Page 33 of Creed

His mouth tipped into the faintest smile, and the next thing I knew, we were sitting at a table in the back of the coffee shop. It was small and quiet and nestled behind an old bookstore. Students filled the space with the kind of casual noise that should’ve made me feel normal. But nothing about this felt normal.

Jameson sat across from me, calm and unreadable, and I felt like I was about to come unglued. I didn’t want him to know that he was getting to me, so I took a sip of my coffee and did everything I could to avoid his gaze. When I couldn’t stand it amoment longer, I forced myself to look up at him and ask, “So, are you going to tell me what we’re doing here, Jameson?”

“Just a couple of old friends catching up over a cup of coffee.”

“Old friends, huh?”

“Just wanted to see how you were.”

“It’s been years, Jameson. Why the sudden interest?”

“I saw you and your friend at the casino the other night.”

“Oh, so, youwerethere?”

His blue eyes narrowed.“You saw me?”

“No, but I thought I saw a couple of your brothers. I figured if they were there, you might be, too… Speaking of which, where is your cut? Are you still with them?”

“I am.” He motioned his head over to a table full of students. “Didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention.”

“You avoiding attention? That’s new.”

“I’m a changed man.”

“Um-hmm.” I rolled my eyes with a smile.

He shifted in his seat, and his thumb tapped lightly against the coffee cup. It was a small tell he probably didn’t even realize he had. “I’m VP of the club now.”

“Wow. That’s big.”

“Yeah.” His jaw tightened for a moment, then he added, “I’m proud of it. Worked hard to get here, but it can be tough. It’s hard leading a group of men you consider family. It’s a lot of pressure. I don’t want to fuck it up.”

That was Jameson. Strong and steady but carrying the weight of everyone around him without letting anyone see how heavy it was.

I wanted to reach across the table and take his hand again, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. So, I just nodded, letting him know I heard him, that I saw him.

“You could never fuck it up,” I said softly. “You were meant for this.”

His eyes softened, just for a moment, before that familiar smirk tugged at his lips. “You always did believe in me.”

“Yeah.” I smiled, even though it hurt a little. “I guess I did.”

Jameson smiled, and my chest tightened exactly like it did when we were younger. His eyes burned through me as he said, “Noticed there’s no ring on your finger.”

“Oh, yeah.” I ran the tips of my fingers over the spot where my ring used to be and sighed. “Brian and I divorced about a year ago. We tried to make it work, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

“This is the part where I’m supposed to say I’m sorry…”

“Not unless you mean it.”

“I would if I thought you or your kids were torn up about it.”

“You know about my kids?”

He didn’t answer.

He didn’t have to. I remembered how things worked with him and the club. I had no idea how he or his brothers did it, but they always seemed to know things no one else knew.