Chapter 213

I don’t know what to say, especially not in front of the publicist, so I softly ask her if Miles and I can be alone for a minute.

Gladys, smiling, looks between the two of us. When Miles nods in agreement, she grabs her veggie slush drink and heads out of the office. Miles and I stand out of politeness as she leaves, but then sit right back down again on the couch where we were.

“What is it, Esther?” he asks me.

“Are you sure about this? We’ve kept everything a secret for so long… I’m not sure it feels right to move forward now, like this.”

“Are you frightened?” he asks.

“Yes,” I reply honestly. With all of my previous experiences, I’m so used to having the rug pulled out from under me at the last moment. I want to trust Miles, but what if that is what happens here?

That’s not the only reason I’m troubled. Miles publically aligning himself with me will undoubtedly be seen as an act of defiance against Edward, who will move to retaliate.

I would rather never go public than place Miles in that kind of danger.

Gathering my courage, I begin, “Edward will –”

“Edward isn’t a part of this,” Miles says firmly. “This is just about you and me.”

He doesn’t mean it unkindly. I know he just doesn’t want Edward to be included in this part of our lives. Unfortunately, while Edward remains in a position of power, he will always be a threat to us. In every move we make, his reaction needs to be considered – not just for the good of the campaign but also for our personal safety as well.

“Edward hangs over everything like a shadow,” I say. “Until he’s dealt with… I don’t know, Miles.”

“I’m not afraid of him,” Miles says.

I’m glad Miles wasn’t. Truly. But he also had a lot of reason to be. Edward Zimmer was a scary, powerful man.

“I am,” I say. “He won’t react well to this news, and he’ll try to hurt both of us. When we come forward, I will want it to be about only us, but I will worry about what he might do.”

Miles lifts his hands and cups my face, drawing my gaze up to his eyes. I didn’t realize that I glanced down, away from him. I’d been lost in my own misery for a moment there, spiraling.

“Esther,” he says, again in that reverent way that makes my heart sing. As joyful as I am at the tone, I’m still unprepared for the words that follow, “I love you. If you want to wait, we’ll wait. But I don’t care who knows it. I love you, and I would shout it from the mountaintops if I could.”

“You… love me?”

That can’t be right. Miles is too young, with too much ambition, to want to fall in love with a thirty-something former-housewife with two kids.

Yet, here he is, saying the words as plain as can be.

“I love you,” he says again, smiling softly. “Why does that surprise you? After everything we’ve been through and all that I’ve said?”

I guess he’s right. After everything we’ve done and survived and shared together, Miles loving me shouldn’t feel as epic as it does. It should be a give-in. Yet I’ve learned long ago never to take something like this for granted. Love doesn’t come easy, no matter what the songs say.

Tears well in my eyes as I remember my own personal struggles. I’m so used to love being withheld from me that I’d begun to suspect I simply wasn’t worthy of it.

Even over the past few weeks, with Miles’s love laid so prettily before me, I projected my own perceptions of my inability to be loved onto it. I didn’t believe Miles could be genuine, not truly because of his age or ambition, but because of me and the way I’ve never been truly, deeply, honestly loved before.

“Miles…”

Emotion overflows within my heart. There are so many things I want to say, to express – my gratitude, my own affections, explanations about why this has been so difficult for me to accept – yet in the moment, everything gets tangled up in my throat.

“Miles…”

My tears fall from my cheeks. Miles quickly wipes them away. Looking at me, he must be able to see that these are not tears of sadness, but rather, tears of slow acceptance and joy.

He leans in and kisses me, and from the softness and sweetness of that kiss, he tells me that he understands. That he accepts me and my complicated emotions.

That he loves me. For who I am. For who I was. For who I will be. And everything else in between.

I want to stay in this moment forever, but the unfortunate thing about perfect moments is, they can’t last forever.

My phone rings and we break apart. Not without another quick kiss from Miles though.

“I’m sorry,” I say, motioning to the phone I’ve pulled from my pocket. Hugo’s name is on the Caller ID.

Miles shakes his head, smile unwavering. “I plan on keeping you for the rest of my life. I can spare a few minutes.”

Heart full, I answer the phone. “Hello?”

“Esther, it’s Hugo. I just wanted to let you know that a last minute dropout has left an opening in our programing. We have room for an hour-long interview or press conference. I don’t mean to rush you, but it’s a good opportunity, if you and Miles were thinking about coming forward…”

I convey the message to Miles, who watches me like a hawk. “It’s up to you,” he says.

I want to say yes, especially after Miles’s love confession. Even my fear of Edward can’t hold a candle to the overwhelming joy I feel at this moment.

But. Thinking of Edward makes me realize that maybe it isn’t yet the appropriate time for Miles and me to come forward, not when there’s a story that’s much more important, that should probably come first.

“Hugo,” I say into the phone.

“Yes, Esther?”

“Have you asked Daphne? I know you might prefer a happier piece, but… it doesn’t feel right to come forward with Miles when her story hasn’t been told yet.”

“And your story,” Miles says.

“That, too,” I agree, though Daphne’s feels much more important, given that she is still Edward’s wife – at least until the divorce proceedings move forward.

“Daphne’s story is compelling,” Hugo says. “It wouldn’t take much to convince the executives to give her the time. If she’s ready for it.”

“I can’t speak for her,” I say. “But I know she wants Edward to pay. There’s no better way than through public condemnation. Let me call her and Mr. Geoffrey and get back to you.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Hugo says and hangs up.

Hurriedly, I call Daphne. “Esther?” I’m relieved that she sounds okay. After everything she’s been through, I’m never sure how she’s going to feel when I call. I should know by now that she’s too resilient to stay down for long.

After all this time, Edward hasn’t broken her spirit. That is never likely to change.

I tell her what’s happened, including the offer from Hugo.

Before I even finish, she says, “Hell yes. Let’s take that bastard down, Esther. For so long, he thought he held all the cards. Let’s show him how powerless he really is against the truth.”