk in front of him.

He stares at the picture of us on the cover for the longest time without speaking that I begin to worry.  "It's a scrapbook," I explain.  "Open it," I urge.  His fingers are shaking as he opens the cover to reveal the pictures and memories inside.  "I kept almost everything from when we were kids," I clarify.  Tickets, movie stubs, pictures, diary entries, flower petals, even the wrapping paper and the bow from the first present he ever bought me.  I watch him carefully as he thumbs through the pages.

His entire body begins to shudder as he reaches a picture of his entire family and me standing in front of the willow tree by the pond.  Suddenly, he slams the book shut, sobering up quickly.  "Why…why would you do this?" he asks through gritted teeth.

It takes me a few moments to realize that he's…angry?  I don't understand why my gift would upset him.  "I thought maybe it would help you remember us."

"I told you that I don't want to remember!  Why can't you understand that?" he yells, slamming his fist down on his desk.

I jump from the sound and begin to back up towards the door.  "Colton, I was just trying to help."

"Help?  You want to help me?  Go away!  Leave!  That's how you can help me!  I don't want to remember you or anyone else, Penny.  Ever!" he roars.  He picks up the scrapbook and throws it against the wall on the other side of the room.  The book practically explodes on impact, and all of our memories fall to the floor in a messy heap.

I stare at all my hard work scattered on the linoleum.  I spent weeks putting that scrapbook together, thinking that he would appreciate it.  I had no idea it would lead to this.

Tears fill my eyes instantly, but I refuse to let him see me cry.  I stumble out of the room before I say something I'll regret forever.  Just when I thought we were taking a step forward, we take ten steps back.

*  *  *  *  *

COLTON

I WATCH PENNY leave.  I saw the tears in her eyes, but I could care less at this point.  I'm tired of her tryin' to fix me.  I don't want to be fixed, and I don't want to fuckin' remember my past.  Rememberin' equals pain, and I'm so tired of bein' in pain.  I don't want to remember everything that I have lost.  It's better for me to just live in the now and cope with what I'm able to cope with.  That scrapbook felt like a bomb goin' off inside of my head --- so many pictures and memories all at once.  My brain is on overload.

I stand up, pressin' my knuckles into the wood grain of my desk.  I'm seethin'.  A migraine fractures its way through my skull, and I grit my teeth and growl like a feral animal.

Out of the corner of my eye, a figure appears in the doorway.  "What the fuck did you do?" Buddy asks.  "I saw Penny runnin' out of here cryin'."  His gaze darts to Penny's gift, which is now in pieces on the floor.  "Damn it, Colt," Buddy mutters.  "Do you know how long she spent on that, man?"

I shake my head, rubbin' my temples in the process in an attempt to ward off this migraine.  I don't care.  Not really.  But then I find myself askin', "How long?"

"
Weeks.
  She was so excited to give it to you, too.  I thought it was a great idea, but obviously you didn't think too much of it," he scoffs, wavin' his hand toward the mess.

I shake my head.  "Why does she keep pushin' me to remember shit I don't want to?" I ask, angrily.

"Because she loves you.  I don't know why, because you're the biggest asshole on the planet to her, but she fuckin' loves you, Colt."  He puts his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels.  "Just put yourself in her shoes.  What if you had a girl you were in love with almost your entire life, and then one day she just forgets who you were.  Wouldn't you try to win her back?"

I let his words settle in, but I don't let them affect me.  "Penny needs to learn that I will never be the person she remembers.  I'm different now.  I'm not the same."

"Yeah, no shit.  The Colton I knew would never have done somethin' like this," he says, pointin' to the mess on the floor.  "He would have been ashamed of himself for hurtin' Penny's feelings.  And he would've most definitely apologized."

I shake my head and exhale loudly.  "I wish people would stop tryin' to compare me to who I used to be.  I'm never gonna be that person again."

Buddy stares at me for a long time before he says, "Well, that's a damn shame, because that guy was my best friend."

He leaves after that, and I'm left in the bar alone.  It feels like I'm always alone.  After a few minutes of silence, I run my hands over my face in frustration.  I stomp over to the cluttered pile on the linoleum, intendin' to throw everything in the trash.  I stare down at the pictures, the cute little sayings, flower petals, movie stubs, newspaper clippings, ribbons and everything else she obviously spent hours and hours puttin' together to make me this gift. 

"Fuck," I mutter, shakin' my head.  Carefully, I gather every piece from off the floor and take them back to my desk.  It's nearly three in the morning and I'm drunk with a splittin' headache; but I spend the next few hours puttin' the scrapbook, which she worked so damn hard on, back together again.

*  *  *  *  *

PENNY

THE NEXT MORNING I wake up and find the scrapbook that I made Colton on my doorstep.  Instead of it being in a million pieces, it was carefully reconstructed to almost pre-temper tantrum condition.  I scoop up the scrapbook, place it on the kitchen counter and stare at it for a long time.  He took the time to put it back together, but I feel like the scrapbook is not the only thing he broke last night.