Page 45 of Deception & Daylight (Oak Ridge #3)

Mags

? Lady May - Tyler Childers

W hile I work on my final copy edits, legs draped over Miles’ lap on his oversized sectional, my phone chimes with a text. Flipping it over, I find an awaiting message from Paige.

Paige: Movie night at the cabin?

Mags: I’m in. Do I need to bring anything?

Paige: Your boyfriend. Consider it a double date.

Mags: Fake boyfriend. No thanks.

I’ve been staying with Miles for the better part of a week now, and we have yet to define our relationship.

Lucy hasn’t asked me to check out of my room, but she knows I’m not staying at the inn anymore.

I’m a feminist through and through, but I’m deferring to Miles on matters regarding the status of our arrangement.

This wasn’t supposed to escalate to something like a real relationship, but I’m finding it difficult to compartmentalize what we’ve been doing from what a real partnership looks like.

If I’m being completely honest, I no longer feel the itch to run, but I’m still waiting for a concrete reason to stay.

As my phone vibrates in my hand, Miles’ phone chimes on the coffee table.

Miles has been added to the chat.

Paige: Your girlfriend is being a pain in the ass.

Mags: Traitor.

Miles: When is she not a pain in the ass?

Mags: ??

Paige: ??

Paige: See you two lovebirds at 7pm.

Miles: We’ll be there.

Tossing his phone beside him on the couch, he tackles me into a pile of throw pillows and peppers me with kisses, his day old stubble tickling my neck. “Fake? Does this feel fake to you?” he asks, grinding his hardness against my thigh. This man is my kryptonite.

Paige sinks into the cus hions beside me, bucket of popcorn in hand. “Extra butter?” I ask.

She pins me with a scowl. “Obviously. It’s like you don’t even know me.”

“Just making sure you haven’t gone completely off the deep end. You have to admit, things have been a little crazy lately.”

“That’s fair.” She giggles, absently twisting the ring on her finger, with a far off look in her eyes.

I rest my head on her shoulder and dig into the popcorn, savoring the flavors on my tongue as Cade and Miles deposit our drinks on the coffee table and slide in on either side.

Miles rests his arm around my shoulder, reaching over to grab a fistful of popcorn.

“You don’t have to fake it here. Paige and Cade know what’s going on. ”

“Who said I was faking it?” he says, shoveling a fistful of popcorn into his mouth. “So, what are we watching?”

“Paige hasn’t seen any of the Star Wars movies, so I was thinking ‘A New Hope’,” Cade says.

Miles wrinkles his nose. “Anything but that. Matty used to make me watch Star Wars all the time, and I can’t stand that shit.”

My body grows rigid as I attempt to process what he just said. “You used to watch it with Matty? When?”

“I don’t know. High school, maybe before that. Empire was always his favorite.”

I bolt upright, tears pooling in my eyes as I begin to connect the dots.

I’ve reread our text messages a million times since he ghosted me, looking for any sign that I got it all wrong.

Everything I thought I knew crashes down around me.

Matty loves Star Wars. Matty and Miles had a falling o ut two years ago.

Miles didn’t remember my birthmark. Little Minx.

My face pales and suddenly I feel like I’m going to be sick. I push off the sofa and rush to the bathroom, dry heaving into the toilet. I hear my name being called on the other side of the door, but the sound is muffled by my quiet sobs. It was Matty the whole time.

It was never Miles .

I didn’t fall for Miles .

Miles didn’t ghost me.

I can’t fucking breathe.

An ear splitting crash sounds as the door swings open. Miles sinks to his knees on the tile, cupping my cheeks. “Mags. Talk to me, baby. What’s going on?” His touch seers into my skin and I flinch back. “It wasn’t you,” I whisper.

I glance over his shoulder, finding the concerned faces of my best friend and her husband before meeting Miles’ mournful gaze. He takes a deep breath, clenching his eyes shut. “You let me believe it was you,” I sneer, temporarily allowing the anger to rule over the hurt.

“Let me explain.” When he reaches out for me, I shrink away, getting to my feet before pushing past my friends and heading through the back door.

Once I’m outside, I run to the end of the dock as fast as my legs will carry me.

Stopping at the edge of the water, I suck in a lungful of air, hands braced on my knees, but it’s not enough.

All of the pieces were right there, and I missed it. Every harsh word I threw at him was misplaced and he just took it, enduring my unadulterated hatred for years. And for what? To protect his brother?

And look at me now, falling for him again. Or for the first time? I don’t know how to categorize any of this. My emotions are a mess of confusion as I sit down on the edge of the dock, letting my toes dip into the cool water.

Some time later, Paige takes a seat beside me, draping her arm around my shoulder. “Wanna talk about it?”

Resting my head in my hands, I murmur, “I don’t know where to start.”

“Try the beginning and go from there.”She rubs her palm up my back in a soothing gesture, and I release everything I’ve been holding back for the better part of three years.

I confess all of it, from how I scrolled through hundreds of profiles in search of him, to how we started talking that night and never stopped.

I tell her about the photos, the meetup, and then how he ghosted me.

Then I tell her it was Matty the whole time, and my best friend loses her shit. She stands and paces back and forth from one side to the other, muttering to herself. It would be comical if my entire world wasn’t crumbling beneath my feet.

Pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, she opens her mouth then closes again, hesitating a beat before she finally says,“What if you’re wrong?”

I purse my lips, tilting my head to the side. “Come on, Paige. Did you see Miles’ face? He looked guilty as hell.”

“He did, but maybe it was because you were upset and you blamed him for it. You should let him explain. This could all be a misunderstanding.” There’s a tightness in my chest at the possibility that I might’ve gotten it wrong, but there’s also the sinking feeling in my gut that can’t be ignored.

“I — I don’t think it is,” I admit.

“It’s not.” Miles stood stoically behind Paige, his shoulders slumped, hands in his pockets; even his usual handsomeness couldn’t hide the haunted look in his eyes, his voice a low, dejected murmur.

His face mirrors the pain undoubtedly etched on my own.

A wave of sympathy washes over me, but I quickly tamp it down.

If I’m right, he deceived me for over two years and he doesn’t deserve my compassion.

She whirls around to face him, anger radiating off her in waves as she violently stabs a finger into his chest. “You’d better start explaining right now.”

He places a hand on her shoulder, halting her movements. “I will. I’ll explain everything. But not to you, Paige. You know I love you like a sister, but this isn’t about you. I need to talk to Mags first. She deserves that much.”

Paige locks eyes with me, and a silent communication passes between us. “She’s my best friend, Barlow. Don’t fuck this up.”

He nods, stepping closer to where I’m seated on the edge of the dock. “Can I sit?”

I shrug. “Can’t promise I won’t push you in.”

“Duly noted.” His hands rake through his hair in that all too familiar way that has my chest tightening. I’ve fallen deeper than I ever could have imagined, and now it’s all falling apart before my eyes. “I only ever wanted to protect you.”

I keep my eyes locked on where my toes are skating along the surface of the water, not sparing him a glance. “I don’t understand. Protect me from what?”

“When I found out what he’d done in my name, I confronted him.

It wasn’t just you, Mags, but when I saw your profile, I lost my shit.

We hadn’t met yet, but I already felt pulled to you in a way I never expected.

That night, I told him he needed to come clean to every woman he’d harmed, and to start with you.

That was my first mistake.” He inhales a ragged breath, pinching his eyes closed before he continues to speak.

“When he realized you meant something to me, he threatened to release photos of you. Intimate photos.”

When the words leave his lips, I instantly freeze.

I don’t know what I was expecting him to say, but that wasn’t even on my radar.

Shame fills the void where numbness used to reside; I never imagined I’d get myself into this situation, but here I am, drowning in the bitter reality of my poor judgment.

Miles reaches out, wrapping his hand around mine. I shouldn’t want him to touch me, but I can’t bring myself to refuse the comfort. “Stop blaming yourself,” he says, reading me like an open book. “You trusted him and he betrayed us both. I’m just sorry I lied to you for so long.”

“So I was supposed to meet Matty in Nashville? How the hell did he think that was gonna play out?”

“I don’t know, Mags. I’m not sure how he planned to explain himself, if at all.

I wish I could go back and handle things differently.

But I’m not sure the outcome would’ve changed.

I think this was inevitable.” He raises my hand to place a soft kiss against my pulse point, and my heart lurches in my chest. “Nothing could ever change the way I feel about you.” His last words are barely a whisper, but they steal my breath all the same.

I sink into his embrace, and his large frame instinctively curls around my much smaller one.

I want to ask him how he feels. I want to hear the words and say them back, but Miles is an anchor, and it’s not in my nature to stay.

Miles

I hold her quietly, her back pressed against my chest, as the weight of the guilt I’ve been holding onto for so long finally eases. She isn’t running. She isn’t yelling and cussing me out. She’s offering understanding, and I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve her.

A better man would let her go.

A better man would tell her to walk away.

But I’m not that man.

“So, Maggie Watson. How about we start over?”

Her shoulders shake against my chest and the sound of her laugh settles the part of me that worried I’d never get to hear it again.

“Bit late for that, don’t you think? I mean, considering all the ways you’ve thoroughly debauched me.

This week alone we’ve been in at least seven compromising positions. ”

“Keep talking like t hat and we’ll make it an even eight. And as much as I’d love to watch you sink onto my dick, I don’t think Paige and Cade would appreciate the view.” I kiss the tip of her nose and the smile she gives me makes me want to commit her to memory. “I’m serious. Let’s start over.”

She wiggles out of my hold, putting some distance between us, and I instantly crave her touch. She holds out her hand for me to shake. “Hi. I’m Maggie Watson. I’m 25 years old. I’m a secret romance writer with daddy issues and I’m a Virgo.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Miles Barlow. 30 years old. Contractor and business owner. Matching daddy issues. Leo.”

She tries and fails to hide her smirk, and when I give her a questioning look, she says, “Dramatic, domineering, attention seeking — yeah, that tracks.”

Without missing a beat, I tackle her to the ground and tickle her ribs.

“Take it back, Wildcat.” Her laughter fills the air and I want to bottle up her joy and keep it forever.

Distracted, she pushes out of my hold and darts up the hill and around the side of the house.

Panting and gasping for breath, she leans back against the siding as I stalk toward her with purpose.

When I pause to stare at her face, she gently cradles my face in both hands.

“Confident.” She kisses my cheek.

“Generous.” Another kiss under my jaw.

“Loyal.” Her lips touch my temple.

“Kind.” At the last word, she seals her lips over mine, and when I move to deepen the kiss, she doesn’t protest, letting out a tiny whimper as I pull her body flush against me. I’ll never get used to how perfectly we fit together.

Between kisses, she murmurs one final, heartfelt word: “Mine.” It’s barely more than a whisper, but it’s everything I didn’t know I needed to hear. With one last brush of our lips, I pull back to study her features, etching every detail into my memory like she’s the last thing I’ll ever see.

“Do you mean that?”

“What?”

“Am I yours, Maggie Watson? Because my heart has belonged to you for longer than I care to admit, and I’d really like to call you mine.”

“Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”

“I’d get down on one knee and ask you to be my wife, but I don't think you’re ready for that yet.” My tone is teasing, but inside I’m completely serious. Resting my forehead against hers, I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and whisper, “Be my girlfriend. For real this time.”

She pulls her face into a pout. “Aww, but I kind of like the idea of you on your knees, begging me to be your girlfriend.”

“I don’t beg, but if you want me on my knees, all you have to do is ask.”

Her cheeks flush an adorable shade of pink as her fingers tug at my belt loops — I don't think she even realizes she’s doing it.

Trailing my nose along her neck, I sneak my tongue out to lick, then suck at her pulse point.

“Mmmm. You like me on my knees for you, don’t you, baby?

” Her chest heaves with each inhale. “Thinking about my mouth on that sweet pussy? We’d have to keep you quiet again, wouldn’t we?

” I pull back to meet her gaze, and I know we’re both thinking back to that first night in the alleyway.

But this isn’t the time or place. She hasn’t had time to process everything that came out today, and the next time I have her at my mercy, I want her to be clearheaded and certain she wants everything I have to offer.

So, reluctantly, I pull away and release her from my hold.

“Later. Right now, I want to hold my girlfriend in my arms while we watch a movie with our best friends.”

“Thanks for the whiplash.” With an eye roll, she pushes past me towards the house. “Asshole,” she grumbles , but I don’t miss the smile she’s trying to hide as she bites down on her bottom lip. I rush past, laying a slap on her ass, before holding the door open for her to pass.

“Fuck. Cade.” We both stop dead in our tracks as Paige’s moans float out through the screen door, and our plan for a quiet movie night flies right out the window.

“Come on, Wildcat. Let’s go home.”