They didn't go home right away.
Instead, Jace took her to the little motel on the edge of town - the one with the wraparound balcony and faded red doors - and they checked in without a word.
No explanations.
No pretending.
No goodbye.
The room was small, but the silence between them wasn't.
Savannah stood by the window while Jace sat at the edge of the bed, hands folded like he was still bracing for the fall.
"You look like you're waiting to run again," she said quietly.
His eyes lifted to hers.
"I'm not."
"Then what are you scared of?"
He swallowed hard. "That I'll never be enough for you. That I already ruined it. That you'll wake up one day and realize you could've had something simpler. Safer."
She crossed the room slowly, kneeling in front of him.
"You think I want safe?" she said, voice soft but sharp. "I fell in love with a man who fought his own demons every day and still protected everyone around him. I don't want easy. I want you."
Jace's throat tightened, eyes shining.
"You don't have to be perfect," she whispered. "You just have to stay."
He reached for her hand, bringing it to his chest.
"I'm here."
Then he leaned forward and kissed her - soft, slow, reverent. No rush. No fire this time. Just heat that lingered. Built. Bloomed.
They undressed each other without urgency.
Every touch was a memory, every kiss an apology, every breath a promise.
When he entered her, it wasn't desperate like the first time.
It was steady.
Deeper.
His hands cradled her hips, her legs wrapped around him, and for once, they didn't have to say a word.
Because this wasn't just lust anymore.
This was home.
Afterward, they lay tangled in sheets and silence, hearts beating in sync.
"I don't know what happens next," Jace murmured.
"We live," Savannah said. "We figure it out. We face the people we hurt. We fight for what we want."
He looked down at her, brushing her hair from her face.
"I want you."
"Then you've already made your choice."
He smiled for the first time in what felt like forever.
And this time?
She didn't doubt him.