Page 110 of Balancing Act

Beth felt her throat tighten, her eyes stinging. “Jamie...”

Jamie exhaled, her other hand coming up to cradle Beth’s face. “I don’t want to be careful with this anymore. I want to come home to you every night. I want to wake up with you every morning. I want to build a home together—our space, our life.” She swallowed hard, her voice cracking slightly. “I want you every day, for as long as I get to have you.”

A disbelieving smile broke through as she cupped Jamie’s hand over her cheek.

“You’re sure?” she whispered, even though she already knew the answer.

Jamie let out a soft, breathy laugh, like she couldn’t believe Beth even had to ask. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

She didn’t give her a chance to say anything else before surging forward, capturing Jamie’s lips in a kiss that was as much relief as it was love, her hands tangling in Jamie’s curls as she pulled her in closer. Jamie kissed her back just as fiercely, her grip on Beth tightening like she was holding onto something she planned to never let go of.

When they finally pulled back, foreheads resting together, she couldn’t help her own laugh. “You know, you really buried the lede there.”

“I like to keep things interesting.” Jamie grinned, eyes crinkling at the corners.

Beth shook her head fondly before nudging Jamie’s nose with hers. “You’re really doing this? Moving in?”

“I am.”

Beth exhaled slowly, letting the moment settle deep in her chest before whispering, “Welcome home, Jamie,” just as Bainbridge Island came into view, the small pinpricks of light growing larger as the ferry approached.

Jamie turned to her, her smile now stretched broadly across her face, voice steady in a way that left no room for doubt. “Yeah,” she murmured. “Home.”

Beth let the word settle, let it fill her chest the way Jamie always did. She had waited for this. For Jamie to choose this, choose them. And now, finally, she had.

TWENTY-FOUR

JAMIE

Jamie shut the car door quietly, mindful of the early morning stillness. Dew slicked the driveway, and the sky was starting to blush with dawn. When she glanced back, Beth was in the doorway, barefoot, wrapped in one of Jamie’s old sweatshirts—messy-haired but smiling. She gave a small wave, which Beth returned as she climbed into the car, where Lily was already waiting for her.

She stole a quick glance at the girl beside her. Lily was still waking up, her hair pulled into a loose braid, her gym bag slumped at her feet. She looked younger like this, and the closer they had become over the last few months, the more she appreciated Lily for who she was, not just the gymnastics phenom whose name was suddenly everywhere in their world.

“You better start waking up,” Jamie said, as she backed out of the driveway.

Lily groaned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Ugh, I know.”

The drive to the training center was short, but the silence between them felt anything but empty. Jamie had learned early on that Lily wasn’t much for small talk in the mornings, but neither was Jamie. Whenever she stayed at Beth’s and Lily had been there, Jamie always took her to the gym in the morning,even if it wasn’t a day where she could stay and work with Lily. She liked doing it. She knew Beth wasn’t a morning person, and this was a way for her to take something off her plate.

“So, when are you officially moving in?” Lily asked, her voice cutting through the soft hum of the car’s engine.

They told Lily a few days after she and Beth had talked on the ferry about Jamie moving in and were met with absolute excitement.

“I told you, Lil, after you get back from your competition in Kansas City—sometime next week.”

“Are you sure you can’t come? I don’t know how I feel about competing without you there.”

Jamie glanced over, surprised by this admission from Lily. She had spent years convincing herself she wasn’t the kind of person people relied on—not really. But hearing that from Lily? Knowing she mattered like that? That hit her differently.

“I’m sorry, Lils. I’ve got that big work meeting.” She genuinely was sorry. She hated missing it. But she and Shannon were gearing up for the launch of Empwr, which was set for the coming Friday. “But don’t think for a minute I won’t be watching. Your mom is going to FaceTime the whole thing for me. And I’ll be watching online, too, because we both know she’s not the best at holding the camera still.”

That made Lily laugh, and Jamie loved her laugh. It was infectious as it bubbled up. Before Jamie knew it, she was smiling, too. “Besides, you did pretty amazing in Austin, even when you thought I wasn’t there.”

“I don’t know,” Lily said softly, twisting the bag strap around her fingers. “It just... didn’t feel like a competition.”

Surprise crept into Jamie’s words. “Third in the all-around, first on the floor, beating half the national team—and it didn’t feel like a competition?”

Lily shrugged, but Jamie caught the faintest flicker of a smile. “I mean, it was great. I didn’t feel nervous. Not like I used to get before.”