Page 22 of When We Are Complete

This knot, this pain—it’s mine to wrestle with.

And it isn’t just grief over Mom. It’s him, too. Suddenly it hits me that I’mstillgrieving him, still grieving his loss all those years ago. Jake, with his smile and his touch, and the way he made me feel—reckless, like nothing else mattered. But it did, it does. I should have kept that door shut, should have known better. But here I am, tangled up in him again, old pain rushing to the surface.

As I stare at the old house, something slips through the cracks in my heart, sweet and painfully clear, and suddenly I’m back there—the night of prom, all those years ago.

The house was lit up from the inside that evening, each window sending yellow light across the front yard. I was a bundle of nerves, fidgeting, smoothing invisible creases in my dress as I posed on the front porch. My mom was bustling around, snapping pictures, beaming with pride, telling me how I lookedperfect.

And then there was the sound of his car pulling up—an old, red Camaro that rumbled in the night. Jake stepped out, adjusting his bow tie, his dark hair perfectly tousled, and I swear he was something out of a dream. He leaned against the car, hands in his pockets, his grin breaking wide when he saw me.

“Well, if it isn’t the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” he said, looking me up and down in a way that made me blush.

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep cool, but my cheeks were already burning. “You clean up pretty well yourself, Jake Tanner.”

He walked up the steps, attaching my corsage, hands slipping around my waist as he pulled me close. “I’ve got to, if I want to keep up with you,” he whispered, his voice meant just for me.

Mom was standing in the doorway, pretending to fiddle with her camera, but she was watching us, misty-eyed. She’d always adored Jake, told me that the way he looked at me was something rare and precious, the kind of love that you didn’t see every day.

Jake gave her a little wave, grinning. “Hi, Mrs. Charleston. You sure do have the prettiest, smartest daughter in Harbor’s Edge.”

Mom laughed. “Just make sure you bring her back in one piece and before curfew.”

“I promise.” He turned back to me, taking my arm as we walked to the car.

As we pulled away from the house, he reached across the seat, his hand finding mine. It fit there, warm and solid. The magic night stretched out in front of us, and everything seemed possible.

He glanced at me, eyes shining. “You ready for tonight, beautiful?”

My heart raced. “As long as you’re by my side.”

He laughed, a low sound that I felt down to my bones and deep in my core. “I’m not going anywhere, Kel. Not tonight, not ever.”

We pulled up to the school and Jake cut the engine and turned to me, taking a breath before he spoke. “Listen, I just want to say I’m so glad we’re back together. You’re everything to me, everything. And I love you so fucking much. We’ve been through a lot, but this time it’s different.”

I remember the world had tilted, nothing else existed but him and the way he was looking at me. And I didn’t hesitate, not for a second.

“I know, Jake,” I whispered, reaching up to touch his face. “I feel it, too.”

The memory fades, and I’m back in front of the old house, gripping my bike handles. The throbbing pain is still there, but now it’s mixed with something deeper, a longing I can’t quite name.

I look up at the house, the porch where we posed for prom pictures all those years ago, where life felt so safe and big all at once. And I think about Jake, and how we were so certain that night that we had the whole world mapped out.

I can almost see my mom standing at the front door, arms folded, Jake and me both beaming. She smiled at us that night, pride glimmering in her eyes.

The memory of her expression tugs at me, a reminder of the promises I made—to make her proud, to build a life she’d be proud to see. But standing here now, everything feels tangled, and I’m torn between the life I’m trying so hard to shape and the pieces of the past that won’t let me go.

Chapter 12

Jake

The shrill beepof the alarm yanks me from sleep, and I slap it into snooze mode with more force than necessary. It’s just another Monday—except it isn’t. It’s the kind that comes after a weekend that still has my thoughts spinning.

My eyes snap open, and I’m staring at the ceiling fan making lazy circles above me. It’s too damn early, and my head is too full of her—Kelly.

“I still can’t believe it.” I roll onto my side, an image of me fucking her against that tree in the garden flashing in my mind. I was so caught up I didn’t even use protection. And Ialwaysuse protection these days. I learned my lesson years ago, but God, Kelly just does something to me. Makes me forget everything that isn't her.

But the worst part is, I can’t even dwell on that. All I can think about is the silk of her hair in my hands, the way she looked with her dress around her waist, her breasts peaked and wanting. The feel of her around me.

I’m getting hard all over again.

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