Page 65 of Falling

Seth shook his head. “Miles. I’m guessing he has plans for you. I can’t believe I had to find out from him and not my own brother-in-law that you’d finally gotten your act together.”

“He told you?” I asked, surprised.

Seth nodded. “He gave me the impression it wasn’t public knowledge, so I haven’t told anyone else.”

“He needs time,” I said. “I want him to have it. However much he needs. Promise me.”

“Obviously,” Seth said, waving a hand as though it was a no-brainer. “Glad I didn’t set you up with anyone for this after all. Would’ve been awkward.”

“Oh, yeah, that would’ve made it awkward,” I said, sipping my lemon water. There was a sprig of mint in it, and I recognized it then as one of the mocktails Andre had wanted to put on the bar menu. Simple, but effective. I’d talk to him when I wasn’t supposed to be celebrating my birthday. “Not the fact of setting me up in the first place.”

“I would’ve picked someone great!” Seth insisted. “But you’re right, I couldn’t have conjured a Miles out of thin air or anything. The more I see you two together, the cuter you are.”

“I love him,” I said, without really meaning to. It was true, it was so obviously true, and it’d been true longer than I realized, but I hadn’t intended to just blurt it out like that.

“Wow,” Seth said wryly. “Warn a guy before you spring a surprise like that on him.”

I looked at Seth, confused.

“Book, don’t get me wrong, you’re kind and supportive and generous to everyone you ever come across. But not like that. Not like you are with him,” he said, holding my gaze with a meaningful look in his eyes. “And you nearly chewed my head off over a draft and an unlit boiler. Me. Your favorite brother-in-law.”

“You’re my only brother-in-law,” I pointed out.

“Right, but I’d be your favorite anyway,” Seth said with supreme confidence. “You given any thought to telling him how you feel?”

“What makes you think I haven’t?” I asked, sipping my water again. Definitely menu-worthy, and it’d be good to have more options for people who weren’t drinking, for whatever reason.

“Knowing you,” Seth said, completely flat.

Well.

No arguing with that.

“He’s figuring things out,” I repeated, keeping my voice low. “He still needs me to be safe to do that with.”

“Right, because I always feel insecure around people who I know love me.”

“You know exactly what I mean,” I said, glancing over at Miles again, who was looking my way this time. He broke into a smile that made the rest of the room seem dark and waved at me.

I waved back, shyness washing over me. It’d been so long since I’d felt shy that I’d nearly forgotten what it was like.

But that was the thing. I loved what I had. I had so much more than I’d ever let myself dream of. It was enough. More than enough. More than I would ever have asked for.

If I told Miles how I felt, it’d be like asking him to feel the same, and that was too much. All I wanted was to give him everything he needed. To make him look like he had earlier today when Seth came in with the news.

“You ever listen to that song you play at the end of every night?” Seth asked.

“Every night,” I said. “Obviously.”

“Yeah, but do you listen?” Seth asked. “All I’m saying is, a little faith would go a long way.”

“What are we having faith in?” Miles asked by my shoulder, making me jump.

He laughed, and I couldn’t help laughing too.

“Imagine sneaking up on an old man,” I teased.

“You’re not forty until tomorrow,” Miles said. “I’ll start wearing a bell after that.”