Leverage (Part Three)(13)

For a long moment he didn’t say anything and Julianna worried about what he might be thinking about her but when he spoke again, there was no judgment in his tone, only kindness. “How about this…let's just spend the day together as friends and leave all that other stuff behind for now. I'm not going to lie, I'm attracted to you. You’re beautiful, smart, witty — and I think you're going to be a wonderful mom. What's not to love about you? But I won’t stand in the way if Boston is who you want. I'll be your friend if that's what you need from me.”

“Really? Most guys don't want end up in the friend zone,” Julianna said, with a small wry smile. “Doesn't that bother you?”

“Sometimes the most enduring love stories spring from solid friendships,” he shared with the conspiratorial wink. “I haven't given up yet.”

She laughed. “You're incorrigible but I love that you don't give up easily. That’s a good quality in a man.”

Miles put the car into drive as he said, “Enough of this serious talk. There is a beach with our name on it and daylight is wasting. I've got the whole day without work and a beautiful woman by my side. Sounds like the beginnings of a great day to me.”

Julianna couldn't help but grin. Why couldn't she love Miles? Why did it have to be Boston? Without a doubt, Miles would make some lucky woman very happy. And in the short term, she supposed she could occupy that spot. Spending a day at the beach was exactly what the doctor ordered and she was going to enjoy it. But, Julianna knew that she was going to have to talk to Boston eventually. They needed to figure things out and that meant no more running.

But that wasn't today.

#

He'd seen the writing on the wall but he'd ignored his intuition. Julianna had all but admitted she was in love with Boston. Which meant her heart was closed to him. He’d landed in the Friend Zone. He should’ve known, should've listened to his gut. But he was here with her now and that was worth something. Boston thought he had Julianna no matter what because she carried his child but Miles wasn’t out of the game yet. Julianna's heart was hurting and what better way to show a woman there were better options than to actually be that option. He'd show her that Boston didn't have what it took to care for her emotionally like Miles did. “It's about a 30 minute drive to the beach,” he said. “But it's a really pretty drive.”

“It's a beautiful day. I don't mind. The weather here is crazy, though. It almost looked like it was going to rain. But I suppose that's pretty normal for the Caribbean.”

“Yes, it is. And the islanders rely on that rain for their freshwater. So we like those crazy rainstorms. However, I think the storm is going to pass us by today. It will probably hit St. Croix but the wind will push it past us.”

“I don't mind the rain. It's not a cold rain at all. It makes everything steamy and everything smells so good.”

“That it does. The ladies say it's great for the complexion, too.”

She regarded him curiously. “Do you think you’ll stay here, put down roots?”

He sighed. “I don't know. I came here to get away from a bad situation and then just never left. I might do what some people do and live here six months out of the year and spend the other six making money stateside. It’s a pretty good gig if you can get it.”

“Living in paradise,” she mused. “Sounds pretty amazing. But I don't know if I'd want to live here year-round. I kind of miss being home.” She grimaced. “And I can really do without those flying gnats that bite.”

He chuckled at her gnat reference. Those suckers were vicious. When he’d first moved here, he’d been eaten alive until he’d discovered some island secrets to keep them at bay. “So, do you miss your home or Boston's home?”

She paused, unsure of her own answer. “I guess that's what I need to figure out, huh?”

“Yeah, probably a good idea.”

Julianna fell silent and Miles didn't feel compelled to chatter, letting the road take over. As much as he told himself he needed to pull back, he really liked her and he wanted better for her than what she'd settled for. However, experience told him that he was bound to land on the losing end if he wasn't careful. After awhile Miles put on his tour guide hat and began sharing everything he’d learned about the island of St. John when he’d first moved there. She laughed at his little stories and they passed the drive in relative comfort. They arrived at a small rocky beach with a marina and climbed from the Jeep. “There's nowhere to lay a blanket,” she remarked with a frown. “Is this the beach you were talking about?”