“You had him young?” Axel knew exactly how old Brynn had been, but she didn’t know he knew that.
“Sixteen.” She lifted the bottle they’d shared and refilled their glasses. He wasn’t a big wine drinker, but he was enjoying spending time with Brynn so he didn’t stop her. “I got pregnant, got my driver’s license, married, and then graduated high school. In that order, and all within three months of turning sixteen.”
“I was sixteen when my mom had Izzy, and I got married young, too.”
Axel never talked about his failed marriage. Ever. And he sure as hell didn’t do it on the job.
What in the hell was going on?
He’d like to blame it on the alcohol, but he’d only had one glass of wine.
“You’re married?” Brynn’s brows rose as her eyes shot to his ringless left hand.
“Divorced.”
“Ahh,” she grinned. “I was already divorced by the time I turned eighteen.”
“Okay, Penelope.” Axel teased, then realized that the SNL reference was a little obscure, so she may not know what he was talking about.
He and Izzy always watched Saturday Night Live together. They both loved to impersonate Penelope, a character played by Kristen Wiig who one-ups everyone. He started to explain when Brynn’s head fell back and she started laughing.
“Oh my gosh, I did sound like her. I love her! My favorite was the wedding skit with…oh who was the guest?”
“Taylor Swift,” Axel finished.
“Yes!” Brynn pointed at him.
He’d never in a million years dream that he’d be bonding with someone over failed marriages and SNL, but here he was, doing exactly that.
“How long have you been divorced, if you don’t mind me asking?” Her large eyes looked even bigger as she lifted her glass to her lips.
Axel knew now that he’d gotten married for the wrong reasons. He’d dated Sabrina off and on all through high school and she was ready to get married. He’d thought he was in love, and he had cared about Sabrina. But looking back he knew that his motivation had been more about his worry over leaving Izzy after he joined the Marines. It gave him peace of mind knowing that someone was stateside to take care of Izzy if his mom flaked and took off on a two-month honeymoon without any notice, like she’d done when Izzy was one.
The marriage only lasted three years. “It’s been a long time. The marriage didn’t last that long.”
“Yeah, neither did mine. My husband didn’t really let the fact that he was married slow down his dating life.” Brynn looked up at him, her sea-glass gaze shimmering with vulnerability and a silent question.
He was fairly certain she was asking if he’d been unfaithful. He’d been a shitty husband, but keeping his dick in his pants hadn’t been a problem.
Sabrina had been the one to step out on him, but he knew then and now that she’d done it to try and get his attention. She was young. Only twenty-one and frustrated that she had a husband who’d been deployed more than he’d been home. And when he was home, he’d barely noticed his wife. He wasn’t going to throw his ex-wife under the bus. He knew he’d been an asshole.
“Mine was much less dramatic. I was ‘emotionally unavailable.’” He used the phrase that Sabrina had used often but he’d never said out loud before. He wondered if he was using it now as a lame attempt to impress Brynn since he knew that she had her master’s degree in psychology.
Although, it wasn’t as if that made him come out smelling like roses.
He ran his fingers through his hair as frustration crept up his spine. He’d never in his life second-guessed something that he’d said. Mainly because he’d always been a man of few words and when he said something, he meant it.
Maybe it was the odd circumstances of the situation that had him questioning his intentions. Or maybe it was because he couldn’t remember ever being as attracted to someone that had him wondering if he was being as authentic as he normally prided himself on being.
Whatever it was, he didn’t like it.
“Emotionally unavailable?” Her forehead furrowed and a wrinkle set in the space between her eyebrows. “Really?”
Axel nodded.
Brynn’s head tilted to the side as if she were considering that piece of information. Her eyes studied him and he began feeling a little bit uncomfortable.
“What?” he asked, suddenly feeling like he was in the hot seat.