Page 93 of Heart Set on You

It’s been two days since Miles left Deer Lake. Being with him for those 24 hours was amazing, but the distance is once again taking its toll. Now that we are separated again it’s starting to feel like this might be impossible. Could this be the beginning of the end? The thought scares me. I can’t lose Miles.

“I’m happy you did. Where are you?”

“I’m at home. I just finished the dinner dishes and now I’m sitting outside on the porch.” The air feels cool, so I grab a blanket and drape it over my legs.

“Can you video call me?” he asks. “I want to see your face.”

“I can. Give me a second.”

“That’s better,” he says when his face appears on my screen. “Looks like a beautiful night.”

Miles looks perfect, wearing a dark gray hoodie, his hair perfectly styled, and his jaw covered in dark-brown stubble. He’s flopped on the couch at his parent’s house, and I can hear his mom’s voice in the background. My chest aches at the sight of him. It’s a feeling I’ve grown used to – it never seems to go away.

I release a breath. “It is. Cole and Cara and the kids are coming over soon to sit around the firepit. The kids want Gran’s famous s’mores.”

“Sounds like I’m missing a good time. How was your day?”

“It was okay. I drove Belle to school in the morning and then helped Gran make a peach cobbler for her church luncheon.”

“Sounds like Belle is loving having you around.”

“She paraded me around her class like a show pony. She introduced me to her teacher like I was some sort of celebrity. It was cute,” I say, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind my ear.

“Did she ask you for your autograph?”

“Belle?” I ask, confused.

“No, her teacher.”

“Ahh. Her teacher is a he.”

“Is he as handsome as your boyfriend?” he asks, and my heart does a dip. I’ll never get tired of hearing that word. Miles Bennett is my boyfriend.

“Is my handsome boyfriend jealous?” I waggle my brows at America’s sexiest man alive. His teeth scrape over his bottom lip, and I have to swallow a groan. Those soft lips that are like heaven on my skin. He’s got to know what that does to me. What his face, his abs, his charm do to me.

“Maybe,” he says, taking a swig from his water bottle. “Just thinking of you around another man makes my heart go all crazy.”

“Don’t be having a heart attack on me now,” I say in an exaggerated southern drawl because I know what it does to him. “I’m finally starting to warm up to you.”

Miles laughs effortlessly. He does everything effortlessly. His smile lights up across his face like a 10-foot-tall Christmas tree. He looks heart-stoppingly gorgeous.

“How’s everything in Reed Point? How is your family?”

“Everyone is good. Not much new to report. I’m tired from the birthday last night so I’m staying in. Mom’s happy about that.” He sighs. “I miss you, Rylee. This whole long distance thing sucks. I hate going to bed missing you every night.”

“I know. It’s brutal. How many more days?”

“Twenty-four.” He pauses for a second, his expression sad. “That’s too many, Ry. I fucking miss you so much.” There’s a heavy weight in my chest that matches the sadness in Miles’ voice. Why does our relationship have to be this hard? I stare at my phone, wondering how much to say. I could tell him that the distance between us is killing me or that I think about him nearly every second of every day. But would any of it make a difference? Or would saying it only make this harder on both of us? We’ve made the decision to live our lives thousands of miles apart. I left when all I really wanted to do was stay. But he never asked me to. So, here we are.

“I miss you too. How was your day? You said it was long. Are you okay?” I ask him, attempting to steer the conversation to less painful territory.

“I’m okay now,” he says, leaning his head back against the leather headrest. “It was just one of those days where everything went wrong.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Only if you want to hear about how I sat around for an hour waiting on a producer who never showed for a Zoom call, got my ass kicked in a brutal workout that Georgia set me up with here and lost the part I auditioned for last week.” He drags a hand down his face. “I’m looking forward to relaxing here tonight, watching the Yankees game with Dad and having a drink.”

“I wish I was there to rub the stress from your neck. You look tense. I’m sorry.”

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