The corners of his lips turned up, and Miles gave himself a mental pat on the back. He could still muster happiness for his friend despite what was certainly not envy at everyone’s successful happy coupling.
The American contingent made its way to his table.
“Greetings,” he said as Maggie pulled out the chair next to him. Griffin adjusted his kilt and took the seat on her other side. “Pink and green suits you, Mags.”
Maggie’s brows furrowed. “My dress is only green, Miles. Wait, did I spill something? I didn’t eat any—” She backhanded him on the shoulder. “You’re an asshole,” she said, and Miles chuckled.
“Don’t worry. No one other than Reed and me know you’re freshly f—”
“Jesus, Parker,” Griffin said. “Maybe you’d better slow down.” He nodded to the bottle in Miles’s hand. “And best friend or not, if I ever hear you say something like that to Maggie again…”
Miles held up his hands in surrender. “You’re right,” he said. “Shit, Maggie. I’m sorry.”
Noah and Jordan approached on Miles’s right, and it was then that he noticed Jordan was limping.
He eyed the other happy couple. “Do I even want to ask?”
Jordan giggled as Noah helped her into her seat.
“Nope,” she said, her smile permanently plastered to her face.
Miles slid his chair out and stood up.
“You know what, Reed? I think you’re wrong. I think I’m going too slow.”
He could make it through the night, but not if he had to sit in the middle of this…this circle of bliss.
He was barely to the bar when Maggie caught up with him, and he had to force himself to face her.
“Mags, I’m sorry. What I said—there was no excuse for that.”
She skimmed her fingertips along his hairline and then cupped his cheek, the touch so full of love that his breath hitched.
“How did I get lucky enough not to scare you off?” he asked.
Maggie smacked his arm again.
“Hey! I deserved the one at the table,” he said. “But what was that for?”
Maggie grabbed the almost empty Heineken from his hand and set it down on the bar.
“Because this isn’t you, Miles Parker. I’ve never seen this guy before. You want to know why I love you so much?” She paused and waited for him to nod, which he did, accepting his scolding. Relishing it, actually. Someone needed to be a dick to him for how much of a dick he was to Alex.
Okay, so Maggie wasn’t a dick, but she was lovingly pissed, and that was close enough.
“I love you because you have the biggest heart. Because you’re loyal. And because you helped teach me not to let my fear keep me from going after what I want.” She paused again, but this time he could tell she wasn’t waiting for anything from him. Her smile fell, and she started twirling a lock of her fiery hair. She was hesitating.
“Just say whatever you need to say, Mags. Nothing can sink me lower than I’ve already sunk.”
She rolled her eyes. “Great,” she said. “I’ll just be the nail in the coffin of your shit day, then? Excellent.”
He grabbed her hand and squeezed.
“Thought you had a grip on the fear,” he said. “More than I do on the drama, I guess.” He chuckled, and this seemed to encourage her.
“I’m leaving Minneapolis,” she said, squeezing his hand back, and Miles’s throat tightened.
“You’re going to D.C. with Griffin.”
She nodded, and he felt the ridiculous hot sting of tears. Christ, what was wrong with him? This was what he wanted for Maggie. This was what he told her she should do. But on some level he had hoped she wouldn’t. Because Maggie staying would be a reason for him to stay—a reason for him to ignore what was missing from his life by focusing on someone else’s.
“This is good news,” he said, and he watched her swipe at a tear.
“Then why do you look so sad?” she asked, and he bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. Then he groaned.
“Because I’m a sad excuse for a human right now. Because if you didn’t go with him, you’d end up like me. And as much as I’ll miss you, I would never want that for you.”
She wrapped him in a tight embrace, and he let out a shuddering breath as he squeezed her back. He knew when he let go that this would be the beginning of the end. Of all the people in his life, she was the closest thing to home. He’d been veering off course for years now. Without Maggie, he feared he’d be utterly lost. But that was not her burden to bear.
He pushed her from him, his hands firm on her shoulders.
“I’m happy for you, Mags. Do you get that? This is what I want for you.”
She pulled him close again.
“I love you, Miles.”
“I love you, too,” he said.
He didn’t want to know if she heard his voice crack on that pivotal word. It had been so easy to say it to her in the past. She was his closest friend, and he knew she would never leave. That was enough for him to hand over a little piece of his heart.
Little pieces could break, too. This wasn’t what surprised him, though. What caught him off guard was the realization that he wouldn’t have done it any differently. Things with Maggie would be different once she left. And yes, it would hurt like hell to say good-bye. But he would never give up the five years he spent letting her burrow into that tiny place in his heart. He wouldn’t trade the hurt for never knowing her at all.
“Shit,” he said.
Maggie pulled free of his embrace. “What?”
“Well, I’m twenty-six years old, and I think—maybe—I just fucking grew up.”
Maggie laughed. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
He shook his head, more at himself than anything.
“Would have been good if it happened before I royally fucked things up.”
Her grin only grew wider.
“Miles Parker…” Her voice took on a teasing lilt. “Are you falling for a boy you met on a plane?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “That’s crazy, right? I mean, not just the meeting-him-yesterday part. But he lives in Greece.”
Maggie nodded. “I can see where that might make things difficult. What are your plans after earning that PhD this spring?”
“Maggie…”
“Do you have a job lined up? I know you wanted to teach. At a university. I hear they have those here.”
He laughed. “I just basically told the guy to fuck off. I don’t think he’s asking me to move in anytime soon.”
Maggie raised a brow. “But if you tell him how you feel and that you’re all grown up now, and maybe bat those gorgeous baby blues, he might forgive you. You’ve got five months of school left. Who knows what could happen between now and then?”
He straightened his tie, then loosened it. Then he tore the fucking thing off.
“You’re cute when you’re falling for someone,” she said.
“Shut up. I’m a fucking mess. Are you going to be okay if I go? I need to find Alex. Does this look okay without the tie? Jesus, my palms are sweating.”
She stood on her toes and pecked him on the cheek.
“It’s okay. You’re actually adorable,” she added.
She pulled her small camera from her purse and snapped a picture of him before he could object.
“Here,” Maggie said. “So you remember the moment you decided to follow your heart.”
Miles grabbed the photo and then took in a deep breath.
“So I’m doing this?” he asked, and even though she nodded, he didn’t need her to answer. Maggie wasn’t responsible for his happiness. And neither was Alex, for that matter. He still had a lot to learn about taking a chance on it, but he was the only one responsible for that.
He kissed the top of her head.