Page 63 of Love By the Book
I swipe frantically at my face, as if I could somehow erase hours of crying in seconds. I look like a swamp monster. Or worse—like Miss Viola Swamp. I’m haggard with a swollen nose and ratty t-shirt, and I’m pretty sure there’s an ice-cream stain somewhere on my sleeve. If I hadn’t already convinced him ending things was a good idea, this will do it.
“You can’t see me like this,” I choke out, turning away.
“Rhianna,” he says, and just the sound of my name in his voice makes fresh tears spring to my eyes. “Please look at me.”
Reluctantly, I turn back. He’s closer now, close enough that I can see his hazel eyes behind his glasses.
“You’re supposed to be gone,” I whisper.
“I know.” He takes another step forward. “And I promised I would leave if you asked me to. I’m sorry, but I’m breaking that promise.” His voice softens. “But if you say one word—just one—that you don’t want me here, I’ll go. You won’t hear from me again.”
I should say something. I should tell him to go and protect the shaky scaffolding of self-preservation I’ve spent years building. But I can’t. Because deep down—down to the smallest, most insecure bones in my body—I want him here. Desperately. The wind tangles through my hair, whipping strands across my face like it’s trying to hide me, but it’s too late. My eyes betray me first, tears spilling before I can blink them back. The truth is already written across my face—raw, unguarded, impossible to hide:please don’t go.
He sees it. I know he does. Something in his expression softens.
“If you want me to stay, though,” he says gently, “then know this—I’d always stand by you, Rhianna.” He sighs and brushes his messy hair back, the flashlight beam wobbling with the motion. “Alex told me promises are about the heart of them, not just the words.” He glances down, sheepish. “Well, actually she shouted that to me across the ferry dock in front of about three dozen Magnolia Cove residents.”
Despite everything, a laugh bubbles up. “Of course she did. That’s what I get for befriending a normie. No survival instincts when it comes to small-town gossip.”
He smiles, but then his expression turns serious. “I think I might owe her, though. Because she helped me realize thateven though I promised to let you go if you asked… I think what you were really asking for was to be safe. And if you let me, Rhianna—I think you’d find your heart would be so safe with me.”
My breath catches in my throat. “Eli?—”
“Please, let me finish.” He sets down the bakery box onto the grass, then takes both my hands in his. “I came to Magnolia Cove looking for a chance to live. I wanted adventure, bold moves, and new experiences. I wanted to shake up my perfectly ordered life because I was afraid of becoming someone who lived without really experiencing life.” His voice softens. “Then I met you. And suddenly, it wasn’t about checking items off a list anymore. You made me understand a language I didn’t even know I was missing. The language of feeling. Of living fully. Of love that doesn’t follow logic but still feels like the truest thing I’ve ever known.”
A tear slips down my cheek, and he reaches up to brush it away, his touch achingly gentle.
“I love you, Rhianna Wilder. I love your wild ideas and your passionate heart. I love the way you see magic in everyday things.” His fingers trace along my jawline. “I love how you’ve turned my perfectly organized world upside down and shown me that the best stories are the ones you don’t see coming.” He tucks a sticky curl behind my ear. “And I love this too—the messy, real, vulnerable you. The one who feels everything so deeply, who cares so much it hurts. If you’d let me in, I’d protect that version of you too. She’d be safe with me.”
A choked sound escapes my throat, and I’m sobbing—messy, shaking, tears spilling faster than I can wipe them back. “You don’t understand,” I manage between hiccups. “I pushed you away because I was scared. Because the truth is… I’ve never cared for someone the way I care for you. And if you left—” My voice breaks. “I wouldn’t recover. I know that makes me selfish, but I’m terrified.” I look up at him, tears blurring the stars behind him. “Because I love you. So much it terrifies me.”
His sharp intake of breath makes me look up. The warmth in his eyes is almost too much to bear.
“I love you too,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “And if you give me a chance, Rhianna, I’ll prove it to you.”
The wind whips free strands of my hair forward and he curls his hands around mine—steady and warm, like he’s anchoring me in place. Hope blossoms in my chest, fragile and tentative. I want to believe him. I want it more than I’ve wanted anything. But there’s still one insurmountable problem.
“Eli,” I say softly, “I’m leaving Magnolia Cove.”
“I know.” To my surprise, he smiles. “Your father told me.”
“He did?” I blink in confusion.
“Yes, the night I had dinner with your family. He told me about your plans.” The smile widens. “It’s an amazing opportunity. I’m so happy for you.”
I stare at him, trying to process this. “But… doesn’t that ruin this? I mean, how could we make it work? Long distance after a messy breakup isn’t exactly love by the book.”
“I don’t want a ‘by the book’ love story.” He moves closer, his hands finding mine again. “I want you, Rhianna Wilder. I want sparkly disco lights, and change of plans, and dancing in crowds together. And I want the hard days too. I don’t want you sitting on this hill crying alone. I want to be here beside you, hold you when you cry, listen to whatever is hurting you.”
My nose flares as I take a deep breath. “You don’t know how big my feelings get, Eli. People walk away.”
His expression hardens slightly, the shadows deepening across his features in the shifting light. “I’ve heard some gossip around town about your ex. And I think he was an asshole.”
A startled laugh breaks through my tears. “No, I mean—yeah, he was… but I was also in a really dark place for a year, and it got to be too much, and?—”
“I wish I could have had that year,” Eli says, his voice quiet but fierce.
The wind tugs through his hair as I stare at him, stunned into silence.
