Page 32 of Expiry Dating

“Tell me.”

She wasn’t a fan of commands outside the bedroom, yet she felt compelled to do just that. “I hadn’t been happy for a long time. My friend Lucy reminded me of that. I think we were missing that passion, y’know? He was safe and I was ... I was comfortable. When I walked in on him and Becky ...”

“You walked in on them?” Brady didn’t disguise his shock very well.

I guess when Jake told him why I moved over here, he forgot to mention that little tidbit.

“Yep. And in case you were wondering, Becky was my best friend at the time. One could say, I lost my shit. I guess most women might run away, start crying, maybe call their mum. Wanna know what I did? I started throwing my books at them. Not just any books, though. Hardbacks.”

Brady’s body was vibrating beneath her. She could laugh about it now, at the absurdity of it all, but at the time it definitely had been anything but funny.

“I did it until I ran out of books. Then, while they were still naked in my bed, I started packing a suitcase.”

“You were in the room with them ... packing a suitcase?” She didn’t miss the humour in his voice.

“Yep. They were both screaming at me at this point, probably mad about the books, but I blocked it all out. Got my shit and got the hell out of there.”

“Jesus, baby.” Brady shook his head as his eyes softened.

“Anyway. About a month later, I quit my job. Not because Rob had broken my heart, but because breaking up with him gave me an out. There was nothing keeping me in London anymore, and I felt free. And to be truly free to do whatever and go wherever, I needed to quit my job.”

“So why Bluestone, apart from the obvious?”

“Well, sorry to disappoint, but it was the obvious that led me here. I missed my sister. Now that she’s married, I know it’s only a matter of time before her and Jake start having kids. I don’t want to miss out on all that stuff. I want to be close by.”

“So Bluestone is it for you? No going back to the city, no going back to England—you’re going to stay here forever just to be close to Lily?”

When he put it like that, it sounded stupid. Maybe it was. But if she’d learned anything in her twenty-seven years on this planet, it’s that possessions and jobs didn’t make you happy, people did. Normally people you love, and it was love for her sister that brought her here.

“Right now, yes.”

He placed another kiss on her forehead, and she internally cursed herself for liking it so much. How such a simple gesture made something inside of her twist.

Get your shit together, Ali. Don’t make this into something it isn’t. It’s just sex. Nothing more.

Done sharing, she remembered that she had questions of her own. She just hoped her opening up would allow Brady to do the same.

“Who’s Ricky?”

His whole body tensed. As she waited patiently for him to say something, she realised he had no intention of doing so. After untangling from his embrace, she twisted to get a look at him. He looked defeated, but not enough to get her to stop.

“In the night, sometimes ... you have nightmares, and you say his name.”

The first time he’d had a nightmare it had freaked her out. She was familiar with PTSD and the types of nightmares that often haunted former soldiers. She knew exactly what his dreams meant. She never said anything before because she didn’t have to. He’d never hurt her, he didn’t thrash, he just cried out, gut-wrenching cries until she held him, stroked him, and calmed him down.

“I didn’t ... Did I hurt you?”

She vigorously shook her head before realising she should probably verbalise it too. “No. Never. There isn’t ... You don’t thrash or anything. You say stuff though.”

She watched as his head dropped into his hands.

I shouldn’t have said anything. Good job, Ali. Why don’t you punch him in the face while you’re at it?

Just when she thought she’d ruined the moment and possibly the day, Brady spoke again. “Remember I told you the day I got my injury another team member was with me?”

Her yes was quiet, but thankfully he must have heard it because he continued.

“His name was Ricky. He was a good guy. Married. Had a kid.”

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