#ad Click here to purchase this book from Amazon, As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Birdie Walton is a senior in college, living in a duplex with her best friend Lucy. One night, Birdie and Lucy decide to go to a toga frat party and she makes a decision that changes her life.
Miles Graper’s life is living in a duplex just trying to survive. Miles' life changed two years ago when a drunk driver caused a car accident that killed his wife and daughter. He has cut off most people from his life, just choosing to work and be a recluse.
Birdie and Miles meet on their shared front porch. She went out onto the porch to get some air, she had just found out she was pregnant with a frat boy’s baby and was trying to figure out how to tell him. They don’t like each other at first, although to be fair to Birdie, I don’t think Miles likes anyone. Birdie thinks he is rude and he thinks she is a silly college girl who is upset over test grades or boyfriend problems.
Birdie works up the nerve to go tell Noah, aka frat boy, that she is pregnant. He reacts … horribly. Kind of like you’d think a party frat boy would. He wants nothing to do with it or her and seems really relieved when she tells him she expects nothing from him. Even though Noah is an ass, Birdie still has Lucy.
Birdie and Miles have a few encounters over the next few weeks. Mostly Birdie asking questions, Miles ignoring them, and her getting annoyed and calling him rude, while he calls her annoying.
22 weeks pregnant, Birdie finds out she is having a girl. It is now spring, so she is unable to hide the bump in a winter coat anymore. Lucy goes home to Cali to visit her family, and Birdie goes out to the porch with a book. But is interrupted by Miles. He makes a comment about how she looks different without a coat on, she must have been busy, and is she still with the dad. Birdie snaps back “Where is your wife?” after noticing that he is wearing a wedding ring. Miles then makes a comment about how now he understands why he hears her crying every night (thin walls) and she says just because she doesn’t hear him crying doesn’t mean she can’t see his sadness written all over his face. At this point, they are both standing, he takes a few steps towards her and Birdie finds that she doesn’t feel scared. In fact, she’s turned on. He says “You don’t know shit about me.” and goes back into his duplex.
With Lucy gone, Birdie is bored. And she hates to admit it but she is very curious about Miles. Probably because he refuses to answer any of her questions and he’s hot, in a scruffy, doesn’t seem like he showers that often, kind of way. She decides to knock on his door, barge her way into his duplex, and harass him. He keeps asking her why she is there and she says she is there to figure him out. She judges him and makes a lot of comments about his duplex. Lots of lovely banter which I just love. She admits that she is bored and annoying him seems a good way to pass the time. They talk a little about her pregnancy and Birdie tells him that it was a one night stand, at a frat party, she hadn’t had sex in over a year, and it definitely wasn’t worth it. Miles thought to himself, “I would have made it worth it”. Miles asks about her family and Birdie tells him that she doesn’t have any family. Her parents were both drunks and unreliable and had died a few years ago. Birdie pushes for his story, but he changes the subject, and asks about her again. She tries to steer the convo back to him and his family. The fact that he won’t answer anything personal, that he wears a wedding ring but no sign of a family, that he drinks every single night, just annoys the crap out of her. He gets up, and goes into the kitchen for another beer, but not before she notices that he glances at a picture. While he is in the kitchen, she goes and looks at it, it's a picture of Miles, with his wife and daughter. She is still looking at it when he comes back in, he asks what she is doing, she asks where they are, and he tells her its none of her fucking business and to get out.
We learn a lot about Miles' relationship with his wife, Melody, through flashbacks. We learn how they met, started dating, their first apartment together, and their daughter, Rose. We also learn how after they died, he was just kind of stuck in a stasis. A year and a half after they died, his best friend Nash Phillips, comes over. Miles stepped over Rose’s toys that were still on the ground as though she was just playing with them. He left all of their things exactly how they were. He still sprayed Melodys perfume throughout the house. Nash tells him he can’t live like this, he may be going to work and paying his bills, but he is living on pause. Miles breaks down and says he can’t be there anymore, he is drowning in memories, and he can’t do it.(Cue ALL THE TEARS. When I read that he stepped over Roses toys after a year and a half, I bawled. In fact, I can’t even keep it together to write this.) Nash has a friend that owns some duplexes and rents one out to Miles. Which is how Miles ended up living next to Birdie. Even though he moved out of the house, he is still stagnant, refusing to deal with his loss, and pretending to be “fine”.
After getting kicked out of Miles' apartment, Birdie decides maybe she should leave him alone. Something awful obviously happened with his family and maybe she should stop prodding him about it.
Birdie was working some shifts at the local diner, The Milky Way. Oh and by the way, welcome to the Milky Way - which is the name of this series. The Milky Way is owned by the Phillips family, aka Nash. We get to meet Grammy, whose real name is Mabel. She has worked at the Milky Way for as long as she can remember. She is a lovely older woman who is friendly, and grandmotherly to everyone who comes in, and she quickly becomes everyone’s Grammy.
When Birdie walks in for a shift, Grammy tells her that they have a fill-in cook tonight and Birdie is shocked to hear a familiar male voice say “Order up”.
Birdie and Miles banter back and forth (again PERFECTION, god I love a good banter!) but end up not arguing - shockingly. There is some definite sexual tension happening but they are interrupted by someone coming into the diner. It's some classmates of Birdies that she has done a good job of hiding the pregnancy from. One of the girls can’t stop mentioning it and finally asks who the father is. Birdie is just kinda frozen. Miles appears from behind her and says “I am”. He puts his arm around her, starts nuzzling her neck, and calls her “Pickle”. The girls are obviously trying to flirt with Miles which pisses Birdie off. She shoves him back into the kitchen, and as Birdie walks back out, Miles realizes he's starting to have feelings for her and that can’t happen. He still feels as if he's married to Melody and having feelings for BIrdie would be like cheating on his wife.
Miles avoids her for a few weeks but finally bumps into her a week before her due date. Birdie is miserable and super cranky. She snaps at him a couple times and then goes inside to take a nap. She wakes up 12 hours later in labor. Unfortunately, Lucy is not home. So she does the first thing she can think of and that is go to Miles. He drives her to the hospital and stays with her until Lucy arrives.
Remember the super thin walls? Yeah… Miles isn’t getting any sleep with a newborn around. One night, Miles goes over to their apartment. Birdie answers, crying, holding the baby who is also crying. She says she is sorry, she knows he can hear, and she is really sorry. Instead of making a snarky comment like Miles had planned, he just says “hand her to me”. He is able to calm her almost instantly (more than likely because he isn’t a sobbing mess like Birdie is). Birdie and Miles have a cup of tea and start talking about how having a baby is the best and hardest thing ever. Miles says he gets it, he has a daughter…had a daughter. (yes you can start crying now) Birdie is afraid to say anything, afraid he will stop talking. He is obviously struggling because he can’t get words out and Birdie says they don’t have to talk about it. But Miles finally tells her about the car accident. Birdie immediately feels sick to her stomach - a drunk driver caused a car accident two years ago? Her parents were drunk driving and had a car accident two years ago. Birdie knows she should tell Miles that it was her parents that killed his family, but she can’t bring herself to do it, and thinks maybe it's for the best that she doesn’t bring it up.
Miles can’t believe he told Birdie about his family because he never talks about them. He also realizes that his feelings for Birdie but obviously not a good time since she had just had a baby. He can’t help himself though and tells Birdie that she looks beautiful. She seems kinda taken back and gets up to put her cup in the sink. Miles walks up behind her and whispers in her ear, “You don’t like compliments?” she says not really as she turns around. He says “I’m going to change that” and leans down and kisses her. He pulls away and tells her he's sorry, he shouldn’t have done that, she has enough going on, and he has a lot of baggage.
Over the next few months it becomes a routine, Lucy takes Lux (the baby) for a bit in the evening so Birdie can have a bit of time to herself, but instead of being alone, she goes outside and sits on the porch and talks to Miles (wow that was a long run-on sentence). And we get to have lots of banter, flirting, and just so many parts that make you put your hand to your chest and aww oh my goddddd!!!
4 months after Lux is born, they are sitting on the porch per usual, flirting per usual. Miles gets up and goes inside and Birdie hesitates a whole bunch before saying fuck it and knocking on his door. He opens the door and says “what took you so long?” They start making out and then (sadly) they close the door on us and we are left to our imagination. (It’s a very “so Lorcan did” situation and if you get that reference, you’re my people and digital high five.)
Afterwards, she tells him she doesn’t want this to get weird, she practically runs out of his apartment, but before she goes she says “thank you”. She is flustered when she gets back to her side of the duplex and Lucy asks her why is she shirt on inside out. She tells Lucy and then tells Lucy that there is a problem - she knows that her parents killed his family and she hasn’t told him. Lucy tells her she can’t tell him.
Another month passes and they don’t bring up that night. Birdie gets a new job and is so excited and the first person she wants to tell is Miles. So she goes over to his door, he answers, and she doesn’t even say anything, she just kisses him. It starts to escalate but Miles pulls away and tells her he can’t do this, he loves their friendship and doesn’t want to ruin it. Birdie asks how does he know it would ruin it, what if it was the best thing ever. He tells her that it scares him that he feels so strongly for her and she admits that she is falling in love with him.
1 week later and Birdie has been avoiding Miles because she wants something more than friends and he is scared. Miles was afraid that a relationship would fuck up their friendship and he ending up fucking it up anyways. He is coming home from getting his haircut and beard trimmed and sees Birdie coming home with fast food. He offers to make her dinner and she agrees. Birdie makes a comment about how he has cut his hair, she has noticed he hasn’t been drinking beer every single day, she says you’re like a new man, what’s prompting that? And he says “You”. He plays it off with a sarcastic comment and Birdie relaxes. After dinner, Birdie notices that Miles is no longer wearing his wedding ring, he tells her it was time to take it off. Then he grabs her by the back of the neck (swoooon) and kisses her. Then they christened the kitchen table. After that, they stopped fighting it and were together. But - Birdie still hasn’t told him. Few months later, they are sitting on the front porch, on their brand new swing, drinking some sweet tea when Birdie mentions that her mom may have been the shittiest mom ever but she made the best sweet tea. She raises her glass and says “to Victoria”. Miles says “your moms name was Victoria?” Birdie says “Yep, the famous Victoria Walton, every bar’s favorite lady”. Miles thinks there is no way this Victoria is the same. So he casually asks about her dad. Birdie tells him his name and how awful of parents they were. Miles went very quiet as he tried to control the storm inside and he notices Birdies face - that she already knew. He, understandably, gets real upset. More so that Birdie knew and never told him. They argue and he tells her he needs time and goes inside. Birdie goes to her room crying. Thin walls remember? Miles goes to his room and can hear her crying through the walls. He throws a glass at the wall, which of course Birdie can hear. They speak through the walls, her apologizing and him realizing he doesn’t want this to come between them.
More months pass, Lux is a year old, and Birdie and her are in the Milky Way talking to Grammy when Noah freaking Frat Boy Barkley walks in the door. Birdie sneaks out because she doesn’t want Noah to see Lux. A few days later, on the night they were having Lux’s birthday party, Noah knocks at the door.
Noah wants to talk. He wants to see “it”. Yes, he called Lux an IT. He says that Birdie being pregnant was really hard on him (don’t we all feel sorry for him…) and that he thought of them every day but didn’t know what to do. Now he is back and wants to see her. Birdie says no and slams the door in his face. He came back every day for a week until finally Birdie agreed that he could see Lux, with supervised visits. He visited Lux multiple times for a month. Which just pisses Birdie off to no end. One night before he left, he sneak attacked-kissed Birdie for a second before she pulled away and threatened to kick him in the balls if he ever did that again. Miles was sitting on the porch, saw it, and waited for Birdie to slam the door before saying anything to Noah.
Noah implied that Birdie might not come out tonight because he really wore her out (gag). Then made a whole bunch of comments about how they are a “family”. Miles told him that he doesn’t “deserve either one of my girls. Now, kindly, get the fuck off my porch.” …. SLOW CLAP…..
Birdie comes out after Noah leaves and Miles is worried that maybe she would want a family with Noah because she doesn’t have one of her own. She basically tells him to stop being stupid - Lucy and Miles are her and Lux’s family.
3 months later, Noah got an internship in California and jumped ship (as we all thought he would).
A year and a half later, MIles asked Birdie to marry him.
Of course, she says yes.
Milky Way Book Two - Love and Low Expectations recap coming soon!