Page 93 of Balancing Act
Beth’s eyes filled with tears, and she reached out, taking Sarah’s hand. “Wearea family, Sarah,” she said, voice soft. “We always will be.”
They’d spent years building this life, making sacrifices for each other and Lily, and now, the new chapter they were stepping into felt like part of a larger tapestry, one they’d woven together with love and respect.
A short while later, Beth stood to leave, feeling lighter than she had in months. Sarah walked her to the door, offering one last reassuring smile before she left. Stepping out into the cool evening air, Beth felt a quiet, profound sense of peace settle over her.
She thought of Jamie, Lily, and everything they’d all built together. All the pieces of her life had finally come together, each one fitting perfectly into place. She was ready—truly ready—to embrace everything that lay ahead.
Late that evening, Beth sprawled in bed, her body relaxed but her mind whirling pleasantly. The quiet of the house settled around her as she nestled deeper into the duvet’s warmth, and the memory of her conversation with Sarah lingered, a calmness washing over her. She reached for her phone on the nightstand, her fingers hovering for a moment before she tapped Jamie’s name.
The line rang twice before Jamie’s familiar voice came through. The husky sound immediately told Beth that Jamie had been sleeping. “Hey, you,” she murmured, a smile evident in her tone, warm and inviting and wrapping its way around her heart.
“Hey,” Beth replied softly, and she couldn’t help the way her own smile spread across her lips. “Did I wake you?”
“Maybe,” Jamie replied, her voice laced with a soft yawn that ended in a tiny, kittenish squeak—so endearing that Beth’s heart melted. “But for you, I don’t mind. Is everything okay?”
Beth shifted deeper into her pillows. “Everything’s more than okay. I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Oh yeah?” Jamie’s voice perked up, the sleepiness giving way to her curiosity.
Beth nodded, even though Jamie couldn’t see her. “Yeah. I talked to Sarah tonight. Told her about us.”
There was a pause on the other end, and Beth could imagine Jamie’s surprised smile, the way her brow might lift in that charmingly skeptical way as her dark eyes narrowed. “How did she take it?”
“She wasn’t exactly shocked, which was probably the best-case scenario. A surprised Sarah isn’t a fun Sarah.” Beth laughed. “She’s been quietly putting the pieces together, but you showing up in Austin last month confirmed what she’d already suspected.”
“Busted.” Jamie’s snort of laughter made Beth’s heart skip. “So, she was really okay with it?”
Beth took a deep breath, her voice filled with relief. “More than okay, which surprised me. I thought maybe she’d be upset—just, you know, with how things were between us in the fall.” She hesitated, the memory of how easily she had slipped back into old patterns with Sarah, how natural it had felt in the moment, and how Sarah had misinterpreted that as a step toward reconciliation. “But she wasn’t, she was supportive. We had this really good conversation about Lily, and she told me she was happy for me—for us.”
“Wow.” Jamie’s voice was quiet, but Beth could hear her happiness. “That’s amazing. I know that’s been weighing on you.”
“It has,” she admitted, her fingers tracing absent circles over the duvet. “But I feel like everything is finally falling into place. Like I can really breathe.” She exhaled the last word, and marveled at how her body sank even deeper into the mattress.
Beth closed her eyes, feeling Jamie’s presence on the other end of the line, even though they were miles apart. Tiredness was pulling at her mind as she rolled onto her side, phone between her head and the pillow.
“I wish I was there with you right now,” Jamie said, her voice a low murmur laced with sleep. “To tell you how proud I am of you, and maybe to celebrate a little.” Her tone was teasing, and Beth let that feeling wrap around her as she felt that familiar heat growing between her thighs at Jamie’s suggestion.
Beth laughed softly. “Oh? And how would we celebrate?”
“I don’t know,” Jamie said, the teasing tone back in her voice. “Something quiet. Something that might involve you and me, a bottle of wine, minimal clothing—and definitely not talking about Sarah.”
“I’d like that. Pencil me in for three weeks from now? After I get back from California?”
“Mm-hmm,” Jamie purred on the other end of the line. Beth smiled to herself, knowing exactly where Jamie’s mind was lingering.
“Jamie?” she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper.
“Yeah?”
“I’m really grateful for you,” Beth said, fully aware of what her words carried. “For everything you’ve brought into my life. I feel...” She searched for a word or phrase that could adequately and succinctly pull together the bigness of how she felt for Jamie. She knew the four-letter word she wanted to use.
“I feel so incredibly full,” she opted for instead. It was too soon to say love, but she knew what she felt for Jamie was real. She had gone so many years of her life feeling like someessential piece was missing, and no matter how hard she tried, she’d never quite been able to fill the void it left. She’d grown used to feeling incomplete. But now, with Jamie, that feeling was gone. “I feel like I finally have everything I need. But there’s one thing missing.” She inhaled slowly. She could take another step toward Jamie. “I want to tell Lily about us. I want to tell her when you’re here next month. I want her to know how important you are to me.”
She bit her lip, suddenly anxious as she awaited Jamie’s response.
Jamie was quiet for a moment, her breath hitching softly. When she spoke, her voice was thick. “Beth, you have no idea what it means to hear that. I feel the same way. About you, about telling Lily, about it all. Being with you—it’s like I finally found where I’m supposed to be.”
“You are,” she whispered. “You so, totally are.” She felt the need to say the words she knew would adequately capture the depth of her feelings for Jamie. Instead, she let herself sink into the moment’s quiet, letting Jamie’s presence, even through the phone, fill the space around her.