Page 26 of Beginnings By the Sea

A lot could happen in a month. Nyla and I were only together for three weeks before I told her I loved her.

“Do you love him?” I asked, stepping closer.

Slowly, she turned to face me, confusion playing across her features. “I care about him, Miles. I was being truthful when I said I needed closure with you. I haven’t been able to move on without it. It’s hard to love someone new when . . .”

She cut off her words and bit her lip, clearly not wanting to continue her sentence. My pulse pounded in my ears as I took another step toward her. I wanted to hear the rest.

“Tell me, Nyla,” I said, stepping up to her. “I want you to finish that sentence.”

She shook her head and looked away. “It’ll only make things more difficult.”

“Why? Because you still have feelings for me?”

I wanted to know that I wasn’t the only one holding onto what we had. Her shoulders fell and she closed her eyes, her voice just above a whisper.

“I never stopped loving you, Miles. That’s the problem.”

I cupped her cheeks and lifted her face, waiting for her to open her eyes. When she did, I pressed my lips to hers. As we kissed, all the emotions that had been bottled up inside me for so long came to the surface. I felt the warmth of her lips, the softness of her skin, and the tenderness of her touch. It was as if time had stopped, and we were back to that moment when we first fell in love.

We pulled away, both gasping for breath. Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at me, and I knew that what we had wasn’t over.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have let that happen.” She moved away from me and ran her hands through her hair. “What am I going to do?”

“I want you to choose me, Nyla,” I said, closing the distance again. I grabbed her hands and pulled her to me. “You still love me, and I love you. I didn’t lie when I told you I was happy.” I placed her hands on my heart. “I’m happy because I’m here . . . with you.”

She shook her head and jerked her hands out of my grasp. “None of this would’ve happened if you didn’t just accidentally show up. You didn’t even know I was here. It’s not like you came looking for me.”

That was where she was wrong. I stood there and smiled, loving how her cheeks always turned red when flustered.

“Come on, Nyla,” I said, smirking. “Do you honestly think out of all the places in the world to go deep-sea fishing, it’s coincidence that I chose this exact spot?”

She stared at me for a few moments before surprise and suspicion hit her like a wave. “Are you saying . . .” Her mouth gaped and she held up a hand. “You knew I was here?”

I nodded, my grin growing wider. “For three months.”

Exasperated, she shook her head. “How?”

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and searched her name, showing her everything that popped up.

“It’s not hard to look someone up, Nyla. Imagine my surprise when I saw you connected to Seaside Family Practice as one of the doctors. After that, I built up the courage to make my move. I convinced Luke this was the perfect place for his bachelor weekend.”

Nyla’s mouth gaped, but then her eyes blazed with that fiery temper that matched her red hair. She pushed against my chest and huffed.

“Three months? Three months!” Her arms flung in the air. “If you’d just gotten here a month earlier, I wouldn’t be in this predicament. Now what am I supposed to do?”

I couldn’t blame her for moving on with another man; I should’ve come sooner. It was easy to tell her to choose me and let the other guy go, and I wasn’t about to give her an ultimatum. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to make it easy on her.

Nyla was clearly confused, and I knew she’d reached her limit; a lot had been revealed tonight. I wanted to kiss her again, to feel her in my arms, but instead, I grabbed my car keys off the kitchen counter. Nyla had much to consider, and I knew she wouldn’t find a solution tonight.

She glanced down at the keys in my hand and huffed. “Are you seriously leaving after dumping all those truth bombs on me?” Nyla always had a way of making me laugh.

“I think it’s for the best. You always liked having your space when someone pissed you off.”

Her expression softened. “I’m not mad at you, Miles.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice but also understanding. “I just know that things are about to become complicated. Yes, I love you, and you were my husband for a time, but I also care about someone else. He’s good to me. The last thing I want to do is hurt either of you.”

My heart raced as I looked into her eyes, searching for the truth. “Can you see yourself with that other guy for the rest of your life? Do you have the same fire, the same passion when he touches you?”

My hands brushed against her face and our skin ignited. She felt it too—the electricity that sparked between us and refused to be ignored.

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