Summary: An extended version of the final scene we all wanted. (No spoilers)
Warmth filled my chest watching the older woman work. I canât believe our plan worked. Thankfully Miranda can still read me well enough to know I was up to something with Emily and confronted me before the sale went through. If she hadnât seen the red flags, none of us would be here.
âSomething else?â Miranda asked, studying me.
âNot right now,â I said with a smile.
I turned, but paused at the door, heart racing. âActually,â I swallowed. Closing the glass door for an illusion of privacy, I met the womanâs curious gaze. âMiranda, I-,â How do I tell her that Iâm in love with her?
âWill I have to pull this out of you too?â
âNo,â I smirked. Thank goodness the old Miranda is back. Well, a version that could last in a 2026 workplace.
âBy all means, move at a glacial pace with whatever you want to tell me. You know how that thrills me.â
Leave it to Miranda Priestly to make me laugh while sheâs being icy. âOnly you,â I chuckled. âI love you. Iâm in love with you,â I corrected. âI know youâre married to Stuart, and he seems like an amazing man, but we both know, when it comes to you, I canât hide a feeling.â
âItâs one of the things I like most about you. We have our own language.â
âWhy are you telling me now?â
âWeâve been kind of busy lately. One fire at a time.â Why is she so calm?
âYou know I can handle more than one fire at a time.â Pushing around a few papers, Miranda chose her words. âI wondered when this would come up.â Her voice was unreadable. Looking at me, she continued, âDid you really think I didnât know? Come on, An-,â
âPlease, anything but âAndy,ââ I cringed. âIt sounds wrong coming from you.â
âAndrea,â she finished. âI knew it was a matter of time before youâd tell me.â
She knew? Of course she knew. âA-And?â
âItâs a good thing Stuart and I arenât actually married.â
âWeâre friends and the media latched onto the idea after they saw us eating dinner together. Being âmarriedâ to Nigel would have been my first choice, but the media would never believe that. After the tabloids spread the rumor, Stuart and I had a discussion to go along with it. We never had a ceremony or filed paperwork. The rings are for show.â
âWhich is helpful in this situation.â My brow creased. âI wonât be tied up in a divorce and we can explore an us sooner than later.â
ââAn us?ââ my voice squeaked.
Crossing the room, Miranda cupped my cheek. âYes, Andrea. I love you as well.â Closing the distance between us, soft lips brushed mine, testing a boundary. When I didnât pull away, the older woman pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. The world around us faded, and my cup fell, as trembling hands found their way to Mirandaâs hips. Feeling her hand slide to the nape of my neck, my lips parted.
A throat being cleared reminded us that we werenât alone. Turning, I saw Nigel leaned against the door frame, arms folded. âIt was only a matter of time. I knew once the two of you were in the same space again, old flames would reignite. You make each other betterâAndy can keep you on a more polite pathway and Miranda reminds you of your hidden strength.â
Sharing a glance with the older woman, I asked, âYou planned this?â
âNot all of it. I knew youâd do great things if you ever came home.â
âYouâre the one who told Irv about Andrea?â Miranda asked.
âYes,â he nodded. âI never wanted Andy to lose her job, obviously, but I wanted to make sure my girl was okay no matter what happened,â Nigel smiled. âNow that the Dynamic Duo are back together, Runway will be safe no matter what the future holds.â
âMore like The Three Musketeers,â I said. âRunway needs you too.â
âJust as much as, if not more than, us,â Miranda added.
âNow that things are settled, can the two of you seriously consider a relationship? I cannot watch another 20 years of yearning and pining over each other.â
âWe were working on that before you interrupted,â Miranda smirked.
âNooo,â Nigel shook his head. âYou were working on going to bed together.â My cheeks flamed at the thought. âThen you were going to talk. This way, because Iâve reminded you that youâre in the office, youâll talk first and then go to bed.â
âAt least you know sheâs coming home with me tonight,â Miranda purred.
âHR is going to love this,â Nigel groaned. âLord, help us all.â