(Keifer's POV)
The six days felt like six long years. Every single morning, I woke up alone in that cold, empty guest room. My arms felt empty. My heart felt heavy. Every day, I had to look into the eyes of the woman I loved more than life itself and see a blank stare. Jay did not know who I was. She did not remember our love, our home, or our engagement. But today was the seventh day. The doctor had said her memory would likely come back by the end of the week. Today was the day.
I opened my eyes and looked at the ceiling. My heart was beating so fast against my ribs. I was filled with a huge wave of hope. I sat up quickly and ran a hand through my hair. Today, she will remember me. Today, my real Jay will come back to me.
I changed my clothes fast and walked upstairs to our room . My feet practically floated on the floor. I reached our bedroom door and knocked gently. My hand was shaking a little bit.
"Come in," her voice called out from inside.
I opened the door with a big smile on my face. Jay was sitting up in bed, looking at the window. The morning sunlight hit her face, making her look beautiful. She turned her head to look at me. I stood there, holding my breath, waiting for the magic spark in her eyes. I waited for her to smile and shout my name.
Instead, she just looked at me with a soft, sad expression. The smile on my face began to freeze.
"Keifer," she said, her voice very quiet and gentle. "I am so sorry. I still do not remember you as my fiancé."
It felt like a heavy rock dropped straight into my stomach. The hope inside me broke into a thousand tiny pieces. I felt a deep, sharp sadness hit my chest. I looked down at the floor, trying to hide the pain in my eyes. All the work, all the waiting, all the pain of the last week felt like it was for nothing. She still did not know me. I was still a stranger to the woman I wanted to spend my life with.
I turned around slowly, ready to walk away so she would not see me cry.
"Hubby," Jay suddenly said behind me, her voice changing completely. "Do you really think I would not remember you?"
I stopped in my tracks. My body went completely stiff. Did I hear that right? Did she just say that word?
I turned around fast. Jay was sitting on the bed, but now she had a huge, bright grin on her face. Her eyes were sparkling with life and mischief. It was the exact same look she always gave me when she was playing a joke on me.
"Jay?" I whispered, my voice cracking.
"Of course I remember you, you silly chef!" she laughed, throwing the blankets off her legs.
A massive wave of pure happiness exploded inside my chest. I did not even think. I ran across the room in one second. I grabbed her by her waist and lifted her high up into the air. I held her tight against me and started rotating her around and around in circles. She screamed with laughter, her hands gripping my shoulders tightly. The dark cloud over my head vanished completely. She was back. My Jay-Jay was finally back.
"Put me down! Keifer, put me down, I am getting dizzy!" she giggled, hitting my chest softly.
I set her feet back on the floor but I did not let go of her waist. I leaned my forehead against hers, breathing heavily. "Do not ever scare me like that again," I whispered, my heart melting with joy.
Jay smirked up at me, her eyes dancing with fun. "Well, since my memory is back, I have a big question. What should I call you now? Should I call you Keifer? Or maybe Keifer dad? Or how about Keifer brother?"
I let out a loud groan and rolled my eyes, but I could not stop the smile on my face. I shook my head in frustration. "I knew it," I said, throwing my hands up in the air. "I just knew that these would be your very first words after your memory came back. You are impossible."
"And you love it!" she shouted, running past me out of the room.
"Yes, I do," I said quietly to myself, following her down the stairs.
We walked into the kitchen. The morning sun was filling the room with warm light. It felt different today. The kitchen did not feel lonely anymore. It felt full of life because Jay was in it. She sat down on the high stool by the kitchen counter, and immediately, her mouth started moving.
"Keifer, you have no idea what happened last night," she started, leaning forward on her elbows. "I had this crazy dream. It was the longest dream ever. And guess what it was about? Food! I dreamt about this amazing, huge plate of food. It was so big and looked so delicious. I could smell it in my sleep. I think there was bread, and sauce, and meat, and everything good in the world."
I smiled and walked over to the stove. I decided to make pasta for her, because I knew it was her favorite comfort food. I got a pot, filled it with water, and put it on the fire. As I worked, Jay did not stop talking for even a single second.
"And then in the dream, the food started talking to me! Can you believe that? It told me to eat it. I woke up feeling so hungry. I think my brain spent all night trying to fix itself, so now my stomach is completely empty. I need food right now, Keifer. What are you making? Is it pasta? It smells like pasta. Please tell me it is pasta. I want a mountain of pasta."
She spoke nonstop, her voice going up and down with total excitement. She used her hands to show how big the food was in her dream. I stood by the stove, stirring the sauce and boiling the pasta . I looked over at her and chuckled softly. I watched her lips move fast and heard her bright laugh fill the room.
I looked back down at the food I was cooking. I thought to myself, yes, this is for sure my wifey. Nobody else in the world could talk about food for ten minutes without taking a single breath. The worry that had lived in my chest for six days was completely gone.
I drained the water from the pasta and mixed it with the rich tomato sauce. I took two plates and poured the hot pasta onto them. To give it the perfect final touch, I took a big block of cheese and grated a mountain of it on top of her plate.
"Here you go, my lady," I said, putting the plate down in front of her with a smile.
"Oh my goodness," Jay gasped. She did not even wait for me to sit down. She grabbed her fork and took a huge bite of the pasta.As soon as the food hit her mouth, she closed her eyes. She started making loud sounds to show how much she loved it. "Mmm! Oh wow! Keifer, this is heaven!" She started mimicking a food judge, waving her fork in the air. "The sauce is perfect. The cheese is perfect. You are the best chef in the entire universe!"
She took another big bite, looking happier than a kid in a toy store. I picked up my own fork, ready to sit down and finally enjoy a meal with my wifey. I felt relaxed for the first time in a week.
But just as I was about to put the first bite of pasta into my mouth, my phone started vibrating violently in my pocket.
The heavy buzzing sound broke the happy mood in the kitchen. I pulled the phone out and looked at the screen. My eyes went narrow. The name on the screen belonged to my head gunman. This was the man I gave a very specific, very secret order to a few days ago. The order was to hunt down and kill Clyde.
I looked up at Jay. She was still eating, but she noticed my face change.
"Jay," I said, keeping my voice calm and smooth. "It is an important call. I need to take this outside. I will come back in just two minutes."
Jay looked at me and nodded her head. She had a piece of pasta near her mouth. "Go ahead," she said understanding the situation. She knew my business was always serious. "Do not let your food get cold!"
"I won't," I said.
I stood up from the stool and walked away from the kitchen. My steps became heavy and hard. The happy, sweet fiancé persona disappeared with every step I took toward the front door. By the time I stepped out onto the large porch, I was a completely different man. I was the boss again.
The outside air was cool. I slid my thumb across the screen and put the phone to my ear.
"Speak," I commanded. My voice was cold, flat, and dangerous.
"Boss," the gunman's voice came through the speaker. He sounded tired but clear. "The work is done. Clyde is gone. He will never bother you or Mrs. Watson again."
I stood on the porch, looking out at the large green yard. A dark, cold smirk slowly spread across my face. My eyes turned hard like stone. The man who tried to take my world away from me was finally dead. He paid the ultimate price for touching what belonged to me.
"Good," I said coldly. "Clean up everything. Do not leave a single trace."
"Yes, Boss," the gunman replied.I cut the call and lowered the phone. I stood there for a moment, breathing in the fresh air. A deep feeling of peace and power washed over me. The threat was gone. The enemy was destroyed.
I turned around and looked through the glass window of our house. I could see Jay in the kitchen. She was still eating her pasta, laughing at something she thought about, completely safe and happy.
I knew that now my Jay was back to me, and Clyde was gone forever. The storm had passed. I could finally be assured that our life was safe. I put the phone back in my pocket, pushed the dark thoughts away, and walked back inside to be the man my wifey loved.