Free Forget Me Not by Marliss Melton Page A

looked from her hand to her face. For several seconds, he said nothing at all, though his eyes were full of silent messages. "Me too," he said finally.
    With that, he withdrew from the vehicle, leaving her strangely more regretful.

Chapter Five
    S he'd talked Mallory into taking her place. Disappointment dragged Gabe's spirits down to an all-time low as he watched his stepdaughter pull a photo album from a shelf on the bookcase. "This is your wedding album," she said, flopping down on the study couch next to him,
    Gabe looked down at the white cover with its gold trim, conscious of a great reluctance to participate in this activity, especially if Helen wasn't going to do it with him. "You know, I'm feeling kind of tired," he balked. "Let's look at pictures in the morning." He wasn't lying, either. Despite the medicine he'd taken every four hours, he felt weary down deep in his bones.
    What he felt was defeat. The two things he wanted most right now seemed completely out of reach: returning to the SEALs and Helen's warmth.
    Since her apology that afternoon, she'd been especially kind to him, but in a cool way that left distance between them. He'd forked down as much of her watery casserole as he could, his appetite having fled along with his energy. He wanted nothing more than to take his sleeping pills and seek oblivion on this lumpy couch.
    "Just one album?" Mallory pleaded. She turned her big green eyes on him, and he knew he was a goner.
    "All right. Just one."
    She rewarded him with a smile, a dimple appearing on her left cheek. He found himself thinking she was going to break a few hearts one day. God protect the male race.
    "Okay," Mallory said, cracking the cover, "here's Mom getting dressed for the wedding."
    Gabe took a deep breath and plunged in. He was treated to a vision of Helen in a lace corset, complete with garters and sexy white stockings, standing beside her wedding dress. Her thighs were even more gorgeous than he'd imagined. His mouth went dry.
    "And here she is putting on makeup."
    Gabe lost himself in the close-up shots of Helen's face. She was younger, fresher, curvier than now. The pictures of her peering into the mirror, applying blush and eyeliner were subtly intimate. They caught a young woman performing that once-in-a-lifetime ritual of preparing for her groom. Helen glowed with expectation. Her honey-colored eyes were bright with excitement. No wonder he'd been unable to resist her.
    Mallory turned the page.
    "Here you are at the church. You're waiting for Mom to come in."
    The picture was just like the one he'd taken from her bathroom, only this time he was a sharp-looking sailor in his dress-whites. The expression on his face was supremely confident. No last-minute sweats for this guy. The focus in his gaze was daunting.
    Gabe felt as if the walls were closing in. He sat back on the couch and steadied his breathing. Perspiration dotted his forehead and made his shirt stick to his back. He didn't want to see any more pictures.
    Mallory turned her head and looked at him. She scooted farther back, so she was sitting snugly beside him. "You want to see what I looked like at ten?" she asked.
    The kid was good. Gabe gave her profile a wry grimace and let his gaze be drawn to the album again. She was pointing to a girl in a garnet-colored gown, her chestnut hair shot with baby's breath, green eyes wide and sparkling.
    Gabe felt the breath rush out of his lungs. "Pretty," he said. "I like the color of your hair."
    She grimaced. "Yeah, well, this'll wash out." As she tucked a strand of dyed hair behind her ear, Gabe realized she'd punched holes all the way up the delicate shell.
    "Does Mom know you pierced your ear like that?" he asked. He gave himself a start by calling Helen Mom.
    Mallory covered the evidence with a toss of her head. "Yeah," she said warily. "It's just my left ear. I did it a month ago," she added defensively.
    "Why'd you do it?" he asked, not seeing the point, especially when she kept