Page 62 of Beauty Of Her

“I’m sorry. Who’s Libby?” I asked everyone weakly.

“Just an ex-girlfriend,” Brett interjected.

“Just an ex-girlfriend?” Natalie repeated. “You almost proposed to her.”

“Oh shit,” Bridgette mumbled, while Glen dropped his head.

“You never mentioned her,” I said to Brett, my stomach flipping, my heart thumping in my ears. “But you must have had a good reason for never saying anything.” My eyes landed everywhere but Brett’s face because I couldn’t stomach seeing his expression. Between my stomach churning and my heart twisting in its cavity, I was unsure how much longer I’d be able to sit at this table.

“Libby and Brett dated for at least twelve months, and unfortunately, it didn’t work out, but they made the cutest pair. They looked so right together.”

“Looks aren’t everything, Mother,” Brett snapped. I had never heard him sound this way, so angry. “We weren’t a good fit.” He shifted his gaze to me. “We were never meant to be.”

But why did you lie then, fucker? Instead, I forced out the tiniest grin.

“Well, you really fooled everyone,” said Natalie, popping another cherry tomato into her mouth. “Seriously. When Brett came home that day, everyone thought he was going to announce that he was going to ask Libby to marry her. No one expected him to say the opposite.”

“I broke up with her that day,” Brett admitted coldly.

“She’s still single, you know. Hasn’t found the one.” Natalie spoke directly to Brett, popping her bony shoulders.

This was too much. I already knew his mother wouldn’t be my biggest fan, but to have to sit here and listen about Brett’s clandestine, super serious relationship he conveniently hid from me? Well, I was too old for this shit. I pushed back my chair from the table, creating a heavy screech, and stood. Brett and Glen instantly shot up from their seats out of gentlemanly habit.

“I’m going to the ladies room,” I said through gritted teeth to Brett, smiling and nodding to the rest of the table before escaping.

I took deep breaths in the bathroom, trying to calm my racing thoughts and anger. I splashed some water on my face, trying to regain my composure. What the fuck was that? Why would he keep something like that from me? We'd only been dating for a few months, but we'd talked about our past relationships. He'd never mentioned something so significant. I couldn't believe I'd been lied to. I felt foolish and naive. After what seemed like an eternity, and with all my makeup washed from my face, I left the bathroom, only to walk smack dab into the center of Brett’s broad chest.

“Ow! What the fuck, Brett?” I touched my bruised nose.

He winced and bent down to assess the damage. “Are you okay? Where did all your makeup go?”

“Fuck the makeup, Brett. What the fuck? How could you lie to me about what’s her name?” Of course, I knew the name, but I didn’t dare say it.

“Julia, let me explain.” He frowned, reaching for me, but I flinched when his fingertips touched my bare arm.

“You lied.” I glared and crossed my arms, fighting the urge to slap his pretty face.

“Yes, I did. And I should have never done that to you, but you have to understand what happened between me and Libby is something I wanted to forget. So, I literally don’t talk about it.”

“That’s not good enough. I was honest with you. I deserve the same.”

“You’re right, you do. You absolutely do, and I promise I’ll explain everything.” He stepped closer, invading my personal space, but I didn’t stop him. And I didn’t stop Brett when his large hands enclosed around mine, kissing my knuckles.

“How come you didn’t tell me?” My eyes pleaded for the truth. It was what I needed.

Brett sighed, defeated. “That whole relationship was based on me making my mom happy. Libby looked good on paper; it made my mom happy because she loved Libby. She was the perfect image in my mom’s head for me. Came from a good family, virginal looking, blah blah blah…” Brett trailed off, rolling his eyes. “I was always the kind of guy who thought if it’s easy and everyone is happy, I might as well do it. That’s what my relationship with Libby represented. And one day, I realized I was bored out of my mind. It wasn’t the relationship for me; she wasn’t the woman for me, and I misled everyone. And then I dropped the bomb that I was breaking up with Libby. Everyone was shocked. Everyone was crying.”

“Your mother cried over the breakup?” A sour taste traveled up my throat, settling on my tongue.

“It was awful. After that, I swore off relationships and thought I’d fuck around the rest of my life.” Brett’s hands traveled up my exposed arms, igniting goosebumps along my skin. “Then I met you. And just like that, everything changed.”

His words started to cool the fire coursing through my bones, but I wasn’t there yet. This would take a little time to get over. “So, you didn’t want to tell me about Libby because you were embarrassed?”

Brett nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. "Yes. I didn't want you to think I was lying or trying to make you happy like I did with my mom. I wanted us to be together for the right reasons, but it took me a while to realize what that meant. I didn’t want you to think like I was some people-pleaser. I like to keep things light and easy when I can. And it almost caused me to end up with someone I didn’t truly love.” He paused, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I never felt the way I did about Libby, the way I feel about you, and we’ve only been together about six months. But there’s no excuse for me lying to you, and I promise this is the one secret I had kept from you.”

I was about to say something, but Brett held up a hand.

“And I know you were extremely honest with me about your past and everything having to do with you. You opened yourself up to let me in, and I’ve never been so happy that you did because here we are now.” Brett pressed his forehead against mine, his warmth seeping into my skin.

---