Page 66 of Chasing Stars
Things can only go up from here.
33
JENNA
“It was so nice meeting you, dear,” Miles’s mother says, as she walks us to the front door. She puts her arms around both of us. “Please come back again soon.” She hugs me into her tiny body, and I marvel for a moment that she actually birthed Miles and Nate, with their tall, athletic frames. Mrs. Corbin can’t weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. She’s petite but also appears to be in good physical shape.
“Thank you so much for having me, Mrs. Corbin.” I give her a genuine smile. It’s been a long time since I’ve had dinner with a real family. It was always just me and my mom. When she got sick, she didn’t want to eat much, but I would keep her company on the couch, eating my takeout on a snack tray. A family dinner felt foreign to me initially, but I am so happy Miles brought me along and gave me a glimpse into who he is. Spending time it his family feels like a privilege. “I would love to come back sometime,” I add.
“Good. And call me Susan, please.” She goes in for another hug, taking me by surprise.
“Okay, Susan. I’ll try to do that,” I say, smiling into her shoulder.
Susan pulls away and then reaches up to hug Miles, whispering something in his ear that I don’t catch. He chuckles. “Good.”
“John, come and say goodbye!” Susan yells over her shoulder. “They’re leaving.”
“Caden pulled him and Nate into a rousing game of Sorry! while you two were cleaning up the dishes,” Miles says regretfully. “Too bad we’re missing it.”
Susan makes a tsking sound with her tongue and shrugs. “Oh well. You’ll see him again soon.” She smiles.
Miles takes our coats off the hook and helps me slip into mine before putting his on. He leans down to plant a kiss on his mom’s cheek. “Good night, Mom. I’ll call you this week.”
“Bye you two! Be safe driving home,” she calls. She stands at the door, waving and looking pleased as we drive away.
As we drive, my gaze drifts to the newly decorated town. Miles reaches for my hand. “Do you want to get out and walk around?” he asks, quirking his eyebrow. “It’s nice in Cape May this time of year. The town does a wonderful job decorating.”
“They really do,” I agree. “Does the town council do it?”
Miles frowns. “I’m honestly not sure who does it,” he says with a smirk. We pull into a parking spot and Miles hops out, running around to open my door before I have a chance.
We walk toward the mall and Miles slips his hand into mine. I’m enamored by the lights and the decorations. It’s been a few days since I’ve gone anywhere but to the beach with Pete and work. “Oh!” I squeal. “They’re playing Christmas music.” Excitement blooms in my chest.
Miles chuckles. “That they are.” He sucks in the cold air and looks at me with a tender expression. It’s the kind of early November night that promises you winter is coming, without the weight of its chill. Twinkle lights drape the trees in the middle ofthe mall, dancing across the brick pavers, transforming the town into a sparkling wonderland of golden glow.
Neither of us are talking, we’re just taking in the sights. We weren’t the only people with this idea, the stores are still busy, restaurants are crowded, and everyone around us seems to be feeling the warmth of the upcoming season.
The sky is inky black and speckled with stars. I don’t even realize I’ve stopped walking until Miles stops next to me. “The stars are so pretty,” I whisper.
“They are,” Miles murmurs. He laces his fingers through mine, his warmth sending a tingle up my arm.
“You haven’t been surfing much after work,” I muse, neither of us have taken our eyes off the star-speckled sky.
Miles inhales and tugs me in toward him, so our bodies are flush together and our noses touch. “I’ve had other things I’d rather be doing,” he whispers, tipping my chin toward his.
I giggle. “Oh, I get it. Me.”
Miles cracks a half smile. “That’s not what I mean, Jenna. Though that part has been nice too.” He swallows, and suddenly, words tumble out of him. “Jenna, before I met you, I was barely living. I woke up, I went to work, I took out random girls and moved on quickly.” He grimaces. “Then I met you, and everything changed. I feel alive again. I don’t care about surfing anymore.” He hesitates, lolling his head backward. “Well, okay, I don’t care about surfingeverydayanymore. I still love surfing because it makes me feel alive. But so do you. More alive than I’ve felt in years,” he croaks out that last part and my chest fills with warmth.
“That’s really nice, Miles,” I whisper, wrapping my arms around his torso and nuzzling into his chest.
He pushes back. “No, Jenna, you don’t understand. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow and maybe I’m reading everything wrong. Maybe you’re still going to leave me in a fewweeks—but if I don’t say this now, I never will.” He audibly gulps, licking his lips. “I’m falling in love with you, Jenna. No.” He shakes his head. “I’m not falling anymore. I amin lovewith you. So much that I wish I could spend every single second of the day with you. Just to be near you, watch you. I’m enamored with you.”
A tear rolls down my cheek. I’m not sure anyone has ever been so blatantly honest with me before, certainly not in a nice way. “Miles…” I sniffle. “No one has ever said anything like that to me before.” I blink rapidly to ward off tears, but they fall anyway.
Miles laughs, thumbing away a tear on my cheek. “Okay, good. Because it’s true.”
I suck in a breath for courage. “I love you, too.”
