faustinaimonmon

Nora Calder swore she’d never return to Cutler Cove, the coastal town where she left her heart—and Elias Hart—ten years ago. But when the lighthouse that holds their teenage pact faces demolition, she’s back, armed with grit and a secret that drove her away: her father’s ruinous debts. At 34, she’s got one shot to save the tower—and maybe herself—before the council tears it down.
Elias, now a rugged contractor engaged to sweet, steady Leah, didn’t expect Nora’s return to crack his world open. Their pact—if single at 35, they’d marry atop the lighthouse—haunts him as she fights for the crumbling landmark he’s hired to destroy. Old initials carved in the railing and stolen glances reignite a fire he thought was ash, but loyalty and love pull him in two.
As storms batter the coast and the town splits over the lighthouse’s fate, Nora and Elias clash, then cling—unearthing her past, shattering his future, and rebuilding more than stone. From desperate kisses in the lantern room to a festival that could save it all, they face a deadline that’s more than a vote: six months to prove the tower’s worth, and theirs. In a tangle of sweat, salt, and second chances, The Lighthouse Pact is a raw, steamy romance about love that won’t stay buried—and a promise that might just hold.

The Lighthouse Pact

Nora paced the cottage, the floorboards creaking under her boots. The storm had passed, but the air still felt charged, like static before a lightning strike. Elias's jacket was gone, Leah's fight with him was town gossip, and Meg's words—he's tangled up in you—kept looping in her head. She couldn't keep dodging him. The secret about her dad, the why of her leaving, was a splinter working its way out, and it hurt too much to hold in anymore.

She grabbed her phone, typing a quick text: Lighthouse. Now. We need to talk. Her thumb hovered over send, then hit it. No going back.

His truck rumbled up twenty minutes later, headlights slicing through the dusk. She stepped outside, arms crossed against the chill, as he climbed out, his face shadowed under his cap. "What's this about?" he asked, voice rough, like he hadn't slept either.

"Inside," she said, nodding at the tower. "Not out here."

He followed her in, the door groaning shut behind them. The air was damp, the cracks in the walls glaring in the flashlight's beam. She stopped halfway up the stairs, turning to face him. "You want to know why I left?"

His jaw tightened, but he nodded. "Yeah. Been waiting ten years."

She took a breath, the words clawing up her throat. "My dad—he fucked up. Big time. Loans he couldn't pay, fights with guys who didn't mess around. The bank took the house, everything. He told me to stay with you, but I couldn't—I couldn't drag you into that."

Elias stared, his flashlight dipping. "What?"

"He came home one night, bloody, drunk," she said, voice shaking. "Some guy—Cal—beat the shit out of him over money. Said he'd come for us next if we didn't clear out. I was scared, Elias. I didn't want you tied to that—to me."

"So you just ran?" he said, stepping closer, anger flaring. "Didn't tell me? Let me think I wasn't enough?"

"I thought I was protecting you!" she snapped, tears burning her eyes. "You had a future—college, your dad's business. I was a mess. I didn't want you to hate me later."

"Hate you?" He laughed, harsh and broken. "Nora, I loved you. I'd have fought for you—taken on Cal, the bank, whoever. But you didn't give me a chance."

Her chest caved. "I know," she whispered. "I fucked up. I've been running from it ever since."

He dropped the flashlight, the beam rolling wild across the stairs, and grabbed her shoulders—not hard, but firm. "You let me think it was me," he said, voice cracking. "Ten years, Nora. I waited for you to come back, and when you didn't, I built something else. Now you're here, and I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do."

She cried then, hot and messy, her hands fisting in his shirt. "I'm sorry," she said, over and over, until it was just sound. He pulled her in, his arms tight around her, and she felt him shake too—like he'd been holding this as long as she had.

They stood there, tangled in the dark, the lighthouse groaning around them. His breath was warm on her neck, and for a second, she thought he'd kiss her—wanted him to, God help her—but he pulled back, hands dropping. "I need to think," he said, hoarse. "This… it's too much."

He grabbed the flashlight and left, the door slamming behind him. She sank onto the stairs, sobbing into her knees, the truth out but the weight heavier than ever.

Chapter 12: The Truth Slips