New Point (27 page)

Blake scrubs a hand across his face wearily. “Do you have any idea what it was like for me today? Losing you…”

The thought of him being scared is too much for me bear. That’s the last thing I want for my brother. I hop up from the couch and fall to my knees at my brother’s feet. I take his hand in mine and squeeze it gently. “I’m okay, Blake.”

“I can’t look after you when I’m so far away.” He’s forlorn, at a loss.

“That’s my job,” Miles voice rings steady from behind us. I glance at him over my shoulder, where he watches us steadily.

“Really?” My brother snorts, not hiding his disbelief. “Why’s that?”

In a clear, unwavering voice, Miles responds, “Because I love her.”

I suck in a shocked breath. “Pardon me?” I rise to my feet shakily.

Miles locks me in his gaze, and I’m trapped, waiting with baited breath for his next words. “I tried to make everything so complicated. Twisting and turning you in my mind until our relationship spun out of control. I’m in love with you, Zoe. That part’s simple. We’ll figure out the rest along the way.”

Gosh, there goes my melty heart again. A sense of comfort wraps around me.

We’ll fix what’s broken between us,
I realize with certainty.

“Is this what you want, to build your life here?” my brother asks with less heat in his voice. I’d almost forgotten he was still in the room.

“It’s already built. If I were to go, New Point wouldn’t stop calling out to me until I came back. Besides, it seems to me you’ve been building a new life for yourself in the city. About time you found a girlfriend, don’t you think?” I smile at him gently.

“I’ve probably messed that one up,” he mutters.

“You want to tell me about that?”

Blake’s gaze sweeps between Miles and me. “Later. It’s probably way past the time I’m supposed to let your make your own decisions.” He gives me a self-deprecating smile. “Can’t take the dad out of me.”

I give him one last lingering hug. “Thanks for being my dad and my best friend and my brother when I needed you.”

He nods shortly then glances at Miles. “This is your last chance. You hurt her again, I’m kicking your ass.”

Miles holds up his hands in mock defeat. “I hurt her again, I’ll let you.”

My brother ruffles my hair affectionately. “Not giving up on your birthday celebration. Sounds like you two have some talking to do. I’ll make myself scarce for a couple of hours. We still having that celebration at Blue in Green?”

Miles strides across the room to me, smiling. “Yes, let’s say two hours from now. Let me call my mother because she’s been frantic and she can start the phone tree.” He turns to me, a tender smile appearing. “Then our conversation needs to happen outside, wouldn’t you agree?”

L
ight winds brush against us from where we sit in the pillowy Lake Michigan sands. The sun hasn’t started its descent yet, but it’s late afternoon, half past five. Both of our knees our bent and his arms are stretched across his legs. A couple inches separate us, but if I were to tilt slightly to the left, I’d feel the hardness of his bicep.

For a few tranquil moments, it’s just Miles and me, and the natural splendor before us.

“Shouldn’t I be falling apart?” I wonder dispassionately.

Miles arches a brow then nudges his shoulder against mine. “Who says what we should and shouldn’t be? We’re the ones who dictate how we respond. There’s no manual to our reactions.”

“You sound like your sister.”

His lips twist toward a smile. “Don’t tell her.”

“Something awful ended today, and something beautiful is beginning,” I muse. And to my surprise, I mean the words wholeheartedly.

“I want to touch you so badly, but I don’t think I deserve it yet,” Miles admits, sounding unsure.

“Please don’t say things like that. You deserve me just as much as I deserve you.” He opens his mouth to respond, but I cut him off. What’s on my mind needs to be said before we can move forward. “But…you need to promise me you won’t walk away again. Two times you got angry enough to leave me and that can’t happen anymore. Either we’re all in this time or we’re not.”

“I am more than all in, Zoe.” With his thumb, he strokes a slow caress over my cheek. “You are everything
to me.”

A blush colors my cheek, and my heart swells in my chest. “You said you love me.” I can’t resist my twitching lips when they form a smile. It feels damn good to remember that’s how Miles feels about me.

“I meant it.” He’s smiling now, content with his omission.

“That’s a pretty bold statement.”

“Doesn’t feel bold to me. Feels new and promising and thrilling.”

There’s no hesitation when I respond. Because, heck yes, promising and thrilling are exactly how I’d describe the prospects for our relationship. “I love you back.” The words are barely out into the universe when he crushes his lips to mine, swallowing me into a tight embrace with his lean arms. It’s a passionate embrace, conveying his love. I grip him to me, soaking in the tenderness he offers. When he releases my lips, I scoot back an inch. I suck in a breath, before continuing to voice my concerns.

“Things are going to get tough again, Miles. There will certainly be bumps along the way. Most of the time a conversation will clear the air, but other times it’s not going to be that simple. I’m not naïve enough to think I’m one hundred percent better. When I falter, and it’s inevitable, will you run again?”

“Not a chance,” he says reverently.

“How can you be so certain?”

“It wasn’t like I left here and partied in Vegas. Dad and I went fishing for the weekend, and he knocked some sense into me. He told me the best thing in my life was staring me in the face and I was running scared. Me? Scared of something? Hell if I wasn’t pissed at him, at you, at everything. Until I realized the only person I was mad at was myself. Dad’s right, you are far away the brightest star in my sky. I love my family, my bar, my friends, this town, but all of that pales in comparison to how I deeply I adore you.”

His eyes flicker across my face, cataloguing my features in a way that’s so familiar to me. “My life’s not complete without you in it. Scared the heck out of me to realize you own me. Went down that path once, and it didn’t work. But with you, it’s deeper, more permanent. If I lost you, I’d be losing myself. Yeah, I’d say it’s frightening to realize that.”

Is it possible for a heart to melt inside a chest? I swear mine turns to liquid at the end of his declaration, sending remnants of my love for him coursing through my body.

“You’re all I see, Miles. All I want, and all I’ll ever want.”

Maybe my heart isn’t melting, but my body surely dissolves into the sand when he tenderly presses me onto my side. He stretches out beside me and his hand comes up to cup my hip, tugging me close. Our legs tangle together as his thumb strokes a line on my hip.

When he leans in close to me, there’s a playful smile spread across his cheeks. The scent of sandalwood fills my nostrils, and his brown irises are all I see. “I need your help.”

“Help with what?” I ask a little breathlessly.

“Someone left a mysterious message in the sand beneath my deck. I can’t figure out who would do such a thing.”

A smile splits my lips.

“It’s my neighborly duty to help you out,” I tease.

“Good,” he murmurs, sinking down to kiss me again.

“
I
t’s weird to see you in a big city taxi, beach boy.” I giggle at Miles’ mock affronted frown.

“I’ll have you know I lived in Manhattan for a year after college.”

My eyebrows rise in surprise. “Oh?”

“There’s a lot you still need to learn about me, Zoe Baker.”

I lean across the backseat bench of the taxicab and run my fingers through his coffee-colored hair. The curly strands are messy as usual, but it’s another reason I’m attracted to him. Miles is all man; no hair product and no cologne. And he’s mine.

“I love getting to know you better,” I tell him earnestly.

“I simply love you,” he murmurs huskily, capturing my hand and pressing a kiss to the underside of my wrist.

We’re in Chicago, having just left a joint session with Dr. Greene. Joint may be too strong of a word. Mostly I talked and Miles sat next to me supportively, adding sentiment when he wanted. It’s been two weeks since Clinton Smith entered my life again. The library’s been closed since last Monday and will be for the remainder of the month. Etta’s husband, now back from overseas, and his construction crew are tearing up the back patio. In its place will eventually be a reading garden.

I don’t think I could go back there and see that patio again. Fresh flowers and foliage are way less daunting than the dark memories I have.

Gazing up at the row of skyscrapers flanking the street, I exhale a deep, peaceful breath. We came to the city to spend time with my brother. I wanted to see Dr. Greene again, although I plan on continuing sessions with Etta for as long as I need.

I’m also here to see my friend Stella. Blake refuses to talk about her. Every time I ask, he grunts and changes the subject. If that’s not a one-eighty change in attitude for my brother, I don’t know what is. The man never dates anyone long enough to be affected by their departure, but there’s been a cloud hanging over my brother that has nothing to do with me making a permanent move to New Point.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait for you?” Miles traces where my fingers rest on the faux leather seat.

“I was adult enough to kick Stella out of my life, I’ll be adult enough to ask her forgiveness.” I sound braver than I feel. Really, asking for Stella’s forgiveness scares me down to my pinky toes.

A few minutes later the taxi rolls to a stop at the park. When I called Stella and asked if she wanted to meet up, we decided to meet at a neutral location. Before I slip out of the car, Miles gives me another lingering kiss. “Good luck.”

I smile halfheartedly at him. Then tell him I’ll see him back at Blake’s brownstone later. Fighting back the nerves building in my belly, I set off across the sidewalk to find my friend.

Stella’s waiting for me on a grassy knoll overlooking the playground. A young woman I’m vaguely familiar with sits next to her, gesturing wildly with an iced coffee in her hand while Stella listens with a patient smile.

“Hey,” I greet them. “Violet, right?” I’m almost certain she’s dating Stella’s cousin. Violet, whose name I apparently got right, offers a slight smile. At least she doesn’t give me the bitchy girl face. Stella’s friend has protective written all over her face but not threatening.

“That’s me,” she confirms. “Stella –”

“I’m good, Vi. I’ll call you later?”

“Definitely.” When she brushes past, Violet pauses to rest a hand wet with condensation from the plastic cup on my shoulder. “I hope you guys can work things out. She misses you.”

That’s all it takes for my throat to get tight with shame. Crossing one leg in front of the other, I settle down on the patch of grass next to her. “It’s all on me.” My voice is strained with emotion, but I don’t care. Stella’s the last person in the world to judge. She’s all sweetness. “Our friendship fell apart because of me completely. I know I screwed up really badly, but I’d really like us to be friends again.”

Stella’s thin arm wraps around the curve of my shoulders, and she tugs me against her. It’s a while before she speaks, giving me time to soak up her tenderness. When she responds, her voice is soft but stern. “Don’t try to tell me the friendship fell apart because of you completely. It fell apart because of reasons out of our control. What happened to you…I just wish you hadn’t pushed me away.”

“I was so ashamed that I couldn’t keep it together. There were days I didn’t want to leave my bed. It was demeaning, and I didn’t want you, or anyone, to see me struggling that badly,” I admit.

Stella squeezes me gently, in the maternal way she’s mastered. “I forgive you a million times over. But you have to promise me it won’t happen again. If things get bad, I want you to come to me. Believe it or not, for a while I blamed myself, like I wasn’t strong enough to pull you through in your time of need.”

“Not even close. It was me all along. And I
promise
, no more hiding, no more pushing. I want to call you and have you visit and visit you.”

I hear the smile in her voice. “Me too.”

Relief washes over me. If they had Olympics for friendship, Stella would win gold every four years. I sniffle back a grateful tear, then drop my head on her shoulder. She lays her head on top of mine for a beat, and we’re silent, watching parents push a stroller and tug along a gleeful Golden Retriever.

“I’m in love with your brother,” she blurts out suddenly, lifting her head, dropping her arm from my back and turning her body to face me in one swift motion. Anxiety and unhappiness radiate off her.

I school my features into a neutral expression, though inwardly I’m cheering.
I knew it!
It would be perfect for Blake to be with someone as loving as Stella. “Why does saying that make you look like you stole the last cookie from the jar?”

Her head falls forward. “I never wanted to be the friend who went after Blake. I know you felt like people used you to get close to him.”