Gretchen practically raced Jax to her truck, even though she wasn’t entirely sure where Jax parked. Gretchen was almost to the truck when she slipped on a small patch of ice, but Jax’s arms were around her before she fell to the ground. She didn’t move or say a word, paralyzed by the terror of a fall she couldn’t remember.

“You’re okay,” Jax said. “I got you.”

Gretchen looked into Jax’s eyes and saw fear, but she also saw safety and love. Jax steadied her and opened the passenger door. Once she was inside and all the vents were pointing at her, she smiled at Jax. “Make me two promises.”

“Why am I not surprised you’re already making demands of me?”

“Shush,” she said, raising one finger. “Promise me we’ll face any memories that come back together, no matter how bad it is.”

“I promise.”

Gretchen raised a second finger. “And promise me you’ll never, ever let me give up coffee again.”

Jax’s laughter carried over the music on the radio and the hum of tires against asphalt. “I promise.”

Gretchen laid her head back against the seat and listened to a woman sing about love. She considered her past and the future she was finally excited to live. Without forgetting, she never would’ve remembered what mattered most.

1,460 days, 11 hours, 12 minutes

Gretchen awoke with a start. “I had a dream Caleb rode an elephant. Did that really happen?”

Jax poked out from the mound of pillows. “What?” she said with one eye cracked open.

Gretchen sat up on one elbow. “He was about three. We were at a zoo, maybe, and he rode an elephant. Did that really happen?” Dreams like this were a common occurrence, and Gretchen believed they could be memories trying to return. She refused to give up hope that those four years would eventually return to her. And Jax, with all her patience, humored her every time.

“No. He never rode an elephant. Now, go back to sleep. It’s Sunday, and Sundays are made for sleeping late.”

“I can’t go back to sleep now,” she said, sitting up. She hugged a pillow to her chest. “It felt so real. I thought I finally got one back.”

Jax wrapped her arm around Gretchen’s waist and laid her head against her hip. “I know, baby. I’m sorry.”

Gretchen looked down at Jax, who appeared to be falling back asleep against her. Jax’s breath tickled the exposed skin of her hipbone, and her pink hair looked vibrant against their white pillowcases. “You could always help me fall back asleep.”

Jax stirred and kissed Gretchen’s skin. “Wish I could, too tired.”

“Jax Levine, choosing sleep over sex. We’re officially old.”

Jax ran her hand up Gretchen’s thigh and into her shorts. “It’s not about age. It’s about exhaustion and not wanting to get caught again.”

“The kids are sleeping.”