He grabbed a black folder on his desk and walked it over to me. When he handed it to me, he kept ahold of it and my gaze. A palpable heat simmered between us. His eyes shifted to my lips. Did he ache to kiss me again? Maybe the words he’d spoken were for me, not Isabella. I was surprised how much my heart wanted it to be so. I almost asked him if that kiss was more than research for him.
“I wish for us to remain friends,” he pled, answering my unspoken question.
Friends.“Why is that so important to you?”
A soft expression washed over his face. “Because you’ve quickly become irreplaceable, one of the voices in my head, and friendship is all I can offer you without fear of hurting you.” He let go of the folder, leaving it in my eager hands. He took a step back. His face was a shade of pink as if he had said too much. “Speaking of friends, I have a few mates visiting this week. They will be staying here. I look forward to you meeting them.”
Why was he so afraid he would hurt me?Perhaps. . . “Is it Penelope?”
Miles cleared his throat. “She is one of them.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Oscar and Molly will be joining her. We’ve all known each other since our university days. They have a photo shoot in LA, and they are stopping by on their way over. Penelope is a renowned photographer and Oscar and Molly are part of her team. Oscar does amazing things with hair and Molly is an award-winning stylist.”
I held his manuscript to my chest. So many long forgotten and repressed emotions ran through me. Jealousy being the main one. “If you need us to, Chloe and I can stay at my parents so your friends can have the cottage.”
“Nonsense. There is plenty of room for them to stay here.”
There were only two guest rooms. Did that mean Penelope would be sharing his room? I would like to have said I didn’t care where she slept, but that would have been a lie. Maybe she was what kept Miles from being able to offer more than friendship. Maybe he wished for them to be more, or perhaps they already were. Surely, he wouldn’t have kissed me if they were, right? He would have waited to do “research” with her.Please don’t let him be a cheater. Even if that kiss meant nothing to him, it wouldn’t have been right if he was committed to someone.
I held up the folder. “I look forward to reading this.”
“Please be honest in your feedback.”
“You have my word.”
“You don’t know what that means to me.”
Did I have his? Had he been honest with me?
I sank into his couch, the same one where Miles had rocked my world, and stared at the folder, wondering if I was being that naïve girl who had trusted Leland. I stopped and thought about that. I had never trusted Leland. It was worse, I thought I could change him and make him see I was the only girl he needed. That would never be me again. I would never try and change someone’s mind about me. If they didn’t want me, I would believe them right from the start. I needed to believe Miles. He had the power to hurt me. I wouldn’t let that happen.
I opened the folderwith great anticipation. I couldn’t believe I was getting a sneak peek of the sequel before anyone else. He hadn’t even sent it to his editor yet, and she was salivating for it. His publisher wanted to start doing promos and teasers, but they needed excerpts.
Before I could begin reading, I was drawn to the scene playing out at the kitchen island. There Miles and Chloe sat. He was looking over her outline. “You are well organized like your mum. And opinionated too, I see. You don’t seem to like Henry VI.”
Chloe sat up straight to make her case. That was my girl. “He was the King, but he did what everyone else said.”
“There may be a bit of truth there, but if you are going to do research, you must be unbiased. Look at his life from all angles. For instance, he was nine months old when he became king. Too young to even comprehend his responsibilities. He was also someone who valued peace, so perhaps he wasn’t weak willed, but shaped by his life experience.”
Chloe scrunched her nose and thought for a moment. “That make sense. But Shakespeare didn’t like him either.”
Miles chuckled. “No, he did not, but Henry VI did found Oxford, so he can’t be that bad of a chap. And just remember, dear Chloe, history turns on little hinges. Sometimes we make decisions that in the moment may seem insignificant, but when we look back, we see how monumental they were. As we study this ugly bit of British history, let us keep that in mind.”
It was interesting to watch Chloe think about what he said, to see the respect she had for Miles in her eyes. “You’re really smart,” she commented.
“You think so?”
“Well, it could be your accent,” she teased.
Miles laughed loudly. “Cheeky girl.”
“Thank you, Miles,” she said sincerely. “I can see why my mom likes you.”
I dropped his manuscript. Why would she say that? Didn’t she know I could hear her?
Miles’s head jerked up; our eyes locked from across the room. “How can you tell that she does?” he asked her, still very much staring at me.
She shrugged. “She’s different around you. I think it’s because she’s not so lonely.” Chloe faced me now too and gave me a half smile. “I’m glad she doesn’t have to do everything alone now.”
My heart broke a little. I thought I’d been a better actor, but my daughter had seen through my brave front. It appeared she knew me better than I knew myself. My heart ached, wondering if she thought she wasn’t enough for me, because there was nothing further from the truth. But there was something nice about having someone around to share responsibilities with. Until tonight, never had anyone said,go read a book while I help Chloe with her homework. Even at her last game, Miles picked up on something I missed as her mom and coach. Had he not, the game could have turned out completely different. Because of him, Chloe was the hero. The man brought laughter to our dinner table and car rides. Henry too had added a dimension I hadn’t realized how badly I was missing. The need to mother more little people. I never thought I would have the chance again, so I’d buried that desire like I had so many others. Miles and Henry had both awoken something in me.
