Chapter 30
Thirty
Warmth glowed on his skin, as though he’d just stepped out of the sun.
Miles stood in the doorway, mouth hanging open, until Annie was halfway down the street.
The sun was quickly disappearing.
His muscles tensed and he ran after her.
“Wait! Where are you going?” he yelled.
Annie turned, her big eyes looking up at him. “Home, I guess.”
He blinked at her. “What was that?”
A smile lit her face, pink pooling into her cheeks. “I don’t know. It just – happened.”
“It just happened,” he repeated.
A laugh burst from her and she clapped a hand to her mouth.
Miles laughed, too. It was astonishing. All this time he thought he was the only one fighting the irresistible urge to be closer to her. He thought he was being a gentleman by holding back – barely, sometimes, but at least attempting to.
But she had just up and kissed him like it was nothing.
“Nearly dying made me a little crazy,” she said, clearing her throat. “So I’m sorry about that. I know I’m not what you’re looking for. I hope it doesn’t ruin our friend – ”
He cut her off. “What makes you think you’re not what I’m looking for?”
She swallowed. “I know you’re dating that doctor, and I’m sorry if you two are exclusive and I just forced you to have to explain something to her.
” She looked down, as if this was just dawning on her for the first time.
“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. I really didn’t think that far. I wasn’t thinking at all.”
A grin spread across his face. “What makes you think I’m seeing Dr. Birch?”
Her brows knit together. “I saw you together at the fundraiser. She was your date.”
He shook his head, taking a step closer to her. “Not my date.”
“Oh,” she said, her eyes flicking up to him, then back down. “Well, I guess I got that wrong.”
Though her boldness was failing under his questioning, it was the only spark he needed. Miles couldn’t hold back any longer.
“I am not interested in her,” he said slowly, stepping closer to her. “Because the only person I can think about, and the only person filling my head, is you.”
Annie’s lips parted. “What?”
What did she think would happen when she kissed him like that?
“Annie!” He laughed. “Is that so hard to believe?”
Her gray eyes glowed positively blue under the bright sky. “Sort of. Yes.”
He took her hand into his. “I must be a much better actor than I realized, because I was sure you knew how I felt. I thought I was being a complete nuisance.”
“A nuisance!” she repeated. “Miles, I…” she stammered, “I was desperately trying not to be one of those women who threw themselves at you, but I found that impossible not to do.”
He grinned, pulling her in closer, placing her arm behind him. “Is that right?”
“Yes, much to my embarrassment,” she went on, a smile dancing on her lips. “I find you as irresistible as the rest of the state.”
“So you started the fire, then? To see if I’d save you?” he asked.
Her eyes narrowed. “We don’t joke about fires, Miles.”
He nodded solemnly. “We don’t joke about fires.”
Except he had to joke, or else the enormity of it would force him to his knees.
A lump formed in his throat. “I’m sorry if it seems like I’ve been avoiding you.”
“I thought you were sick of me,” Annie said.
“No, Annie. No.” He shook his head before sucking in a deep breath. “I’m just a coward.”
“No, you are not.”
“I am. I thought I’d lost you that day. And the thought of losing you was so terrifying that, I don’t know, I shut down.”
She gazed up at him, her expression placid. “I’m sorry, Miles.”
“I can’t bear the thought of losing you, Annie.
After Madeline, I didn’t think I’d ever put myself together again.
I managed to do it once, by some miracle, but I was determined to never fall in love again.
” He paused. “Then I met you, and I think I’ve been in love with you from the first day I saw you. ”
“Oh?” She laughed, a little breathlessly. “You don’t remember the grocery store, do you?”
He cocked his head to the side. “The grocery store?”
She waved a hand. “Never mind. I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
Miles stared at her, his mind unable to catch up to everything that was happening.
She meant it all, didn’t she? She’d meant the kiss. She didn’t think he was a nuisance. She’d even said something about throwing herself at him.
And he meant it, too. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you. I really can’t.”
“Then don’t,” she said simply.
His chest went from a sun-kissed heat to a burning fire. There was no resisting her any longer. He pulled her in, pressing his lips to hers, his hands grasping at her, desperate to claim the curves he’d so longed to touch.
News of their union spread quickly. It was impossible to prevent, as Bella came home and spotted them walking down the street, holding hands.
Bella ran toward them, screaming, “Yes! I knew it! I knew it!”
Later that evening, over dinner at Annie’s, Clara had a similarly contented reaction.
“I could see there was something between the two of you, but I figured it best to keep it to myself as to not scare you off.”
“For once, Mom, you didn’t say anything to Miles that embarrassed me!” Annie said.
She laughed. “That’s right. Margie once tried to set Miles up and he’d scared her so badly she never forgot it.”
Miles sat back, a laugh bursting out of him. “What? I don’t remember that.”
“Oh yes,” Clara said. “You scared off a notorious matchmaker. Sheila, too, was certain you were off-limits. But Patty and I knew there was a chance.”
He cleared his throat and looked down at his plate. “I didn’t realize I was the talk of the town.”
“Of course you were,” Annie said. “With those pictures on the ferry? How could you not be?”
“You’re welcome, Dad.” Bella grinned. “He thinks he knows everything, but clearly, he doesn’t.”
“Thank goodness I have a teenage daughter who actually does know everything,” he said dryly.
She stuck out her tongue at him and the table erupted in giddy laughter.
The next weekend, Miles took Annie on their first proper date.
Miles, who had been riding a high for the entirety of the week, needed to knock it out of the park.
This was the woman he’d been pining after for months. A woman of incredible beauty, strength, and wisdom. Their first date couldn’t be dinner and a movie. It had to at least attempt to live up to her.
He asked Bella to babysit the kids. She was thrilled, already referring to them as her baby brother and sister. She and Clara decided to hang out after the kids were asleep and watch a movie; Bella had yet to inform her that she was her new grandma, but Miles was sure it was coming.
For the evening, he booked a sunset cruise with a private chef. He dressed in a suit and picked Annie up at the door, presenting her with a bouquet of three dozen roses.
“I can’t imagine what you have planned,” she said as they walked to the car. She was delighted when they got to the marina and spotted the boat.
“Is this the same one from the auction?”
“It is,” he said with a nod, offering his arm for the walk down the dock.
“Well, Mr. Coleman,” she said, “you’ve truly outdone yourself. And outspent yourself! What were you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I’ve gotten a date with the most beautiful woman on earth and I am not going to mess it up.”
She looked down, smiling, before turning to him. “You could never mess it up.”
Except then, as they settled into their seats, the captain appeared to tell them that the engine wouldn’t start and they were stuck for the evening.
“I still think it’s very romantic,” Annie said.
The candlelight flickered between them, casting a warm glow on her exquisite face. Those eyes, those lips, everything about her was perfection.
“The whole thing’s a disaster,” he grumbled, sitting back. “I want the best for you, Annie.”
“You’re going to have to let go of that.” The side of her mouth tilted. “Besides, the best for me is...you.”
His face cracked into a smile and within seconds, he was on his knees next to her, kissing her hands. “Yeah, well. I’ll take any disaster, as long as I get to be with you.”
“Works for me.”
She tilted her head down and he raised himself to meet her kiss.