Page 59 of After You Returned

I must have been temporarily out of my mind yesterday to agree to give Miles a second chance. I blame those stupid blonde college students. If he hadn’t ignored them in favor of spending time with me, I could have kept my walls up. Add in his proclamation that he hasn’t had sex for a year with anyone else but me and my walls didn’t melt. They blew to smithereens.

I should rebuild those walls before he arrives. I should encase my heart in steel and hide it behind those walls. I should—

The doorbell rings.

The time for ‘I should’ has passed.

I inhale a deep breath, smooth a hand down my blouse, and force my legs to the front door.

“Hi.” It’s the only word I can manage to get out. Holy smugglers fleeing from the Prohis. Miles is one handsome man in a dark blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showcasing the roped muscles in his forearms.

“You look gorgeous.” He kisses my cheek before handing me a bouquet of daisies. “These are for you.”

I lift an eyebrow. “You remembered my favorite flower?”

“How could I forget when you had a knock-down-drag-out fight with the biology teacher over whether a daisy is a flower or a composite flower head? I don’t even know what those words mean, but I remember the screeching match.”

I sniff. “I did not screech at Mr. Ulrich.”

“And you didn’t get detention either.”

“I can’t believe I was forced to weed the flower beds in front of the school.”

“You were adorable in your overalls with dirt streaked on your face.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “No one is adorable in overalls.”

“Disagree.”

“Whatever,” I mutter. “Let me put these flowers in water and then I’m ready to go.”

I put the flowers in a vase on my kitchen table before returning to Miles. I motion him out the door. “Where are we going today?”

He grins. “TheBootlegger Escape Room Festival.”

TheBootlegger Escape Room Festivalis one of the many festivals on Smuggler’s Hideaway developed to pull in tourists. The team to answer the bootlegger trivia and drink shots of moonshine faster than any other team wins. The prize is a night of drinking free at theRumrunnerspeakeasy.

Although the festival was originally intended for tourists, the locals love it. The team from theFive Fathomsbrewery has won two years in a row. Although, last year they tied with the Raider brothers. Speaking of the brothers…

“Don’t you want to do the escape room with your brothers?”

He grasps my hand and threads his fingers through mine. “Nope. I don’t need to spend any more time with my brothers. I see those assholes every day at work.”

“You do? I thought you preferred surfing to showing up at work.”

“Actually.” He pulls on the collar of his shirt. It’s a nervous tic and absolutely adorable. Miles is usually Mr. Confident. Seeing him less than confident – vulnerable even – is a gift. “I spoke to Eli.”

“You listened to a suggestion from me?”

“Don’t be a smart ass.”

“I can’t help it. This ass is smart all on its own.”

His blue eyes darken until they’re the color of the deepest ocean. “Your ass is something all right.”

“No sex, remember?”

He groans. “I remember.”