On the terrace, Katie sits in Tyler’s lap and begins writing the sex scene in his notebook. As she writes an intense and romantic encounter for their characters, Tyler becomes aroused. He stops her, overwhelmed by his fear of ruining their real relationship. When Tyler worries that he may simply be “built” to withdraw after intimacy, Katie rejects his view of himself, telling him, “You are not what you think you are” before asking, “Do you trust me?” When he says yes, she answers, “Then come on. This ends now” (271-72). Katie leads him into the cottage bedroom, where they have sex for the first time. Katie tells Tyler she always wished that her first time had been with him. Tyler apologizes for his past actions, and Katie comforts him as they become intimate.

After their first night together, Katie and Tyler’s relationship becomes intensely physical. They also make significant progress on their manuscript, channeling their experiences into their writing. That evening, they go to a local sports bar. Katie reveals that after her family moved, she experienced depression and that her parents spent everything, including her college fund, on Mikey before his death. She admits to playing it safe in her ghostwriting career because she fears she has no support system if she fails. Tyler promises she can rely on him. Later, they swim in Meredith’s pool, where Tyler asks whether Katie heard what he said as he left the café on their second day together. He explains that he had said it aloud in the hope that “you’d come back to me” (283). Katie remembers hearing only a single word and asks him to repeat what he had also murmured during sex that morning. Tyler tells her, “There’s only you. There’s only you. There’s only you and you and you” (284).

Katie and Tyler spend an idyllic weekend together. On Sunday night, Katie notices the Roman numeral tattoos on Tyler’s ribs, which mark the nine years since Mikey’s death. She asks him why he started using drugs and alcohol. Tyler confesses that he grew up hating himself and always wanted to be someone else. He breaks down, revealing his long-held pain over being abandoned by his father. Katie comforts him, telling him his father didn’t deserve him.

Katie directly addresses the reader to explain that romance novels traditionally include a montage after the protagonists finally get together, allowing the narrative to quickly show “what it feels like to fall in love” (289). She then introduces Katie and Tyler’s own montage: “The next two weeks were magic” (289). They write their book, cook together, chase each other into the ocean, and spend their nights together. When Tyler attends his recovery meetings, Katie works on side projects until he returns. Katie concludes, “My heart was on fire, and you know how to fill in the blanks” (289).

Henry and Willa are deliriously happy together, but this happiness is shadowed by their past. A decade prior, they were in a similar relationship that ultimately fell apart. Now, with only a few weeks of summer left in their reunion, they are both too afraid to discuss the reasons for their original breakup, leaving the issue unresolved.

Late one night, Tyler finishes the rewritten manuscript, realizing it is fundamentally a love story. He finds Meredith on the beach, and she shares the story of a great love she lost in her youth. She chose not to be with a man who worked at her family’s beach club, believing she would find someone more like her father, and naively thinking she would have many more loves and that he might return if he were truly her soulmate. She expresses deep regret, warning Tyler that fame and fortune are meaningless without love and urging him not to let Katie get away.

Tyler wakes Katie at four o’clock in the morning, pacing her room. He tells her he has finished his book and spoken with Meredith and has now planned a surprise day trip for them. He urges her to get ready quickly, explaining that Maurice is waiting to drive them to the first ferry to Shelter Island. He wants them to reach the island in time for the sunrise. Thrilled by his spontaneous romantic gesture, Katie happily agrees to go on the “extend-a-date.”

Tyler takes Katie on a day trip to Shelter Island. They spend the day biking through a nature preserve, eating pastries, kayaking, and swimming. The trip is overwhelmingly romantic. On the ferry ride home at sunset, Tyler holds Katie and thanks her for being herself and for waiting for him.

While working on their novel, Katie receives a hysterical phone call from her mother, Carolyn, who is watching one of Mikey’s former teammates make his major league baseball debut. Upset, Katie tells her mother to stop grieving and accuses her of never caring about her before hanging up, something she has never done. Afterward, Katie breaks down in the shower while Tyler comforts her. She asks him to attend her mother’s annual charity gala for Mikey, and after some hesitation, he agrees. Katie then says she waited for him that night after the funeral, and through the whole year they moved, hoping he would come back or at least say goodbye. Tyler offers a partial truth, stating he was a scared kid who felt responsible and ran from the shame.

Tyler calls his sponsor, Arthur, about the fight between Katie and her mother. He admits he gave Katie a “stock answer” about why he left town years ago. Arthur urges Tyler to tell Katie the complete truth, arguing that their relationship cannot progress without honesty. He tells Tyler to tell her the truth and “suit up and show up” (308)—letting Katie decide whether he belongs there at all.

A flashback to 10 years prior shows 15-year-old Katie in a pharmacy. Tyler, looking unhealthy, confronts her about why she picked Owen, the guy he told her about, specifically. He is hostile and jealous, grabbing her arm before apologizing. When Katie asks if his past romantic declarations were lies, he becomes defensive and tells her to leave, admitting he doesn’t know why he acts the way he does.

In the present, Katie wakes to find Tyler at a meeting. She goes to the main house, where Meredith informs her that her mother called multiple times, leaving only an impersonal message about needing photos for the gala. Hurt, Katie confides in Meredith about the fight and admits for the first time that her mother doesn’t love her. Instead of offering false comfort, Meredith takes Katie to her massive closet to find a dress for the event. Katie chooses a stunning green Oscar de la Renta gown, which Meredith insists she keep. Meredith tells Katie she is “brave” for loving so openly despite her difficult life.

In a flashback to nine years ago, Mikey and Tyler have both recently overdosed. While Mikey is in rehab, Tyler attends an outpatient program. With her parents consumed by Mikey’s addiction, Katie feels isolated. One night, a healthier-looking Tyler appears at her window, admitting he feels ashamed and needs a friend. As he comforts her, Katie breaks down, and he apologizes for leaving her alone.

Tyler returns from his meeting and finds Katie drunk and exuberant after her evening with Meredith. As he prepares to tell her the truth about his past, Katie impulsively declares, “I love you, Tyler McNally” (324). Seeing her intoxicated and happy, Tyler is unable to reciprocate or confess.

A flashback to eight years ago details Tyler’s second senior year. He and Katie are inseparable best friends who write stories together, but their relationship remains platonic as he focuses on his sobriety. One day in August, shortly before Tyler is set to leave for college, they are caught in a rainstorm. Back at her house, they begin kissing passionately. Tyler insists on a condom and asks to slow down, saying he needs a little more time. For the next two weeks, they are affectionate—spending nights in bed pushing their story further—but never finish what they started, until Mikey checks himself out of rehab and overdoses.