She didn’t want to talk about it, not now, not tomorrow. Lauren jerked back her hand. “I should get in touch with Celine. I talked to her earlier. She asked about coming to the hospital, but I told her not to. I hate that we ruined her and Thane’s afternoon, but maybe we can reschedule. So I should call her back to do that, shouldn’t I?” Lauren reached for her purse lying next to her in the seat.
Reid caught her arm. “Don’t.” Determination sharpened his jawline. “You can’t ignore what you saw.”
Oh, yes she could.
He glanced at the guy reading the magazine. “We can’t talk here.”
“We can’t leave. You heard what the deputy said. Jenny is going in for surgery. Her mother isn’t here yet. She shouldn’t be left alone.” Her throat clogged. No. She had to keep talking. “What if Jenny wakes up and no one’s here? I’ll stay. You go.” Her voice faded to a whisper. “You go, Reid. Maybe it’s better that we don’t discuss what happened at all.”
Reid cupped her cheek. “No. It’s not.”
When she’d woken up in his arms this morning, she’d looked forward to a perfect day with their friends. How had it all gone so wrong? But what had she expected? A whirlwind romance with a stranger who showed up on her doorstep. Did she really believe it would all end nicely wrapped with a bow?
“Don’t push me away.” He settled his forehead on hers. “Please. Give me a chance to help you understand.”
The sincerity in his tone, the warmth of his palm, the gentle stroking of her cheek sliced through resolve. “All right.”
A middle-aged couple escorted an older woman to a seat. The couple huddled around her in comfort. A physician in scrubs took the seat across from them. Another woman stood nearby.
Reid tugged her arm. “There’s a chapel down the hall.”
They entered the cool, quiet room and sat in a pew. Blue stained glass added color to the spiritually neutral place, a sanctuary built to soothe the mind and soul. It wouldn’t provide a refuge to protect her from what was to come.
“This is going to sound unbelievable, but hear me out.” He took her hand, frowning with a look as if he struggled with what to say. “Thane and I aren’t just in a band. We know each other from the army. We served in a Special Forces recon unit together. On the way back from a mission, our helicopter took a hit. Back then, I was almost cocky enough to believe I’d live forever. I wasn’t scared. Instead, I was pissed about going out that way. I’d started to resign myself to things being over when everything stopped.” His gaze took on a faraway look. “This guy appeared out of nowhere. It was Dalir. He’s an ancient warrior with powers. He gave us a choice—die or follow him.” A sardonic smile hitched up the corner of his mouth. “Since I hadn’t planned on dying that day, I went. So did Thane and the team. In exchange, he gave us the power to manipulate time.”
An involuntary flinch jerked her hand, and he intertwined their fingers
Please. Tell me anything but this. A lightning strike. An experimental shot or a pill.
But disbelief prompted her to know. “Manipulate time. What do you mean?”
“Time travel is the easiest way to define it. I can jump into the future, but I can also move from one place to another really fast.” His gaze held hers. “Before I showed up at the cabin, I was on a mission and something went wrong. Instead of jumping back two and a half years to what I know as present time, I only jumped six months. Then I landed myself here. I didn’t remember any of it. The accident today jarred my memory.”
Reason fought with Lauren as she fumbled through his explanation. “So, you’re saying for you, this is the future?”
“Yes.”
“And Thane came with you?”
“No. Thane was already here.”
“But—”
“I know it’s confusing. I have to take care of something with Thane, but afterwards, I’ll tell you everything.” He gripped her hand tighter. “But first, I want to make sure things are good between us.”
When she’d decided to help him, she’d acknowledged possible complications. She’d thought him getting his memory back would free the doubt. They’d have a chance to move forward. But, according to him, they were already into the future. Strangely, it made sense.
“How can it be good? You’re not supposed to be here. You’re supposed to be in…” The insanity of it wouldn’t let her repeat it.
He tightened his grip. “The important thing for you to remember here or the present or in some other future is that you matter to me, Lauren.”
“The present…the future. What are you saying? That you’ll just hook up with me some other time and we’ll do this all over again?”
A tinge of apprehension clouded his expression. Reid shifted in his seat.
Realization dawned. “We’re already doing it again, aren’t we? What am I, some convenient sidepiece you visit whenever you’re in town? Am I waiting for you someplace else?” She pulled away.
He grabbed her hand. Anger darkened his eyes to a deep brown. “We spent one night together. That’s how I knew about the cabin. You had a sketch on your wall.” His nostrils flared with an exhale. “Damn it, Lauren. I don’t know how to make you understand. I wasn’t anxious to leave that night.”