“I love you,” he said one more time, softer now. “And I needed you to know. Even if it doesn’t matter. Even if it makes the ending worse. I needed you to know that this summer meant something. Thatyoumean something. That whatever happens after the wedding, I’ll never regret falling for you. This has been the greatest moment of my life.”
A sob caught in my chest. “It does matter. God, Dex, of course it matters.”
“But not enough to change anything.”
“My life is in Blue Point Bay. Your life is here. We knew this from the beginning.” I was crying now, couldn’t stop the tears even though I wanted to. “We agreed.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you telling me this? Why are you making it harder?”
“Because it’s already hard. Because I’d rather have this moment, this truth between us, than spend the next four weeks pretending I don’t feel what I feel.” He pulled me closer, resting his forehead against mine. “Because you deserve to know that you’re loved. Even if I can’t keep you. Even if this ends. You deserve to know that someone sees you completely and loves every single thing they see.”
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Could only feel the weight of his words, the truth of them settling into my bones.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
His breath caught. “Leigh…”
“I love you.” The words tumbled out now, unstoppable. “I think I’ve loved you since that first night in the bar when you looked at me like you really saw me. I love how you make me feel safe. I love your terrible jokes that are somehow charming when you tell them. I love how you love your family. I love the way you fix things with your hands. I love that you’re always thinking about what other people need. I love that you see me for who I am and don’t ask me to be anything else.”
He kissed me then, desperate and gentle all at once. Tasting like salt from my tears and something that was purely him. I kissed him back with everything I had, pouring all the love and grief and longing into this moment because we both knew it didn’t change anything.
We loved each other.
And in four weeks, we’d still have to say goodbye.
When we finally broke apart, both breathless, I pressed my face into his chest and let myself cry. Really cry. For the unfairness of it all. For finding the right person at the wrong time. For loving someone I couldn’t keep.
He held me through it, one hand in my hair, the other rubbing circles on my back. Not trying to fix it or make it better. Just being there. Being present in the heartbreak because that’s what you did for someone you loved.
“We should get back,” I said eventually, my voice raw. “They’ll wonder where we went.”
“Okay.”
But neither of us moved for another long moment. Both of us holding on to this, memorizing the feeling of being held by someone who loved us. Knowing we’d need this memory for all the nights ahead when we’d be alone again.
Finally, reluctantly, I pulled back. Wiped my eyes. Tried to put myself back together.
“Do I look like I’ve been crying?” I asked.
He studied my face, then gently thumbed away the last traces of tears. “You look beautiful.”
“Liar.”
“Never.” He kissed my forehead. “Come on. Let’s finish these photos so Trace and Delaney can have their perfect engagement shoot.”
We walked back to the meadow hand in hand, and when we emerged from the trees, Trace looked up from his conversation with Delaney. His eyes went from me to Dex and back again, and I saw understanding dawn on his face.
He knew. He could probably see it written all over us. Xander was right, we really were terrible at keeping secrets.
But all Trace said was, “Ready for round two?”
I lifted my camera, feeling the familiar weight of it in my hands. This was what I knew. What I could control. I could make their photos perfect even if my own life was falling apart.
“Ready,” I said.
And I meant it.
