Miles stilled, then a grin spread across his face. “I can help with that.”
I tried to admonish him, but the only thing that came out was a laugh. “Didn’t you just say something about wine?”
“Yeah, yeah. Let me get that, then I’ll text Alex and have a shower.” He paused and raised his eyebrows. “I don’t suppose you’ll join me?”
“If I haven’t had sex in two years, doing it standing up in a shower is just going to end up with me needing an x-ray. Also, this is me you’re talking to. I twisted my ankle in a puddle.”
“That is an excellent point. All right, then. I’ll just wander about in a towel until you can no longer resist me.”
“You think very highly of yourself, sir.”
“Someone has to.” He grinned and walked into the kitchen. He returned moments later with a glass of wine, kissed my forehead, and disappeared again.
I curled up in the corner of his sofa. It was desperately comfortable, and I would be quite happy to stay here all night. I took a sip of the wine and reached for my phone when it buzzed.
ADELAIDE: AUNT CAT SHAGGED THE BUTLER?
I really hated that turn of phrase.
It sounded so uncouth.
Shagged.
Ugh.
ME: How the hell do you know?
EVANGELINE: She showed up here asking Mum to help her.
Oh, Jesus.
ADELAIDE: She thought she was pregnant until we reminded her she’s already been through the menopause.
EVA: And when did you get a dog? You didn’t mention it.
Why was everyone obsessed with that bloody dog?
ME: Is the dog really important? Does it matter here? My house is in turmoil.
EVA: HOW WOULD YOU KNOW HUH YOU AREN’T THERE
ME: LEAVE ME OUT OF THIS
ADELAIDE: Do you have condoms this time or do you need one of us to run you a couple down?
ME: WHY DON’T YOU GO AWAY
ME: Harlots.
EVA: You’re the one in a man’s house. Did I help after all?
ME: If you think I’m giving you any credit after you pissed me off for the better part of a week with a misguided plan, you are sorely mistaken.
ADELAIDE: Muahaha. Told you so.
ME: Is Aunt Cat all right?
ADELAIDE: She’s fine. Mum’s feeding her and she’s going to stay here tonight, so you might want to have someone check the house is properly locked up.
ME: I will, thank you. Are you sure you don’t want me to come and get her?
EVA: No, she said you’re mad at her. She’s just upset. Best to let her stay for the night, I think, and get your dad home tomorrow.
ME: I agree. We’re trying to reach him now. We think he might be with Alex.
ADELAIDE: Let us know if he’s all right.
ME: I will. Thank you for looking after her… And that dog.
EVA: Alpaca.
ME: What now?
EVA: The dog. She’s called it Alpaca.
ME: Why would anyone call a dog Alpaca?
ADELAIDE: No idea, but honestly, we’re all too afraid to ask.
No kidding.
But seriously.
Alpaca?
“All right?” Miles asked, walking in.
He really was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Water dripped down his toned, tanned body, but I did have to have a slight chuckle at the tan lines on his arms.
He had a permanent t-shirt. A proper little farmer’s tan.
Not that it distracted entirely from the rest of his body.
I’d never seen him shirtless, and boy, was it worth the wait. Muscle, but not too much of it. Enough to see he had a physical job but also liked bread.
That was also my body type.
But more that I liked bread and was also physical.
“Are you done eating me alive?”
“Not really,” I admitted. “But if you don’t have condoms, I suppose I’ll have to stick to dinner.”
He grinned. “I have condoms. Depends how long you’re going to stay.” He walked over to me and leaned over, closing his mouth over mine. “Well?”
“Depends on when you want to get rid of me.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s never.” He took my glass and phone from my hands, set them down, then tugged my feet down so I was lying on the sofa. His body covered mine, and he kissed me as though he hadn’t done it for a thousand years.
“Watch it. I might think you really like me,” I murmured against his lips.
“I do,” he muttered back. “And I’m not giving up on you now, princess.”
“That works for me.” I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and kissed him. “I never did ask what made you follow me.”
“Really, now?” He looked down at me.
I nodded. “Now. Then I’ll stay all night and you can have your wicked way with me.”
“The least sexy thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Mm. Give it time. There’ll be something else.”
He chuckled and sat up. “My grandpa.”
“What? How?” I shuffled back and met his gaze.
“With everything, I wondered if I could make you happy. If anything I could give you would ever be enough.”
I opened my mouth to assure him it would be, but he pressed one finger to my lips.
“He told me that if I didn’t think I could then I had to let you go. And he was right about that, but he told me something else.” He slid his finger from my lips to cup my chin. “He told me that happy people aren’t happy by chance, that they go out and find happiness. That they search it out knowing it could go wrong. They make it for themselves.”
My lips tugged up.
“He told me that happy people take risks.”
“He sounds terribly wise,” I said softly, smiling.
“I’m not admitting anything,” he replied with a gentle laugh. “I… I was scared I couldn’t make you happy. That’s why I held back. Out of everything, the one thing I never want to do is disappoint you, but I realised that night I would never make you happy if I didn’t try.”
He was just a big softie, wasn’t he?
“So I invited you into my greenhouse and saw how happy it made you. Then you saw the dahlia, and that made you happy, so I gave it to you, and you were even happier after that. Then you pinched out bloody tomato suckers, and I’ve never seen anyone as happy to do that as you were.” Miles was laughing every word out. “And I realised then, when you were smiling over tomato suckers, that it was all worth it. All the risks that it wouldn’t work, however big they were or however many risks they were… You’re worth it all, Gabriella. Every single one.”
“I don’t care about all the things you think I do,” I replied. “I really don’t. Please trust me when I tell you that I would be just as happy in this cottage, with you, as I would be at Arrowwood Hall. And with all those things, all the things that made me happy, it wasn’t really that you let me in the greenhouse, or you gave me the flower, or you let me help with the tomato plants. It was you. Just you. Anytime you’re worried that you can’t make me happy, don’t be. You don’t need to do anything to make me happy. You just need to exist, Miles. That’s enough for me.”