She nodded with his comment, agreeing too easily. After a moment though Edan’s eyes went back to his instead, her hand drifting towards his cheek to touch him lightly. “But one less.” She pulled her hand away after a moment, surprised that she’d done it in the first place, but she supposed her emotions were running higher now than she’d let them in a while. “It’s an honor to meet you,” she added. “Truly.”
Brady closed his eyes, surprised at the touch to his cheek and the words that went with it. “I’d take any of their place,” he whispered, the admission clear and honest even with the emotions coloring the edges of it. When she spoke again, he opened his eyes and looked at her, feeling like something had lodged itself in his throat. Before thinking it through or talking himself out of it, Brady’s arm went around her, pulling her in for a hug. “Trust me,” he whispered. “It’s more an honor to meet you. I’m so sorry you lost him.” He swallowed hard before releasing her, blinking his eyes rapidly against the moisture that had gathered there, and taking a step back.
“You weren’t supposed to. You were supposed to survive and remember them,” Edan heard herself tell him surprised at the words. It was advice he would have given her, advice she was doing a terrible job of keeping, but here she was, giving it to someone else. The hug got a muffled noise out of her, something soft and surprised, not expecting an arm across a mostly bare back and when she wound up against his chest she still had one arm and the towel between them. At that same time, when was the last time someone had held her? Months? Despite the surprise, she almost relaxed, nodding against him until he let her go. “I should...I should go,” she told him, seeing the way he was holding back tears and knowing she was losing her own battle with them. “Take care of yourself,” she added softly then took a few steps back towards the door before turning and leaving.
That was something Brady had a hard time believe, coping with. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it, though, and he merely tilted his head in response. He was glad that she didn’t protest the hug, even if he could hear her surprise. “Yeah... Okay,” he said when she said she should go. He understood that it was as much for him as it was for her. “You too,” he said with a nod, though he couldn’t promise that he would.