“Oh, watch out.” He kicked a couple of toy trains out of the way and led her to a faux leather sofa. “Here. Sit down. Um, would you like a drink?”

“No, thanks.” She looked around the small unit that contained a living room, cute breakfast nook, and open kitchen separated by a granite island covered with what looked like Legos. Colored pictures of puppies had been proudly taped to the refrigerator, the crayon lines more like scribbles. “So. Um, you know me?”

He frowned and slowly lowered himself to a chair facing the sofa across from a coffee table that held a couple of magazines. “You don’t remember.” He said the words slowly, as if realizing her situation. “Oh. Okay.”

Vulnerable and feeling unsure, she nodded. “Yeah. Who are you?”

He took a deep breath, his gaze wandering the apartment and then coming back to her. “Brian. I’m Brian.” He ran a hand through his thick hair, which was cut short and stylish. “Okay. This is so strange. I’m Brian, and we dated for about three months before, um, the attack.”

She blinked. He was cute and tall, and she could see herself dating him. Well, before she’d met someone like Adare. “My sister didn’t like the guy I was dating.” In fact, Faith had moved Grace to a hospital across town and hadn’t allowed anybody to visit her until they found the criminal who’d hurt her.

Brian winced. “Yeah. Your sister couldn’t stand me.” His grin was rueful. “I don’t blame her, not completely. Seven years ago I was a struggling musician and not really worth much. I also partied a lot and could have been considered an asshole, and she was this famous neurosurgeon and you were getting really successful with your photos.” He looked around at the assorted toys. “I grew up, I guess.”

It looked like it. “We dated?”

“Yeah.” His voice softened. “I really liked you, and I tried to visit you in the hospital, but your sister nixed that idea. Then you disappeared, and I never found out what happened.”

“I’m sorry.” That had to be so weird. “So, you rented my apartment?” That was kind of strange.

He chuckled. “I was living with you, and for a while, I waited for you to come home. Then, I met someone else, but I’m still here. For now. We just closed on a house across town, a cute bungalow with a fenced back yard, and I’m procrastinating with packing.” He leaned down and picked up a stuffed animal that looked like a cross between a dog and a unicorn. “I guess I’ve moved on, but I had to in order to deal with your loss. I’m sorry if that’s hurtful. Where have you been?”