Page 52 of Beginnings By the Sea

“I’m assuming you’re staying here tonight?” Miles asked, grinning at me from the couch as I walked into the living room dressed in one of his T-shirts and sweatpants.

Laughing softly, I sat down beside him. “Is that okay?”

Miles pulled me into his arms, his legs wrapping around mine. “I want us together every night. There’s no reason for us to be apart again.”

The thought of that made my heart soar with happiness, but there was still something I had to tell him and I dreaded it. A sheepish sigh escaped my lips when I sat up and faced him.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

His smile faded slightly and he let out a small huff. “Let me guess, it’s about Cohen.” When I nodded, he sat up and waved for me to continue. “I knew we were going to have to talk about your conversation with him at some point.” His hungered gaze raked down my body. “Although, I did enjoy the distraction earlier.”

I bit my lip and smiled. “I did, too. We still have the rest of the night to enjoy more.”

Miles chuckled and shook his head. “All right, tell me about my cocksucker of a cousin so we can get this over with.”

I didn’t want to delay the inevitable, so I just blurted it out. “Cohen wants to take me out to one last dinner tomorrow before he goes back to New York,” I said quickly.

Miles’s expression of ease quickly changed to anger. “Seriously? What the hell is he trying to do? He’s up to something.”

I blew out a sigh. “He’s not trying to do anything, Miles. It’s just one last dinner before he leaves town.”

He scoffed. “Did he actually say he was leaving?”

I nodded and clutched his hands reassuringly. “Yes. Which is good for us. We don’t have to worry about seeing him around town.”

Miles leaned his head back on the couch and groaned. “I know I can’t tell you not to go, but I’m not happy about this.” He turned his head to look at me again. “But I trust you. I’m just ready for that asshole to pack up and go back to New York.” His gaze narrowed slightly. “What did he tell you about our family?”

I shrugged. “Not much. I know there’s a lot of jealousy he has toward you.”

Miles growled in disgust. “That’s an understatement. You wouldn’t believe all the shit he did to me when we were young.”

I pressed a finger to his lips. “I don’t want to spend this amazing evening talking about Cohen. This is our night. I want to concentrate on us and where we go from here.”

Miles pulled me down so I was lying on top of his chest and wrapped me in his arms. “I can live with that.” He kissed the top of my head. “I start teaching classes this coming Monday. I’m going to see if any of the stations are hiring.”

Excitement bubbled throughout my body and I turned his arms, resting my chest against his. “Are you really going to move here? Like now?”

He smiled mischievously. “I don’t see why not. Didn’t you say earlier, before we had our fun in the bedroom, that you didn’t want to waste any more time?”

I laughed. “Yeah.”

He shrugged. “Well, all right, then. I have so much to do. I have to sell my house in Virginia and find a place out here.”

His eyes twinkled and I smacked his chest. “Stop being ridiculous. You can move into my house; I might have a spare bedroom.”

He poked his fingers at my sides, tickling me. I squealed and tried to push him off, but he picked me up in his arms and tossed me on the couch, his body pressing me into the cushions.

“Spare bedroom, huh? I see how you want it to be,” he teased.

I rolled my eyes. “You know I’m kidding.”

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I drew him in closer to kiss him. “We’re going to do things right this time. I know what’s important.” My eyes burned and I let the tears fall so he could see how much he meant to me. “I’m never going to let you down again,” I promised.

Miles shook his head. “I don’t care about the past anymore. I’m only looking toward the future.” He kissed my cheek and down my neck. “It’ll be better this time. I promise.”

My heart filled with so much joy it almost felt like it was too much to contain. “I promise, too,” I whispered.

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