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With his hand still on my chin, he asked, “Are you sure?”
“We were designed to be together…I’m sure, Brent.”
My words surprised me and I realized I was absolutely certain. Drawing me close, he buried his head in the crook of my neck.
“I love you,” he said. “For eternity, Claire.”
“Eternity,” I whispered, kissing him softly.
He wound his arm around my waist, sliding me underneath him. He kissed me back, just as soft. Pressing into me, Brent lowered me to the bed, never taking his lips off mine. And then his hands were under my shirt, exploring me, owning me. My body relaxed and I let go. For the first time in my life, I was ready to trust someone with all of me.
When he tugged on the bottom of my shirt, I sat up just enough and lifted my arms above my head so he could remove it. He whipped it off quickly and pinned me back to the bed, pressing his lips to mine. He laid claim to me with his mouth and I devoured him.
We were close. He was finally ready and I knew I was. I wanted him from the moment I met him – from the moment I dreamt of him.
His mouth moved to my neck, trailing kisses to my collar bone while his hands traveled under the denim fabric of my jeans. He hesitated just a second before undoing the button and easing down the zipper. I lifted my hips for him to make it easier.
“I trust you,” I whispered breathlessly.
With those words, it was decided. There would be no stopping this time.
***
I lay awake for hours, smiling, listening to Brent breathe and rain tapping against the window. I had been given an incredible gift. Not the abilities. But the one person bound to me, to complete me.
I tried to close my eyes, but I was too happy, rather wishing to freeze this exact moment in time. We had made love, and it was most definitely an emotional response to everything that happened between us.
I was comfortable lying in Brent’s warm embrace, the most content I had ever felt. Everything with Brent was as natural as breathing, the seal making it impossible to feel any other way, matched to fit together, in every way possible. All of my fears from tonight were a distant memory, and the anxiety I had spun in the bathroom was so unnecessary. He belonged to me as much as I did to him, and he showed me with the utmost tenderness.
It may have even been a way for him to show me that we belonged solely to each other and I was okay with that. Brent was hurt knowing I thought his seal was not my only match and he needed to show me it was. I had no regrets and I would cherish this moment forever because that is what we had together, in this life or the next.
Love is eternal.
EPILOGUE
“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.” -Douglas Pagels
All of us were hanging out at the beach house in Jasper. Maggie invited us up Friday night after school to stay the weekend and we all jumped at the chance to enjoy the house before winter hit and she closed the house for the season. The morning we left, I almost stayed home as I had been feeling nauseous, and didn’t want anyone else to get sick. But Brent convinced me to come.
We ended up having to take three cars because Layken had so many pieces of luggage. The girl really was a walking fashion statement. I learned that her family moved here from Manhattan. I chuckled, thinking they had taken her out of the city, but not the city out of her. Layken would always be far too chic for Northfield.
Maggie introduced us to Will, the caretaker she hired to look after the place. He was very sweet and obviously worshiped the ground Maggie walked on which made me like him right away. I thought Maggie might have a little crush on him too. I was happy for her. She finally reached a time when she could live for herself. Her parents were gone and I was an adult now, no longer needing her to take care of me. Maggie teased that I would always need her, and she was right.
Reese tried to get me to play guitar for the group. I finally caved to his relentless whining and played. I hated to admit how much I was glad he pushed because it felt so good to run my fingers across the metallic strings. While I played, I gazed at Brent, allowing his smile to steer my insecurities far away. As long as I looked at him I felt comfortable playing in front of people. After I played a few songs, every one clapped. They made me feel great, complimenting me enthusiastically.
We spent most of Saturday on the beach looking over all of the stones, collecting our favorites. I made a point of not getting too close to the water remembering how cold it was. I laughed at the memory of the last time I was here when Brent hoisted me over his shoulder and carried me back to the house. I caught Brent’s blue eyes on mine and could tell by the smile on his face he was having the same memory.
As the day drew to a close, Will started up a huge bonfire and we all gathered around for a lobster bake. We stuffed ourselves with seafood and corn until, admittedly, we were at a point where we might need to roll each other upstairs if we didn’t stop soon. Of course, that feeling didn’t stop any of us from devouring Maggie’s famous chocolate chip cookies afterwards.
We spent the rest of the night huddling around the fire talking. Layken sat in between Logan’s legs with her back against his chest. He was playing with her hair and she was smiling. I was beyond proud of him. He had overcome his demons and found someone to complete him. He had spoken with his parents, telling them why he was leaving to live with his uncle. About a week later, his dad joined him at a support meeting for alcoholics and had been attending twice a week since. Logan said his dad was holding strong and had quit drinking. It was my hope that he continued to face his own wrongs in life, and one day, he and Logan could have a relationship that a father and son should have.
Reese sat next to me with Brooke on his lap. The two of them had been inseparable and I had become very close to her. I owed her so much. Without her gift to enhance our abilities, Brent would not have been able to trap Kace. The outcome could have been very different. She adored Reese as much as I did, impulsiveness and all.
Reese never spoke to his parents about his mother’s affair. I imagined it was hard for him, but I respected his decision to keep it from them. I hoped he would find the courage to do so in the future. Those kinds of things have a way of coming out eventually and it would be better for his dad to hear it from Reese. For now, it was a secret shared with this small group of friends that were eternally bonded.
We hadn’t heard from Omni since that fateful night, but I knew it was just a matter of time. As scary as our previous hunt was, I felt anticipation stewing in all of us to do it again.
Brent and I had grown closer after our one night together. I finally understood what it meant to find yourself in another person. It was a completion, guiding you every day of your life down your designed path. I wanted to make love with him again but he kept telling me he wanted to marry me first. I teased him relentlessly saying we had that backwards, but he was persistent, and I eventually agreed to become his wife. I would give that to him because he needed it. We hadn’t set a date yet, but I was hoping for right after graduation.
