You, Me, and Forever (Blushing)

We’d arrived in New York a few hours ago, and a car waited on the runway for us. Myles St. James sure knew how to travel in style. I’d been flustered the entire flight because the man teased me relentlessly about joining the mile-high club.

I’d always laughed at the concept. I had a memory of a flight that Phillip and I were on a year and a half ago, when we flew to Hawaii for a wedding for one of his fraternity brothers. He’d gone on and on about how his friend Carl had made the mile-high club with his then fiancée. Phillip thought it was ludicrous to cram into the small space with your partner. He’d made the comment that he would be more content with just himself and his hand.

I should’ve been offended.

But the truth was, I had no desire to cram into a small space with Phillip Moon as he panted in my ear and chased his own pleasure.

In that moment, I remember thinking that my middle seat in coach and my bag of nuts were way more appealing.

But I’d be willing to cram into a small space and stand barefoot on a floor covered in up-facing nails if it meant I could have sex with Myles St. James.

That’s how attracted to him I was.

And it also terrified me, because I liked him.

I liked him a lot.

Every time I thought about him leaving Blushing, my chest squeezed.

I was getting attached to a man whom I’d probably see once a year, when he popped into our small town to check on his gargantuan hotel.

I pushed the thought away as I applied eye shadow to my lids. He’d given me my own room at his stunning penthouse apartment in the middle of Manhattan, but he’d followed the offer by telling me he liked sleeping with me last night, and he’d be pleased if I slept in his bed again.

No strings attached.

But my internal heartstrings were attaching like jellyfish tentacles to a human foot.

All needy and desperate.

I sighed before putting on a coat of mascara. I was meeting Myles’s family tonight, and he’d basically prepared me for the worst possible experience one could conjure up.

I took one last look in the mirror and ran my hands down my black cocktail dress, turning to see the way it hugged my ass perfectly. I slipped on a pair of red Manolo Blahniks, my big splurge when the Blushing Bride was mentioned in Cosmopolitan magazine last year.

My hair fell in loose waves over my shoulders, and I slipped on a few gold bracelets and grabbed my gold sparkly clutch before stepping out of the guest bedroom.

There was classical music playing in the living room, and Myles stood behind the bar as his eyes scanned me from head to toe. I didn’t squirm or call him out, because I liked it.

I liked when his eyes were on me.

And they usually were when we were in the same room.

“Wow. You look stunning.”

“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself, Moneybags.” I sauntered over to the bar and took the glass of chardonnay that he held out for me. He wore a black suit with a black dress shirt, and he looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine.

The views from his apartment were magnificent.

I moved to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the wall in his living room, taking in all the people moving quickly up and down the street below. Cars honked, and a siren blasted in the distance.

“It’s different here, huh?” he asked as he stood beside me and sipped his wine.

“Yeah. You’re definitely not going to run into a moose or a porcupine.”

He laughed. “Yeah. It’s high energy, and there’s always shit going on around you.”

“Do you like living in the city?” I asked him, putting the glass to my lips and then groaning as the fruity flavors flooded my senses.

“I do most of the time. It’s all I know, though, because I grew up here. But I’m not going to lie—I’ve enjoyed being away. I haven’t missed it, which has surprised me. I get a lot of work done in Blushing because it’s always fucking daytime, so my inner achiever enjoys the longer hours.” He chuckled.

“Yep. All of my weddings take place during the summer months, and during the winter, wedding season is pretty slow.”

“You don’t say? People don’t want to get hitched when it’s pitch black outside?”

“Nope. But that’s when I find new ideas and focus on the marketing and all the business stuff that I can’t deal with when we’re busy.”

“That makes sense.” His phone vibrated, and he glanced at it. “All right, the car is downstairs. Let’s go.”

The drive to the restaurant was brief, and Myles reminded me several times not to be offended by his father.

“Relax. I’m fine. I’m here to support you. Don’t worry about me.”

The look he gave me had my chest squeezing.

I do worry about you.

Once we arrived, Myles hurried out of the car and opened my door. His parents had rented out a super-swanky restaurant in the city, and they were having all their closest friends join them in this celebration.

When we stepped inside, I gasped. Crystal chandeliers hung above throughout the grand space. The lighting was dim and romantic, and there were white floral arrangements on every table. There had to be over a hundred people here, and I guess I hadn’t expected this intimate dinner to be this large.

Jazz music piped through the surround sound, and candles were lit on every table.

Myles’s hand found mine as our fingers interlocked. I smiled up at him, and he winked.

The man had more swagger than any one person should be allowed.

“Myles, it’s about fucking time.” A man who resembled him pulled him in for a hug before turning to me. “Hey, you must be Montana. I’m Samuel, this guy’s brother.”

I was surprised he knew I was coming, as it was a very last-minute trip.

I reached for his hand and shook. “It’s lovely to meet you, Samuel. I’ve heard lots about you.”

He raised a brow, pausing when a server came over with a tray covered in champagne flutes, and he helped himself to a glass as Myles took one for each of us.

“Wow. Talking about the family, is he? Lucky for me, I’m his favorite.” Samuel chuckled. “I’ve heard a lot about you as well. You started your own business, and you’re dominating the wedding industry in Alaska, from what I’ve heard.”

Myles had told his brother about me?

My heart raced at the fact that Myles had even mentioned my existence.

“He’s being a bit generous. I’m only in Blushing. But thank you.” I sipped my champagne, and this definitely wasn’t the kind of cheap bubbly that I once threw up from in college when Violet and I drank a whole bottle on our own. This was delicious.

“Where is Brianna?” Myles asked.

“She’s, er, not coming tonight. Long story. I’ll fill you in later.”

Myles had told me that his brother had a longtime girlfriend, and they were ridiculously in love. I was surprised that she wasn’t here.

“I hope she’s all right.” Myles paused and studied his brother, who made it clear he wasn’t going to say more at this time. “How’s it going here so far?”

“I mean, it’s a celebration, right?” Samuel smirked. “Dad invited Wendy and Caleb, and Mom seems fine with it. She invited Gino, so I guess that’s payback.”

Myles turned to look at me, keeping his voice low. “Gino is my mother’s trainer, and Samuel insists they are having a . . .” He paused and waited for his brother to chime in.

“They’re having an ‘emotional affair.’ They’re together every day, but my mother is too much of a rule follower to do anything about it while she’s married.” Samuel sighed and shook his head.

My eyes widened, but I tried to act unaffected, which made them both laugh.

“You’re wondering why they would throw an elaborate anniversary party, and then bring their own dates?” Samuel asked over his laughter.

I shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “Hey. Not my place to judge. I’m just happy to be here.”

Samuel studied me before turning to his brother. “Shall we get this part over with?”

Myles kept his hand in mine as we made our way through the elaborate space. He paused and introduced me to several people, bragging about my wedding planner business and singing my praises.

It was a bit ridiculous.

I was a small-town wedding planner. It wasn’t that I thought the Blushing Bride wasn’t fabulous, but I certainly wasn’t known outside of Blushing, Alaska. This man was a freaking real estate tycoon all over the country. His father and brother were brain surgeons.

Nevertheless, he was making an effort to make me feel comfortable, and it was sweet. Because I’d come here to support him.

He’d saved me last night during a very uncomfortable situation with Phillip, and I wanted to offer him the same in return.

His grip tightened around my hand as we approached a man and a woman who were staring at us. Samuel strode up beside us, and I assumed he was sticking close to his brother for moral support.

“Look who made it,” the man said. He was tall, but Myles had about an inch on him. His salt-and-pepper hair worked for him, giving him that stately, handsome appearance. “I figured you’d be off playing with LEGOs and miss the party.”

“Ignore your father,” the gorgeous woman beside him said. I assumed she was his mother. She had the same green eyes as Myles, and her dark hair was pulled back into a sleek chignon. She wore a peach-covered satin gown that flowed to the floor. “He just likes to give you a hard time. I’m Myles’s and Samuel’s mother, Sophia. You must be Montana. You’re absolutely stunning.”

She startled me when she pulled me in for a hug.

“It’s so lovely to meet you. Thank you for letting me join in on the celebration.”

She squeezed my hands and smiled before stepping back.

“Montana, is it?” Myles’s father turned his attention to me, and there was something very condescending in his gaze. I immediately stiffened as he sneered in my direction. “That’s an interesting name. I’m Dr. Winston St. James.”

I nodded, taking his hand briefly and giving it a curt shake.

This man was giving off devil in an Armani suit vibes.

“Nice to meet you, Dr. St. James.”

“So, Montana,” Sophia said, “my son tells me you have this booming wedding business. I can only imagine how fun it must be to plan the most special day in the lives of your clients for a living.” She sipped her champagne. “I wish my boys would consider walking down the aisle. I’d like to have some grandkids one day.”

Samuel smiled. “I’m working on it.”

Myles rolled his eyes, but it was Winston who caught my attention.

“Kids aren’t easy,” he said. “You give them every opportunity, you offer them the best education, and they still throw it all away.”

Wow. Myles wasn’t kidding. I assumed that since it was a party, the topic wouldn’t come up. But he’d barely waited five minutes before he’d sunk his teeth into his son.

“Nice segue, Dad.” Myles cleared his throat. “I do have a degree, and I do use it daily. Just because I’m not staring inside someone’s skull does not mean I’m not doing good work.”

“It absolutely means that. How is building a hotel in some hokey little town with ignorant, uneducated fools and a population of a hundred doing good work?”

No. He. Didn’t.

I was fine biting my lip most of the time. But this was not one of those times.

Sophia hissed at her husband just as the words left my mouth.

“Obviously you’ve never been to Blushing, because we have a population of nine thousand two hundred and seventy-seven people who live there. The majority of the kids who have grown up there do go away for college, but they return because they love the people and the beauty that surrounds us. I’ve never had anyone refer to the people that live there as ‘ignorant’ or ‘uneducated,’ so I’m not quite sure where you’re doing your research, but you might want to do some fact-checking before you make a statement like that.”

Samuel laughed, and Myles stepped closer to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, almost as if he was attempting to shield me.noveldrama

But I didn’t need shielding from this small-minded asshole.

His words didn’t hurt me. They angered me.

And my chest squeezed at the thought of Myles growing up with this man.

“Are you fucking drunk?” Myles snarled. “How dare you insult my date. Pull your shit together, Dad. People are watching.”

“Your date? Well, buckle up, Myles, because Gigi Wellington is making her way over here, and I think she thought she’d be your date this evening.”

“Why the fuck is Gigi here?” Myles spewed, glancing over his shoulder and making no effort to hide his irritation.

“I just found out that your father invited her a few minutes ago,” Sophia said, giving her son an apologetic look.

“I can run interference with Gigi,” Samuel said, clapping Myles on the shoulder. “She’s a gold-digging narcissist, so you definitely owe me one.”

Myles didn’t take his eyes from his father. “You’re an asshole.”

“Yes. We’ve established that many times.” He smirked. “Ahhh . . . here she is. Gigi, so nice of you to join us tonight.”

I turned to see a tall blond woman wearing a red body-hugging dress with cutouts everywhere I looked. There was very little left to the imagination, but she had a rocking body, and she owned it. Her breasts were barely contained, and she moved toward Myles as his arm left my shoulder and he gave her a quick hug.

“I was hoping you’d be here,” she purred, and I just stared at her, waiting to be acknowledged, as he placed his arm around my waist and tugged me close.

“I was not expecting to see you here, Gigi.”

“Well, your father called this morning, and he said you’d be here and that he was certain you’d want to see me.”

I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but it was definitely awkward.

I had no claim over Myles St. James, but this woman was coming on strong, and it was pissing me off that she wouldn’t acknowledge me as I stood beside him.

“Gigi Wellington, this is Montana Kingsley,” Myles said, taking my hand in his and smiling at me.

I extended my free hand, and she sneered at me. “Montana? That’s your name? Someone actually put that on a birth certificate?”

Montana was actually not an uncommon name. Her name was less common than mine.

Glass houses, Gigi.

“Yes. Someone did put it on my birth certificate. My mother actually chose it before she ran off and abandoned me to be with her new family.” I tilted my head to the side and chuckled. “But I’m okay, because I’ve got the hottest date in the room on my arm. Don’t you agree, Gigi?”

A wide grin spread across Samuel’s face, and Winston and Gigi both gaped at me. Sophia just smiled as if we were discussing the weather.

But it was Myles who caught me by surprise. He was looking down at me with so much adoration it nearly took my breath away.

“I don’t know about that, Honey Badger. I’m certain that I have the hottest date in the room.”

And then he leaned down and did the most unexpected thing.

He kissed me.