Page 134 of Resurfaced Passion

It didn’t seem real no matter what avenue her brain took to try and understand.

Like she’d fallen asleep in front of the TV and was having the most vivid, unreal dream of her life.

It certainly wasn’t a delusion.

Nothing in her imagination could conjure something this gut churning.

She wondered what married Paige had been like. Was she so very different to the woman she was looking at? As hard as she searched, those answers wouldn’t come.

She’d turned up at Winter’s house a few hours ago and burst into tears the moment her best friend opened the door. She’d about fallen into Winter’s arms and cried out the whole sorry tale. Her head was far too busy to have to look at Reaper at home while she sorted through everything. He’d watched her go, even though she saw it killed him, he’d stood at the curb next to her car and stayed there until she drove down the street, tears marring her vision.

God, she missed him already. Ached for the security of his arms, for him to make it better.

Sadness wrapped around her. A shroud of doubts plaguing her forgetful brain.

How could he have seen her every day for four years and never once tried to tell her who she was? Who she wasto him? He’d made her think he’d loved another woman.

Had it been easy for him? Agony? A game?

She was colored in confusion and questions. Only his reaction made her feel as though Reaper had suffered, and she hurt all the more because of that.

At least his weird routine of being at the diner every day made some sense now.

She felt a wash of cold sickness recalling his face when he’d known she was dating.

His jealousy and forceful removal of those men.

Her belly twitched. Oh, god.She’d gone on dates with other men.

Now she was remembering his facial expressions, how he appeared devastated sometimes and other times blank like he was holding all the words inside while he twirled his wedding band.

Paige sighed and stared at herself, trying to place herself in another life with Reaper.

“Remember something, you idiot.” She taunted her image, smacking fingers into her skull as if she could knock memories free.

With so many questions swimming through her head and so very little answers, Paige felt like a lunatic raving to herself in the bathroom.

She shook her head, shucked off her clothes and climbed into the shower, where she hoped all thoughts for a few minutes would wither away because she had no answers, the only man who did was reluctant to tell her anything.

And she had to wonder why.

What was so bad he could so easily be around his wife for years and not tell her who she was and what they were to each other?

Sighing, she smoothed on some of Winter’s face cream and body moisturizer, slipped into the borrowed jammies and trekked downstairs, finding Winter in the living room curled up on the couch. Paige followed suit and laid her head on Winter’s shoulder. Her friend was such a caretaker and had hot chocolate and plate of fresh cookies waiting for Paige. “Feeling better?”

“Better? I’m not sure. But I’m clean now, that’s something.” Then added. “Thanks for taking me in.”

“You’re my best friend, Paige. If your best friend suddenly discovers she’s been married for years to her brand-new boyfriend, of course I let you have my spare bedroom and PJ’s.”

Paige chuckled. “Nuts, right? I keep waiting to wake up and have wild dolphin sex with Reaper before I tell him about my crazy dream.”

“You can still have the wild dolphin sex, sweetie. I’m just taking a running guess at this, but I think he wouldn’t mind at all.”

She sighed. She knew that. The look on his face when he’d pleaded for her not to leave him again about killed her. She was all in her own head and couldn’t fully focus on what he’d been through by losing his wife.

Losingher.

Wow. That was going to take some getting used to.

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