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

Elias drove aimless through Cutler Cove, the road blurring under his tires. Nora's words pounded in his skull—I was protecting you—and it hurt worse than the silence ever had. She'd left to shield him, not to ditch him, and it flipped everything he'd believed upside down. He'd spent a decade building walls, and now they were crumbling, and he didn't know where that left him—or Leah.

He pulled into the harbor lot, cutting the engine. The sea was flat, a rare calm after the storm, but his head was a hurricane. He'd almost kissed Nora back there, her tears soaking his shirt, her body pressed to his. It'd felt right—too right—and that scared the shit out of him.

His phone buzzed—Leah. At Jen's. Need space. Talk tomorrow? He stared at it, thumbs frozen. Tomorrow. He'd have to face her, figure out what he felt, but right now, all he could see was Nora's face, hear her voice breaking.

He got out, walking the pier, the salt air sharp in his lungs. He'd loved her once—fierce, reckless love that had gutted him when she left. Leah was steady, kind, everything he'd told himself he needed. But Nora was back, and she wasn't just a ghost anymore—she was real, messy, and tearing him apart.

Nora woke to sunlight, her eyes gritty from crying. The cottage was quiet, the tin box still open on the table. She'd spilled it all to Elias, and he'd walked away. She didn't blame him—it was a lot, too late. But it was out, and that had to count for something.

She showered, dressed, and headed to the café, needing noise to drown her head. Meg was there, waving her over. "You look like hell," Meg said, pushing a coffee across. "What happened?"

"Elias knows," Nora said, sipping. "About my dad. Everything."

Meg whistled low. "How'd he take it?"

"Bad," she said. "Yelled, then left. I don't know where we stand."

"He'll come around," Meg said. "Give him time. Meanwhile, we've got a lighthouse to save."

Nora nodded, pulling out her laptop. The town was rallying—donations trickling in, a fundraiser set for next week. Elias wasn't texting, but she saw his crew's truck at the tower later, hauling gear. He was still in, even if he couldn't face her.

That night, she found a note under her door—his handwriting, rough and slanted. Fixed your window. Storm cracked it. We'll talk soon. She ran her fingers over it, a small lifeline, and looked out at the lighthouse, its silhouette steady against the dark. He was still there, in his way, and it gave her hope—dangerous, fragile hope.

Chapter 13: The Calm Before