Chapter 13

"I can't believe you brought everyone to help me shop for a ring," Michael scolded Holly.

"Lisa deserves only the best and you should be glad because we're all women and we know what she would appreciate," she said, looking at the bright faces of Cassie, Mermaid, Alanna and Maddy.

"I bet you would have brought mom and Adele too had they been available," he berated.

"Come to think of it, she should have. Let me see what they're up to," Cassie teased as she retrieved her cellphone.

"Hey, put that down."

She put the phone away as he drove his car into parking outside one of the best jewelry stores in Reedsdale.

Mermaid picked up Maddy in her arms while he picked Alanna and they all followed Holly into the store. While they walked over to the receptionist, Cassie and Mermaid admired the diamond necklaces in the vaulted glass display.

"Come take a look at this," Holly called over to them.

"Women and diamonds," Michael remarked.

"You know you're enjoying this as much as we are," Cassie said.

He had a faint smile that betrayed him.

"Can I have one?" Alanna asked the older women.

Cassie nodded, saying, "When you're old enough, a boy you love and who loves you back will get you one."

"What about me?" Maddy asked.

"You too, honey."

"Uncle Michael, you love me, right?" Alanna asked.

He kissed her cheek since she was still in his arms. "Very much," he said and she laughed as his day old beard tickled her soft cheek.

"You can get me one," she said.

"Well, let's see. Will you marry me?" he asked.

Maddy quickly intervened, saying, "I'll marry you."

They all started laughing and Cassie corrected her earlier statement and said, "By a boy, I meant someone your own age."

The two little girls made grim faces.

Michael gently put Alanna down and proceeded to look at a ring he seemed to like.

"I can barely see the diamond on that ring," Mermaid said.

"But it's nice and simple," he argued.

"Nice and simple doesn't cut it. Even Alanna and Maddy would be offended," Cassie said.

"Women want an elegant engagement ring with a huge diamond," Holly said as a sales lady brought them a special selection with beautiful rings ranging from ten thousand dollars.

"Now we're talking," Cassie said.

"This is going to cost me a fortune."

"It'll make Lisa say yes," Holly said.

Once they went through the rings, they chose a beautiful twelve carat diamond and afterwards, Michael dropped Holly, Mermaid and the kids at the beach and took Cassie home with him to get Holly's jeep.

"Do you still get those drowning dreams?" Holly asked Mermaid as they walked along the beach. It was a warm and lovely afternoon and there were families at the beach enjoying the serenity of the sea.

"Since I started sharing your bed, I've been so blissfully happy I've forgotten I needed to remember," Mermaid said.

Holly was happy to know she reciprocated the joy Mermaid offered her.

"I don't want my memories to come back and ruin what we have. I don't need anything from my past. Everything I need, everything I'll probably ever want is right here, with you."

They stopped at a perfect spot and sat down. The kids got quickly preoccupied as they started building sand castles.

Everything Mermaid was saying was everything Holly wanted to hear, but she wanted to know who this magnificent woman had been before Holly had found her washed up on the beach.

"But Mermaid, I want you to remember."

"What if I do and it complicates things?"

"It won't. We'll still be us. I want you to know who you are."

"I know who I am, and I'm happy."

Holly took a breath and wondered about the kind of life Mermaid had led before they'd met, before she'd lost her memory. "I'm happy too, but I think you'd have a much fuller life if you knew where you grew up, if your childhood was happy, your first kiss, if you have siblings, your parents, friends, a girlfriend or maybe even a boyfriend back home."

"I don't want that life," Mermaid said, closing her hand in Holly's.

What if Mermaid truly ended up having a girlfriend back home? What if she remembered and decided she wanted to go back? The thought terrified Holly. She was so happy she'd never stopped to consider it.

Was her memories going to change things between them? What if Mermaid had a family of her own? What if she was married? What if she'd been in love with someone else before they'd met? The questions began and with each, Holly felt a horrifying stretch of unease.

Would Mermaid still love her or would she pack up and leave? Would she still laugh with her with that innocence? Would she still look at her as though she was the center of her universe? Would she notice a strain of distress whenever Holly was upset? Would she still be the same person or would her past change her completely?

She was young, so it was very likely she had a family somewhere. She was polished and beautiful. Her hands were soft, like she'd never labored in her life. Her features were flawless, almost as though she lived in a dream castle.

Even though all those things were not visible, Holly had gotten close enough to see it. She believed it when Mermaid said she loved her because she could see it in her eyes and could feel it in the way she touched her.

The question wasn't if she'd still love Mermaid when she recovered her memory, it was whether Mermaid would still love her. The question sent shivers of unease down her spine.

*

"You have very beautiful kids, Cassie," Mermaid said as she went to play with Alanna and Maddy in the water.

"She's amazing," Cassie said.

"Yeah, she is," Holly agreed and turned her attention to Cassie. "You know, don't you?" she asked.

"Know what?" Cassie asked.

"You know that I'm in love with her."

Cassie nodded, reaching for her hand. "She makes you happy, that is all that matters," Cassie said reassuringly.

"Until a couple of hours ago, I was thoughtlessly happy but now I can't help wondering what will happen once she remembers."

"Her memories won't change how she feels about you."

"What if they do? What if she was in love with someone before all this happened? I have to face it, this woman maybe Mermaid, but no one has any idea who she was before that."

"Enjoy every second you have with her."

Holly averted her attention back to Mermaid and the kids. They'd stopped playing and it appeared as though Mermaid was telling them something. After a moment, they turned to face Cassie and Holly and ran towards them.

Alanna and Maddy took Cassie's hand, while Mermaid took Holly's and they took them towards the shore where water met land.

Holly feared her story with Mermaid was written in sand, and any moment now, a strong enough wave would come and wash it away, potentially even erasing it but she tried to hold onto the fact that Mermaid was hers at that moment, and that moment was all that mattered.

Later on when the kids grew hungry, Cassie surprised everyone with a picnic she'd packed when she'd gone back home to get Holly's jeep. It was such a good day, Holly did not want it to end, but as all good things, it eventually came to an end.

On their way home, Cassie stopped by a supermarket. They all followed her inside as she went to do some last minute shopping for the kids.

Holly and Mermaid were in the furniture section idly moving around since they didn't want anything, while Cassie and the kids picked out what they wanted in a different section.

*

"What do you think?" Holly asked as she took a seat on a luxurious office desk set at the supermarket.

"It's not you," Mermaid said.

Holly tried another set and Mermaid shook her head.

"Here, try this one."

Holly sat on a simple elegant set.

"Perfect, just like you."

Holly laughed. "Try one."

Mermaid scanned the office furniture set and went to try out a lavish, elegant but extravagant set.

"You may not be dressed like an office girl, but this set suits you in a uniquely complementary manner."

"Let's try out the bedroom set," Mermaid suggested and Holly followed after her.

The bedroom samples were situated next to the tool section. Mermaid thought she saw a familiar face in a large man who was shopping for garage equipment. She still hadn't remembered, but something about the man and his arrogant stance felt vaguely familiar.

She was going to walk past him, brushing him off when he turned around and though he didn't see her, she clearly saw his face. He had snow white hair and an unsightly scar over his forehead.

She turned away before he could look at her as a strange sensation accompanied her.

"Let's pretend we're moving in together and we're shopping for a new bedroom. Which one do you think would fit us?" Holly asked.

Mermaid brushed away the eerie sensation, and studied the bedroom samples. "I like this bed, but the color is too bright." She moved past the first sample.

"This is beautiful," Holly said as she proceeded to sit on the bed.

"The bed is so small. We wouldn't fit in it together," Mermaid said.

Holly agreed and moved on to another sample. "Lavender rose, wow! Who knew it could look so gorgeous in a bedroom?"

Mermaid thought it was the perfect bedroom set because of Holly's reaction. It was obvious she loved the color combination and the bed was big and comfortable. "I like it," she said as she sat beside Holly and pecked her cheek as a thought crossed her mind. "Let's not pretend."

Holly raised her eyebrows. "You want to move in with me?"

Mermaid again, didn't know if it was too soon. "Yes, I want to move into the cottage with you."

Holly touched her cheek and kissed her. "Let's not pretend," she said against Mermaid's lips.

"Come on you lovebirds, let's get out of here," Cassie said.

They pulled apart and followed her out hand in hand. After putting the shopping in the jeep, they got inside. When Cassie was driving away, Mermaid saw the large man heading to his car and that feeling went through her again.

For a slight second before Cassie took a corner and disappeared out of sight, their gazes met and a pale shocked expression covered his face, almost as though he recognized her.

She felt something powerful, something that resembled fear, move through her but before she could start to dwell on it, Holly touched her shoulder and she relaxed.

Alanna was seated on the passenger seat beside her mother and Maddy was seated between Mermaid and Holly.

"Are you okay?" Holly asked.

She quickly nodded. "I'm fine."

Holly stretched out her hand and started playing with the locks of her hair and throughout the rest of the drive home, Mermaid's thoughts trailed off as she started picturing her life living with Holly in the cottage.

When they got home, Cassie and the kids stayed a while longer and then left. In her dreams that night, Mermaid was in the sea again fighting to stay alive and Holly had to wake her up because she was fidgeting in bed.

The following morning she was so restless, she couldn't keep her mind focused on anything. Holly expressed concern but Mermaid reassured her. When she was alone, her mind trailed her back to the white haired man with the unsightly scar over his forehead.

Could she know him? She'd been fine up until the moment she'd seen him. And the way he'd looked at her, it was almost as if he'd seen a ghost. Was it possible? That slight second of recognition made her wonder if it was the reason she was so restless.

The following day after another long sleepless night, she isolated herself from everyone and spent the day in the stables working, trying to keep her mind busy.

Holly was sweet and understanding, which Mermaid appreciated, but she knew sooner or later, she'd have to tell her what was going on. The problem was, Mermaid didn't have a clue.

In the evening, Michael brought Lisa over for dinner and they happily announced their engagement. Both Joshua and Lori were so happy, they offered to pay for the wedding.

Mermaid and Holly offered to help with the wedding plans and since it was a distracting happy occasion, Mermaid barely thought about her restlessness.

*

A little girl stood in a crowd of strangers dressed in black. She was barely eight years old. The only familiar face in the crowd belonged to her father. He was holding her hand and had a dark grieving expression across his face.

She looked at the beautiful picture of her mother on the casket embellished with beautiful flowers and stared at the sky, wondering if she was looking down at them.

Her father had told her that even though her mother was gone, she'd always take care of her because she was now an angel.

Her father left her standing beside his friend and went to say a few words about Michelle, his deceased wife. The little girl did not understand why he was sad if her mother was in heaven.

The man held her hand and lightly squeezed it. She stared into his expressionless eyes. He had always frightened her because her mother had never liked him, but he worked with her father and he was always coming around the house.

After her father's speech, he walked over to her and took her in his arms. "It's just you and me now, kiddo," he said.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to comfort him.

"Mr. Davidson, we're terribly sorry for your loss." One of the black dressed strangers said to her father and shook his hand.

"Thank you," he said as he set her back down.

"Accept my deepest condolences, Duncan." Another stranger accompanied by a woman said.

The woman knelt beside the little girl and touched her cheeks. "Take care of your dad, Allison," she said, then lightly pecked her forehead.

"Thank you for coming," Duncan said.

It went on and on like that until all the guests left. Her father took her back home and after tucking her in, he left her alone. That night, Allison dreamt of her mother and she really believed she was in heaven watching out for her.