Be Good A New Adult Romance (RE12)(10)

“Because Penny looks a lot like your ex fiancé and she obviously has a mad crush on you.”

“How did you know Becca and I were engaged?” he asked quietly.

“How do you think?” My tone was a bit too curt and I immediately regretted it.

“Facebook,” he replied softly. He seemed so sad. It was such a sharp contrast from the happy person I had seen in the garden and in the market, it was heart breaking.

“Why didn’t you tell me the two of you were engaged? That was an important piece of information to leave out, don’t you think?”

“I’m sorry,” he responded, with pain in his voice.

“Guys lie to me all the time, Brett, so it isn’t anything new. I just didn’t expect you to lie to me like all the other guys.” I actually didn’t care that most guys lied to me. I considered it par for the course but for some reason I cared a lot when Brett did.

We were both quiet for what seemed like an eternity. Then Brett said, “Can you ever forgive me?”

“Why did you lie to me?” I could hear the hurt in my voice.

He didn’t answer immediately and I wondered if he was going to. Was I even worth the trouble?

He cleared his throat. “I was embarrassed. I didn’t want you to know that my fiancé left me for someone else.”

It was as if someone forced all of the air out of the car. I was suddenly struggling to breathe. “That must have sucked,” I managed to say.

He let out a feeble laugh. “It did suck.”

“I’m sorry,” I said more seriously. “That must have hurt.” Not that I knew from personal experience. I had never been committed to anyone longer than a wild weekend.

“It still does,” he admitted which stung a bit. It was the first time I considered the possibility that he might still have feelings for Sweater Vest. My heart sank. I wasn’t sure how I could ever compete with Rebecca, who seemed to be his perfect fit in every way.

He grabbed my hand and lifted it to his mouth then gently kissed it. “I care about you, Anna. I’m ready to move on and I want to move on with you. I hope you’ll let me.”

“As long as I’m not just some rebound girl.”

“I would never consider you just some anything and you’re definitely not just some rebound girl. You are everything a guy could ever want and the fact that you’re with me is completely mind boggling.”

I was stunned, speechless, which was a first. Generally, I was everything a guy could ever want but just for one night.

“Don’t ever lie to me again.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

And I believed him.





Four


When we got back to Brett’s townhouse, my stomach started to growl.

“I’d better feed you,” Brett chuckled as we unpacked the groceries. “We can have a late lunch early dinner. We’ll call it linner.”

“Linner is much better than dunch! Who would ever want to eat dunch?”

We both laughed. It felt good to finally release some of the tension that had built up between us.

“Do you want to sit in the garden while I cook?” Brett suggested

“I’d love to help you make linner.”

Brett thought about it for a moment. “As much as I’d rather cook for you and serve you, I can tell you want to help, so okay, let’s do it.”

That made me wonder if he and Sweater Vest ever cooked together or if she just let him do all of the cooking or maybe he always took her out to eat. I had to stop thinking about the two of them and their relationship or it was going to drive me crazy.

We both washed our hands in the kitchen sink and I said, “So, let me know what you want me to do.”

“Why don’t you start cutting up veggies and getting a salad together? I’ll start preparing the fish and the garlic bread.”

“Yes, Sir,” I saluted and got the veggies together.

Thirty minutes later, we had everything ready. “Now we just have to get the table in the garden set and everything will be perfect,” Brett stated .

I wished it was that easy to make everything perfect.

When I stepped into Brett’s backyard, it was like stepping into a fairytale garden. It was luscious and colorful. I thought it was the most beautiful place I had ever seen in my life.

Brett looked nervous. “Do you like it?” he asked tentatively.

I shook my head. “I don’t like it. I absolutely love it!”

That made Brett smile. “You’re the first person to see it, other than me.”

I gulped. I had assumed Sweater Vest had been to Brett’s townhouse but she obviously hadn’t. That made me smile.

“Thank you for sharing this with me. It’s amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

We set a small dining table Brett had placed in the corner of the garden near a small coy pond and fountain. Then we brought out the food and sat down.

“Your garden is truly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” As I continued admiring the surroundings.

“You sitting here is what makes the garden beautiful.” Brett took my hand in his then lifted my hand to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on it.

The food was delicious. After I’d eaten every bite on my plate, I was tempted to lift the plate and lick it clean. That’s how good it was.

“I know I’ve said it before, but you’re a wonderful cook.”

“You’re a wonderful helper. Terrific salad.”

“You know it’s not necessary to constantly try and impress me.”

Brett fidgeted in his seat and looked uncomfortable and I immediately regretted mentioning it. But he seemed to be putting so much pressure on himself to win me over like I was some kind of prize. If anything, I felt more like a booby prize but that was another issue entirely.

“I know I’m not good enough for you.” When he looked into my eyes, Brett looked so vulnerable it made me want to hug him. I never had such a strong urge to comfort anyone in my life. Brett was the only one to bring those feelings out in me. It scared me because it made me feel vulnerable, too.

Brett continued. “I’ll never be good enough for you. But I’m doing everything I know how to win your love.”

I could feel a teardrop slide down my cheek. I couldn’t believe he said he wasn’t good enough for me. I was the one who didn’t feel good enough for him.

“Let’s sit on the couch and talk,” Brett suggested. “We can clean up the dishes later.”

He led me over to a small outdoor furniture set on the other side of the garden located around a small fire pit. We both sat on the settee and Brett put his arm around me. “Tell me what’s on your mind,” he said softly. “I can tell something’s bothering you.”

I took a deep breath. I wasn’t the type to engage in deep conversation but Brett seemed so sincere. “Why do you care so much about me? Why do you want to hear about all the craziness going on inside my head?”

Brett looked puzzled. “Because I want to be with you. I want to know everything about you. That’s what people do when they’re in a relationship.”

“No one has ever cared enough about me to even ask,” I admitted.

Brett looked stunned. He couldn’t have looked more stunned if I had slapped him. “No one?” he repeated as if he hadn’t heard me correctly.

I shook my head. “Nope. Not even my parents or siblings.” Not that I had really given them a chance.

It was time to test Brett. I would give him an idea of who I really was to see if he still wanted to be with me. I mentally prepared myself to pack and leave just in case he didn’t like what he heard.

“My mother is a successful lawyer and my dad is an equally successful surgeon. My older and more perfect siblings, followed in their footsteps. My older sister became an even more successful surgeon and my older brother became an even more successful lawyer. Despite all of my parents’ monumental efforts to turn their youngest child into another über-successful clone of themselves, I was and still remain, nothing but a disappointment and a complete f*ck-up. By the time I was 8-years old, my parents had pretty much given up on me. I was sneaking out of the house by the time I was 12, when I started drinking and having sex. By the time I was 14, I had firmly established my reputation as a party girl. Since then, I’ve spent countless weekends drunk and slept with more guys than I can remember. I have nothing to show for myself but a crappy job and a crappy apartment that I share with a witch and her evil cat.”

“Why do you call your roommate a witch?” Was that all he got out of everything I just confessed?

I eyed him suspiciously. “Because she literally is a witch. She calls herself a Wiccan, dresses in all black and participates in all kinds of weird rituals with her crazy witch friends.”