Page 99 of Heart Set on You

There are a million emotions rushing through me that I don’t know what to do with. Maybe I’m having a panic attack. I’m not sure. But I am sure that I want Miles so bad that it hurts.

Maisy, my grandparents’ dog, must sense my grief, because she moves closer to my chair, pawing gently at my thigh. It makes me want to cry even harder.

I rub behind her ear. “You want to go for a walk, Maisy-girl?”

I decide I could use the fresh air. I leash up Maisy and take her out the back door. We walk past the barn to the lake and keep going down the dirt path.

I want to call Miles and tell him the news about the farm, but I needed to think about what this means. How would this change things? I would miss the farm. It feels like the only place left that tethers me to my parents, and the thought of losing it causes a throb deep in my chest.

I take my time, letting the cool air soothe me. We take a loop of the lake before returning to the path. When the farmhouse comes back into sight I unfasten Maisy’s leash, letting her run the rest of the way home.

I go into the kitchen to fill her bowl with water, then swing open the screen door to call her back into the house. I step onto the porch and freeze.

Miles.

He’s standing in the driveway, a black duffle bag slung over his arm and Maisy right by his side. This can’t be real. It feels like magic. He’s here. He looks more beautiful than I remember. He’s wearing a gray Henley and black jeans, his ballcap flipped backwards on his head. I blink once, then twice, making sure it’s really him.

He’s smiling at me like he’s the happiest person on earth and I know the feeling because that’s exactly how I feel right now. His bag slumps to the ground and I don’t think twice. I run to him and he catches me in his arms. It feels like home. It feels like I’m finally right where I belong.

All of the longing for Miles comes rushing at me, every single emotion I’ve hung on to over the last several months hits me like a Mack truck.

My legs wrap around his waist, my arms wind tightly around his neck. It feels like we’re holding on for dear life. Afraid to let go. Finally, whole again.

When we finally pull apart and he lowers my feet to the ground, I just stand there staring at him. I must be in shock.

“Hi,” he says, somehow managing to make one single word sound sexy.

“You’re here.”

“I am.”

Is this real? Is this really happening? I must be dreaming.

My skin heats when his fingers tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. After all this time, it surprises me how much his touch affects me.

“I’ve missed you, Ryls.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I tell him, my eyes locked on his. “I can’t believe you’re really here. How?”

“I cleared my schedule. Georgia probably hates me right now, but I had to see you. I couldn’t wait one second longer,” he says. He’s gazing into my eyes, and I’m totally and utterly lost in him. “You’re the woman I want. I’ve wanted you since the moment I met you. I never want to go another day without you here in my arms.”

“Oh, Miles,” I whisper, running my fingers across his jaw, knowing what I need to do. I finally know exactly what I need to tell him.

“I hated every second being away from you. I need you, Ryls, with me. I don’t think I could ever get my fill of you,” he says, before he brings his mouth down on mine. The kiss is slow and soft and everything a kiss should be.

When the best kiss of my life ends, I know I need to tell him everything in my heart, everything that I haven’t been brave enough to say until now.

“I was trying to live with only half of my heart,” I confess. “But it was never going to work. I need you, Miles. You are everything I’ve ever needed. I can’t live like this without you for one more second.”

Sliding his arms around my lower back, he pulls me to him. Then his lips are back on mine, and he’s kissing me until I can barely breathe. Soft kisses this time that taste like a promise of something more to come. Something that feels like forever.

When he breaks the kiss, his eyes gleam. My hands reach up and grip the nape of his neck.

“I want you with me wherever I am. That might make me a selfish prick, but it’s the only way. I need you, Ryls. I’m all in with you. It’s you. Only you.”

“What are you saying, Miles?”

“I’m saying I can’t live without you. I regret letting you go in the first place.” He slides a hand behind my neck, looking me in the eye, “Be with me. I don’t care where. Just be there and not thousands of miles away. My heart can’t take it.”

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