Page 34 of Balancing Act (Soulmate #1)

“Jamie,” Beth said, and she rushed in, her face pale and eyes wide with fear. Their gazes locked. Jamie felt a rush of something—relief, fear, love—none of it expected. She gave Beth a slight nod, trying to communicate that everything was under control, even if she didn’t fully believe it.

Jamie’s body ached with the tension of the past hour, her muscles stiff from holding it all together.

She stood as Beth moved closer. The two stood there for a moment, everything unspoken between them filling the small hospital room.

Jamie’s heart beat painfully in her chest, her body still buzzing with the remnants of adrenaline.

She wanted to reach out, to touch Beth and offer comfort, but she didn’t know how.

Beth spoke first, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m so sorry I missed your calls,” Beth said, her voice shaky as she stepped closer to Jamie. “I put my phone down in the studio and got distracted, and?—”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jamie interrupted, reaching out to touch Beth’s arm. “She’s okay. I got her. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re here now.”

The warmth of Beth’s arm beneath Jamie’s hand sent a jolt through her.

Her pulse quickened, her body betraying her in the quiet hospital room.

For a split second, she considered stepping closer, closing the gap between them, but then she caught herself and stepped back, letting the moment’s weight linger.

Beth nodded, looking away quickly as she blinked back tears. “Thank you,” Beth whispered.

“You don’t have to thank me.” Jamie brushed her thumb gently against Beth’s arm.

This was killing her, but neither of them seemed to know how to navigate the ambiguity that existed between them now.

It was definitely there—the feelings for each other they had each finally said aloud—electric and undeniable.

Could Beth feel it, too? Jamie was about to speak again, but her words were cut off as the door creaked open.

A nurse wheeled Lily back into the room and helped her onto the bed. Jamie dropped her hand from where it had been on Beth’s arm, taking a significant step away from Beth as she moved toward the door.

“The doctor will be in shortly with the scan results,” the woman said, before exiting the room.

Beth leaned down and placed a kiss on top of Lily’s head, wrapping an arm around her. “How are you feeling, love?”

“I’m fine, Mama,” she grumbled, but Jamie noticed how Lily leaned into Beth’s hug. “Jamie’s been keeping me company.”

“I know,” Beth said, her mood shifting as she assessed Lily, mirroring her calm manner. “And we’re so thankful for that.”

Beth gave Jamie a small, grateful smile, her eyes lingering on her a little too long. For a moment, the world seemed still, and Jamie couldn’t help but notice the gravitational pull that seemed to hook around her, pulling her deeper into Beth’s orbit.

“Well, Lily, now that your mom’s here, I?—”

“Don’t leave yet,” Lily said quickly, while Beth said, “You don’t have to go.”

“Can you stay for a little while longer?” Lily asked, her eyes hopeful.

Jamie glanced at Beth and back to Lily. The two blondes looked at her with their big blue eyes, which she was discovering she had an incredibly hard time saying no to.

“Yeah, I can stay, at least until your scans come back.”

Beth sat on the bed with Lily as Jamie pulled the chair closer. The three of them talked. Lily told Beth about her fall, and as she listened, Jamie could hear Lily’s spirits lifting, her voice sounding less fearful and more optimistic. She smiled. Kids really were resilient.

She watched as Lily lay on the bed, her leg propped up with a pillow, the ice pack now slightly melted.

Lily seemed more at ease now, but Jamie caught the subtle way she flexed her foot every so often, testing the pain.

Beth sat beside her, holding her hand, whispering comforting words to her daughter, her fingers brushing through Lily’s hair.

“Don’t test it,” Jamie said knowingly, tapping Lily’s foot lightly. “Not until we know what’s going on.”

Lily grinned sheepishly but stopped. “I wasn’t,” she said, with a shrug. Jamie glanced at Beth, who was also smiling softly.

Jamie felt her chest tighten, but not how it usually did in hospitals.

It wasn’t fear of the past or the memories of her hospital stays creeping in.

It was something else. Being here with them, at this moment, felt right.

A strange sense of calm washed over her that she hadn’t expected.

It was almost like this was where she was supposed to be, where she wanted to be.

She glanced at Beth, her heart giving a traitorous tug at the sight of her.

Beth caught her looking, and it was like a spark passed between them, unspoken but undeniable. Jamie quickly averted her eyes, focusing instead on the pattern of tiles on the hospital floor. She couldn’t go there—not now.

“Thanks for staying, Jamie. It makes me feel better when you’re here.”

Lily’s words were soft and sweet, landing hard on Jamie as the realization hit her. She cared about Lily. Not just peripherally. No, she really cared about Lily. Cared that she was taken care of. There was nowhere else she’d rather be than making sure she was safe.

Her body betrayed her with the rush of warmth that followed. She reminded herself, again, that this was her job, but the lie felt weaker every time she said it. Lily wasn’t just another gymnast, and Beth—Beth meant much more to Jamie than she could admit.

The door opened, and the doctor entered with a clipboard in hand and a reassuring smile.

“Great news,” the doctor said. “Just a sprain. The X-rays show no fractures or breaks. Rest it, and use intermittent ice and elevation for the first twenty-four hours, and you should be back to normal in a few days.”

Lily let out a breath of relief and sagged back against the pillows.

“That’s the best news we could have asked for, right, Lily?” Beth squeezed her hand, smiling.

“We’ll give you a brace for stability and some crutches for the next few days to take the weight off,” the doctor continued. “You’ll bounce back quickly. Make sure to rest.”

Lily nodded, expression a mix of relief and frustration. Jamie knew it all too well—the fear of being sidelined, the anxiety of missing training time. But she wasn’t worried. Lily was resilient—she’d come back from this, like she always did.

“I just need one of your moms to sign a few things for me, and we can get you out of here.” The doctor glanced between Beth and Jamie, and her cheeks flushed at the implication that he believed Jamie to be Lily’s mom.

“We’re not—” Jamie started, her hands clamming up.

“I’m her mom,” Beth cut in calmly, unbothered by the assumption. “I can sign.” She reached across the bed for the clipboard from the doctor.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He smiled politely as Beth waved a hand as if to say, “No problem.” After he gave a few more instructions, he left, leaving the three of them in the quiet hospital room again.

Jamie exhaled slowly, the fear that had gripped her body for the past hour finally loosening its hold.

Lily was okay. She was going to be okay.

“Can you believe he thought you guys were married?” Lily’s smile was wide, stretching almost ear to ear.

She briefly caught Beth’s eye as she quickly attempted to change the subject, but not before noticing the blush on her cheeks.

“See, Lily? Nothing to worry about. Just a sprain. You’ll be back flipping in no time.

But you need to rest. And you know I’ll be checking in to make sure you’re really giving your body the recovery time it needs.

” She gave Lily a look that said I mean it .

Lily’s eyes darted back and forth between Jamie and Beth before grinning back. “Thanks, Jamie. For, you know, everything.”

Beth turned to Jamie, her gratitude evident in the way she looked at her. “Thank you. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.”

Jamie shrugged, trying to play it off. “I should get going. Gotta get back to the gym and update Amanda, and get your evaluation pushed back.”

Lily frowned, her face falling slightly. “Don’t leave,” Lily protested.

“I think your mom can handle things from here,” Jamie said. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow, okay?”

Before Lily could protest further, the door swung open again, and Sarah hurried in, her hair damp and wild from the rain, her face flushed with worry. “Oh my God, Lily! Are you okay?” She rushed over to the bed, crouching beside her daughter and inspecting her leg.

Lily groaned. “I’m fine, Mom. It’s just a sprain.”

Sarah exhaled sharply, her shoulders sagging with relief. She glanced up at Jamie, her expression softening. “Thank you for being here, Jamie. I really appreciate it.”

She watched as Sarah slipped her arm around Beth, and her stomach lurched uncomfortably.

She told herself this was precisely what she wanted—Beth with Sarah.

But seeing them together now, a tightness settled in Jamie’s chest, which felt dangerously close to jealousy.

She should have felt relief. She should have felt something else.

Instead, she could only think about the space she had put between herself and Beth.

“And for taking such good care of our daughter.” Sarah smiled, but her voice carried that same, slightly caustic tone she’d noticed Sarah use with Sean. Did she know about her and Beth? The thought unsettled her.

Jamie shifted uncomfortably, unable to keep still. “Yeah, well, it’s no problem. Wanted to make sure she was alright.”

Sarah nodded, glancing between Jamie and Beth, and there it was again—a flicker of something passing over her face. She couldn’t be that oblivious. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. “Well, we’re lucky to have you.”

Jamie gave a tight smile, her discomfort growing. “I’m glad she’s okay,” she said quietly, stepping back toward the door. “I’ll get out of your way now.”

She needed to get out of there—needed space to think, to sort through the overwhelming feelings crashing over her.

She opened the door and stepped into the hallway, the cool air hitting her like a splash of water.

She exhaled sharply, trying to shake off the emotions that had been building inside her since they arrived at the hospital.

But before she could take another step, she felt a hand on her arm, gentle but firm.

“Jamie, wait.”

She froze. It would’ve been so easy to step closer, to close the gap between them, but Jamie pulled away, retreating as always, even when her body screamed at her to stay.

Jamie didn’t trust herself to look at Beth right now, not when her emotions were so raw and exposed.

She’d told Beth to choose Sarah, which was exactly what she had done.

Once again, Amanda was right. She had gotten in her own way, and this time, so much so that she drove Beth right into someone else’s arms. Her stomach flipped.

But Beth didn’t give her a choice—she stepped in front of Jamie, looking into her eyes.

“Thank you,” Beth said, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’ve been amazing with Lily. And with me. I...” She trailed off, her gaze searching Jamie’s face for anything that might make sense of the complicated mess between them.

Jamie broke the eye contact first, her throat tight. “I’m just doing my job,” she said again, the words a lie she didn’t believe anymore.

Beth’s hand lingered for a second longer before she slowly let go. “Right,” she said softly. “Your job.”

Jamie nodded, unable to meet her eyes, and turned away again.

She walked down the sterile hospital hallway, the sound of her footsteps echoing in the empty space.

As she left, her heart ached in a way she hadn’t expected even though every part of her was screaming to give Beth something more tangible.

But again, she had pulled away and kept her distance.

It was easier that way, she lied to herself.

But deep down, she wasn’t sure she believed it.