Chapter 20: Chapter 20

NASH

“You signed a contract, Olivia. You have an obligation. We must leave.” Arthur turned his head downward when he heard growling, and his eyes went wide with fear. “What’s that dog doing in here?”

“Quiet, Moe!” Nash said.

“As for you, Mr. Sanchez, don’t tell her what to do. If she doesn’t want to go with you, then she’s not.” He stood and stared down at the man. “I suggest you leave before I lose my temper.”

Arthur got to his feet and positioned himself nose to nose with Nash. “I told you, Olivia has no choice but to come with me.”

Eddie jumped up and got between the two men. “Let’s settle down, guys. Sit, and we’ll discuss this quietly. Come on, you’re both upsetting Angel.”

“Who the hell is Angel?” Arthur snapped, his stare still firmly on Nash.

Angel wiped her cheeks. “Since I couldn’t remember my name, it’s the one everyone here’s been calling me.”

Arthur and Nash continued to lock eyes with each other. Finally, Arthur raised his hands and lowered himself into his chair again. Once he was seated, Nash did the same.

“All right,” Nash said, his words curt and biting, “tell us why you think she has no choice.”

Arthur peered past Nash and at Angel. “Baby, you’ve signed a legally binding contract for two years.

“If you don’t honor it, they will sue you. Not only will they take back what they’ve given you, but they’ll go after you for every cent you have. And any music you produce will be as good as theirs.

“I know you think I’m a stranger right now, but I’m not. Trust me when I say, this is what you wanted—to be a star. You’re on your way to fame and fortune.

“After all your hard work over the last two years, you can’t give up now.”

She looked down at her hands in her lap. “It’s not what I want now.”

“Once we get back home, I’ll get you the best doctor’s money can buy, and we’ll get your memory back. You might feel this way now, but I promise, when you remember everything, you’ll see I’m right.”

Arthur turned his attention to Nash. “If you care about Olivia, you’ll help her to see this is the best thing for her. Do you really want to get in the way of her dream?”

A war was raging in Nash’s brain, and it was breaking his heart. He didn’t want to lose the love of his life, but neither did he want to stand in the way of her dream.

He took her hand in his and used all his willpower to muster a smile. “We need to talk, alone.”

Nash helped Angel out of the booth and walked her toward the bar. “Frank, mind if we use the kitchen?”

The bartender nodded, and they stepped through, leaving the business and the noise of the bar behind.

As soon as they were alone, Angel started to sob uncontrollably. Her tears fell freely, and her chest heaved as she tried to breathe. “Nash, please don’t tell me I have to go with him.”

He cupped her face in his hands and stared deep into her eyes. “I love you, never doubt that, but he’s right. This was your dream, and you will be a big star. I won’t stand in your way.”

“Maybe it was my dream once, but not anymore.”

“You are under contract, and it’s only for two years. I’ll still be here waiting for you if you decide to come back.”

“It was Olivia’s dream, not mine.”

“I know you don’t feel like Olivia right now, but what happens when you remember who you used to be? Will you be able to forgive yourself if you give up your dream? Could you forgive me?”

Angel’s face was a twisted mess of tears, snot, and spit. “You said you’d never let me go. You said you would fight for me.”

“I don’t want you to go, Angel, but you have to.” He lowered his head and kissed her while moving his arms around her waist to pull her closer.

She trembled as she cried into his chest, and he hated himself for what he was doing.

“Will you come with me? I don’t want to go alone, without you.”

“I-I can’t, Angel,” he said, trying to keep control of his emotions. “I have the ranch, the horses, Moe. But I’ll visit if you’ll let me. I don’t have money, but we’ll figure something out.”

After what felt like an age, Angel pulled back, and Nash used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

“Nash, you won’t forget about me, will you?”

“Not in a million years.” He took her hand and placed it over his chest. “You will be taking my heart with you. It belongs to you.”

When she looked up at him and saw his tears, her face twisted again. “And I’m leaving mine with you. It’s yours, now and forever. I love you.”

Either they had been in the kitchen longer than they’d thought or Frank had cleared the place out for Angel’s benefit, because when they returned to the booth, the place was almost empty.

In the eerie quiet, Nash followed Angel to the table. Seeing her approaching, everyone stood up.

“Thank you for being so kind to me, Mildred, Wade. You couldn’t have been kinder to me. I feel as though we are family. I’m going to miss you both so much.”

“Oh, honey, we’ll miss you too,” Mildred said, drawing her in for a big hug.

Wade squeezed her afterward, a little too tightly, causing Angel to gasp for air.

“You take care of yourself, darlin’, and drop us a line now and then.”

Angel turned to Eddie and Abby, and seeing Abby sobbing, Angel lost control again.

“Abby, I had so much fun with you, and you kept me from ever feeling too down. You have become my best friend. Be happy and take care of Eddie, he’s a good man. I’ll miss you.”

She gasped when Abby jumped at her, wrapping her arms around her.

“You’ll always be Angel to us. I wish you didn’t have to go. What am I going to do without you?”

“Shelly, Gordon, you are both such wonderful people. Thank you for helping me. Your daughter would be so, so proud.”

“Olivia, I’m sorry, but we have to go. The helicopter is waiting,” Arthur said, holding out her coat for her to slip on.

They move toward the door, but before she reached it, Moe barked and then ran to her while whining.

Getting down on her knees, she hugged him, patted his head, and said, “Take care of Nash for me, okay?”

“Come on, Olivia, let go of the mutt. We’ve got to go.” Arthur practically pulled her through the door.

Just as they reached the car waiting outside, Nash ran out after them.

“Nash?”

“Before you go, I need to talk to you one more time.”

“She doesn’t have time, cowboy, we’re leaving,” Arthur barked.

Angel turned to glare at Arthur. “Please, just another minute. Wait for me in the car.”

He clenched his jaw. “All right, but don’t be too long.” He bent down, got into the back seat, and closed the door.

“What is it, Nash?” Her eyes were practically pleading with him to make her stay.

“I want to give you something.” He reached inside his coat and pulled out a small box. “I got you a Christmas present.”

When Angel was about to say something, he held up his hand.

“I know you told me not to buy you anything but I couldn’t help myself.”

She took the felt-lined box. “Nash, I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Open it.”

She opened it slowly, lifting off the top, and saw a beautiful snowflake necklace inside.

“Oh, Nash, it’s really beautiful. I love it.” The tears fell again. She lifted the necklace out of the box and held it up. “Look at how it sparkles. Will you put it on me?”

Taking it from her fingers, he waited until she turned around. He moved her hair out of the way, then placed the jewelry around her neck and did up the clasp, his fingers lingering on her skin.

She turned around again. “Thank you, I’ll never take it off. Will you do something for me?” She pushed her body against his.

“Anything,” he answered.

“Kiss me,” she said, close to sobbing. “I mean, really kiss me.”

Nash put one hand behind her head and the other around her waist. He drew her in close, his lips came down hard on hers, and he kissed her as if it were the end of the world.

To him, it was. Her leaving was the end of his world.

Arthur rolled down his window. “Olivia, it’s time to go.”

Nash released her, helped her climb inside the car, and watched her drive away until the vehicle was nothing more than a dot on the horizon.

He was so numb; he hadn’t realized he’d come outside without his coat, and as the car disappeared from sight, the cold started to creep into his muscles.

With a heavy heart, Nash made his way back into the bar and sat down. Moe came over and placed his head in his lap.

Looking down at his dog, Nash patted his head. “Sorry, pal, she’s gone. It’s just you and me again.”

He wanted to be alone, but the others had a different idea and crowded around to comfort him.

“I’m so sorry, son,” Wade said, patting his shoulder. “I can’t imagine how hard that was for you. We all thought that it was your year, that she was your miracle.”

“I really don’t want to talk about it, Dad.”

Nash kept his eyes on Moe, who, with his head and ears low and eyes watery, looked how Nash felt.

Eddie got Nash a beer and sat it down in front of him. “I’m sorry that she’s gone, but at least you had some fun with her.”

Nash jumped to his feet and grabbed the younger man by the collar, pushing him up against the wall. “What the hell do you mean by that?” He ignored the cries of everyone to release Eddie.

“Nash, man, I just meant that the time you had with her was special, that you were happy. I didn’t mean any disrespect. I like Angel, you know that. She’s a wonderful woman, and we’ll all miss her.”

Nash closed his eyes, let out a deep breath, and loosened his grip. “I’m sorry, Eddie, I got carried away.”

He slipped back into his seat. He had never been a violent man before and he wasn’t about to become one now.

His mother came over and put her arms around him. “I know you are in love with her and you’re hurting but you did the right thing.

“You know the old saying, right? If you love something, let it go, and if it comes back to you, it was meant to be.”

“I know, Mom, but two years is a long time. She will forget all about me when she becomes famous.”

“Oh, baby, I don’t think she’ll ever be able to forget you.”

“Thanks.” He used the heel of his hand to dry his eyes. “Thanks, everyone. I think I’ll take Moe home now.”

“But it’s almost midnight. Won’t you just stay till then to bring in Christmas with us? I don’t want you to be alone.”

“I’m sorry, Mom, I just don’t feel much like celebrating.” How could he stay when his heart was shattered into a million pieces?

Nash began saying his goodbyes when Moe barked and tore off toward the door, using his nails to scratch at it.

“Moe, stop that, come here.”

The door opened, the cold wind and snow rushed inside, causing Moe to step back, and Nash was frozen to the spot when Angel walked inside.

Moe jumped up at her, and she patted him before looking at Nash.

Their eyes locked, and she smiled at him, moving slowly toward him until she was standing right in front of him.

“I…I couldn’t leave. I love you too much—”

He didn’t give her a chance to say another word. Nash pulled her into his arms and his lips came down on hers, only coming apart when they both needed to breathe.

“I don’t understand, what are you doing back here? I thought you were on your way back to Beverly Hills.”

“It all came back to me, Nash. Something about Arthur or the car, I don’t know what, but I felt like me again, I felt like Olivia.”

“Does that mean—?”

“Yes, Nash,” she said, an excited smile on her face. “I remember everything. And I remember why I came here.”