Page 64 of Beginnings By the Sea

“I’m starting to think we should’ve stayed behind closed doors,” I said, keeping my voice low.

I glanced around at the people milling about and noticed several of them had their phones out, capturing us on camera. I released a nervous breath and tightened my grip on Miles’s hand.

Miles sighed and kept walking. “It is what it is, sunshine. We can’t hide forever. Knowing Cohen, this isn’t over.”

It sounded as if there was an underlying threat behind his words. I looked up at him and squeezed his hand.

“Please tell me you’re not going to go after him.”

Miles’s jaw clenched and he reluctantly met my gaze. “I can’t let it go, Nyla. You got your last words in, but I haven’t. What he did to us was wrong.”

My chest tightened with dread. “What are you going to do?”

He shrugged and averted his gaze. “I don’t know yet. Today, Jensen told me that he ran into Cohen at Freddy’s. Apparently, he’s planning on leaving for New York first thing tomorrow. I was thinking of paying him a visit.”

I couldn’t blame him for wanting to confront Cohen. However, the last thing I wanted was for Miles to get charged with assault. With everything Cohen was capable of, I wouldn’t put it past him to get the police involved—what better way to taint Miles’s life than with a police record?

“I can’t believe he knew who I was the entire time,” I said, still not believing it.

Cohen was a good actor. I didn’t like how easily I fell for it; I was too trusting.

Miles’s grip tightened on my hand as if he was trying to keep himself from flying off the handle. “Whatever you do, don’t blame yourself. He’s spent his whole life manipulating people. He’s very good at what he does.”

We walked barefoot through the sand, our toes sinking into the wet grains. I leaned into Miles’s warmth and caught a whiff of his cologne.

“It’s kind of sad,” I said. “Cohen wasn’t born to manipulate and lie. He’s a product of his surroundings. I doubt he’ll ever find real happiness in his life.”

Miles scoffed dismissively. “He doesn’t deserve it.”

We stopped walking and I stepped in front of him, placing my hands on his chest. His heartbeat thudded against them as I looked up into his eyes.

“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid tomorrow when you see him,” I pleaded softly.

Miles stared back at me for a few seconds before releasing a long sigh and shaking his head. The breath stalled in my lungs as I waited to hear his next words.

“I can’t promise that, Nyla,” he said gravely. “I wish you knew how much anger I have in me right now; not being able to let it go is eating me up inside.”

Closing my eyes, I blew out the air I’d been holding in my lungs and nodded in reply. “Do what you have to do. I’ll support you no matter what.”

He kissed me gently, wrapping his arms protectively around me as if shielding me from what was about to come next.

“Don't worry," he whispered against my skin, “I won’t kill him.” He pulled away and gave me a half-smile. “But I will say that when I couldn’t get in touch with you last night, it was one of the worst moments of my life. I had no clue what was going on or if you were okay.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. “I was afraid you’d think the worst. The last thing I wanted you to believe was that I was sleeping with Cohen.”

Taking both of my hands in his own, Miles kissed each one tenderly before locking his gaze with mine again. “I never thought that. I’ve always trusted you.”

I gently pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. “Same with you, even after seeing those pictures of you and that other woman. They looked scandalous, but I knew you would never hurt me like that.”

Miles shook his head and cupped my cheeks. “Never. I love you way too much.”

“And I love you,” I said back. “Always.”

We walked hand in hand for a little longer until darkness overtook the sky. Lightning flashed on the horizon, and the sound of thunder rumbled all around us. I was worried about Miles confronting Cohen, but maybe it needed to be done. Cohen already got a black eye from me, but he could definitely use another one.

31

MILES

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