“If your visa situation disappeared tomorrow...could you see yourself with Miles?”
My stomach drops. The truth is . . . I don’t know.
I’ve never really thought about relationships. Horses have always been my whole life. My experience with men is limited to awkward fumbling in stables after hours and avoiding the attention of entitled polo players.
But Miles? Miles treats me as an equal, never as someone he can use for quick releases. He pays attention, he listens, he asks questions. When he looks at me, it feels like the rest of the world is stripped away. Miles has way more opportunities than most, yet behaves like a gentleman at all times. Courteous.
And somehow, that matters more than it should.
I’m saved from answering by Agatha stepping into the center of the circle.
“Is she wearing even more velvet?” Story snorts.
“Welcome, everyone,” Agatha says dramatically. “Tonight, under the power of the full moon, we open ourselves to our deepest desires?—”
I look around. Everyone else is listening with complete focus as Agatha speaks, while Story’s shoulders are quietly shaking. Even when Clementine returns, apologizing loudly for the interruption, and sits down, barely anyone notices.
Agatha walks around the circle, handing each of us a tiny vial of pink liquid labeled:Potion No. 1
“I think it’s just a cosmopolitan.” Clementine leans over to whisper, and I choke back a laugh as she pulls the cork out and downs it in one. “Yup, cosmo.”
“We must use the energy of tonight’s blessed moon to tap into our psyches and call forth what is waiting for us . . .” She continues as she slowly steps around the circle, her hands waving through the air. When she passes the three of us, I inhale a deep, heavy incense that sticks in the back of my throat. “Now pick up your paper and write down everything you wish to release,” she instructs. “And everything you wish to bring into your heart.”
I sit back, bolstering myself with a large sip of wine. This is going to take a while.
Beyond polo, there’s not really much I can think of. I have Maverick, and I’m already part of a high-goal team. Right now, I’m living the life I wanted six months ago. Looking around, everyone’s jotting away.
Eventually, because Agatha’s beady eyes keep peering over at me, I scribble,Win the England’s Cup. Then, as Agatha tells us to fold the papers and keep them close, I impulsively add one more word beneath it.Miles.
“Take them home, my darlings. Burn them under the full moon tonight. Then bury the ashes, and pour your potion over it.” Agatha’s gaze narrows in on our empty bottles. “Everythingyour heart desires will settle into the earth, and the magic will get to work.”
“Whoops. Guess we drank our magic.” Story grins, which makes Clementine giggle.
The room stirs, and everyone gets up off their cushions, except Clementine.
“I’m not ready to go home yet. Let’s go to the pub.”
“I have to be in school early for a staff meeting. Sorry,” replies Story, smothering a yawn, which sets me off too.
“Miles and I have to be at the stables by seven?—”
“I swear, Miles has never gotten up that early in his life.” Clementine holds her hands out to be pulled up. Story and I take one each. “But it’s okay, we can all walk in the same direction, and I’ll pop in to see Eddie for last orders.”
Valentine High Street glows in the full moon, giving it an ethereal feel. The scent of lilac drifts on the warm breeze, and it’s probably to do with the wine more than anything, but I feel happy . . . relaxed. The stress of the past few days seems a distant memory. Who cares if I was kissing a man who’s legally my husband?
I’m still pondering it when we reach Miles’s cottage.
I say my goodnights to the girls and walk up the path. Before I’ve even opened the door, I know Miles will be waiting for me, and sure enough, he is, wearing those fucking pajama bottoms, a smile . . . and nothing else. Hair, still wet from the shower, glistens in the dim hallway light, which also magnifies his abs to perfection.
Abs everywhere. Just like the other morning.
It’s definitely in the top three best welcome homes I’ve ever had.
“Have fun?”
I nod, suddenly parched. “I did, thank you for organizing it.”
“My pleasure.”
