Brynne surprised no one in getting offers from seven universities, but it was being able to move to Canberra and be with Ed that won. Economics and accounting weren’t her first choice and were an unusual combination.
But it kept them together, until it didn’t. Her smile faded as one memory flooded into another.
Ed Alexander. The next song was too much. The title song and her memories changed. Instead of light and fun and happy days, she remembered playing the song over and over again. Drinking cheap wine because it didn’t matter anymore. Boxes of tissues were too expensive on a struggling student income, so she had used tea towels and old shirts to sop up her tears.
Nothing had mattered any more.
Ed. She loved him so much and wallowed in her grief for almost a year after moving back to Sydney. Without him.
It almost seemed cruel that after stashing the CDs at the back of her closet again, that the first message online was from her long forgotten but not forgotten, ex-boyfriend. Their friends used to joke that if one of them sneezed, the other would get a cold. How many times had she gotten up to call him, only to answer the phone and hear his voice?
All these years later, one thought, one moment of playing their album and then out of nowhere came a message she couldn’t ignore.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ed Alexander.
“Brynne, hope you are doing well. Still in the army. Being posted back to Australia. Friend me if you want to catch up. But if you don’t, then accept nothing but my loving memories and best wishes for the rest of your life.”
How on earth could she friend him?
She’d been married to Owen for fourteen years. No, it wasn’t perfect but she was trying to be the perfect wife. Not letting him even sense how jealous she’d become of his work; making him look good in social circles. Pulling her own weight with charities and never being too demanding of his energy or his time.
Owen was the love of her life. Wasn’t he?
Questions she had never even tried to answer filled the silence of the last song ending. If she saw the two men at the same time, would she have ever chosen Owen? If Owen came into her life while she was with Ed, would she have even noticed him?
Of course not. The love she shared with Ed had been all-encompassing. The headiest, youngest, sweetest and then the most hurtful of all love.
Back then, she would never have noticed Owen, but that would have been okay.
Owen came into her life at exactly the right time. He saw her as a person first and then woman second.
Only when their friendship crossed the line, not by accident but after a dinner where they weighed up all the options and realized that whatever the risks, loving each other was worth it. The passion had come after the desire. Lovers after being friends. Partners for life after joining as business partners. The slowest burn became the brightest flame.
Owen. Who couldn’t even be bothered to call before he left for the airport, instead leaving her a voicemail as an afterthought?
As Brynne’s finger hovered over the “Decline” button, she hesitated for a moment too long. In all their years together, her love for Owen had never wavered. Not for one instant, so nothing about reconnecting with an old friend could threaten her marriage.
It would serve Ed right to see her social media timeline and realize what he’d thrown away.
“Accept.”
Instantly, her page filled with Ed’s photos and updates from his timeline.
Trying to convince herself there was nothing wrong in finding out more, she went back to the beginning. The occasional updates from his parents. The last time Brynne saw his sister it had been when she was a bridesmaid. Marj was still married and a busy mother to three girls and two boys. Brynne smiled, wondering if Marj had questioned Ed on why Brynne suddenly dropped out of his life.
Bitter-sweet memories.
The occasional photo of Ed with a woman, but never lasting more than a year or two.
All of them brunette with shoulder length hair. Like her.
All of them seeming to be smart and wanting to be part of his army lifestyle. Then there’d be a posting and a change of town, sometimes country but always a change in woman.
His bloody priorities were still the same, career had come first years ago and relationships a distant second. Or should she say, family a distant second.
Damn him.
As much as she wanted him to be old, fat and to wonder what she’d ever seen in him, Ed still looked good. The army lifestyle suited him. The suit well cut and shaped for formal photos, but Brynne could still remember the broad strong shoulders. The biceps that could do one hundred push ups without breaking a sweat, followed by one hundred crunches and another hundred chin ups even if she was doing a strip tease to distract him.
Damn her memories.
This had been a mistake, she thought, wanting to work out how to change her mind and delete the request.
Before she could figure out how to remove and block Ed, a message came through.
“Brynne, I hoped you’d accept. How are you?” Brynne imagined his voice, husky after making love or strong and commanding on the football field. If he had called her, which voice would he have used?
She couldn’t even force herself to pause before typing, “Fine. So, you’re still in the Army.”
“Yeah, been in the US for 2 years now.”
“Do I call you Major Alexander?”
“I’m coming back as Lieutenant Colonel, but you can call me anything you want. You always have.”
A slight pause while she caught her breath. Damn him for still affecting her this way, especially when she was a happily married woman.
“I haven’t called you anything in years.” Brynne needed to put him in his place.
“I’d like to correct that.”
She let the conversation die while she cleaned the bathroom that didn’t need cleaning. Then the oven, even though she couldn’t remember the last time she’d used it. The fridge, a quick wipe over couldn’t hurt even though it was almost empty. No point cooking when Owen was never home to eat it.
When she couldn’t resist the call of her laptop any longer, Brynne found another message waiting.
“B, sorry if that came across wrong. I know you’re married.”
“Owen is fantastic.”
Brynne didn’t expect him to be online, but within seconds the bubbles indicated he was typing a reply, “Good, I only ever wanted you to be happy.”
Sure, that’s why he had been so cruel all those years ago. Because it was all about her happiness? Who the hell did he think he was kidding! This had been a mistake. Ed deserved to be in her past and never, ever step foot in her life again.
“Thank you.” The politest response he deserved.
What was it with her and men in her life? First Ed left her, putting his career ahead of … she couldn’t go there. Then Owen always running off to be with another company.
It would be easier to compete with another woman. At least Brynne would be competing on a level playing field.
No amount of lingerie or romantic evenings could compete with the thrill of closing the next big deal and the newspaper columns heralding her husband’s genius.
“Brynny, I’ll be in town soon. I’d really like to see you.”
Brynne pushed the laptop back until it almost toppled the desk lamp, still she couldn’t bring herself to close the screen.
Damn him!
If only Owen was here.
ED
Alone with a laptop in his tiny hotel room, Ed had all the time in the world to wonder how different things could have turned out if he hadn’t been such a dick. His meagre belongings were already in transit to Sydney and he’d left it until almost the last possible moment to reach out to Brynne. It had taken a full day to compose his first message, trying to find the balance between a breezy, “Hi, how are you doing, let’s catch up when I’m in town,” to a more heartfelt, “Brynne, not a moment has gone past when I haven’t wanted a
do-over.”
Now, at least he’d had the chance to ask to see her again and while he waited for her response, one of her latest photos caught his eye. If it was possible, Brynne was even more beautiful now than she had been when they were growing up.
Ed took his time flicking through her timeline, refreshing every few seconds while he waited for the response that didn’t come.
The fun-loving woman he loved was still there, but always at her side was an older guy. Had to be the husband. Not bad looking, if you liked the salting of grey hair in the thick dark, golfing tan and expensive tailoring.
Brynny was well loved, well looked after and if any woman deserved the adoring look of love in her husband’s eyes, well …
Fuck. He didn’t want to go there. Even putting oceans and wars between them hadn’t been enough for him to forget his Brynny.
It had been almost fifteen years of volunteering for every random posting, skirmish and opportunity. Anything to keep his mind occupied and heart empty. Now, he was going home not only a war hero, but with a promotion that he never expected but had worked bloody hard for. Even his father seemed impressed, and the old man hadn’t even batted an eye when he got the almost impossible acceptance letter to ADFA.
Brynny, he wondered if her husband ever called her that? It had always been their name. Now she had a new one, Brynne Thurlow. With more than a little jealousy, he checked out this Owen Thurlow guy, and immediately wished he hadn’t.
A simple online search threw up hundreds of articles describing Owen Thurlow as corporate giant, lauded philanthropist, and general nice guy. Always dedicating his success to the charming wife by his side. The more Ed searched, the less he found to hate about either Brynne or her husband. In fact, he even thought if he met Owen under any other circumstances, they could be friends.
Doubtful that could ever happen now. How on earth could he ever shake the hand of the man who stole Brynny’s heart?
Damn, she was beautiful.
Once upon a time, he’d been a fool to lose her.
Now he was going back home, and nothing was going to stop him from being a fool for her.
THE END OF THE PERFECT WIFE EXTRACT
Did you love reading choose your own adventures? Being able to choose the ending you wanted, but able to go back and choose again? The Perfect Wife is a modern day, choose your own romance. Who will claim Brynne’s heart? Her workaholic husband who hides his pain and guilt by giving her everything money can buy? Or her first love, Lieutenant Colonel Edison Alexander who reminds her of what they had and lost. You choose Brynne’s happily ever after. Get The Perfect Wife today.
Sneak peek – Avenge Her
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CHAPTER 1: WHAT THE?
DARBY
How on earth did he wind up in the back seat of an SUV with a sleeping baby holding onto his finger for dear life? The last twenty-four hours should have ended up with Captain Darby Greenwood pool side at some beach resort, a beer in one hand and a gorgeous woman trying to convince him to buy her a drink, or ten. Or, he should be camping in the national park, away from civilization and technology. He could have even dropped in on his adopted dad and taken the kids out fishing or to kick a football around.
Instead, he was nursing a swollen fist, listening to Captain Doug Whitehead and his wife chatter about family and friends. He had no problems with going south to Rockhampton for his leave pass, he just didn’t expect to be playing third wheel in the back seat of a car.
Then again, after last night, he was in no mood to knock back his mate’s offer of a soft bed and home cooking.
It wasn’t as if his unit intended to get into trouble. One night on the town, local bar with cold beer and hot food. A pool table ready to take their money and a well-stocked karaoke machine ready to turn any drunken Army guy into a lead singer.
With his cropped dirty blonde hair and fit body, Darby didn’t have to work hard to attract the ladies. Hell, he had two of them actively vying for his attention, only he wanted more substance than silicone. If only one of them had the brains or personality to hold his attention, he’d be pool side or at a camp site by now with memories of a night with no sleep.
His guys were all having a great time, but at the expense of some of the locals who always struggled to compete with the Defence boys when they hit the town. Despite having a couple of beers, Darby sensed the trouble before it happened. He expected it to be blows between some of the guys, not at all expecting that he’d be the one starting something because of a girl.
Over the shoulder of one of his would-be dates, he watched a large, heavily bearded, slovenly dressed guy bail up a petite young woman at the bar. Darby watched as she tried to edge around the guy until he pinned her to the bar. In a crowded place, the bouncer was nowhere to be seen and the barman was looking helpless. Darby caught his eye and gave a quick nod.
“Excuse me, ladies, I’ll be right back,” he didn’t wait for a reply, already he could see the situation getting out of control with some of the guy’s mates starting to join in to harass the woman who’d been having a hard enough time trying to get away from one scum bag. Just as he pushed his way to the bar, he saw a hand go up her skirt. Gutsy thing threw her drink at the offender’s face only to have him grab and twist her wrist until she cried out in pain.
“You don’t want to do that,” Darby stated firmly but only loud enough for the bearded slob to hear. When he didn’t let go of the girl, Darby grabbed the guy’s wrist, applying a gentle pressure to the spot he knew would release the grip and free the girl’s arm. One asshole down, but one of the sleazy friends now held her from behind and was making threats about what he’d do to her once they got rid of Darby.
“The lady doesn’t want to play with you fine gentlemen tonight, how about you let her go and everyone can get back to having some fun.”
He had tried to be polite, even waited for three punches to land against his chest before he reacted. Punches, well the guy’s fist touched him, but he’d had harder sparring with new recruits!
Within seconds, two scum bags were on the ground, ready for the first bouncer to arrive in time to claim the glory. The third scum threw idle threats at the girl before being escorted from the premises by a second bouncer. Luckily, the barman vouched for what had happened and when the girl didn’t want to press charges, no one needed to call the police.
The whole incident lasted no more than ten minutes, but still enough time for him to get his unit medic to check the girl’s wrist, make sure she was okay and put her in a cab to go home.
“Hero Rip strikes again,” Doug had a fresh beer waiting for him when he got back to the table.
“Fat good it did me,” Darby nodded to the women who had already moved on to less complicated single men. “Anyway, stop with the ‘hero’ shit, we were all doing our jobs.”
“Well, if it wasn’t for you saving my ass back there, I wouldn’t be back in the country and able to buy the guys a round of drinks.”
With all obviously single women now paired up or gone, Darby wandered over to take his turn at the pool table.
“What’s the first thing you’re gonna do when you get home?” Doug asked as Darby broke.
“Do you even need to ask?” Darby waited for the local civilian to have his go. Two balls sunk, crap, the young kid was good. Darby was able to pot one before setting another one of his balls on the edge of the pocket.
“Beer, beach and babes?” Doug laughed.
The last six months had been more intense than usual, culminating in a tour that had more “interesting” moments than they needed. Living on adrenalin was fine for a while, but he knew he and his men were overdue for a break to rest, recharge and whatever else they wanted to do. “Maybe, as long as I get to kill all alarm clocks and sleep in, what about you?”
Doug’s dark eyes shone as he thumped his heart before showing off his phone screen saver of a newborn baby in the tiny camo singlet the
guys had chipped in for. “Hold my new son, kiss my wife, take them home and you don’t need to know the rest.”
“How old is he now?” Darby asked as they watched the local clear the table to the cheers of a growing crowd. Time for him to make friends and temper his inclination to wipe the table. After his altercation at the bar, it wouldn’t hurt for the locals to see the Defence guys go down even if it was only a game of pool. Darby potted two and left the white ball so his opponent could easily finish off the game.
“Three months and I can’t wait to see him in person, Elisha says he’s lost the new baby smell but whatever it is, it’ll be new to me.” Doug slapped him on the back after the young guy easily sunk the black. “Guess tonight’s not your lucky night, eh?
Darby shook the young guy’s hand, appreciating the firm grip. “Good game, let me buy you a beer?”
He should have gone back to base and grabbed a few hours’ sleep, or found a hotel with a late check in.
Instead, some of the stayers from his unit ended up in a pub and club crawl with the locals, stumbling out of the last one at daylight, shielding their eyes with cries of, “bright light!”
“Man, I’m gonna have some explaining to do when Elisha picks me up.” Even though they’d slowed down drinking a couple of hours ago, neither were in a fit state for Doug’s wife to find them. Once Doug started yawning, Darby couldn’t stop.
“Well, I’ve gotta go back to that first bar and get my esh bag.”
“They won’t be open for a couple of hours. How’s you and me go and get brekkie somewhere and wait for Elli to arrive. Then we can get your stuff.”
It sounded like a good idea at the time, except once Elisha saw the cuts on his fist, she wanted to find a chemist and clean him up. Then they ran into some of the unit and Doug suggested they all come down south to his town just outside Rockhampton to chill for the break. Before he knew it, Darby had his bag thrown in the back of Elisha’s SUV and had agreed to stay with them.
Defend Her: A military suspense romance (Aussie Military Romance Book 4) Page 20