Lachlan lowered the card and pushed it into his back pocket. He could see the exasperation rolling off her in waves.
“Lachlan, the answers we need are behind those doors. I need to know the truth about who I am,” Britt said, extending her palm toward him. “Now.”
She fully expected him to comply with her request. Years ago, he would’ve. There wasn’t a damn thing he wouldn’t do for this woman, even if every instinct within him screamed that he shouldn’t because nothing was more important to him than making Britt happy.
And he’d learned too late that Britt didn’t always know what would make her happy …
“Not until you calm down. Take a few breaths and relax,” Lachlan said, resisting the urge to hold her. Knowing that would piss her off more.
“Relax? Seriously?” Britt asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “How can I relax when everything hinges on this?” She shook the bag of sample swabs they’d taken from her and Paloma.
“We’ll put a rush on the DNA test, but it’s still going to take several days to get the results back,” Lachlan said, hoping his timeline wasn’t unrealistic. “Look, spending the past twelve hours with Paloma and me was probably too much. I should have recognized that and returned you to the compound last night.”
“You think spending time with the little girl I pray is my daughter and the man I can’t stand to be without is too much for me? Are you crazy? It’s not nearly enough. I want more. I want that life.”
“That life isn’t going anywhere. It’ll be waiting for you. Always. There’s no rush or timetable that you need to fit this into.” Lachlan rested his hands on her neck, gently caressing her skin. “Britt, the DNA test is not … magic.”
“I know that,” she snapped.
“So you’re not thinking that getting a positive result will instantly bring back all the memories of your life with us? That’s not what’s got you so irritated?”
Britt looked away, staring toward the jungle. Her voice was low and small as she spoke, “How the hell do you know me so well?”
“You know how,” Lachlan said, lowering his voice. “What did Dr. Abrams tell you about your memories?”
“That pushing to remember could lock them away forever. Especially since I don’t know which of the many traumas I’ve been subjected to is causing me not to remember,” Britt said, resting a trembling hand on his arm. “I want to remember you.”
“You forgot about my tongue on your clit?” Lachlan asked with a sly smile.
“Lachlan!” Britt’s mouth fell open.
Her taste lingered on his lips, but that wasn’t the best part of what happened between them last night. That had come later, when they’d joined Paloma on her tiny twin bed and watched the ending of Frozen, then piled into the kitchen to have their first dinner as a family. Paloma’s excitement and joy had only been overshadowed by that of her mother.
“What? Those memories don’t count?” He asked, trying to get her to see his point.
He’d watched Britt fall in love with their daughter all over again. She’d slid seamlessly into being her mother, listening intently to the latest Goat Scout camp gossip, admonishing Paloma for not finishing her little green peas, bathing her before bed, and reading her favorite story as their little girl had driftedoff to sleep. Lachlan watched the scenes play out in front of him like a movie that couldn’t possibly be real.
But it was.
How many nights had he laid in bed alone, thinking about Britt and wishing he had one more hour, one more minute, hell, one more second with her?
And here she was, alive and beautiful and very much the woman he’d fallen in love with all those years ago. Her memories were held hostage in her mind, but her instincts and intuition about him and Paloma couldn’t keep her away. On some level, she understood and knew the truth—she belonged here with them.
“What about falling asleep in my arms? Or making cereal for Paloma this morning, braiding her hair, and helping her get dressed for camp? Did you lose any of those memories?”
“Of course not.”
“We won’t stop making new memories to wait for your old ones to come. The only thing that matters is that Paloma and I want you with us.”
“And I want to be with both of you.” Britt inhaled deeply. “Thanks for that.”
“Anytime. Now, we can go inside,” he said, swiping the card against the pad.
Lachlan slipped his hand in hers and led Britt through the maze of hallways to the command center. He steered Britt toward the massive conference table. The mirrored surface reflected the series of high-definition monitors around the room. Each monitor displayed a combination of maps, documents, and surveillance footage from their investigations.
Sebastian and Everett huddled around two large monitors, cycling through documents and photos, pointing and highlighting text. Bobby and Kane crowded around a desk, placing documents onto a holographic case board, separatedfrom the other two by the black granite coffee bar along the opposite wall. A new edition to the space to accommodate the increase in time they’d all been spending at the compound. It was outfitted with two espresso machines, a lineup of the best Hullabaloo coffee beans artfully arranged in glass canisters, and an array of mugs bearing the Stingray Security logo.
“Look who decided to finally join us,” Bobby said, pushing up from his seat. The other guys turned to look at them as they entered. The expressions on their faces told Lachlan they’d already figured out the shift in his relationship with Britt.
