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A soft laugh escaped me and I shook my head at him. “How have you been? It’s been far too long.”
“You’re telling me.” He chuckled. “We really need to make it a habit to meet up more than just when we’re both back home. I’m fairly certain we only live about an hour away from each other. You’re still in Manhattan, right?”
I nodded. “You’re in Jersey, just over the bridge?”
Miles nodded. “I will say, I’m not a fan of the city, but I’d deal with the lunatics on the road if it meant I got to see you.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll have to see about making that happen then, won’t we?”
His eyes were unreadable for a moment as he stared down at me, deep into my hazel eyes. Given he was at least a foot taller, I always had to tip my head back to be able to meet his gaze. “What are you doing tonight?” He paused for a moment, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “I mean, we are both back in town, so why wait until we’re back on the East Coast to hang out?”
I mulled over his words. My mother didn’t say anything about any plans. From what I knew, we didn’t have anything officially planned until Christmas Day. “What did you have in mind?”
“Julian and I are meeting at The Swan around eight. Want to meet us there?”
My breath caught in my throat at the mention of his name, surprised to hear he was back for the holidays as well. Julian Foster. The third leg to our trio. The three of us were inseparable while we were growing up, until we graduated from high school. Julian had us beat in terms of moving far away from Delmont Ridge. He moved to an entirely different country and spent his days in the beautiful city of Venice.
I had gone to visit him once, three years ago… but that was a different story.
One I would never share with the world.
“Sure, I’ll be there,” I told him as my mother walked up to me. She stepped up to the two of us with a smile.
“Hi, Miles,” she said softly, and he grinned at her as he pulled her in for a hug. “Your mother said you’d be coming home for Christmas, but I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Miles lifted his grocery bag and smiled sheepishly. “Just picking a few things up for the feast. It was nice seeing you,” he said to my mother before turning to me. “I’ll see you this evening.”
“See you on Christmas, Miles,” my mother said with a nod, and Miles winked at me before disappearing into the crowd. I was a little confused by her response to him. Why would she see him on Christmas Day?
I turned to look at my mother with a scowl. “Why are you going to see him on Christmas?”
My mother gave me a knowing look. “I thought I told you the plans for this year, Raegan. Eleanor, Laura, and I all decided we would get together with our families, like we used to before you guys all left for college. We’re going to celebrate the holiday with the Walkers and the Fosters.”
CHAPTERTWO
Main Street in Delmont Ridge was busy by the time I was there trying to find a parking spot. Living in a small town meant all of the locals were usually out around this time of year. There were different traditions, between the lighting of the town Christmas tree, caroling, Santa being at the local fire hall, among other events. There was always something going on and as it got closer to the actual holiday, many people were rushing to stores to get last-minute gifts or out for a drink to unwind from the hustle and bustle of the season.
I was able to secure the last parking spot in The Swan's lot. There were only a few spots I had passed on the street, but thankfully I was able to get the last one in the actual parking lot. After leaving my mother’s car, I trudged through remnants of the last snowstorm on the ground. A light flurry of snowflakes was falling from the sky as I made my way to the entrance of the bar.
As I stepped inside, I was greeted with loud Christmas tunes playing from the jukebox in the back corner. The Swan was a total dive bar and it was the local watering hole here. It was like stepping back in time, walking inside. Delmont Ridge always felt like it was moving years behind the rest of the world. It was weirdly therapeutic and gave a sense of nostalgia.
It was a stark contrast to what I had grown used to living in New York City. I welcomed taking a step back. A few heads turned to the door as I walked inside and brushed the snow from my peacoat. Familiar faces lifted their hands in greeting or said hello as I walked past them. One nice thing about Delmont Ridge, they followed the rest of the world with banning smoking indoors.
I was grateful for that progressive movement on their part.
It was a quaint little town. Everyone knew everyone. Which also came with the annoyance of nosy people and everyone knowing each other's business. I did enjoy it, though. The familiarity of it all. It brought an overwhelming sense of calm and peace. Like I had a place here, even though I was detached from this world.
As I rounded the corner of the bar, I spotted Miles sitting in one of the booths. He was facing me, his eyes lighting up when he saw me. Julian was sitting facing him, his back to me. He had a beanie pulled over his inky black hair, but small tendrils poked from beneath the material.
Miles rose to his feet as I walked over to their table while I shrugged out of my coat. A smile was on his lips and he pulled me in for a hug. Closing my eyes, I inhaled his scent—cedar and moss. His body was solid and warm against mine, his arms holding me close for a moment longer than I expected. “I’m so glad you came.” He smiled at me as he pulled away.
Much to my surprise, Julian was also on his feet. I moved away from Miles and turned to face Julian. His dark brown, almost midnight eyes met mine. The corners of his lips twitched. “Raegan,” he spoke my name slowly and softly. His voice was hoarse and his throat bobbed as he swallowed roughly. “It’s good to see you.”
He closed the distance between us and wrapped his large arms around me. His hands were splayed out against my back and I could feel his warmth through the layer of my sweater. His scent drifted into my nose and I allowed myself one breath of him. He smelled earthy—like sandalwood—with a mixture of pure mountain air.
We broke apart after a minute and Miles stepped up to me, wrapping his arm around mine. “Come sit,” he urged, pulling me toward the booth with him. Julian slid back into his seat and I followed after Miles, sitting beside him. “Did you want some beer? We just ordered a fresh pitcher.”
I wasn’t much of a beer drinker, but I agreed with a smile and a nod. “I’ll drink whatever you two are drinking.”
