Nola Scott

After a full day at my house, I decided to leave.

The news had broken around the house - by Dad - that Miles was Ryle's son. All my siblings knew about Ryle and who he was to mom. Maybe not in the way I know but they knew about him. Mom was really upset for the rest of the day. Dad ordered takeout for all of us but everyone ate in their respective rooms.

Kayce and Brooks tried to cheer me up because I felt horrible that Mom was feeling down. It didn't help at all. The next morning, I decided to leave. Maybe Mom would come out of her room if I was gone. Back in Los Angeles, I told Em about everything. She was in complete shock but felt bad for Miles too. He was in my thoughts these past couple of days.

We hadn't seen each other once since Oak Hill and it was breaking my heart. He was busy most days so I tried to distract myself too by going to skate with Em at our old gym. It would distract me for the time being but once I was back home, my mind was all over the place.

Dad was way too hard on Miles about this whole thing.

It broke my heart to hear Dad correct Miles when he called him by his first name. Dad liked Miles. I know he did. If he didn't, he would never give him permission to call him and my mom by their first names. Once the Ryle bomb was dropped, he rebuked it so quickly.

Then to come in and compare our relationship to Ryle and mom's? That wasn't fair at all. But I won't lie, I regret some of the things I said too. I can tell that I hurt Dad's feelings when I said that me and Miles are together because Mom and Ryle couldn't end up together. It was in the heat of the moment because he was coming for Miles.

My relationship with Miles has nothing to do with Mom's past relationship. Do I think it's strangely tied together, yes, in a way. That's just because of our parent's past though. In no world do I think my mom wasn't supposed to end up with my dad. He's her soulmate. I was lucky enough to have them be my parents and learn their love growing up. When I look for someone who I'd want to be my life partner, I always compare them to my dad.

Not only is he an amazing father but he's an amazing husband. He and Mom have gone through so much together and their love always rises above anything else. He lifts her up when she's down. He doesn't give up on her when she starts giving up on herself. He treats her like the only woman in the world. There isn't a day that goes by where he doesn't remind her how beautiful she is.

So yeah, my parents are destined for each other. It wasn't fair what I said to Dad at all.

My dad has always been the most important man in my life. Never did I ever think I'd defend another man over my dad. Until yesterday obviously. Even though I happened to be in the wrong by saying the things I said.

It struck me in the chest then. Miles was special to me. Seeing him upset shattered my heart into a million pieces. I started crying so much when he was about to leave because it felt like once he walked through those doors, I'd never see him again. A life without Miles is unimaginable to me at this point. Losing him forever would crush me.

It's been four days since then and we've barely spoken. I'm giving him some space while taking my own. Not being around him is hard but if this is what he needs, then I'll give it to him. He'll talk to me whenever he's ready.

I hope.

***

Miles Dempsey

The best thing for me to do these past couple of days was keep myself busy. Not only was my schedule jam-packed, but I also took the time to visit the gym in my free time. I take a little bit of time off after the season ends but working out tends to relieve a lot of my stress. There were days when I'd go see my parents too. Hang out with friends some days. It was all a distraction to get my mind off one situation.

I did my best to get Nola's parents to like me. They questioned my intentions with their daughter and I had to work to get them to understand I had no ill intention with her. Not only that, but I got to know them as well throughout that time. Nola showed me her family the way she sees them every day. It was special to me.

I've never felt so included in someone else's family.

Mr. Scott might have still been a little cautious about me but I can tell he trusted me with his daughter. Mrs. Scott was just the nicest woman I've ever met. She was happy for Nola and I. There was no doubt in my head that one day, it would all be better than it is today. I'd have a closer relationship with both her parents, her siblings, and maybe even her extended family.

But one confession ruined everything I had imagined.

Things went south so quickly that it rattled my brain. A couple of days ago, I was on top of the world. Not so much anymore. Winning the Stanley Cup Championship has brought me a lot but none of that matters without her. The girl I want to share all of it with. Nola and I are still together but the words her dad spat out hurt me.

Just because my birth father hurt his wife in the past, he thinks I'm going to do the same to his daughter. Another man's image reflects on mine. I can't blame him though. I won't. Every time he sees me now, he'll think about Ryle. The same goes for Mrs. Scott. Sadly, this isn't what I wanted to happen but here we are.

I'm an overthinker. My brain processes too much information at once. Especially when I have a free day like today. Deciding I want nothing more than for my brain to shut the hell up, I get out of bed for the first time today. It's still early in the morning but I've been up for about two hours now.

The moment my feet hit the ground, my phone rang with a message. Assuming it's Nola, I grab my phone. To my surprise, it's not Nola. But it is a Scott.

Brynn Scott: Hey, Miles. It's been a couple of days, how are you? Want to catch some brunch with Cgc and me? We're in town!! We'd love to have you join if you're able.

I'm in disbelief. I never thought I'd hear from them again. My brain reads the message over and over again. It's not like I had any plans for the day but now my anxiety is at an all-time high again. My fingers hover over my keyboard for a couple of seconds.

Miles: I'm doing alright, Mrs. Scott. I'm free. Where should I meet you two?

A message bubble pops up quickly after my message is sent.

Brynn Scott: Blu Jam Cafe! See you soon.

I release a long breath, setting my phone down. The last thing I thought I was going to do today was go have brunch with Nola's parents. She hasn't texted me today but it's still quite early so maybe she's asleep. Deciding not to bother her now, I get ready for the day instead. It's summer now meaning it's hot as fuck in Los Angeles.

Dressing casually, I sport shorts, a t-shirt, Nike dunks, my favorite LA Dodgers cap, and my everyday sunglasses. Blu Jam is about thirty minutes away from me and since it's Sunday, traffic isn't all that bad. The small cafe also doesn't hold too many people and it's easy to spot Nola's parents when I arrive. Mrs. Scott notices me first and she smiles and waves at me, standing when I get to the table.

"Hiii," she cheers, pulling me in for a small hug. Again, her actions shock me. "Sit, sit." When we pull away, I make eye contact with Mr. Scott. "Miles." He reaches a hand over the table and I shake it. "We got you a mimosa, hope you don't mind," Mrs. Scott says, pushing the champagne glass in my direction. "Thank you," I tell her, picking it up to take a sip.

My face contorts slightly. It's mostly champagne. I'm intimidated again sitting in front of them. The reason they invited me to brunch is absent in my brain. I don't miss the way Mrs. Scott stares at me intently like she's trying to find Ryle within my features. She smiles a little bit. "Thanks for coming, Miles. My husband and I thought it'd be good for us to talk to you again after the events a couple of days ago."

Her face flushes slightly like Nola's does when she's shy or nervous. "I'm sorry for my reaction to that. I was just... it was a lot to process. You know Ryle as my ex-boyfriend but he was also my best friend. When I lost him, I thought he was gone forever. Even after he betrayed me, I held a lot of love for him. He was a really great person, Miles."

She shakes her head. "The eighteen-year-old who was hurt that her boyfriend left her for another woman came out. I never meant to talk like that about your birth mother. Beth."

Her words sit with me. I believe every word.
Her reaction was valid.

"It just really shocked me. They were only together for a short time and well obviously Beth never said anything about her pregnancy. I didn't know. The Graysons sure as heck don't know." Mrs. Scott scoffs into a chuckle. "I haven't talked to them in years, sadly. But Miles, they would be elated to meet you. Did Bethany tell you anything about them?"

I nod. "She did and said the same thing actually. I was already thinking about meeting them, just wanted to talk to you about it first. Nola and I thought you should know first just because you also had a tie to him," I tell her.

The waitress comes to take our order quickly. When she's gone, Mrs. Scott smiles back at me. "Thank you but... yes. They're an amazing family. Again, I don't hold any grudges against Beth. I'm sure she had her reasons not to tell anyone about you. You're Ryle's son so I'm thankful that you were able to find a family who loves you. Your mom and dad are great people. Chloe and Nash, I mean."

Her words instill a calmness in me. She might have her reasons but I'm glad Mrs. Scott doesn't not like my birth mother. She also praised my parents which makes me happy. "Thanks, Mrs. Scott. I don't want you to look at me differently now that you know I'm Ryle's son though. I'm still just the guy you met. Your daughter's boyfriend," I tell her.

She smiles. "Of course. But, you are part of Ryle which means... I care a lot about you. The negative things that he did to me don't matter. You're your own person, I know that. Don't think I'll look at you in a bad way because of what he did," she assures me. "Now I know why you looked so familiar."

We both laugh at that. "Excuse me, I'm gonna use the bathroom," Mrs. Scott slides out of the booth. Mr. Scott who hasn't said a word sighs once she leaves. "Look, Miles. I'm saying this now since my wife left. I have too much goddamn pride to let her listen. The reason I took my anger out on you was because Ryle was mentioned. I don't hate the guy. I didn't even know him." He pauses, taking a sip of his mimosa.

"He affected my wife's life at one point and during the start of my relationship with her, I questioned if she would ever feel the same way about me that she did about him. It fucked with my head for months. When you really love a woman, it's hard to think about her with another man. Especially in our case, it was different. He wasn't alive so she probably thought about him all the time," he explains.

"Like she said, it brought up her eighteen-year-old self. Well, her eighteen-year-old self brought up my jealous twenty-two-year-old self. What I said to you and Nola after my wife left wasn't fair either. He's your blood but you weren't raised by him. You're your own person. Not considering Ryle, I hope you'd never hurt my daughter. You've told me you wouldn't," he insists. "And I won't, sir. Thank you for apologizing. I've been worried I messed things up with you and Mrs. Scott."

He shakes his head. "No. Emotions were running high. I apologize. I should probably apologize to my daughter too. It's not fun seeing her upset." I can see he feels bad for making his daughter feel a certain way. "We should talk to Nola," Mrs. Scott adds, sitting back down next to her husband. "We can swing by after brunch, I'll ask if she's home," I tell them and they both agree.

Miles: Hey. Are you home?

I set my phone down on the table again and our food arrives a while afterward. The food was tasty but all I'm glad about is the fact that everything is okay again. Nola's parents are strong people. Especially Mrs. Scott. She shared with me some things about Ryle today. Things I didn't hear from Bethany. I always assumed Mrs. Scott knew more about him since she had known him longer.

It was nice to know more about him and his life. Mrs. Scott did nothing but talk good about him. I could see the love she had for him. As a friend, of course. It made me more excited to meet the Graysons. Getting to know Bethany has been great so now it's my chance to get to know Ryle's family. Mrs. Scott said she could help me reach out if I needed to. I'm starting to think showing up with Mrs. Scott would be an easier route. There's no way they wouldn't believe her.

Nola ended up texting me back saying she was home so after brunch, we drove individually to her apartment complex. Her parents knocked and a minute later, Nola opened the door. I couldn't see her over her dad's tall frame but I heard her voice. "Is that Miles behind you?" Her voice made my lips upturn. It's the first time I've heard it in days. "It's me, ice princess."

The three of us walked into her apartment and sat on the couch. Nola hugged her mom instantly and I could feel the love radiating off them. "I missed you," Mrs. Scott said. "Me too," Nola replied. She looked around the room. "What are you three doing together?"

Mr. Scott is the one to answer. "We asked Miles to have brunch with us. To apologize for what went down at the house a couple of days ago. Now, we wanted to come say sorry to you too. Well, I wanted to say sorry." Nola's attention stays solely on her dad. "I never meant to insult your relationship with Miles, Granola. I've apologized to him and I'll apologize to you. I'm sorry. My words came out before I could process them and I regretted them shortly. You know how I am."

Nola's cheeks flush. "I'm the same way. It's fine, daddy. I'm sorry too. I insinuated something that hurt your feelings and that wasn't my intention. Thank you for apologizing to Miles too." Nola stands up and walks over to hug her dad. Mrs. Scott gets in on the action, wrapping her arms around her daughter once again. "We're happy for you guys. We can see how happy you two make each other. It's heartwarming."

Nola smiles and looks over at me. I shook her a wink. "This is the best thing I've heard in days," Nola cheers. "I can die happy now." She pretends to pass out on the couch and we all laugh.

I spend the rest of my day with my girlfriend and her parents. Everything feels right again. Nola and I, despite not having talked much for a couple of days are right back on track. Later on that day, while her parents slip into her room to use her laptop, I grab her hand and pull her flush against me. She gasps at the impact of our bodies. "I missed you, Scott," I say, my voice lowered. She smiles, wrapping her arms around my neck, and gives me a nose kiss.

"Never leave me again," she breathes. "I'm not going anywhere," I assure her, sealing that vow with a kiss.