Natalie |Beyond Heights|

|Sixteen|

"Natalie, I gathered several pictures of Miles when he was a little boy. He was so adorable and has grown into such a handsome man, if I do say so myself." She announced at the dinner table, handing me a thick envelope.

She made a delicious roast pork loin with potatoes. Miles was grinning and shaking his head at his mama's compliments.

"I wholeheartedly agree about his handsomeness. Thank you for getting the pictures together for me. It will be fun drawing him. He will always be in front of me, even though I'm far away." I met Miles' eyes and tested the waters by my statement.

He stared back at me, as if we were the only two people at the table. "Thank you," he spoke softly and had a slight blush.

Amelia stood. "Why don't you two go in the great room. I'll bring dessert in to you." She shooed us away from the dining room.

Miles chuckled under his breath. He knew what his mother was up to. He slid from his chair and held mine out for me. We strolled side by side into the great room. I stole a glance at him from the side of my eye.

He held out his hand toward the couch for me to have a seat. He sat down right next to me. "I guess this is our last time seeing each other in person. These two days went by in the blink of an eye." I could hear the melancholy in his voice.

"Don't make it so final. I hope we'll see each other again. You're the new face of Miles the Adventurer. I'd love you to come to Seattle and meet my publishing family." I slipped that in quickly, while I had the nerve. I was hoping he'd join me for a book signing or two.

He considered my statement. "That would be interesting. I never thought of that. I just think long distance relationships are difficult to maintain." He was honest.

I placed my hand on his. "Do you consider us as having a relationship?" I was extremely curious.

"I really don't know, Natalie." He stared blankly. My heart dropped from my ribcage and fell to the pit of my stomach. His response gave me no hope for us.

"When you figure it out, you can let me know," I leaned in, speaking in hushed tones close to his ear. Tears started pricking my eyes like a sewing needle, and I willed them to stay put. His mother entered the room with two plates of dessert. She darted her head back and forth between us, as if we were playing ping pong.

"I made Miles' favorite dessert, peach-cobbler. I heard you make the best chocolate chip cookies Natalie. Your mom said you would give me the recipe. My son loves desserts." Amelia could feel the chill that was now between me and Miles. She was trying to break the ice. But it was frozen solid.

I swept my eyelashes up at her. "Thank you, but I don't have room for dessert. It looks delicious. I'll send the chocolate chip cookie recipe to you. You've been so hospitable this evening. I think I'm going to go home and pack. I have an early flight tomorrow." I bounced up from the sofa, gave her a tight squeeze and a kiss on her cheek. I love Amelia. She looked just as upset as I felt.

"Goodnight Natalie. I refuse to say goodbye, because I know we'll see each other again." She held on to me extra tight, giving me a mama hug.

Miles rose to his feet. "I'll walk you to the door Natalie." He raked his hands through his dark chocolate brown hair, that was freshly cut. He looked so dapper tonight.

"Have a safe trip back home. We will miss you darlin. I was just getting to know you. Miles was just getting to know you." She paused and met his gaze. She communicated with him silently. Her look spoke volumes.

Mr. Pennington entered the great room. "Are you leaving already Natalie?" He looked confused.

I shook my head. "I need to get going. I'm tired and my flight leaves in the morning."

He held out his arms. "Well, at least let me give you a hug. I enjoyed getting to know Nicole's twin sister. You are a beautiful, amazing, and a talented young woman.

"Miles realizes that too," he whispered and gave me a mischievous wink that made me smile. Beau is a man of few words, so when he speaks we all listen. What he said meant a lot to me.

I walked alongside Miles, not knowing what to say. Neither of us spoke. We approached the foyer and Miles turned to face me. He raised his hand, putting a lock of my dark curly hair behind my ear. He inched closer to me, closing the distance and he smelled incredible. His eyes looked almost midnight blue, as I could tell he contemplated his words.

He cupped my cheek in his hand gently. "I will miss you Natalie. To answer your earlier question, I do think we had the beginnings of a relationship-unlike I've ever had before."

Why did it feel like a but. . . was coming?

I started to make a response and he put a finger to my lips, cutting me off. I actually felt shivers. Miles, was beyond what I imagined when I first met him last year. He is such a gentleman and transfixes my thoughts.

He leaned his forehead against mine. "I think we should be friends, we'll be living so far apart. We can call each other, FaceTime, and text. I want to know how your new book is doing." He smiled breathtakingly.

I held my tears back at the crinkled corners of my eyes. He held my waist, kissed my cheek, and hugged me tight. I didn't ever want to leave him or his embrace, but I knew it was time to go in so many ways.

"Natalie you forgot-" Mrs. Pennington halted and froze mid-sentence. I'm sure she was disappointed that Miles was letting me walk away.

She cleared her throat and coughed for an extra measure. She was holding my cellphone. I must have forgotten it on the sofa.

"I'm so happy to have stumbled upon you two here in the foyer. I normally don't interfere with my sons and their girlfriends, just so you know, Natalie." She put her hand up covering the side of her face from Miles, and winked at me.

I adore Amelia. She has embraced my sister and me. I will miss her.

"I hope that Natalie is your girlfriend, Miles." His mother waited with baited breath. She put her hand over her heart and I mirrored her action. I was in eager anticipation of his answer.

"Natalie is my friend. We were just saying goodbye." He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it. I thought girlfriend was now the singular worst word in the entire English language. . .especially, because I was the friend of Miles Pennington. I guess Jenna will pick up where I left off. His mama held my phone with her arms wide open. I ran into her embrace. She has always been so sweet to me, since the first day we met.

*****

"Nat, would you like something to drink?" Logan tapped my shoulder. I was remembering all of this weeks events. We are in the air on a flight back to Seattle.

"No thank you." I shook my head from side to side as the flight attendant leaned toward Logan. She placed a can of soda, a cup with ice, and a small bag of pretzels on his upright tray.

"You were a million miles away for most of the trip. I figured you had a lot on your mind with so many new developments to process." Logan observed, crunching on a pretzel.

I gave his hand a light squeeze. "You can say that again. I can't believe it's Friday already. I was just thinking back to the book signing, and my gift manuscript of Liliana Meets Miles the Adventurer that I gave to Miles."

"I had an incredible experience at lunch with Nicole and my father, Lucas. Then, dinner last night at The Penningtons, where I officially became Miles' friend. He came to Nicole's house this morning on his Harley. Now we're exploring a long distance romance," I breathed a delighted sigh.

This has been one unanticipated journey.

*****

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