“You mean the way I feel about Carrick?” I venture, thinking I get where he’s going with this.
“Yeah… I mean, the fate of the world is on your shoulders and our existence could be short-lived. Do you think that’s compounding your feelings in any way?”
“Myles,” I say, reaching out to cover his hand on my own. “I think it’s sweet the way you worry about me, but this thing with Carrick is—”
Swatting my hand away in annoyance, Myles leans in closer. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Finley… this isn’t about you. I’m happy for you and Carrick, even though I can’t stand him. I’m talking about Rainey and me.”
Frowning, I ask, “What about you and Rainey?”
“Well… I love her,” he says as if this is a monumental revelation.
I nod because this is something I’ve seen with my own eyes. “Uh-huh. And I’m guessing you don’t know how to tell her—”
“I’ve told her,” he hisses, truly perturbed now. “And she loves me. Are you caught up now?”
I’m shocked by his outburst, even though it never rises above a whisper because Myles is just the most mild-mannered guy in the world. Don’t get me wrong, he can be fiercely protective, but he lets most things roll off his back. The fact he’s angry for little reason causes me to lean toward him and gently say, “I’m listening. Tell me what’s going on.”
Myles lets out a sigh, rakes his hand through his hair, and then leans on one hip. He pulls a box out of his pocket, and I immediately know what it is. Glancing once more down to where Rainey is and determining it’s safe, he opens the box. Inside is a sweetly beautiful ring. It’s not huge by any means because Myles doesn’t make big bucks in IT, but it’s totally Rainey’s style.
Flipping the box closed after my glimpse and shoving it in his pocket, he says, “I just want to make sure that I’m not rushing things because of this sense of impending doom that our lives have been shortened and I don’t want to miss anything with Rainey.”
Myles is so earnest in his declaration that it brings tears to my eyes, which I have to blink back. “Myles… I love how deeply you love. And I love how you always want to do the right thing. Moreover, those are the things Rainey loves about you, along with a million more. Now, I personally take offense to the fact you think there’s impending doom, which shows you have little faith in me—”
A short bark of laughter pops out of Myles, which was my intended effect. Teasing him away from his worries.
“But I don’t think you should ever wait if you feel it deeply in your heart. You may only have today with Rainey, but you could have a lifetime, too. Neither one of those options should be a factor if you want to propose.”
“Really?” he asks, eyes wide with hope.
“Really,” I assure him.
“So, if Carrick asked you, would you say yes?”
My smile falters a bit. “He won’t ask. What we have isn’t like that.”
“But you said you thought you loved him,” he pointed out.
“I think I do,” I replied, then immediately correct myself. “No, I know I do, but it’s in this way I can’t describe. It feels like I’ve always loved him. I know that probably doesn’t make sense, but every day we’re together, I feel like I’m a part of something that I’m destined for.”
“Then why wouldn’t you marry him?” he asks.
I don’t want to voice the truth because it makes it all too real. That, in all actuality, I’m probably going to die when this is all said and done. And Carrick is going to ascend, so even if I don’t die, he’s not looking for a relationship.
Most of all, it just can’t work between an immortal and a mortal. That one is a complete no brainer.
The only thing I can really tell Myles is, “While I love him… and feel like he is mine in all ways, he’s only mine for a short while. This is something I know in my heart.”
Myles’s expression fills with sympathy, and he takes my hand. “Then I’m truly sorry for you, Finley, because I can’t imagine having Rainey only for a short time.”
“Yet another reason not to delay,” I point out.
“Delay what?” Rainey asks as she comes up behind us, and Myles and I jolt apart as if we’d been caught kissing.
But Rainey’s not watching us, rather walking with an open book while reading it. It seems she only caught that last little bit.
“Delay in getting some serious research done,” I say, slapping my hand on the table. “I’ve got so much to tell you guys, and we have a lot of work to do.”
That gets Rainey’s attention and her head lifts. She blinks as if just seeing me for the first time and grins. “You’re back.”