Chapter 8 #2
I nod, sipping my wine and waiting for him to continue.
“I did a lot of deployments, saw a lot of things that most people can’t even imagine.
” His voice drops a little, his eyes flicking to the side, as if he’s trying to push away memories that are too heavy to bring into the conversation.
“But it was more than just the action. It was the brotherhood, the sense of purpose. We relied on each other to stay alive. There’s nothing else like it. ”
I can see the emotion in his eyes, the weight he’s carried from those experiences, and it makes my heart ache for him. “Do you miss it?”
He hesitates, then nods slowly. “Sometimes. I miss the simplicity of it, if that makes sense. Everything was clear in the teams. You knew who you were, what you were supposed to do. Out here, in the real world, things get…messy, confusing.”
I reach across the table, my hand finding his. “You’re still figuring it out, though. You’re doing great.”
His fingers tighten around mine briefly, gratitude in his eyes. “Thanks. But enough about me. What about you? I know you went to law school, but I want to hear the full story.”
I laugh, pulling my hand back and leaning into my chair. “Where do I even start?”
“Start with why you decided to become a lawyer,” he says, his gaze steady, genuinely interested. “What made you want to leave Pelican Point and go to Princeton?”
My eyes widen. “How do you know I went to Princeton?”
He looks sheepishly, “I looked you up today, as I’m sure you looked me up, too.”
Caught.
I take a deep breath, memories flooding back.
“I think a lot of it was wanting to prove I could do it. My dad—he wasn’t exactly supportive of me leaving.
He thought my place was here, helping out with the winery.
But I had bigger dreams. I wanted to make a difference; you know?
Fight for people who couldn’t fight for themselves.
Princeton was my way out, my way of saying, ‘I’m more than just the winery. ’”
Miles nods, his eyes thoughtful. “That takes guts, going against your family like that.”
“It wasn’t easy,” I admit. “Especially because my dad didn’t take it well. Brennen… well, he’s a whole other story. He’s always been the good son, the one who stuck around, helped out with the business. He’s been trying to prove himself ever since our dad… messed things up.”
He leans back, his expression more serious now. “I heard a little about that. What happened with your dad?”
I hesitate, my chest tightening at the memories. “It’s complicated. My dad made some bad decisions—financial ones, personal ones—and the winery almost went under because of it. Brennen’s been working non-stop to rebuild it, to fix what our dad broke.”
“And your other brother, Ryan? He didn’t stay to help?”
I shake my head. “You did your homework. Ryan’s in the oil business, doing his own thing. He’s always been more of a free spirit, more like me, I guess. But he and Brennen haven’t really seen eye to eye since… well, since Dad’s downfall. There’s a lot of tension there.”
Miles frowns, absorbing all of this. “Ryan and I served together in the SEALs, you know.”
I freeze, my wine glass halfway to my lips. “Wait… what?”
He gives me a sheepish smile. “I didn’t want to drop that bomb too early, but yeah. I know Ryan. We were on the same team.”
I set my glass down, my mind reeling. “So you’re here because of Ryan?”
“Sort of,” Miles admits, his voice careful. “Ryan asked me to check in on things. He was worried about Brennen and the winery.”
I feel a wave of emotions crash over me—confusion, surprise, maybe even a hint of betrayal. “So you’re here to spy on us?”
“No, it’s not like that,” Miles says quickly, leaning forward, his eyes sincere. “Ryan just wanted an honest take on how things were going. He didn’t ask me to interfere or cause any problems.”
I lean back in my chair, trying to process this. “Ryan sent you to check up on us,” I say, my voice slow and measured. “That’s… a lot to take in.”
“I know,” Miles says softly. “And I should have told you sooner. But I didn’t want it to mess things up between us.”
I stare at him, my mind racing. This changes things, complicates things. But as I sit there, holding his gaze, I realize something. I’m not angry. I’m not even that surprised. Ryan has always had a way of pulling strings from afar, of keeping an eye on things without getting directly involved.
And Miles… he didn’t have to tell me this. But he did.
“I’m not mad,” I say after a long pause. “Just… surprised. But I appreciate you being honest with me.”
He exhales, relief flooding his face. “Thank you. I didn’t want to keep it from you.”
I smile, reaching across the table to take his hand again. “Well, now that all the cards are on the table, let’s enjoy the rest of the night.”
He smiles back, squeezing my hand. “Sounds like a plan.”
We finish dinner, the conversation flowing easily again, the weight of our earlier revelations lifting. As the night stretches on, I find myself more drawn to him, more intrigued by the layers of the man sitting across from me. There’s so much more to Miles Dawson than I first realized.
And I can’t wait to uncover it all.