2.8 | Miles Away

18 | eighteen

A / N

No, I haven't forgotten about this! The upside is that this is a longer chapter; but the downside is that this is a Darcy-oriented chapter. Still, it's utterly essential to the plot so I had to include it. You'll see.

Also, just out of plain curiosity—if you had to pick one, Callum or Miles?

x Noelle

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1 8

the one where Miles is awol

CHRISTMAS DAY ARRIVED in the blink of an eye.

It was a frigid morning, and I almost hadn't wanted to get out of bed. But Brielle had demanded that I show up for breakfast, with the promise of free food. The prospect of that was enough to make me brave the cold as I drove to Caffeinated.

I stepped into the diner and looked around. Caffeinated had been transformed into a veritable wonderland. Holly on the walls, tinsel along the counters, and even a vintage jukebox that played Christmas carols. Ever the businesswoman, Brielle had created a Christmas brunch special with her husband's help that seemed to only boost this diner's already high traffic.

A tiny smile finally stole across my lips as I looked around. A younger Darcy would've rushed to the jukebox to belt out of her favorite tunes. Instead, this older Darcy made a beeline for her usual booth. I passed Flo on the way, who had her tongue stuck down some guy's throat.

Rolling my eyes, I swatted at her to get out of my way. "Spreading festive cheer so early?"

Without even breaking away from the guy, Flo waved at me from over her shoulder and continued kissing him with gusto.

As I got to the corner booth, I found Brielle already in there, showing off her wedding photos to a group of riveted waiters. Carson, on the other hand, seemed content to merely lean against the back of her bench as he looked over her shoulder.

"And here was when we went skydiving," Brielle was saying as I came up. "My dear husband didn't dare to, but I conquered my fears like a brave warrior."

I snorted in mirth. Carson, who'd spotted me first, quirked a wry grin at me. I shot him a two-fingered salute by way of greeting, and settled down on the opposite bench. "Right," I deadpanned. "So that text I got at three a.m., where you were convinced that you were going to die and, I quote—thus bequeathed your dog and company to your husband, and your husband to me was...what? Brave warrior cries?"

Brielle merely sniffed. "So I get a little melodramatic at times."

"Excuse me," Carson cut in, his eyebrows raised. "You actually bequeathed me to Darcy?"

"I couldn't exactly bequeath you to Flo or, god forbid, my Mom!"

"No, I'm just wondering when I actually became one among many of your assets."

"Oh, darling," she said, smiling sweetly at him. "Your ass is quite worth a fortune, didn't you know?"

"Mm," chimed in one of the waitresses. "True that."

There were echoes of agreements, until Brielle turned an incredulous glare on them. "You've been staring at my husband's ass?"

"Better yet," Carson added mildly, "you've been staring at your boss's ass?"