New Point (18 page)

The healing powers of New Point strike again, soothing a scrape I don’t often realize is there – the omnipresent desire for a large family.

Blue in Green demands Miles’ attention tonight, leaving Blake and me to our own devices. We eat dinner at a greasy diner a few towns over and then go home to watch a movie in the living room. Blake falls asleep within the first twenty minutes of the movie and that’s when I realize that although he’s come to spend time with me, he is also exhausted from work. I decide to talk to him about working too hard tomorrow before he leaves. After I gently wake him and force him into one of the guest bedrooms, I head to my own bed.

I wonder what Miles is doing
.

It’s only been a few hours since we left each other, but I miss him. What is with me? With Miles, my desire to be near him is insatiable. It’s true what girlfriends of mine told me in the past, sex changes things. Feelings strengthen. And then, of course, there’s the burning question of when will it happen again? Maybe I should send out a smoke signal to let him know I’m ready. Immediately.

The silly thought brings a smile to my face and I can’t help but picture a shirtless Miles in my mind’s eye. The man is ripped. Majorly.

Tap, tap, tap.

I jerk up in bed for the second time that day, heart racing.

Tap, tap, tap.
The noise comes from the window.

My heart is at a full gallop, punching against my chest. For a split second crushing fear wraps around me until I force it away.

“Stop being a baby,” I whisper to myself. Too bad my voice is trembling. On shaky legs I walk to the window, where pebbles fly against the window. I brace my hands on either side of the windowsill, peering down from behind the safety of the glass.

His bright white teeth gleam underneath the moonlight and even from this far up, I can see the twinkle in his eye. I wrench the window open and lean out.

“There’s a
Romeo and Juliet
joke here somewhere,” I call down to him.

“Let me in.”

He doesn’t have to ask twice. “I’ll be right down.”

Once I open the back door, we link hands and silently make our way to my bedroom. He gently shuts the door behind me.

“Why do I feel like a randy teenager hiding from my girlfriend’s scary dad?”

I laugh quietly, sitting on the edge of my bed. “Because Blake is kind of scary and sees himself as my all-around protector.”

Miles cups my neck in his palm when he sits next to me. Shivers of anticipation break out all over my body. “I won’t stay long, but I needed something from you.”

“What’s that?” I whisper, falling prey to his unwavering eye contact.

His lips brush against mine. “A taste of those tempting lips.”

Instead of responding verbally, I reach up and loosely clutch his wrist. This time it’s me who initiates the kiss. Like high school students we sit there, kissing, necking – whatever you want to call it – like it’s the first time we’ve ever done this.

Heck, this is a first for me. Being with a man, not a boy, who craves my touch is as addicting as a drug.

I’m never letting you go.

A
month sneaks by, camouflaged by bliss. There is hardly a day I spend apart from Miles. There were boat rides with and without his friends, meals with and without his sister, nephew, and my brother. Lazy days spent cuddled under my sheets and countless hours dedicated to learning about one another.

When I was in school and dreamed of what the perfect boyfriend would be like, it didn’t come close to what I’m experiencing with Miles. He’s attentive, nurturing, and thoughtful. And sexy. Holy goodness does that man know how to get me going. With one smoldering look across Blue in Green I’d drop everything to throw myself in his embrace.

Sessions with Etta progress, I see her every week and my anxiety is miraculously dwindling. She encourages me to tell Miles everything – but why would I when everything’s going so well? That’s always my answer and when I respond, a flicker of disappointment crosses Etta’s face until she masks it.

Besides, Miles already surpassed what I considered a daunting hurdle, winning my brother’s approval. In fact, I caught them texting just last week.

All of this new relationship bliss is about to be put to the test tonight. How? The dreaded first parent meeting. None of my relationships ever got serious enough for me to meet the parents.

Who wouldn’t be freaked out at meeting their dream guy’s parents?

“You look good enough to eat,” Miles says from across the front seat of the Jeep.

He offers me compliments like this all the time, but I still can’t help but blush. “Don’t put those ideas in my head.”

“What kind of ideas?” Miles brakes in the back of the parking lot near New Point’s baseball diamonds. In an instant, his seatbelt flies free, and he’s teasing my neck with a smattering of kisses. I can’t fight a fit of giggles and gently push him away.

“Miles! What if your parents see us?”

His chuckles vibrates against my skin and with one parting kiss, he retreats. “Wipe off the worried face. There’s no way they won’t fall in love with you the moment they meet you.”

Still, I can’t shake my nerves while we trek across grass toward Duke’s game. I grip Miles’ hand a little tighter than normal as we make our way to the bleachers. It seems like the entire town turned out for this peewee game. My boss Sharon is here cheering on her grandson and waves when Miles and I pass her by. To my surprise Lacey mingles with Annie and Meryl Connor, the town’s most notorious gossips. Before I can get too good a look at them, I spot Miles’ parents walking toward us.

“You’re here!” Miles’ mother gushes, parting from her husband. She kisses her son’s cheek and ruffles his hair like he’s still a child. “And you must be the lovely Zoe. Let me have a look at you.” Gently she cups my shoulders in her hands, smiling warmly. Friendly inquisitiveness pours out of her and like that, my nerves disappear.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Wilson.”

“Oh, none of that. You’ll call me Amanda, and he is Marcus.” With that gentle command, she engulfs me in motherly hug, and I can do nothing but hug her back tightly. “You’re everything he said,” she says in a voice only for my ears.

Hmm. That’s curious.

Casting a crooked glance at Miles who watches on innocently, I let her lead me to Marcus who offers me an equally warm greeting. Like their children, both are tall with dark coloring.

Amanda takes charge, steering us to where they’ve set up plastic chairs near the small row of aluminum bleachers. I can see immediately how a woman with such a commanding, yet sweet, personality could convince her husband to name both her children after famous jazz musicians. Near the chairs, Etta shields her eyes from the sun, watching the boys warm up.

Miles’ greeting pulls her attention away.

“Hi guys!” There’s no mistaking the joy radiating off her as we grow closer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile so big. All her teeth must be showing. “I have news,” she blurts out the moment we’re near.

“What’s going on, sweetheart?” Amanda asks.

“I wanted to wait until we were all together to tell you.” She looks at me pointedly. “Will’s coming home earlier than expected. Three weeks and he’ll be back for good!” Etta explains that he had told her a return date a month later so he could surprise them with an earlier arrival.

Everyone starts hugging, making noises of jubilation and even I’m tossed into the fold, like a member of the family. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel all sorts of warm, fuzzy, and best of all, part of something bigger than my own island.

Miles settles his arm around my shoulders, squeezing me to his side.

“Thank God,” Amanda says, shaking her head back and forth. “We worry so much when he’s gone,” she explains to me. “Have you told Duke?” Etta nods, explaining her plans to throw an over-the-top party to welcome Will home.

Somehow I end up sandwiched between Etta and Amanda when the game starts, with Miles throwing an apologetic glance my way. But I’m more than fine sitting with these two. While we wait for Duke to bat, Etta, Amanda and I plan the party.

All is well and good.

Then Lacey sashays past us.

“Miles? I need you.”

Amanda goes noticeably rigid beside me, and frown lines appear in Etta’s forehead on my other side.

Miles is polite, but not welcoming when he responds. “What’s up?”

“Somewhere private,” Lacey demands, crossing her arms across her chest and pumping up her cleavage. When he doesn’t move, she rolls her eyes. “It’s about the bar.”

Lacey’s triumphant smile as Miles stands turns into a grimace when he circles around her to kiss my temple. “I’ll be back, baby,” he says, loud enough to give her the overt message. Try as I might, I can’t smother the small smile forming on my lips.

“That girl doesn’t take a hint,” Amanda grumbles when they’re a few paces away.

I lift my shoulders nonchalantly. “She can flirt all she wants. It doesn’t bother me. Miles isn’t buying what she’s selling.”

Etta doesn’t bother to smother her snort. “That’s for sure.”

Amanda watches me approvingly. “Miles picked the right one this time.”

“Here, here,” Etta says, raising her water bottle in cheers.

“Does Lacey have family on the team too?” I wonder.

Amanda shakes her head. “Lacey is Annie’s granddaughter. They, along with Meryl Connor, can be found anywhere the town’s gathering. Those three love to be in the center of everything that goes on in New Point.”

“Meryl’s not so big on the gossip, I think she hangs around to keep them in line,” Etta comments.

“Perhaps. Now that I’ve got you back, tell me how work is going, sweetheart,” Amanda directs the question to her daughter.

This time it’s me who stiffens. I knot my fingers together in my lap to keep from twitching nervously.

“Very well, have a couple of steady patients,” Etta responds.

“One on Wednesdays during lunch, apparently. I stopped by last week to take you to lunch and your assistant kicked me out. She lectured me about confidentiality,” Miles butts into the conversation, and my heart rate kicks up a notch. He places his hands on my shoulders from behind, squeezing them gently. “You’re so tense. What’s wrong?”

“Just thinking about the week ahead,” I say weakly. Actually, I’m realizing how easy it would be for Miles to find out Etta is my therapist.

“What did Lacey want this time?” Amanda mistakenly interprets my dip in mood to Miles’ secret conversation with his ex-girlfriend. I don’t bother correcting her.

Miles hands tighten imperceptibly. “Nothing important.”

“It was important enough to pull you away from your family.” Amanda arches her eyebrow at him, the perfect imitation of a mother’s guilt trip.

He delivers another two-word answer, and now I am wondering what she was after. “Business stuff.” Though his voice isn’t angry, it brokers no room for more questions.

What’s that all about?

We fall into an awkward silence, and the cheer from the crowd surrounds us, covering the empty spaces where the conversation dwindled.

“Someone has a birthday next weekend.” Etta finally breaks the tension smiling at me.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Amanda sounds hurt, probably not only because Miles didn’t tell her about my birthday but also her son’s reluctance to talk about the exchange with his ex-girlfriend.
Me too, Amanda.

“It’s all planned, Mom. You and Dad just need to show up. Zoe’s brother Blake will be down a week from Monday to celebrate with us. I’m closing off the deck at the bar for a private party.” The tightness in his grip gentles.

“And does my son understand the importance his girlfriend’s birthday?”

Above me Miles lets out a low chuckle.

“He’s taking me away for the weekend,” I tell her. “We’re going to a B&B a couple hours north.”

That meets her approval, and Miles’ mom begins chattering about a pie-baking contest she’s participating in later in the summer.

Throughout the rest of the game I’m distracted. Miles doesn’t want me to know what happened with Lacey, and that’s not a comforting thought. Apparently I’m not the only one hiding something. How can I ask him what he’s hiding when I’m so willing to hide things from him myself.

Etta and Dr. Greene would be proud of my self-reflection.

They’re just words. It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to tell Miles my history and explain that I’m one of his sister’s patients.

I glance over to where Miles listens to a jabbering Duke. A jolt of electricity flickers when our gaze meets. He winks then turns his attention back to his nephew.

Who cares if there are little secrets between us? I don’t want to let the peace go. I want to hold onto this perfection forever.

I am still mulling over little secrets when we park outside his home a few hours later. Lacey’s smug smile when she talked to Miles reappears in my mind.

“My place or yours?” he asks when we’re standing outside the car.

“What happened with Lacey?”

His jaw tightens, and there’s that pissed off expression I got a glimpse of that night Miles didn’t know Blake was my older brother. “Lacey being Lacey.”