My bad,
Heren, the full phrase is "willing suspension of disbelief", not 'belief'.
And now that I find myself replying with my own correction, I might as well consider further your thoughts, as the point is not merely erased by the addition of a second pronoun, "he/she".
Your entire explanation of the reader's attitude towards the beloved is decidedly cast in the posture of the (possessive) romantic male.
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Side effects (Besides the suspense of disbelief) - Love urges us to Protect the beloved (how dare them dumb critics say Tolkien ain't great writer!), urges us to Need the beloved (and constantly be lured to read and reread the books), urges us to Admire the beloved and do things for her (per instance, write fan-fiction, play RPG, read out long homilies about love...) and form new friendships sharing our admiration on this here forum, among other places.
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These qualities, at least as traditionally understood, might more properly fit the model of a Female reader towards her child-text, with the desire to protect, to do things for. Certainly 'sharing the admiration' in order to attract new admirers might fit the child model more than a, ahem, husband or lover!
And I shall offer tuppence rather than penance for my error! (weak, I know, but we can't all partake of masculine rhymes all the time.
)