Chapter 32 – Claire
THIRTY-TWO
CLAIRE
"Ahh!" I yell, running across the bar in my hometown, when I see Ava Bordeaux—no, Ava Wilde —walk in, a big man standing right behind her. "Ava!"
"Claire!" she yells, abandoning her husband to run my way with her arms in the air.
"It's so good to see you! Jules didn't tell me you were coming!"
She shrugs. "You know how much I love a dramatic entrance."
After dinner and cake at my parent's house, my mom insisted she have a sleepover with Sophie, and we all went out for a fun time. My sisters were in immediately, though it took a bit of convincing from Jules to convince Nate to come with. There was a bit of whispering and a Jesus, Jules , that I refuse to think about too deeply before he agreed, and now we're here.
It's a dive bar at best, much like the Seabreeze, but one I've been to more times than I can count with my sisters and with Jules, Ava, and Harper. I've even brought June here on winter break in college, who instantly told me the vibe was like a younger Seabreeze.
"Harper coming?"
Ava rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "No, she has some work thing."
I nod and shrug, not very surprised since it usually takes a lot for Ava and Jules to convince their third friend to go out for the night since her boyfriend, Jeremy, is never willing to tag along.
"I hear you brought a man ," she whispers, and I let out a laugh, tipping my head to the side to show where Miles is chatting with Nate. I'm so grateful my brother hasn't gone into weird older brother territory and seems to be playing nice with Miles.
"Oh, he's fine ," Ava breathes, eyes wide.
"Excuse me?" her husband, security to the stars, Jaime Wilde, says.
She rolls her eyes and slaps his chest. "I said he's fine ."
Her husband's jaw goes tight, and again, Ava rolls her eyes. She does that lot where her husband is concerned. I've never met two people who clash more but fit so perfectly together the way Jaime and Ava do.
"Calm down, Jaime; we all know no one could handle Ava except for you," Reed, bassist for Atlas Oaks, says, flopping into a seat next to Jaime. Now it's Ava's turn to glare at the big goofball that is Reed, though it bounces right off him.
I shake my head at people who have become my close group of friends here thanks to Jules. When I see everyone is here, I stand in front of the table we’re all sitting at and put my hands on my hips.
"Okay, quickly, because I'm only doing this one more time," I say. “Miles, this is Ava, her husband Jaime, Reed, and Wes. Everyone, this is Miles, my new boyfriend. He's a nice guy. Yes, he's Paul's older brother. Yes, he hates him as much as all of you do." Miles closes his eyes and sighs at the ceiling, but I keep going. "I don't want to catch any of you interrogating him, arguing with him, trying to trap him in some kind of weird fight for male dominance." Sloane lets out a small laugh, and when I look at Miles, his eyes are cautiously wide. "I don't think it'll happen, but I'm setting the ground rules now."
"Uh, okay?" he says.
"Everyone agrees? I like him a lot, and I don't want you guys to fuck this up." I purposely lock my eyes on my brother. "That includes you."
"I'd be more nervous about Sloane," he says under his breath.
I turn to my sister, who is smiling.
"Me? Never."
Another fucking lie because my sister does, in fact, like to run the men I date through the wringer. Miles stands and pulls me into his side. "Claire," he says. "I think it's going to be okay. I can handle a little interrogation if need be."
"That's what I like to hear," Sloane says, rubbing her hands together, and I roll my eyes.
"I would apologize, but I'm not changing anything," I say, with a smile.
"I wouldn't want you to.”
"You’re a brave man, Miles, dealing with that one," Sutton says, and I turn to my sister, my mouth dropped open and my eyes wide.
"Traitor!"
"How am I a traitor?"
"Because you're supposed to be on my side! You're my sister!"
She rolls her eyes like it doesn't matter, then turns to Miles. "How long until I have to wear some ugly-ass bridesmaid dress?"
My mouth drops further, and I reach forward to hit my sister or push her or something, but Miles wraps an arm around my waist, keeping me back.
"Not too long, if I have my way."
I turn to him with a glare, but there’s a hint of happy shock rushing through me.
I want to be mad.
Really, I do. It would be easy.
But instead, my insides are melting. Instead, Miles is smiling wide like he knows he caught me, and he looks so happy and carefree; I can't find it in me to be mad.
How could I possibly be mad right now? Miles Miller just told my sister he wants to marry me.
I turn my glare to my traitor of a sister.
"It wouldn't be ugly," I say.
"It will probably be something that Sophie will find very pretty," my sister says in a way I know is meant to be underhanded, but I take it as a compliment.
"Sophie has great taste," I say.
"She's six," Sutton deadpans.
"And?" Sloane rolls her eyes.
"I see the sass runs in the family," Miles says under his breath, and I smack his arm, but when he puts it around me and tucks me into his side, I can't do much more than melt into him.
Two hours later, Nate and Jules are already out of here, probably off to enjoy a kid-free night, and Sloane asked them to take her home on the way because she had an early morning. I sit blissfully tipsy with Ava and Sutton, and Miles sits next to me but talks with the guys about random things, and a sense of utter joy washes through me at him sliding so easily into my Evergreen Park life.
"How is everything going? How's the house?" I ask Ava. The last time I saw her, she was just doing the finishing decor touches on the house she and Jaime bought and renovated.
"Amazing! We're all settled in."
"And Peach?" I ask of her beloved cat.
She rolls her eyes and lets out a sigh. "Great, except Jaime wouldn't let me bring her tonight."
I roll my lips between my teeth as Jaime overhears, turning his head to his wife.
"Ava, we can't bring a cat to the bar."
"Says who?" she asks, tipping her head at him like she doesn't believe him.
"Says everyone," he grumbles.
"We have hermit crabs," I say, turning to Miles. "Our little shell babies, right babe?"
He glares at me, but I know he loves them as much as I do. I always catch him putting a bit extra food in when he thinks I’m not looking.
"Hermit crabs? Oh my god, how cute!" Ava says, clapping.
Sutton looks at me, always knowing there is more to whatever random story I have.
"They're rescues," I say with a serene smile, and Ava gasps, holding a hand to her chest as if I adopted a whole-ass child instead of a few crabs.
Jaime, on the other hand, is rightfully skeptical. "How does one rescue a hermit crab?"
"When she says rescue, she means she stole them when the shop owner wasn't looking," Miles adds, and I elbow him in the side.
Jaime gives an unsure look, and Ava's eyes go wide.
"Typical Claire," Sutton sighs, and I glare at my sister.
"They were being mistreated," I explain, throwing my hands into the air. "They were left outside all night long!"
"That's animal cruelty," Ava says, not a hint of sarcasm in her words.
"I think, technically, having hermit crabs as a whole is inhumane since they aren't even from this area," Jaime adds. His wife turns to him with a fierce glare.
"Well, what is she supposed to do, Jaime, just let them be free?" He shrugs. "She's doing what she can with the tools she has available to her."
"That's what I said!" I say, smiling at Ava. "I can't undo their trauma, but I'm doing my best to give them a better life."
"I so get you," Ava says, taking a sip of her drink.
"How did she con you into keeping them?" Jaime asks with an all-too-knowing look, tipping his head towards Ava. "This one found a stray cat in an alleyway with fucking worms."
Miles cringes.
"She had tummy troubles, Jaime; she's just a girl,” Ava says, then turns to Miles. “She’s all better now, the perfect little princess.”
"And then she made me cart the thing across the country with us."
Miles lets out an entertained laugh. I should have known Jaime and Miles would get along because Ava and I are so similar in personality. Any man who could endure us with a smile is bound to be friends.
"Why didn't you just make her take them back?" Sutton asks, confused.
"I can't stand the guy she stole them from, so it seemed like a good compromise."
Jaime nods sagely, as if that makes perfect sense to him. Honestly, I should have realized earlier that Jaime and Miles would hit it off.
"Plus, it was on his bucket list."
"A bucket list?"
Miles sighs and takes a look at the ceiling.
"You made the poor man one of your bucket lists?" Sutton asks with exasperation. She knows all too well my love of bucket lists since I made her live out many a bucket list while we were growing up. Being barely sixteen months apart in age, Sutton and I were the closest of our siblings, which is probably why we also butt heads the most. But it meant that most of the trouble we got into, we got into together.
Okay, so I got us into trouble, and Sutton had to endure it. Potatoes, potatoes.
"Of course I did. He wasn't having any fun until I came into his life."
Miles glares at me but doesn't argue, probably knowing he doesn't have a leg to stand on there.
"Inevitably," Ava says.
"How was stealing hermit crabs on your summer fun list?" Sutton asks, a speculative brow raised.
" Petting a hermit crab was on my list," I say like it's obvious.
Jaime blinks at me confused, before opening his mouth to ask something.
"Don't ask," Miles suggests.
"What else was on your list?"
"I'm so glad you asked. See dolphins, which we did. Get ice cream, eat s’mores, go for a walk on the beach, play volleyball. We ended up merging his with my summer list since we're now attached at the hip, so I got to check off hook up with a local, and we went to the be—" Miles’s wide hand covers my mouth, cutting off what I was going to say.
"Beach?" Reed guesses by some miracle, and I nod feverishly. I lift my hands to try and mimic what Miles and I did, but that clearly is the tipping point for him.
"It's been great, you guys. I gotta get this one out of here before she gets into any huge trouble or confesses everything we've ever done that her sister really shouldn't know about." He stands, hand still on my mouth, as Jaime also stands.
"Yeah, I gotta get Ava home for the same reason.”
"I would never get into trouble." Jaime glares at her, and she rolls her eyes. "I'm only going because I'm tired," she mumbles, and he smiles, pulling her into his side. That's when Miles lets go of my mouth and lifts me, carrying me over his shoulder, heading towards the exit.
He seems to really like doing that.
"Later. Let's do this again next time we're back in Evergreen," he says, and I realize my bag is looped over his other shoulder. "Or down at Seaside Point—I've got rooms for you guys to stay." Then he turns, and I wave at my sister and my friends.
That is, right before I shout, "Fuck on a lifeguard chair!" as we walk off.
"Jesus Christ, Claire," Miles groans, but he doesn't put me down as we leave the bar, and I could swear I feel the rumble of his laugh as we walk.