Page 134 of Make Me Sin (Bad Habit 2)
A.J. says, “Sounds like you’re striking out, bro.”
But Brody doesn’t look convinced. His grin hasn’t faltered. “Maybe. Or maybe she likes the chase as much as I do. Never met a woman who tells me to get lost while she’s staring at my crotch like it’s the Rosetta Stone.”
A.J. and Nico laugh, but Kat and I are too busy having a wordless conversation to join in. By her face, I can tell she’s thinking what I’m thinking: One, wouldn’t it be awesome if they got together; Two, what’s the real story about why she’s not going for him; And three, why the hell hasn’t she told us about any of this?
We are so going to find out.
In the meantime, I’m going to help Brody along.
“A word of advice? Ease off a bit. If she thinks you’re too serious about her, it’ll scare her away.”
Brody cocks his head. “What do you mean?”
I look at Kat. She nods, knowing what I’m going to say, and approving. I think a moment, trying to find the right words. “Grace isn’t the girl who wants the roses and the love poems and the happily-ever-after. Thinking too much about the future makes her uncomfortable. So just keep it casual and you’ll have a much better chance.”
For the first time, Brody’s cocky grin fades. He puts his elbows on the table and leans toward me. “Did she have a bad breakup? Someone hurt her?”
I glance at Kat. She says, “Go ahead. If she finds out, I’ll tell her it was my idea.”
Looking confused, Brody says, “Okay, now I really have to know.”
Thinking, I tap my fingers on the marble. I don’t know how much detail to go into. This is Grace’s story to tell after all, not mine. But the temptation to see Grace with a man who understands her, who gets why she never talks about the past or looks forward to the future is too great. If Brody really likes her, and he knows what makes her tick, maybe they’ll have a chance.
“Okay, it’s not a big secret or anything, and she’s never sworn us to silence, so I’m going to tell you, but I’d appreciate it if you’d be careful about how you bring this up with her. If you ever do.”
Eagerly, Brody nods.
“When she was eighteen, Grace was inv
olved in a bad car accident. Her parents were killed.”
“Shit.” Brody looks distressed. “Was she badly hurt?”
I glance out the sliding glass doors to the patio. Grace is lying on the chaise lounge, eyes closed, her face turned to the sun. Though she’s well out of earshot, I lower my voice. “She lost her memory. She can’t recall anything before the crash. She had to relearn who she was when she woke up; she didn’t recognize anyone, she didn’t remember anything about her life. So now she has this whole ‘live for the moment’ philosophy. Especially with relationships. If she thinks someone she’s dating is getting serious, that’s it. It’s over. Because she thinks it could all be taken away again, like that.” I snap my fingers.
Brody sags back in his chair, stunned. “That’s awful. I can’t even imagine.”
I sigh. “Yeah. It doesn’t help that they never found the bastard who ran into them.”
Brody’s gaze flashes up to mine. “Sorry?”
“It was a hit-and-run,” says Kat. “Some asshole ran a red light, then hit the back of Grace’s parents’ car just right to send it into a tailspin. They wound up wrapped around a telephone pole, and the other guy just took off.”
Brody’s face pales. He swallows. “Hit-and-run?”
“At least the bastard had the decency to stop and pull Grace from the car. If he hadn’t, she would have . . . the fire . . .” I shake my head. “Anyway, she made it out and her parents didn’t. So my point is—”
And then I’m doubled over with the worst pain I’ve ever felt. It hits me out of nowhere, radiating out from my stomach in violent waves. This is different from the mild discomfort I’ve been having over the past month, the twinges and pinches in my abdomen. This is aggressively painful.
“Honey!” says Kat frantically, grabbing my shoulders. “Are you all right?”
A.J. is beside me before I can even catch my breath, his worried face inches from mine. “Angel?”
“Contraction,” I gasp. “Oh, God, it hurts—”
Warm fluid saturates my underwear and begins to slide down my legs. Holy Jesus, my water just broke.
I’m going into labor.
