Page 91 of When We Are Complete

He enters me slowly, reverently. My body molds to his, welcoming him home, and we move together, every stroke filled with emotion.

“Kelly,” Jake groans, his hand sliding down to where we are joined, his fingers finding my clit. His movements are deliberate, circling as the hard length of him bottoms out, then slides inside me again and again.

“Jake,” I gasp, nails digging into his broad shoulders. Everything’s building, the pressure, the intensity, all spiraling towards something monumental. His hips keep rolling, steadyand sure, fully sheathing himself within me. There’s a promise in every thrust, a silent vow that echoes through my bones.

“Come for me,” he urges, his voice laced with desire. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world, Kelly. I’m yours, all of me.”

His words unravel me in a cascade of sensation. My climax hits, powerful and relentless, and Jake’s own release follows, accompanied by a deep growl muffled against my neck as he holds me tight. We lie there for a moment, both breathing hard, clinging to each other as the blizzard continues its furious assault outside, the wind howling and snow pelting against the lighthouse walls.

A part of me knows it’s tearing apart the installations I’d once pinned my hopes on.

I can almost feel the pieces shattering out there, blown around, scraps of a dream I’d clung to for so long, dissolving into the storm’s relentless fury. But here, wrapped in Jake’s arms, the worry and disappointment is distant, softened by his embrace. His hand rests steady against my back, the rough calluses on his fingertips grounding me, while his breath, warm against my temple, reminds me that I’m safe. Loved.

My mind drifts to the pain of losing Mom, the weight of every expectation I tried to meet, the frantic need to keep everything perfectly in line. The desire to make her proud is still there, but it’s different now. Tempered.

Somehow, in Jake’s arms, the pain eases just enough for something else to creep in—a kind of peace, deep and unshakeable, a sensation of being loved, just as I am.

It’s so rare, so startling, that it brings a pang to my chest. I’ve chased this for so long, but I never thought I’d actually find it.

This… this is what it means to be whole. Not checking off endless boxes, not scrambling to meet impossible standards, notbending myself into a thousand shapes to fit someone else’s mold.

It’s here, in the quiet strength of his arms, where every imperfection, every broken piece, is just another part of me he loves. I’ve spent years living with the notion that only perfection could make me worthy, but now I realize I got it backward. It’s the presence of love that makes me feel perfect—love so real and true that it’s hard not to see myself through his eyes.

I look up, meeting his gaze, and in that instant, his acceptance washes over me, pure and unguarded.

I’m home.

Chapter 53

Jake

I blinkawake to the faint buzz of my phone muffled beneath the layers of blankets. Kelly’s perfect body is tucked close against mine, her head resting on my chest. I reach out, fumbling for the phone as dawn light seeps through the lighthouse windows. It’s still overcast outside, but the storm’s fury has finally died down. There’s a quiet, a vulnerable kind of calm.

“Hello?” My voice is rough, barely awake.

“Hey. It’s Patrick. We’re heading out to assess the damage around town and see who needs help. Could use all the hands we can get. You in?”

“Yeah, of course,” I reply, glancing down at Kelly. She stirs, her eyes fluttering open, finding mine. Her hand slips over my heart, her fingers splayed across my chest.

“We’ll meet at the high school.”

“I’ll be there soon.” I hang up, dropping the phone beside us.

Kelly’s eyes meet mine, soft and full of something I can only describe as hope. I brush a strand of hair from her beautiful face,my fingers lingering on the smooth of her cheek, before pressing my lips to her soft mouth.

“Can you believe we got this second chance?” I say, pulling back a little. She holds my gaze, and this fragile, beautiful thing between us seems to pulse. “Or is it third or fourth at this point?”

She smiles, and it hits right down to my bones. “It doesn’t matter how many tries it took. We’ve finally made it. For real this time.”

“Then I’m not wasting a second of it,” I promise, pulling her close, her breasts pressing against my chest, letting her warmth seep into me for just a moment longer. “Not a single second of it.”

“It’s hard to believe one night could change so much.”

I press a kiss to her forehead. “All we needed was the worst winter storm in more than a decade for us to get our shit together.”

We linger there in the quiet for a few more minutes, my hand tracing the curve of her spine. The world outside might be damaged, but there's something steady in me, something stronger than anything I’ve ever felt.

I brush a gentle kiss against her forehead before we get dressed and gather up the blankets, packing up what we have, and head out. We pause in the shadow of the lighthouse, fine snow still falling, and both take in the wreckage of the festival grounds, the installations half-buried and scattered in the white, some frames snapped in two like matchsticks.

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