Chapter 2

A week later, I was sitting in Grandpa Joe' s study. The scent of old books and his pipe tobacco usually comforted me, but today, I was a bundle of nerves.

Ethan was home from the hospital, still claiming he only remembered Jessica Vance, his "one true love." He'd barely acknowledged me. Our families, the Millers and the Hayes, pillars of this prosperous New England town, were treading on eggshells.

Grandpa Joe, head of the Miller Family Foundation, a man whose calm demeanor usually settled any storm, looked at me with concern.

"Sadie, my dear," he began, his voice gentle. "This situation with Ethan... it's unfortunate. Very unfortunate."

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.

Unfortunate is one word for it, Joe, Grandma Rose chimed in my head. The boy's a feckin' eejit, is what he is.

"The family's standing, alliances... these things are important, Sadie. Stability." Grandpa Joe sighed, then slid a small stack of glossy photographs across his mahogany desk. "I've taken the liberty of... well, of considering alternatives."

My eyes widened. They were photos of young men. Eligible bachelors, all from prominent local families. Chad Peterson, grinning like a golden retriever. Tyler Maxwell, looking serious and dependable. And then, my breath caught.

Ethan Hayes, a photo clearly taken before the accident, his arm possessively around a pre-crash me.

And Liam O'Connell, leaning against a stone wall, a hint of a smirk on his lips, his dark hair ruffled by a wind I couldn't feel. He looked intense, almost brooding.

"I want you to choose a fiancé, Sadie," Grandpa Joe said, his gaze steady. "Secure your future. Secure a beneficial alliance for the family."

My mind reeled. A proposal game? This was archaic. This was… insane.

Now, now, Joe has a point, even if he's goin' about it like a bull in a china shop, Grandma Rose mused. But he's got the wrong bull in mind.

I looked at Ethan' s photo. The boy I thought I loved. The boy who now looked at me like a stranger, unless he was talking about Jess.

He's a cheat, Sadie. Broke your heart to pieces in that other time. Left you for that same conniving little witch, Jess.

Grandma Rose' s "memories" had been seeping into my consciousness all week – flashes of a life I didn't recognize, filled with a pain that felt terrifyingly real. Ethan, charming and deceitful. Jess, sly and triumphant. And Liam… Liam was always there, in the background, a silent, unexpected protector.

I picked up Liam O'Connell's photo. My long-time rival. The one person in town who could always get under my skin.

That's the ticket, sweet pea! Grandma Rose cheered. He's a good lad, a strong lad. He won't let you down.

My hand trembled. This was crazy. But crazier than hearing my dead grandmother in my head? Crazier than my boyfriend forgetting me for someone else?

I took a deep breath. "Okay, Grandpa."

I pushed Liam O'Connell's photo forward.

"I choose him. I choose Liam."

Grandpa Joe' s eyebrows shot up. He stared at the photo, then at me, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes.

"Liam O'Connell?" he said, his voice laced with surprise. "But… you two have always been at odds."

Attraction, Joe, me boy. Sometimes it looks like a fight to the untrained eye, Grandma Rose quipped.

"He's my choice, Grandpa," I said, a strange sense of calm settling over me. Or maybe it was just Grandma Rose' s unwavering confidence seeping through.

The decision was made. I had just chosen my rival as my fiancé. The town was going to have a field day.