Pure Redemption (Tainted Legacy) by Amity Hope

lighten the dreary mood she’d created. “But you smell like coconuts.”
    Gabe chuckled. “Is that your way of saying you want to go shopping?”
    She wanted nothing more than to stay where she was forever, but she sat up, allowing his arms to slide away. He’d allowed her to stay where she was for quite a while. She didn’t want to drag it out so that he was wishing she’d go away.
    “We could,” Ava decided. “Maybe driving through town, seeing familiar sights will help.”
    Gabe shrugged. “Is my…is Rafe still here? In town, I mean?”
    A little shudder raced down her spine. “ Yes.” She gave him a brief summary of her recent encounter with his brother. “He’s obviously looking for you. As far as I’m concerned, that means we should do our best to stay away from him.”
    Gabe nodded slowly. “It’s not like I want to talk to him or anything,” h e assured her. “I was just wondering. ”
    “You and your brother,” she shook her head, “well, I told you what your relationship was like . It wasn’t a good situation. I don’t know what he’ll do when he finds out you’re back .”
     
    ***
     
    As Ava had driven them to Granville, he’d tried to make sense of everything she’d told him. He’d tried to pull it out of his memory but it was like grasping at an empty darkness. It was surprisingly exhausting.
    He had wanted to protest when she’d told him that at his father’s directive, he was to end her life. Of everything she’d told him, that had been the hardest to believe. He was meant to kill her? And yet, he had believed her because there was a goodness about her that was hard to miss. Even if Molly had not pulled him aside, he could see it every time he looked at her.
    He could understand why he had taken his own life instead of hers. He couldn’t imagine hurting her. Seeing her cry and knowing it was because of him had ripped him to shreds inside.
    And she loved him. Not only had she said it, but he could feel it in the way she held him. Both in her sleep and when she’d been upset. To have someone feel that way about you? The realization was confounding. If only he could remember her.
    Just something. Anything. Even just a glimmer.
    But there was nothing.
    She’d driven down by a river. Apparently they had been there together many times. Not only that, she’d told him that Molly and Julia were convinced they’d seen him there recently. The disappointment on her face when he’d told her nothing looked familiar had caused unpleasant feelings to stir inside of him.
    For whatever reason, whether it was a stirring of his past or the connection he was creating with her now, he didn’t like to see her unhappy. It frustrated him that he seemed to be doing just that. He was constantly making her unhappy and disappointing her and he’d only just met her.
    He didn’t like it.
    Now they were shopping and he was letting his mind wander, wondering if he’d ever be able to remember and give her what she seemed to want. She was flipping through shirts hanging on a rack, trying to find a few more to add to their growing pile.
    “Gabe? Are you okay?” she asked as she reached over to take his hand.
    She startled him and he didn’t mean to snatch it away. It was just a reflex but her face fell and she took a step away from him.
    “Sorry,” he mumbled.
    Ava’s lips moved into a forced smile. “No, I’m sorry. It’s just habit. So, are these okay?” she asked, changing the subject and holding up a pair of jeans.
    “Yeah,” Gabe told her. He didn’t really care what he wore. Ava was choosing clothing for him and he was trailing around behind her, carrying it all.
    “Have we shopped together before?” Gabe wondered as he looked around.
    Ava stopped in front of a display of shorts. “We have,” she carefully said. “But not here. We’ve never been to the mall together before. When we shopped it was down by the boardwalk at a few specialty shops. I thought a department store would