Page 30 of Brewing Up a Bad Boy

Spending time with Ali took the edge off of the anger she still had toward him. He was correct that he’d apologized. She just hadn’t been able to let go at the time. If they were strangers, she’d be thinking about taking him to her bed. But they weren’t strangers, and some petty part of her didn’t want to let go of the way he’d hurt her.

It made her feel small. How many times had she messed up and asked for forgiveness? A lot. Never had Liberty and Sera denied it to her. She’d never denied them forgiveness either. Denying him that kindness was unlike her.

Ali was from before. From a time when she thought she was an adult but totally wasn’t. Like any kid at uni was truly an adult. Her life had been full of freedom and some choices but no real responsibilities until she got married.

Then the perfect little life she’d crafted had fallen apart.

“Everything okay? You look very serious.”

Maybe it was the three pints or maybe it was just her subconscious finally deciding it was time to put it all out there, but she said, “Just trying to figure out why I can’t forgive you.”

His eyes went wide, and he took a deep swallow of his pint before plopping down across from her. “Fuck. Really? I thought we were beyond that.”

“Me too. But I’m not.”

“Want to talk about it?” he asked.

No, but totally, yes.There were things she’d never gotten to say. Unfair things, since he’d already said he’d fucked up. But she still wanted to vocalize the hurt that she’d tucked deep inside.

“I hate that you lied to me.”

“Me too. I shouldn’t have. If I’d been a different guy, I wouldn’t have.”

“Would you do it again?” she asked.

“No. Definitely not.”

She wanted to believe him. She needed to trust him. But she was so afraid of being stupid with him. “Is there anything you’re not telling me?” she asked, then put her hand on his lips to stop him from speaking. “Never mind.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “You shouldn’t have to prove that you’ve changed.”

“Agree, but if you need me to, I will,” he said. “I need some absolution—not that you have to give it to me.”

“Didn’t mean to ruin our night,” she said.

“You didn’t. Listen, we both know what our marriage and courtship were like. The more we talk about it maybe we can finally put it in the past.”

“Agreed. My mum never saidtold you so, but she thought we were both too young when we got married.”

“My parents did too,” he admitted.

“Really? Didn’t they tell you to marry me?”

“No, that was all me. I was supposed to befriend you and then offer you an insane amount of money if you sold me the recipe.”

She had always suspected his family had sent him to marry her. Something that had underscored how stupidly in love with Alistair she’d been. Like, how could she have missed that? But hearing that he was only meant to make her a business offer... Well, that sort of tracked.

There was no denying the chemistry between her and Ali. He drew her in like no other man ever had. That was why she’d put up with so much from him. Stayed as long as she had in a situation that went from happily-ever-after to a nightmare of family corporate dynamics.

The offer that Howard made when she went to work that first day as Alistair’s wife and a junior executive had come out of the blue. Though she’d known that Alistair was part of Lancaster-Spencer, she’d never really thought the company was still after her family’s prized tea recipe. They’d offered her compensation, but the fine print—which she hadn’t truly understood until it was too late—stated that Lancaster-Spencer would own the recipe and Poppy and her heirs wouldn’t be able to claim it any longer.

That moment had been a betrayal that cut so deep she’d needed Ali to help her survive. Instead, he’d told her it was just business and her heirs would be his kids, so no biggie.

But it was a biggie. The first of many that led to the dissolution of their marriage. Why had he married her then? Also, if they’d only wanted the recipe...well, that explained why they were never on board with her suggestions in the boardroom.

“Why didn’t you?”

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