Page 111 of The Headmaster’s Rule

“God, Eleanor…” My voice is a broken, cracked shell of emotion. “I love you too. I… shit.” I gather her into my arms, feeling her heart beat wildly against mine, rocked with disbelief.

She feels it too. This is real.

She gives a relieved, breathy laugh into my shoulder, and I draw away to gaze at her.

“You know,” I say hoarsely, stroking her cheek where a tear escapes, “I fell for you in the parking lot that day when I first kissed you. When you fought so hard to defend me against all the terrible things I believed about myself.”

Her lips curve in a watery smile. “Did I win that fight?”

I smile in response, thinking about how I’ve let my guard down, loosened my grip, stopped beating myself up for last year’s mistake. How I’ve stopped fearing the absolute worst, stopped seeing the world as one big disaster waiting to happen.

How I’ve opened to Eleanor’s love.

“You did.” I kiss her softly, wanting to say the words again. “I’m so in love with you, sweetheart. I didn’t know I could feel this way, that I would ever feel this way, but you broke something open in me. And now…” I inhale a shaky breath. “Now I don’t know how to be without you.”

The look in Eleanor’s eyes tells me all I need to know. She kisses me with tender, searching lips, hands tight on my face.

And I know in that moment she’s all that matters.

That I would sooner lose the school than lose her.

CHAPTER 36

Eleanor

Pride swells in my chest as I take it all in. Two and a half months of dreaming, planning, championing Safe Harbor, and it’s finally here.

Fundraiser night.

I can’t believe how beautifully it turned out. Juliana has transformed the tent with blue and gold tablecloths, nautical-themed decor, and strings of fairy lights that trail down the canvas walls and glow in glass jars on every table. Given the late November timing, she was also smart enough to include indoor heaters to keep the tent warm.

Outside, the trees shimmer with more fairy lights, and the temporary boardwalk provided by Jake serves as a red carpet, lined with flaming torches as it leads people into the tent. He’s even added a sweet little half-boat seat by the entrance.

But my favorite part is the artwork that lines the walls inside the tent, pieces Rowan hand-picked and helped students create, and mounted displays showcasing student poems, stories, quotes. Juliana’s decor ensures the evening has an air of sophistication and glamor, but it’s grounded in the setting of the school, anchored to its purpose with the students’ work.

I smile as I take in the soft hum of conversation, the clinking of glasses over the faint strains of piano music drifting from the speakers. Instead of a formal, sit-down dinner, Theo and I opted for a cocktail-style evening with canapés and wine, giving people the freedom to mingle and absorb the art displays. He wasn’t sure if that was the right move, straying from tradition, but as I see people gather in front of the artwork and talk, I know we made the right decision.

My stomach gives a nervous ripple as I sip my wine. Tonight isn’t only about fundraising. It’s about introducing Safe Harbor to the world. Our vision. Our plans. The first step toward something bigger.

And, I can’t help but feel, the start of something bigger with Theo.

I search for his tall figure and spot him across the room, impossibly handsome in his tux, laughing with a board member. There’s a lightness to him tonight that wasn’t there before, like something has finally settled inside him.

My heart has settled as well.

We’ve spent every spare moment together since that evening in the art room, the one where we did something so intimate and hot and emotional, all at once. Where I couldn’t hold in my love anymore.

Where he broke down and told me how much he loves me, too.

And as his gaze lifts to find me watching him now, I can see that love in his eyes. He excuses himself from his conversation and crosses to where I’m tucked in the corner, unable to keep the smile from his gorgeous mouth. When he reaches my side and I get a whiff of his sandalwood cologne, my knees weaken so much I have to lean on the high-top table next to me.

He casts a furtive gaze around us, then leans in close. “You look stunning, sweetheart. I can’t keep my eyes off you.”

I blush, glancing at my dress, a violet ombré gown with delicate spaghetti straps, a gold belt that cinches the waist, and a skirt that cascades to the floor in soft, layered tulle. I splurged on the dress when I saw it in a window in Manhattan last weekend with Theo, popping in to grab it while he waited outside.

And as he rakes his eyes hungrily over me, I know it was worth every penny. My chest turns hot and fizzy, happiness singing along my skin, and a smile tugs at my lips.

“Stop it,” I admonish playfully. “That is not appropriate, Headmaster Wright.”