Her lips press into a thin line. “You’re right.”
“Well, for the record, my therapist is right.” I wince. “And it’s still hard to remember that advice myself half the time.”
Millie slides her fingers up my forearm, determination etched across her brow. “We deserve better than that.”
“Yeah, we do.” Our eyes lock, and on the busy street, surrounded by loud conversations and rumbling motors, our gazes are connected by an invisible, unbreakable force. It feels like we just unlocked a new phase of our relationship, and I’m not sure what it is, but Iwantit.
Fuck. All I do around her iswant.
One side of her lips kicks up, and she lets her hand slip from my arm. We walk for a few minutes in comfortable silence before I ask about our Friday plans. “Are we still on for snickerdoodles tomorrow?”
Millie jumps a few steps ahead of me to turn around and walk backward. Her eyes sparkle with mischief. “Making cookies, we are. Be there, I will.”
Chapter 14
Millie
Fucking Kyle.Maggie’s is supposed to be a safe place. He doesn’t live or work near here. So why the hell was he so close? There are plenty of coffee shops on his side of town. But instead, he shows up at my favorite place and derails my entire day.
My anger must be palpable because Micah steps in front of me, his sturdy shoulders towering over mine before he stoops to meet my eyes.
He’s built like a solid brick wall, and I could probably punch him and he wouldn’t even flinch. But he’s like Ferdinand the Bull—intimidating on the outside and a soft, gooey cinnamon roll on the inside.
“Can I take these babies from you?” He gently removes my clenched fingers from today’s shipment of butterfly chrysalises.
Once they’re safely in his hands, he breathes a sigh of relief. He sets the tray on a cart before guiding me over to the bench against the lab’s wall. “What’s wrong? Steam is practically blowing from your ears.”
With a weary sigh, I tell him everything that took place this morning while he listens, covering my hand with his when I start picking at my nails anxiously.
“Wow, Mills. That’s a lot to go through before eight o’clock in the morning.”
“I know,” I groan, leaning my cheek on his arm. “The universe really said, ‘You think you’re doing okay? Try this.’”
He chuckles softly and nods. “Finn is right, you know? Kyle deserves absolutely nothing from you.”
The events of this morning have had my relationship with Kyle playing on a loop in my head. Being with him was like a strangling fog that I couldn’t find my way out of. I was searching for lights or people or anything to guide my way, but he was shielding my eyes the whole time. I had to blindly crawl my way out and hope I’d find solid ground under me once the fog cleared.
“I need a distraction,” I say, lifting my head. “Let’s have a game night tonight.”
“I’m in.” He smiles. “I’ll text Emil.”
***
Oaks Folks
Mom:Got an email that Christmas pajamas are on sale. I chose my two favorites. You all can vote on your choice for this year’s family Christmas pajamas.
Tess:It’s summer.
Mom:Hence why they’re on sale.
Dad:No onesies this year. I’m too old to get in and out of those.
Mom:Okay, here are pictures of the options. Christmas cookies that say “Let’s Get Baked” or dancing turtles dressed as Santa.
Fabes:Mom. Let’s Get Baked? Really?
Mom:What? Look how cute the cookies are.
