And just like that, the last of the tension between them dissolves.
Natalie reappears beside them, hesitant until Jesse reaches over and pulls her into a hug.
“Don’t be a stranger,” he mutters gruffly.
“You know I won’t.”
Jesse claps Jake on the shoulder, firm and familiar, before turning down the hallway.
“Where’s he going?”
Natalie smiles. “He’s got some buddies here from his junior team. I think they’re partying.”
Jake’s brows pinch together, eyes trailing after Jesse. “Let’s hope the night doesn’t end with us wiring him bail money.”
Natalie laughs. “He swore—no arrests, no headlines. Just beers and bad decisions.”
Jake chuckles, shaking his head. “So… the usual.”
“Uh-huh.” Natalie turns to him, wrapping her arms around him. “You okay?”
Jake nods. “Better than okay.”
She reaches for his hand, and he laces their fingers together like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Let’s go,” he says. “I’m ready.”
Jake fumbles with the hotel keycard, heart hammering as the door clicks open. Natalie follows close behind, quiet, almost hesitant. The second the door shuts behind them, silence blooms—thick with the weight of everything they’ve been through to get here.
She stands in the center of the room, turning to face him, her expression clouded with emotion. “Jake?—”
He shakes his head, crossing to her in two long strides. “Don’t,” he says softly, cupping her face in his hands.
“But I need to say this,” she insists, eyes shining. “I left. I hurt you. I—I was scared and confused, and I?—”
“I know,” he interrupts gently, his forehead resting against hers. “I know all of that.”
“But you deserve an explanation?—”
“No.” His thumbs brush her cheeks, and his voice drops to a whisper. “I don’t want to go backward. You’re here now. That’s enough.”
She exhales a shaky breath, eyes searching his. “Jake…”
“Start over with me,” he murmurs. “Right here. Right now.”
She nods, lips parting, and that’s all he needs.
He kisses her—slow and deep, like he’s been dying of thirst and she’s the only thing that can save him. His mouth claims hers, tasting the days they lost and the promise of everything ahead. Her hands slide under his jacket, urgent and searching, pushing it from his shoulders. He lets it fall, never breaking the kiss, his fingers threading into her hair, gripping tight enough to make her gasp.
They move in sync, clothes falling away in pieces as they stumble toward the bed. He lowers her gently onto the sheets, their limbs tangling, breaths ragged.
They take their time, worshipping one another with every touch. The feel of her skin, the way she arches into him, the soft sounds she makes when he murmurs her name—it all pours into the hollow space inside him that only she can ever fill.
There’s nothing frantic or unsure now. Only the steady rhythm of something real, something whole. It’s not just passion. It’s homecoming.
And when they finally collapse together, breathless and sweaty, tangled in sheets and each other, Jake knows without a doubt he’s never letting her go again.
CHAPTER 46
