Page 72 of Balancing Act (Soulmate #1)

TWENTY-SEVEN

BETH

The moment she saw Jamie’s car pull into the driveway, she had been ready . Ready to lay into her, to demand an explanation, to let out two days’ worth of frustration, worry, and anger in a way that she never did.

Because Jamie deserved it.

Because Beth had spent the last forty-eight hours waiting—for a call that never came, for Jamie to care enough to tell her what the hell was going on.

And because instead of calling, instead of showing up , Beth had been left to lie to Lily, left to scramble for excuses to cover for Jamie’s absence.

So, yeah, she had been ready to fight.

But then Jamie had finally looked up.

And Beth saw her face.

She had never seen Jamie cry before, not like this.

Beth had seen her upset. Frustrated. Pissed off. She’d seen the way Jamie clenched her jaw when she was holding back, the way her fingers twitched like she wanted to punch a wall but wouldn’t. Jamie was all sharp edges and stubborn walls. She was controlled. Composed.

But this—this was different.

Jamie wasn’t crying so much as she was breaking .

Tears slipped down her face silently, like she hadn’t even noticed them, like she was barely holding herself together at the seams. Her breath was shaky, her shoulders tense, her eyes wild with raw and unfiltered emotions.

Beth’s anger faltered. Oh.

She took a step closer, her voice softer now, careful. “Jamie?”

Jamie inhaled sharply, like she was trying to pull herself together, but her hands were trembling, her whole body locked up tight.

Beth swallowed. Shit.

Jamie was hurting.

And as much as Beth wanted answers, as much as she wanted to yell and demand an explanation, Jamie hurting came first.

So instead of pressing, instead of biting out another accusation, Beth let out a slow breath, then reached for her.

“Hey,” Beth murmured, taking Jamie’s hands, prying them from where they were curled into fists at her sides. They were ice cold. “Talk to me.”

Jamie shook her head quickly, a jerky movement. She was still staring at the floor, her throat working like she was fighting something back. “I?—”

“Jamie.” Beth squeezed her hands, grounding her. “Look at me.”

Jamie squeezed her eyes shut, before finally lifting her gaze. Her bottom lip trembling.

That was all it took before Jamie made a small, broken noise.

She instinctively pulled her in as Jamie collapsed against her like she had been waiting for permission to break. She was shaking, her breaths coming fast and uneven as Beth wrapped her arms around her.

She pressed a hand to the back of Jamie’s head, keeping her close. “Okay. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Jamie’s fingers curled into the fabric of Beth’s sweater like she needed something to hold on to, something to anchor her.

And then, through the tears, she finally said it.

“I got a call from my doctor.”

Beth froze.

Jamie let out a choked, shuddering breath, her voice cracking as she forced the words out. “There were abnormalities in my scans. They want me to come in for more tests.”

Beth felt her stomach drop.

Her grip on Jamie tightened instinctively. “Jamie?—”

“I ran,” Jamie admitted, shaking her head against Beth’s shoulder. “I got in the car and left. I didn’t know where to go, I just—I couldn’t face it, Beth.”

Beth closed her eyes, inhaling sharply as she pressed a kiss to Jamie’s temple. “Oh, Jamie.”

Jamie’s whole body was trembling now, shaking in her arms as Beth held her—held her through the rising panic, through the fear clawing at her edges, through the heavy truth Jamie had kept to herself.

And Beth—Beth hated that Jamie had been carrying this alone.

“I should’ve called you,” Jamie rasped, after a long silence, her voice barely there. “I should’ve called. I—I know I let you down, I just—I was—I’m so scared, Beth.”

Beth shook her head, rubbing slow, soothing circles against Jamie’s back. “I know. I know, baby.”

She was still mad.

Beth was still furious that Jamie had run, that she had left her in the dark. That she had made her lie to Lily because she was too scared to face what was happening.

But more than that, Beth was scared too—scared for what this phone call meant for the woman she loved.

Right now, Jamie didn’t need her anger.

Right now, Jamie needed her .

She swallowed past the tightness in her throat, pressed her lips to Jamie’s hair, and whispered, “You didn’t let me down. But you did scare the hell out of me.”

Jamie let out another shaky breath.

“I watched Lily’s competition,” she said, through hiccups. “I need you to know that I did. I texted Lily on Saturday. I didn’t let Lily down.” She was trembling again as a new wave of tears came, and her breathing grew more ragged.

Beth closed her eyes for a brief moment, exhaling slowly as she held Jamie tighter.

God, this was breaking her. Seeing Jamie like this—so raw, so small, so completely undone.

This wasn’t her Jamie—the one who always held herself together with sheer force of will, even when everything inside her was crumbling.

She ran a steady and slow hand through Jamie’s hair, choosing to believe her. If Jamie had said she talked to Lily, then that was all that mattered. “I know, baby. I know you didn’t.”

Jamie shook her head against Beth’s shoulder. “I didn’t know how to talk to you. I thought—I thought if I stayed away, if I didn’t have to say it out loud, then maybe it wouldn’t be real,” she choked out, the words tumbling over each other. “But it is real, and I don’t know what to do, Beth.”

Her chest cracked wide open at the brokenness in Jamie’s words, creating a chasm.

Jamie had always been the strong one. The stubborn one. The one who carried everything alone, never letting herself lean on anyone. And now, she was unraveling right in front of her.

Beth pulled back enough to cup Jamie’s face, making their gazes meet.

Her beautiful brown eyes were red-rimmed and glassy, cheeks wet, lips trembling. Beth swiped a tear away with her thumb, then another. She wanted to make all of Jamie’s tears disappear, carry all her burdens, and give her a break from their weight.

“You are not alone anymore,” Beth murmured. “You hear me? You don’t ever have to do this alone again.”

Jamie fought back another sob, but nodded. Her hands had come up to rest on top of Beth’s as they cupped her cheeks, and she felt it—the moment Jamie finally relaxed into her touch.

Beth kissed Jamie’s forehead, her lips lingering there for a moment. “First thing in the morning, you’re calling the doctor’s office,” she said, her voice firm, “and we’re gonna get answers. Together.”

Jamie let out a ragged breath, nodding again. “Okay.” She hiccuped.

“And you’re not running from me again.” Beth tipped Jamie’s chin up slightly. “I need to hear you say it.”

Jamie blinked up at her, eyes swimming, and nodded. “I won’t. I promise.”

Beth studied her, searching for any hesitation within the promise, but all she saw was exhaustion. Fear. And beneath all of that, trust.

She tugged Jamie back into her arms. “Good,” she whispered against Jamie’s hair. “Because I love you. You don’t get to shut me out.”

Jamie let out a broken laugh, muffled against Beth’s shoulder. “Bossy.”

“You love it.”

Jamie, still shaking, still holding on to her like she was the only thing keeping her from falling apart completely, whispered, “Yeah. I really do.”

Beth woke up the following morning to the warmth of Jamie still beside her.

For a moment, in that in-between space where sleep still clung to her and clouded her mind, she thought everything was fine. That Jamie had stayed over like she usually did, their limbs tangled together in the effortless intimacy they had built over the past few months.

But then she blinked fully awake, and reality settled in.

Jamie had run .

Jamie had broken .

And now, she was here, curled up beneath the covers, her breathing steady but fragile, like the wrong move might shatter her all over again.

She stayed still, watching the early morning light creep in through the curtains, casting soft shadows across Jamie’s face. Exhaustion written all over her—hollowed out dark circles shadowed beneath her eyes, and tension still etched lines into her face, even in sleep.

She pressed a gentle kiss to Jamie’s hair before slipping out of bed. She needed a minute. Needed coffee .

She pulled on a sweater over her sleep shirt and scribbled a quick note letting Jamie know where she was before grabbing her keys and quietly leaving the house, letting the morning chill wake her as she climbed into the car.

She hadn’t planned on going far—just to the Drip Drop Café. But as she pulled into town, Beth blinked at the sight of the café’s sign.

The name had changed. Again.

She groaned, rubbing a hand over her face. “Jesus, make up your mind already.”

The new name? The Grumpy Goat.

“Sure. Why not,” she said under her breath, as she pushed inside, the familiar scent of fresh coffee meeting her instantly.

The place still looked mostly the same—cozy chairs in the corner, the same slightly wobbly table by the window—but the menu had been updated, and there was new art on the walls.

Then she heard a voice she wasn’t expecting.

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.”

Beth turned toward the counter, blinking in surprise at the sight of Sean .

Standing beside him, grinning, was his broad-shouldered boyfriend—Pat Fitz-Simmons.

“What on earth?” she said, her confusion evident.

Pat smirked as he threw Sean an adoring smile. “Do you want to tell her or should I?”

Sean gave him a once-over, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You do it.”

Pat leaned casually against the counter. “We’re the new owners of The Grumpy Goat. I named it after Sean, can’t you tell?” His smile was wide and boyish as Beth glanced at the new sign again. Back to Pat. Then to Sean.

“Wait. You bought the café?”

Pat chuckled. “Technically, Sean did. But, you know, what’s his is mine and all that.”