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I raised a brow, silently asking how would you know what Maddy is like, and Maddy punched him in the arm. The sexual tension between them was already off the charts, and still climbing by the looks of it.

“Go put your sisters’ bags in her room,” instructed Maddy, looking annoyed. “And stop being such a grouch.”

“My bad,” replied Jackson. “Must be the fact that I haven’t been laid in a while.”

Maddy sucked in a harsh breath and shot daggers at my brother’s back. There was definitely something going on there.

When he returned, her expression was more furious than I’d ever seen and as was the way of most men, he ignored it.

Bad idea, buddy.

“You love it here,” he tells me. “It’s always been your happy place.”

And I believe him because I can feel it.

“Thank you for coming with me, Jax.” I give him a smug smile, and then let it soften when he pulls me in for a hug. Jesus, what is with him? He’s not a hugger, or a laugher, or a smiler, and yet he’s done all of them in one day.

“Call me if you need anything, okay? You have Aiden and Liam’s numbers too, and -”

“Connor’s too.” I cut him off, and tried not to be too exasperated by him. “Stop worrying.”

“Easy for you to say.” Jackson leaned in and kissed my forehead. That was not a surprise — he’d done it all his life with me. He might not say much, but we had a very different bond to what I had with the rest of my siblings. I had a soft spot for him, and he for me too.

“Maddy, why don’t you walk Jackson back to his truck.”

She frowned at me, but when Jackson prowled past her and out the door, she was hot on his heels.

I took the opportunity to look around, and wondered into the room Jackson walked out of after taking my bags. Seeing it brought a smile to my face, a hearty grin that reached my eyes.

The walls were painted a light shade of blue, again with a matching ceiling and white trimmings.A queen-sized dark wood four post bed sat against the wall opposite the door, with a matching desk and dresser on the left. A floor-length mirror stood beside the dresser, covered in photographs of me alone and some with various people. Maddy. My siblings. My Dad. My Mom.

I frown when I saw one of me, hidden behind another, with someone I didn’t recognize. He was tall, incredibly well-built, with dark brown hair, and the greenest eyes I’d ever seen. He smiled down at me while I took the selfie of us.

Before I could think about the handsome stranger any longer, I heard the front door slam, and footsteps coming down the hall. I turned and a red-faced, and frazzled Maddy walked into my room.

“Everything okay?” The amusement in my voice is unmistakable.

Maddy pursed her lips. “Yes, uh, fine.” Her eyes flitted around the room. “I didn’t change anything in here, I was hoping that it would trigger a memory.” Her expression turned hopeful. “So…?”

I shook my head, and sighed. “Connor said there’s a chance I may not ever remember anything.”

For a moment Maddy looked glum. “Yeah, he told everyone that when you were in the hospital. It’s okay though,” she added quickly. “We’ll just have to make new memories.”

I smiled. New memories were fine, but I couldn’t help but wonder if it wasn’t worth trying to salvage the old ones too.

MADDY AND I made dinner, and sat sprawled out in the living room watching the latest episode of Bones. Maddy told me it was one of our favorites, and I understood why. It was funny with a touch of romance and whole lot of medical mumbo jumbo that Maddy found interesting. I pushed my plate aside, sated from the delicious home-made fettuccine Alfredo, and gave my best friend a quizzical glance.

“What?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the television screen.

“How do you know I’m looking at you?”

“I can feel your eyes on my face, Kenzi.”

She paused the program, and then turned her gaze to me. “What’s up, buttercup?”

“Is there something going on between you and Jackson?”

Maddy’s fork clattered against her plate, and she suddenly looked a little flustered and a whole lot uncomfortable.