Page 38 of Expiry Dating

After nodding and a quiet “sure” from Alice, Brady grabbed her hand and they followed Lily and Jake back to the party.

Jake wasted no time garnishing everyone’s attention, and Brady had to admit, he was intrigued.

“As y’all know, Lily made me the happiest man in the world some months back by agreeing to be my wife.” A round of cheers ensued as Jake took the opportunity to kiss his wife before continuing. “Well, just when I thought I couldn’t get any happier or luckier, I was blessed once again. Lily has given me the best gift a man could ever ask for, a baby. Our baby. Who y’all will meet six months from now!”

Cheers, whistles, and hoots filled the air as Alice let go of Brady’s hand and ran toward her sister. Brady followed suit and went to congratulate his best friend. His hug was a little more manly though.

“I’m happy for you, man.” Brady clapped Jake on the back one last time.

“Thanks, I feel like one lucky son of a bitch, that’s for sure.”

Maybe Brady did get jealous. The lump in his throat sure as hell felt like it. There was no doubt he was happy for Jake, but this, what his friend had, well, he couldn’t help but feel envious. A wife and a child on the way, that’s the dream, right? It struck Brady that he hadn’t given this particular dream much thought before now.

His attention went back to Alice, her bright blue eyes sparkling, threatening to tear. She was huddled with Lily and Sam, excitement bouncing off each of them. For the first time he let himself imagine what it would be like to have this with her. To have a future. That’s when he realised just how far down the rabbit hole he’d stumbled with her. He was in deep. Scary deep. But he didn’t want to run for the hills. No. He wanted to pull her down into the hole with him. Make her feel what he was feeling. That they belonged to each other. Right there, he decided to make it his mission. He was going to make Alice Hart fall in love with him.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Brady was being weird. Not in a fun, sexual way that she’d enjoy. But in a strange, possessive way that made her want to punch him in the face.

Ever since the barbecue, he’d ramped up his efforts to show the whole town that they were together. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of being with him, it was more that she didn’t exactly want to shout from the rooftops that her extracurricular activities included using Brady Mitchell’s body.

Then there were the questions. All of a sudden, everyone had a vested interest in her future. It’s not like she could tell them she was just hooking up with Brady, and the bastard knew it too. So now here she was, stuck in her own web of lies, pretending that she was in some kind of committed relationship. Which was just perfect. It didn’t make her want to slam her head against the nearest wall. No, not at all.

“Ali?” Lily’s voice snapped her out of her Brady-themed thoughts.

“Sorry, I was listening, I promise. So, your next scan you find out the sex?”

Lily smiled against the rim of her coffee cup. “You were thinking about him, weren’t you?”

Despite no customers in sight, Hart’s Hardware was not the place where Alice wanted to have this conversation with her sister. When she’d stopped by with beverages, it was to interrogate Lily about the secret pregnancy she’d been keeping from her, not to face the firing squad herself.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Alice left Lily behind the counter and began to roam the aisles.

“You know, when normal people run away from a conversation, they usually try and leave the building,” Lily chastised as she followed Alice into the paint aisle.

“And when have I ever been normal, Lilypad?”

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