“Maybe not at first,” I said, gently caressing his face. “But eventually? Sunset Siesta is literally in your blood. I can’t be the one to take you away from it.”
The pain on his face damn near killed me. “That’s not true.”
“It is.” I pressed my forehead to his cheek, breathing in the scent that clung to him. “I know you, remember? Better than you think.”
Eli’s hands settled on my waist. “Then you know I love you.”
“I do.” The words caught in my throat. My inhale was shaky, but I had to get through this. “Which is why I can’t let you make this sacrifice. You belong here. At the resort. With your family.”
He pulled back, searching my face. “And where do you belong?”
I blinked back tears as I forced a trembling smile. “I’m still figuring that out.” Straightening my shoulders, I steeled myself for what I was about to say. “Maybe, maybe I should be the one to leave.”
Eli’s eyes widened. “Jules, no?—”
“Hear me out,” I said, holding up a hand. “I could look for a job in Miami. It’s not that far. We could make it work, see each other on weekends.”
He shook his head, his jaw clenched. “That’s not the answer.”
“Why not?” I challenged, even as my heart ached at the thought of leaving Dove Key. Of leaving him.
He paced my small living room. “Because Dove Key isn’t just my home anymore. It’s yours too. I know how much you love it here.”
I swallowed hard. He wasn’t wrong. “But if it means we can be together?—”
“At what cost?” Eli turned to face me, frustration clear in the lines on his forehead. “You’d be miserable in Miami,stuck in some corporate hellhole. And I’d be miserable knowing you gave up everything for me. It’s exactly the same thing you brought up about me leaving. And I can’t stand the thought of you so far away.”
“So what do we do?” I asked, my voice cracking.
Eli’s expression softened. He crossed the room to capture my face between his warm hands again. My breath caught as he leaned in. Then his lips were on mine, and the world fell away.
The kiss was deep, passionate, a promise sealed without words. My hands found their way to his sun-bleached hair, fingers gripping the soft strands as I pulled him closer. When we finally broke apart, both breathless, Eli rested his forehead against mine.
“I swear to you,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. “I’ll find a way for us to be together. Here, on Dove Key.”
I barked a shaky laugh. “And how exactly are you going to pull off that miracle?”
He lifted his head, a familiar glint of mischief in his eyes. “Hey, I once convinced a stuck-up accountant I was the best person to teach her how to dive. Anything’s possible.”
“I was not stuck-up,” I protested, unable to resist his humor even as my lips tingled from his kiss. “Just… professional.”
“Potato, po-tah-to.” His grin faded into something utterly and completely serious. “Have faith in me, Jules. In us. Right now. I don’t know how I’m going to make this happen, but I will.”
I hesitated, years of pragmatism warring with the wild hope—the desire to just believe—blooming in my chest. I studied his face. The determination etched there, the unwavering belief that we could overcome this. Andlooking at him, I understood something fundamental inside me had shifted. It had shifted a while ago. I gripped his shoulders tighter. “I’ve come to realize you’re capable of accomplishing whatever you set your mind to. I do trust you. And for you, I’ll take a leap of faith. I believe you’ll find a way.”
A slow, brilliant smile spread across his face that filled my weary soul. He nodded once, firmly, then spun on his heel and strode out the door.
