Even though she only lived a few minutes away from Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, she found she rarely visited it at all. She liked the beach closer to her house more. There were less people around, so there was more room for her to think. To be alone when she needed to be. You were never really alone at Ebey's Landing. But for an animal lover like Zeke, it was perfect. It was a great place to see all sorts of wildlife. Birds, mammals, sea creatures. Anything you could think of. People came from all over to swim in the cool waters of the Puget Sound, hike or bike the many trails scattered in the nearby wilderness, or enjoy the sandy beaches. It was a major tourist attraction, and she couldn't believe she hadn't thought to bring him there sooner.

His eyes lit up when he saw where she was taking him. "Ebey's Landing?" he asked, and she smiled and nodded her head, not at all surprised that he knew about it already. He seemed to know so much about the Pacific Northwest's wildlife, and she knew he must've done a ton of research before his arrival a few months ago. "Oh my goodness," he said, and she could hear his southern drawl in the words. "I've been wanting to come out here since I got to the island, but I've been so busy. Do you know how many animals there are here?" She shook her head, loving how alive he looked at the moment. "Emersyn, one of my favorite animals is here. Or at least, it's been spotted here."

The way he talked about animals made her heart soar. "What is it?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear as she watched him bounce on the balls of his bare feet in excitement. He was adorable, and she vowed to do more things like this with him in the future just so she could see his smile. It was the most perfect smile. Brighter than the sun, and so warm that it could heat her up on the coldest winter nights.

"The Northern Alligator Lizard," he answered, showing off his perfect smile. "Man, I wish I had my phone on me to show you a picture. It's so cool. Like some combination of an alligator, a lizard, and a snake. It's got a long tail that adds six inches to its size, and it gives birth to live young. I don't know, I used to think they were so cool. I still do, I guess."

"A long tail, huh?" she said with a smirk, and he nodded his head enthusiastically. "So I guess that means you're a booty kind of guy then?" she asked, and she loved how that little flirty comment could make his cheeks turn pink.

He grinned and shook his head. "What can I say? I love chasing tail." She threw her head back and laughed, pleased that he was following her line of thinking. His eyes roamed across the sandy landscape. "Wow. I can't believe you brought me here. This is amazing."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked as she looked away from him and toward the beautiful beach landscape before them. She stretched out her arm toward the grassy trails. "Get going. Show off all your amazing animal facts. I'm yours to teach."

He bit his lip as he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the beach. The sand felt sharp beneath her feet, but she was too distracted by the fact that her hand was in his to pay attention to it. He ran around like a kid in a candy store, not sure where to go first. They found all sorts of wildlife out there. Snakes and frogs. Some bugs. Creatures as small as squirrels and as large as deer. They even happened upon a fox, which tickled her. She'd never voiced it out loud before, but she loved foxes. They were probably her favorite animal, most likely due to the fact that they were also redheads. A silly reason, but she felt like she had something in common with them. And redheads had to stick together.

And as he showed her all the different kinds of wildlife out in Ebey's Landing, she found she was becoming more and more impressed with his vast knowledge on the subject of zoology. He had a passion for it that could rival her passion for art. "Do you think you'll ever go back to school?" she asked him as they walked hand-in-hand down one of the many trails. His smile dimmed just a bit, and she suddenly wished she hadn't asked him at all. "Sorry. Too personal."

But he shook his head. "No. Not at all. Yes. I would like to continue my education. There's nothing in the world that makes me happier than being out in the field like this, seeing creatures up close in their natural habitats. It puts things in perspective for me. Reminds me to stop and smell the roses, you know? Which is exactly what I needed today. Thank you for this. You're... amazing."

His words made her blush, and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze that made his breath hitch slightly. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound, and this was all becoming too much. She was starting to think that this little crush she had on him was turning into something much more. That maybe she might be falling for him. But she shouldn't. He already told her he wasn't planning on staying. And if she fell in love with him, and he left her... well, she'd already had so many goodbyes, but they never stopped hurting. She didn't think she could stand the pain of another one.

Once they were done walking the trail, they headed down to the beach again. She loved how cool the water felt against her skin as she walked through the wet sand, feeling it bend beneath her toes with every step she took. And as they walked, she felt the exhaustion from earlier in the morning begin to weigh heavily on her again.

He pointed off in the distance, and she followed the direction of his finger until her eyes landed upon a large blue bird. "Oh my goodness. That's a Great Blue Heron. Wow, it's beautiful. Hey, did you know that Great Blue Herons are social creatures, and one colony can have more than 500 nests? It's like a bird city! Amazing!"

She nodded her head as she let off a loud yawn. He shifted his eyes in her direction, a playful smirk on his lips. "I'm sorry," she said, embarrassed by how tired she felt.

"Are you bored?" he asked teasingly, and she smiled and shook her head. "Are you sure? Because we can head back anytime."

"Yeah," she replied, fighting another yawn. "I mean... no. I'm not bored. Just tired. I've been working on a new collection and staying up really late. Too late for a Saturday, that's for sure. It was stupid."

He nodded his head, mouth quirking into a playfully pensive smile. "That is a problem. But you know the best way to wake up when you're tired like that?" he asked, and she shook her head. A mischievous smile grew on his lips as he pushed her roughly into the water. "Like that!" he yelled as her body fell into the cool waters of the Puget Sound. Immediately her nice church dress became soaked. Her jaw dropped in surprise as her eyes widened. "There you go! Look at you! Wide awake now!"

"I can't believe you just did that!" she said as she sat in the frigid water, her nice church dress soaking up the salt water like a sponge. He was laughing, but she grabbed his hand and forced him in the water with her. She expected him to be surprised, but he wasn't. He practically jumped in with her. They splashed around for a few minutes, laughing as their water bombs hit each other. He turned away to do a full body spin splash, and as he did, she jumped on his back to stop him. Chuckling, he grabbed her arm and pulled her in front of him, so that they were mere inches away from each other.

Her arms were around his neck as his arms slid around her waist, and his eyes were blazing into hers with a fire so hot it could rival the heat of the sun. She licked her lips, tasting the salt of the water on her tongue. And she saw his eyes flash downward to her mouth. She was hungry for him. Dying for him to kiss her. To taste the salt with her. Her desperation for him was so strong it ached all over. His chest was heaving as he panted, and she heard him whisper her name. "Emersyn." It was better than music. Better than anything she'd ever heard before. Her eyes grew heavy again, but this time for a completely different reason. She leaned in, unable to stop herself from his magnetic pull.

Her lips were so close to his that she felt them graze together ever so softly. But the moment they made contact, he cleared his throat and released his hold on her. She slid her arms away from his neck, and the two of them just stood there awkwardly as she ruminated over the sort of almost kiss. He ran his hands through his sopping wet hair, and she longed to feel those curls beneath her own fingers. This was no longer a crush. This was definitely something more. She couldn't deny her feelings any longer. She just wished she understood what he was feeling. Why he kept pushing her away.

"We should...," he said, but he trailed off, clearly unsure of what to say. She nodded her head and gave him a reassuring smile, attempting to fight the hurt she was feeling inside. The smile she gave him wasn't enough to bring back the glowing Zeke from earlier, but it was enough to break the awkward tension that had developed between them in the last few moments.

"Yeah," she said as she took a step away from him, agreeing with his lost words. "Sorry. That got... sorry." She didn't know what else to say. But he melted at her apology, and he gently caressed her cheek with his wet fingers.

"Don't be sorry," he whispered, and she felt like she was melting beneath his touch. "Please. Let's just... pretend it never happened, okay?" He removed his hand from her cheek, allowing it to fall back into the water with a little ploop sound. "Come on. I'm getting cold. Let's get out of here and rest on the sand for a while. Dry off before we head back. What do you say?"

She was relieved that he didn't want to run away from her. That he still wanted to spend time with her. She nodded her head, and the two of them made their way back to shore. Her dress was so soaked that it was hanging off of her, the fabric weighing her down as salt water dripped from the skirt. They hobbled out of the water, and as soon as they were on dry ground, Zeke plopped down and rested his head in the sand. He was out of breath, but that glowing smile was back as he stared up at the sky. She stretched her body beside him, using her hands as pillows to keep the sand from sticking to the back of her wet head. Then she looked up at the sky with him and watched the clouds roll by as birds flew past them. It was so calming, and she was still so unbelievably tired. Her eyelids drooped as the sound of waves crashing against the beach reached her ears. So soothing. Her breathing grew deep as she slipped into unconsciousness, the warmth from the summer sun her only blanket.

She didn't know how long she'd been out for. Could've been a couple minutes. Could've been a few hours. But when she opened her eyes again and saw the vast sky above her, she felt more at ease than she had in a very long time. She turned her body to its side to talk to Zeke, but before she could she found that he had drifted off to sleep as well. Something in the pit of her stomach fluttered as she stared at him. His eyelids were quivering slightly, and he had one blond curl covering his blue eyes. She stared at his chest as it continued to rise and fall, and he looked so peaceful. And so undeniably gorgeous. Her fingers moved toward his face, and she gently ran them through those blond curls. They were a little gritty from the sand, but she could feel the bounce in them nonetheless. His skin was radiating heat, and she wanted nothing more than to scooch closer to him and rest her head against his shoulder. To feel his lean, muscular arms around her body. She was lost to this man. Gone. And she should've realized that she was gone the day he said hello to her in the graveyard.

His eyebrows twitched, and she knew he was waking up. But she couldn't bring herself to remove her fingers from his hair. She needed to touch him. And when he opened his eyes and saw her sitting beside him, staring at him, his smile widened and he nuzzled into her touch. It was too much, and yet just right. All of it was just right. So why did he keep pulling away from her? "Zeke," she said, and his name tasted so sweet. Like the vanilla ice cream on top of a chocolate chip waffle. He smiled at her when she said his name. "Zeke, I'm starving," she said, and he laughed softly. "Do you want to come to my place to have dinner?"

He shook his head. "No," he replied, and she was disappointed. Then he gave her a tiny grin as he said, "I want you to come to my place for dinner. Let me cook for you. It's the least I can do after everything you've done for me. And after today."

"What's on the menu?" she asked teasingly, her fingers still playing with his curls.

"Whatever you want," he replied, and she blushed. "That feels good, by the way. I've never had anyone play with my hair like that."

"You like it?" she asked as she ran her fingers all the way through his hair. His lips parted in a soft gasp, and it was all she could do not to melt into the sand.

"Yes," he replied throatily. But then he sighed and sat up, leaving her stunned as he pulled away yet again. What the heck was the matter with him? "Come on," he said, running his own fingers through his hair to shake out some of the sand. "Let's go to the store so we can get stuff for dinner. What are you in the mood for?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. What's appropriate for your diet?"

He got to his feet, wiping off the sand and dirt from his clothes. "I usually eat chicken or fish. I try not to do red meat, so beef is off the table. Unless you want beef, I guess. If you do, then I can just make myself something different."

"Why don't you do beef?" she asked curiously.

"Oh," he said, keeping his eyes away from her as he slid his hands in his pockets. "Just... goes against the diet, I guess. I don't know. It's hard to explain."

He seemed suddenly nervous, and she wondered why. But she didn't press him any further as she said, "Fair enough. Salmon sounds amazing, actually. Do you know any delicious salmon recipes?"

"That depends," he said, and she raised her eyebrows. "Do you like honey mustard?" Her lips quirked up into a grin as she nodded her head. He beamed. "Then I have just the recipe for you. Come on. Let's go." He reached out his hand for her, helping her up. Such a gentleman, she thought, as she took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Part of her hoped he would hold onto her hand like he did that afternoon, but he released it as soon as she was on her feet. Disappointment swelled in her again, and she wondered if it was her. If she was the one who kept doing things wrong? If she was the reason he kept pulling away?

But then she remembered what he'd said to her a couple weeks before. He was attracted to her, but he was afraid of hurting her when he left. And, she told herself, he wasn't planning on staying forever. It was a hard fact she kept having to repeat to herself. She wished she had the courage to tell him she liked him. And maybe even beg him not to leave. But if she was already feeling so strongly for him, then maybe it was best he kept pulling away. She watched as he headed back the way they'd come earlier in the day and shook her head as she realized he was doing a better job of protecting her heart than she was.

Chapter Eighteen

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