It didn’t, but it did. We were happy . . . now. Happier than I ever thought I could be, but it was hard sometimes not to resent the journey to get there, or the time we lost.
“Stop worrying about the past, especially when you’re leaving your sex on legs boyfriend for two weeks.”
I sputtered on a mouthful of food. “Did you just call Josh sex on legs?”
She cringed as she sipped on her water. “Did that bother you?”
“No, but never tell him that. His head would blow up like a balloon.” I snickered before my smile faded.
“I have no clue what his life was like in all those years. Who he was with . . .” I shrugged. It was ridiculous, but up until this point, I’d been afraid to ask.
Amanda leaned forward on the table with narrowed eyes. “He’s been back since September, and you’ve been attached at the hip ever since. You never asked him?”
“I know, I know.” I dropped my eyes to the table.
“Didn’t you say that you guys used to play in the dirt together when you were little? Why are you so afraid to ask him?”
I exhaled a long breath. “I get really upset thinking about all those years he stayed away because he thought I would be better off. I feel like we got cheated, if that makes sense. It’s stupid, but I’m not sure if I want to know or stay blissfully ignorant about it.”
“Bri, you’re anything but blissful about it. You can ask . . . or imagine the worst and let it fester.” She shrugged. “Your choice.”
“Hey, beautiful!” Josh brushed his lips against mine as he strode through the door. Since I came home from lunch with Amanda, I’d done nothing but ‘fester.’ I needed to ask before my agitation morphed into an ulcer.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked Josh before he even got his jacket off.
His eyes narrowed as he draped his jacket over my coat hook. “You just did, Cupcake.” He laughed as he sauntered over to me and tapped my chin with his knuckle. “You always do that, you know.”
“Do what?” My brows pinched as Josh snickered at me.
“Ask if you could ask something. It’s cute.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “One day, I’m going to say no and see what you do.”
“I know I’m going to regret this, but when you were in the military, did you . . . go out a lot?”
His lips twisted as he tapped his chin. “Define ‘out.’ Boot camp killed me, and the job they gave me after graduation wasn’t much better. Free time was scarce. By ‘out,’ do you mean girls?” His eyebrows raised.
Through our letters, I knew everything he was doing, just not who he was seeing. Both of us conveniently left those parts out. I never told him about Scott, so it would stand to reason he didn’t tell me about any girls in his past. I had enough carnal knowledge of Josh to know he received some kind of education . . .somewhere.
His face hardened after I shrugged a halfhearted yes.
“I won’t lie, there were a few. But no girlfriends. I never wanted one. Happens when you’re hung up on someone back home.” He smiled and kissed my forehead.
I nudged his shoulder, surprised to feel an inkling of relief. As silly as it was, hearing that Josh had casual relationships felt a whole lot better than thinking he had steady girlfriends.
“I guess you’re satisfied with that answer?” He cocked his head to the side. “I’m actually happy you met Scott; maybe we both needed to find out what was out there.”
“You werehappyI dated Scott?” A growl escaped Josh’s throat as he shook his head. Despite myself, I held in a laugh.
“Not when you put it that way. We tried being apart and we couldn’t. The bumps in the road and the detours made the final destination that much sweeter.” He winked as he pulled me into his chest.
I crossed my arms and crinkled my brow. “Since when are you so poetic?”
“You bring it out in me.” He laughed until I stiffened in his arms. “What’s wrong, Cupcake?”
“I guess I hate not knowing things about you.” I looked away before he cupped my chin and made me face him.
“You knoweverythingabout me.” He tightened his embrace around me. “You’re the only one who does.”
“Not always, Josh.” I broke out of his hold and stomped down the hall to my bathroom.
