Page 42 of Down Memory Lane
Chapter Twenty-One
Felix
Stalking away from the reception as quickly as his feet would carry him, Felix ran up the steps to his apartment and headed inside. Hearing that Autumn was leaving was like a punch to the gut, but it also managed to light a fire under his ass too. There was no way that he was going to lose her. If she was going to Phoenix, then he was too. A slight twinge of guilt for having ditched his brother’s wedding reception ran through his chest, but Felix tried to brush it aside. Beckett would understand better than anyone how important it was to secure the future with the person you loved by your side. Besides, Felix could always make it up to him later by plying him with more cider or promising to help wash the firetruck.
Once he was in his room, Felix walked straight to his nightstand and rifled around until he found what he was looking for. His body collapsed onto the bed, the business card for the alcohol distributor feeling heavier than Felix remembered as he flipped it over and over again in his hands. As he sat wondering if that was due to the significance of making such a life changing decision or not, he heard the front door open and close. Even without the sound of her heels clacking on the hardwood floor, Felix knew that it was Autumn who had come after him. She may not have her memories back, but her best friend instincts were clearly as sharp as they ever had been.
When she knocked softly on the door, Felix finally tore his gaze from the card that could change his entire future and over to the woman who he wanted tobehis entire future. Autumn’s stormy eyes were fixed on him, a concerned expression on her lovely face. She was the picture of beauty today, and he wanted more than anything to be back outside celebrating the love his brother had for his new wife and the love Felix had for Autumn.
“I was going to talk to you about it,” Autumn said calmly. Slowly, she made her way over to him and sat next to him on the bed. “And I haven’t decided anything yet. Well, that’s not totally true. I have decided one thing.”
Felix held out his hand, a relieved breath whooshing from his lungs when she took it. Feeling her skin against his grounded him, helped him make the decision that had been niggling at the back of his mind since the moment Lottie had handed him this card. “What one thing is that?” He smiled at her and lifted her hand to the back of his mouth. Whatever she decided, he would be right there with her.
Autumn laced their fingers together and cupped his cheek with her other hand. Felix leaned into the touch and covered her hand with his, memorizing the feel of it just in case she decided that whatever she was going to do, she would be doing it on her own. The way she touched him felt like the opposite, but he’d lost part of her already and until she told him otherwise, he might never feel safe in the knowledge that he wouldn’t lose her again.
“I’ve decided that no matter what I do, I want you to be there with me.” Felix’s heart swelled at the declaration, but it nearly burst from his chest entirely at her next words. “I can’t do anything without you, Fe. I love you.”
Felix stared at her for a beat longer before resting their foreheads together. “I love you too,” He brushed his lips against hers for a moment and sighed, the knowledge that they would be together for a long time to come settling into his body and making him feel more like himself than he had in three months. “I love you so much, Auts. It’s been killing me to not be able to tell you.”
She leaned back, her eyebrows near her headline. “How long have you felt this way?”
Felix shrugged, feeling like a heel for not telling her sooner. “Since your accident.” Autumn gasped lightly and shook her head. “I wanted to tell you, but you didn’t remember me, remember us. We’d just started to talk about dating before you lost your memories, and I guess I didn’t want to risk anything. I almost lost you once. I couldn’t stand the thought of that happening again.”
Autumn huffed and smiled sadly. “I feel like that information would have been really useful, but I guess I can see why you kept it to yourself.”
“I wanted you to love me because you loved me, not because I told you that you were supposed to.” Felix smirked and squeezed her hand. “Besides, I was confident you wouldn’t be able to resist my charms.”
Autumn snorted and bumped him with her shoulder. “I guess that gamble paid off.” She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “So...about Phoenix.”
“Yeah. About that.” Felix gulped.
He would do anything it took to be with Autumn, even something as scary as turning his whole world upside down. Autumn’s had been flipped without her consent or control, so in that sense he was already starting off in a better place than she had been months ago. Felix held up the business card and stared at the phone number.
“It turns out that some guy wants to buy my cider recipes. If I do that and sell the bar, I can come with you. I’m sure there are plenty of breweries or distilleries there I could work at, and if push came to shove I could always just bartend while I thought of something else to do. Either way, this would give us some breathing room to figure things out. You could focus on your pottery and we could visit some of your early childhood haunts.” He kissed the top of her head before leaning his own against it. “At the very least, we’ll have some damn good tacos to eat while we’re there.”
Autumn stayed silent for a moment before her body shifted beneath his. “You would really do all that for me? Give up your whole life as you know it, proximity to your family, the town and business you love?” Her eyes searched his, but all she would find there was the soul-deep conviction Felix felt that no matter what decisions he made, as long as they involved her they were the right ones.
Cupping her face, Felix kissed her deeply, every ounce of love he felt seeping into it. He gripped the back of her neck and held Autumn as tightly to him as he dared, never wanting to let her go and needing her to feel as much so she knew that was the case.
When he finally broke the kiss, their breath mingled between them as they gazed at one another. “I told you, Love. I would do anything for you.”
Autumn’s eyes shined with moisture and she sniffled before she tackled him to the bed. “I know you would.” Her arms wrapped around his middle and they hugged on the bed for what felt like minutes or hours. Time didn’t matter when they were together. Nothing else mattered as long as they were together. Finally, Autumn raised her head and looked at him, her eyes serious. “Thank you for being willing to do that for me, Fe, but I don’t want you to.”
Felix sat up but kept her in his arms. “You don’t?”
Autumn smiled and shook her head. “I can’t picture you anywhere but here, and honestly, I can’t picture myself anywhere but here either.” She bit her lip and looked around his room. “I was thinking, what if I go with my parents for a couple of weeks. If something jogs my memory, great, but if not, that’s okay too.”
“Are you sure?” As far as Felix was concerned, Autumn loving him trumped her getting her memories back for his sake. If she wanted to do it for her, he would support that, but she was everything he needed exactly as she was. No old memories required. “I could go with you. I’m sure Lottie wouldn’t mind taking over for a couple of weeks again, and then we could still get those tacos I mentioned.”
Autumn chuckled and kissed his cheek. “I would be offended that tacos seem like the higher priority, but I can’t blame you.” She brushed her fingers through his shortened locks. “Tacos are pretty amazing.”
