Keeley dipped a washcloth in warm water and gently wiped her friend's face. It took a few minutes to remove all the oatmeal residue. She was about to get a second cloth to clean her own face when Aaron began doing it for her.

"I could have done that myself," she pointed out.

He shrugged. Keeley knew what he was doing. He wanted an excuse to touch her face. Considering how cold he usually was, his touchiness was surprising.

He was constantly holding her hand, playing with her hair, or putting his arm around her. Aaron seemed unhappy unless he was touching her.

He had always been more physically affectionate than verbally expressive, but this was excessive. She guessed it stemmed from their time apart after his traumatic loss. It was as if he feared she would disappear.

Her heart ached. He truly loved her. She tried to reciprocate, but couldn't honestly say she loved him back. Lying would be cruel.

"Awww, so sweet," Jennica cooed.

Aaron glared at her but let the comment slide. He'd gotten better about being teased. A year ago, he would have completely shut down.

"Does anyone want dinner?" he asked.

"I could eat," Keeley admitted, feeling hungry again. She needed to eat regularly to feel comfortable.

"What do you have?" Jennica asked.

"Frozen lasagna or leftover stir-fry."

"Lasagna!" they said in unison, bursting into giggles.

He shook his head, but smiled indulgently. "Lasagna it is."

Aaron put the lasagna in the oven while Jennica manicured Keeley's nails. She chose a soft lilac shade from her Christmas stocking. Pastels were Jennica's favorite.

After finishing Keeley's fingernails, Jennica offered to paint her toenails, since Keeley couldn't reach. Keeley couldn't refuse; her old polish was badly chipped.

It hadn't mattered much because she always wore socks, but painted toenails were a must for sandal season. That was still a while away, but who else would paint her toenails?

Aaron had tried around Christmas (she couldn't reach then either), but it looked awful, so he'd taken her to a salon for a pedicure. She'd gotten red and green toenails, and that was what mattered.

Keeley sighed contentedly. Being fussed over was occasionally nice.

Aaron confessed to manipulating the acquisition of the extra 2% of shares he needed, the day before their dinner with Graydon Meyer—or Michael Gray, his long-lost brother.

Keeley was shocked, but the way Aaron had acted around Gray now made sense. She wasn't thrilled about meeting him, but reluctantly agreed he wasn't a current threat.

"What should we call him?" she asked as they prepared for dinner. She wore a flowery maternity blouse, black leggings, and had curled her hair and applied makeup.

"He said to call him Gray," Aaron shrugged. "It's part of both his names, and he feels most comfortable with it."

It made sense; that's how he'd initially introduced himself. She still couldn't believe Aaron had done this simple favor. The 2% had already gone to Cameron.

Once the babies were born and Aaron received the remaining 10%, he could finally get rid of his father. Then, only Lacy Knighton would remain a concern.

She trusted Aaron's plan, but sharing a meal with a former enemy, even one with amnesia, would be strange. After putting on silver dangly earrings, she considered herself ready and let Aaron help her with her shoes. It was showtime.

Keeley chose a middle-class Thai fusion restaurant. Gray likely wouldn't mind; she craved curry. [Remove the promotional sentence about NovelFire.net]

He greeted them with the warmest smile she'd ever seen. "It's so good to see you both! Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for helping me," Aaron said reluctantly.

"My pleasure. I can't wait to see that man get what's coming to him. This just sped things up."

A waiter seated them. The Hales sat together; Gray sat opposite them. He ordered wine; Keeley chose water.

"Tell me about yourselves," he said, swirling his wine.

They exchanged a glance. "Like what?"

"Hobbies, interests, how you met. Anything."