Page 72 of A Lifetime of Afters
I held up my hands in a surrender pose. “I’m asking, not judging. Why are you with him? Give me the good.”
“He’s not a terrible person. He can be sweet occasionally…” she began. Her brows lowering, she pinned me with her gaze. “The truth is, he’s an ass! But he’s the best I’ve been able to do, and I don’t want to be alone.”
“Does he ever make you happy?”
“Sometimes,” she grumbled. “Occasionally. Once in a while.” She sighed, then twisted her mouth into a smirk. “Not anymore.”
“Have you tried to talk to him?”
“Yes.” She rolled onto her back, Harley-speak for ‘I’m going to tell you, but I can’t look at you while I do it’.
“I told him how it makes me feel when he makes comments about my looks. About my body.”
I could feel my temper rising. “What did he say?”
She threw her arm over her eyes. “He told me I needed to lose weight. For my health,” she spat.
I rolled to my back, Noelle-speak for ‘I’m going to speak my mind and I don’t want you to hit me so I’m exposing my tender underbelly’.
“He’s an ass. You should dump him. Might I even say, he’s a loser who doesn’t know his ass from his elbow and you should find someone who appreciates you.”
Harley snorted. Then huffed. Then began to laugh. “I overreacted a bit in there.”
“Hmm.”
“I told Daire to stick his nosy elbow up his sanctimonious ass.”
I snorted. He hadn’t told us that part. “Sanctimonious?”
Harley turned to face me, her eyes dancing. “It was an honest compliment. Have you seen that man’s ass? It is morally superior to any other I’ve seen.”
I nodded enthusiastically while at the same time turning an invisible key at my lips.
“Is my brother jealous?” she whispered.
“Insanely so,” I whispered back.
Her eyes widened. “I could have so much fun with this.”
“Please don’t!”
Harley opened her mouth to tease me, but I cut her off. “If you do, I’ll tell you all the ways he punishes me.”
“Ew!” She covered her ears. “No. No! Okay, you win!”
I nodded sagely.
Her smile slowly faded and the sadness she fought to conceal broke through. “I have to break up with Paul.” She closed her eyes. “I just don’t know if there’s anyone better for me out there. I want kids. I want a dog. I want a man who loves me.”
“I know.” I reached for her hand. “It’s not him. The longer you stay with him, the longer you’ll have to wait to get all those things you want.”
“You’re right.” She rolled onto her back.
“Are you ready to go back out there?”
“You go first. I’ll be there in a minute. Have to prepare to apologize,” she snarled.
I hugged her and heaved myself from the bed. In stocking feet, I slipped down the hall back to the living room. Just as I was about to enter the room, I heard my name.
