“Oh, it’s cute,” Ethan agrees, still grinning like an idiot. “Cute and terrifying. I’ve known Milo for years. He doesn’t do grand gestures. He barely does small ones. And yet here he is, chartering a flight for Sienna’s shoes like it’s nothing.”
I look down at the sparkling heels, suddenly feeling shy. “They’re just shoes…”
Ethan snorts. “Just shoes he had flown across the ocean because you mentioned them once. Totally normal behavior, right?”
I bite my lip, heat rising to my cheeks. “Are you jealous he didn’t fly you any shoes in?”
Ethan scoffs. “Why would I be jealous?”
“I don’t know,” I shrug, reaching out to gently pat his arm. “You’re sounding very jealous right now, Ethan.”
He blinks. “I’m not jealous.”
“It’s okay to be jealous,” I assure him sweetly, still caressing his arm. “They’re a few sizes too small for you, but I’m sure you’ll be able to squeeze into them if you try. I’m not opposed to sharing. Maybe we could take turns? I can wear them tonight, and you can borrow them tomorrow?—”
“You’re so annoying,” he grumbles, shoving my hand off him with a dramatic grunt.
Aria laughs hysterically beside me. “Come on,” she says, standing and grabbing Ethan’s hand. “Let’s go back before everyone starts wondering where we disappeared to.” She glances back at me with a warm, knowing smile. “We’ll finishthis talk later, okay? But seriously… those shoes look amazing on you. And so does the man who got them for you.”
She winks before pulling a still-protesting Ethan back toward the pavilion, leaving me alone with only the sound of the waves and my racing heart.
Minutes pass before I finally stand, smoothing my dress, and head back toward the lights and laughter, towardhim.
When I reach the pavilion, Milo is already in view, as if he were waiting for me, holding two glasses. He straightens when he sees me, his eyes lighting up in a way that makes my heart skip a beat.
“Hey, there you are,” he says with a smile, handing me a cocktail. “I thought you might’ve run away.”
I take the glass, stepping close enough that our fingers brush. I look up at him, the man who keeps surprising me in the best possible way, and feel something click into place in my chest.
“No,” I say softly, smiling. “I’m done running.”
The double meaning behind the words hit harder than they should.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Milo
It’s nearing midnight,and the party that refused to die has spilled onto the beach. A large bonfire crackles at the center of a wide circle, sending orange sparks spiraling into the star-filled sky.
I stand a little apart from the main group, whiskey glass in hand, the ice long melted. Laughter and overlapping conversation drift toward me—Tom telling another golf story to Gregory, Aria teasing a bridesmaid about her dance moves, and Wendy and Lillian swapping stories about how fast their kids grew up.
But my eyes keep finding their way back to her.
Sienna.
She’s in the middle of a loose circle of bridesmaids and other resort guests, dancing in front of the fire. The flames paint her skin in warm gold and flickering orange. Her pale lavender sundress swirls around her thighs with each spin, her loose curls bouncing wildly. And on her feet are the silver heels I got her.
She hasn’t taken them off all night.
Every time she moves, the tiny crystals catch the firelight, sparkling like stars against her sun-kissed skin. She looksbreathtaking—radiant, carefree, and so completely alive that it makes my chest ache in the best way.
I had the shoes flown in from the mainland the moment Aria confirmed they were the ones she wanted. It was ridiculous and impulsive, but completely worth it just to see the look on her face when I opened the box.
She spins again, arms raised, laughing that bright, uninhibited laugh that always hits me straight in the ribs. God, she’s so fucking beautiful.
As I’m admiring her, a guy—probably in his early twenties—who has been hovering near the edge of the dance group for the past twenty minutes steps forward, flashing a confident smile and extends his hand toward Sienna.
Jealousy surges through me, hot and immediate, making me clench my fist around the glass.
