Page 138 of Balancing Act

Jamie coughed, trying to recover. “I . . . Uh . . . What . . .”

Lily stared at her expectantly.

Jamie groaned, rubbing a hand over her face. “We’re taking things day by day, okay?” She pointed at her. “And I literally just finished moving the last of my stuff in, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Lily smirked. “So, notno.”

Jamie sighed, but the edges of her mouth twitched. “I love your mom. A lot.” She hesitated, feeling like there was more she needed to say—something bigger. But she didn’t know how to say it, so in a classic Jamie way, she danced around it awkwardly. “And I love—uh—I care for you too.”

Lily’s smirk widened. “That was painful for you, huh?”

Jamie groaned. “You’re the worst.”

Lily bumped her shoulder. “I love you, too, Jamie.”

TWENTY-NINE

BETH

Morning light filtered through the curtains in soft golden slants, warming the sheets as Beth blinked awake. The house was quiet, the kind of stillness that only existed in the early hours before the world caught up with itself.

She turned her head, Jamie sprawled out beside her, her face half-buried in the pillow and her dark hair a mess. She was still asleep, her breathing steady, and the tension she so often carried absent for once.

She smiled to herself before carefully slipping out from beneath the covers. She barely made it to the edge of the bed before Jamie stirred, letting out a groggy sigh as she turned onto her side.

“I got it,” Jamie mumbled, her eyes never opening. “I’ll take her.”

Beth huffed a quiet laugh as she cupped Jamie’s cheek, soft skin warm beneath her palm. “Go back to sleep,” she whispered, stroking her thumb lightly over Jamie’s cheekbone. “You’ve been up late every night this week. I can handle it.”

Jamie grumbled incoherent words, her face scrunching as she tried to protest, but she didn’t fight it when Beth gently nudged her onto her stomach.

“’m not even that tired...” Jamie mumbled into the pillow.

Beth smirked. “Sure, baby.”

Jamie sighed, already halfway back under, her fingers twitching once against the sheet before she went still.

She watched her for a moment longer, then leaned down to press a lingering kiss to Jamie’s temple before slipping out of the bedroom.

When Beth made it downstairs, Lily was already sitting at the counter, lacing up her sneakers. She barely glanced up before saying, “Ready when you are, J.”

Beth smirked. “Well, that’s going to be a problem.”

Lily’s head snapped up. Her eyes widened slightly as she registered that Beth was standing in front of her, still tugging a sweatshirt over her head. “Oh. You’re taking me?”

Beth grabbed the keys off the hook. “Yeah. That a problem?”

“No, it’s just...” Lily shook her head like she was recalibrating. “Jamie’s pretty much been taking me every day.”

“Jamie’s exhausted,” Beth said. “She needs sleep. So, it looks like you’re stuck with me, love.”

Lily shrugged. “I guess I am,” she said, grinning as she grabbed her water bottle. “Just think,” Lily continued, “in a few months, I’ll be able to learn how to drive, and then neither of you will have to take me to training.”

Beth followed her out the door, a small, satisfied smile tugging at her lips. A year ago, this kind of interaction would’ve been tense—stilted and full of gaps neither knew how to fill.

Now?

Now it felt easy.