Page 15 of Boarding Pass
“They’re worried I’ve fallen apart after my breakup, though it’s been months now. I guess they still treat me like I’m a teenager half the time,” I explain, laughing lightly. “Every decision I make is either a concern or a critique. Every visit turns into a long list of suggestions about what I should be doing with my life. They mean well, but…” I trail off, shrugging.
He nods, like he understands completely. “Parents are complicated.”
“What about yours?” I tilt my head, studying him.
He runs his finger along the stem of his glass. “They’re also great,” he says conclusively. “But, yeah. Complicated. My dad was a professional hockey player—he’s a force. Big, loud, larger than life. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but I never cared about sports the way he does.”
“Never?” I’m not surprised, but when a parent wants you to do something it’s not always your choice.
“Well, I didn’t hate it.” He shakes his head slightly. “I preferred staying inside, glued to a screen, designing worlds and playing games. My mom leftme alone—she was busy with Shay and her beauty pageants—but my dad…” He pauses, his smile turning faintly self-deprecating. “Let’s just say we didn’t have a lot in common. Snowboarding was the closest I got to something he could relate to.”
“And your sister?” I’m curious about his twin.
“Shay.” His voice softens. “She’s…incredible. She’s been through the wringer and remains tough as hell. The thing is, when her epilepsy started getting bad in high school, all the family focus shifted to her. My parents hovered, worried, made everything about keeping her safe. I get it, but I kind of slipped through the cracks.”
I continue to watch the way his fingers trace the edge of his glass. The way his voice tightens as he speaks. “Was it hard to be overlooked?”
“It was.” He leans back. “At the same time, it also gave me room to figure things out on my own. And Austin—my best friend—kind of filled the gaps. We’d been gaming together forever and it led to us designing and dreaming up what eventually became Hungry Llama. We’ve been each other’s anchor for nearly twenty years.”
“And now?” I sense a slight hint of melancholy and I hate it.
“Well.”He shrugs. “Now he’s engaged to Shay. Our company’s been sold, and…I don’t know. Everything I built my life around has moved on except for me. I’m notexactlysad. I’m convinced the future holds something amazing. I just don’t know what it is yet.”
Wow. I can’t even formulate a response. I feel a slight pang of doubt. Have I stepped into something bigger than I realized? Something I might not know how to handle?
Before I can dwell on it, the waiter returns with the check. Miles grabs his wallet before I can argue.
Outside, on the way back to the hotel, the air is cool and sweet, carrying the faint scent of flowers from the nearby park. The street lamps cast long shadows across the cobblestones. It feels like Miles and I have walked together like this for years and all my trepidation from a few moments ago disappears.
I don’t want this to end.
The words tumble out before I can think them through. “You could come with me.”
“To Bordeaux?” He stops in his tracks.
I nod a hair too vigorously. My cheeks heat up too. “It’s beautiful in the spring,” I blurt out. “And you don’t have any plans, do you? It wouldn’t be…weird, would it?”
“Weird,no. Bold, maybe.” His lips twitch, like he’s trying not to smile.
I wince. “Bold in a bad way?” I press, second-guessing myself.
“Sophie.” He wraps his arms around me and presses a kiss to my forehead. “It’s bold in the best way. But are you positive? I mean. Bordeaux. Your family. Me. You’ve known me for twenty-four hours. What will they think?”
“You wouldn’thaveto meet them.“ I wave my hand like I can erase the implication. “Unless you wanted to. I mean, I wouldn’t…forceanything. It’s just…“ I take a breath to steady myself before meeting his gaze. “I don’t want this to end tomorrow. Not yet.”
He studies me for a long moment. I can feel my stomach twisting as I wait for his response.
“Neither do I.” He kisses my on the lips this time and the knot in my chest begins to loosen.
I pretend to pick a piece of lint off his jacket. “So…we’ll figure it out?”
“We’ll figure it out,” he agrees. “I’ll book a hotel. Make some separate plans so you have quality time with them. Whatever makes you comfortable. But I’m in.”
Relief floods through me. “You’re in? Are you some sort of masochist?”
“Apparently.” He throws his head back and laughs with his whole being.
Holy shit. He’s coming with me to Bordeaux.
