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BLAKELY

I wake up the next morning with my cheek smushed against Jamie’s chest, an arm python-wrapped around my middle, and my hand in his briefs. Despite the heaviness hanging over me, I hesitate for a moment longer before loosening my hold on his very hard dick and extracting myself from his hold.

I’m never up before him, but with how hard it was for me to sleep last night, I’m not surprised by the change. Last night was awkward. Dinner was silent besides Nate’s rambling, and Jamie stared at me in silence for hours until I escaped upstairs and went to bed early.

In reality, I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling until he joined me a bit later and kissed me good night the same way he always does. Other than his silence, he didn’t seem upset by anything. It was all confusing beyond belief.

My heart aches, nausea creeping up as I slip out of bed and turn his phone alarm off, not wanting him to wake up before I’m gone. I can’t guarantee that his silence will last if he catches me.

As quietly as possible, I grab the clothes I set out last night and get dressed. Once I’m ready, I risk brushing my teeth before hovering by the bed.

Jamie’s going to hate me when I get home and he learns what I’ve done. Our last night together was ruined by my inability to open up, and now . . . now, I won’t have a chance to tell him how I really feel.

Before I break down and wake him up, I leave the room. With gritted teeth, I keep from crying again.

Nate’s bedroom door is shut. I shove down the guilt of waking him this early before entering his space. He’s sprawled on the bed, the blankets hanging off the foot dangling over the edge of the mattress. Soft snores escape him, and I clench the fabric over my sternum, needing to hold something as I sit beside him.

He doesn’t stir when the bed dips beneath my weight or when I brush the shaggy hair out of his eyes. I take advantage of that, continuing to stroke his head and cheeks the way I used to when he was ten years old and heartbroken.

When I kiss the top of his head, he finally wakes up, sleepily blinking up at me in the darkness.

“Lake?” he croaks.

“Hey.”

“Did I miss my alarm?”

“No. You don’t have to get up for school yet.”

He nods, confusion bunching his brows. “So, why are you here?”

“I just wanted to tell you that I love you and that we’re going to be okay. No matter what happens, I’ll look out for you.”

“I know. You’ve always done that.”

Releasing a tight breath, I continue smoothing his hair. “Have I done a good job here, Nate? Or do you only say that because I’m your sister?”

“Of course you’ve done a good job. Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not.”

He pushes himself up on his arm and frowns at me. “You’re the best sister out there. I’ve always known that I’ll be okay as long as I have you. And one day, you’re going to stop doubting yourself so much and just accept that you did everything right. I’m far from a kid now, Lake. I don’t need your protection all the time anymore. You need to stop worrying so much about me and start thinking about yourself and what you want.”

“You’ll always be a kid to me,” I argue.

“We’re good now. I’m good. Look where we live and the life we have. Jamie’s awesome, and you’re smiling so much it’s almost creepy. He’s family now, isn’t he? He loves us, and I love him too. I love the both of you.”

“You love him?” I whisper, my heart throbbing in my chest.

Nate nods, an open honesty in his eyes. “Yeah. He’s like a brother. Or a dad, I guess. In the same way that you’re like my mom. In a halfsies kind of way, you know?”

It’s the last thing I expected him to say.

“Yeah, I know. And I love you, Nate. I love you so much. All I want is to give you a good life.”

“You’ve done that. I think this is where we’re supposed to be. We had to go through what we did so that we could find our place here. You took a big risk marrying him, Lake, but look what happened. We completed our family,” he says confidently.

I lean forward and pull him into my arms before I break. He hugs me instantly, rubbing my back up and down. It’s such a grown-up way to comfort someone and another damn sign that he’s smarter and more mature than I’ve been giving him credit for.

There’s only one person I’ve ever met who wears his heart as loose on his sleeve for everyone to see as my baby brother, and he’s in the other room. Nate having a man in his life at his current age and stage of maturity, let alone one as amazing as Jamie, is something I will never take for granted. The things he’s learning from him are going to help nurture him into an even better man than he’s already on his way to becoming.

I know I’ve made a mistake immediately.

My current plan crumbles in my mind and is quickly replaced by a new one. One that I hope won’t blow up in my face as fast as the first one would have .

I’m not ready to give up on our little family yet. Not by a long shot.

JAMIE

The first thing I see when I open my eyes is Nate towering over me. I blink a few times to see if he disappears, but when he folds his arms across his chest, I realize he’s not a figment of my imagination.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I grumble.

“Good morning, Jamieson.”

“Woah, what’s with the full name? You sound like my mom.”

He drops to a crouch and pokes me in the forehead. “What happened with Blakely?”

“What?”

The sun shining through the cracks in the curtains has me flipping over to check the other side of the bed. The lack of weight on my chest should have been the first thing I noticed, but I guess finding someone hovering over you first thing in the morning can distract a guy.

Blakely’s spot is empty. A first since she started sleeping in my room. There’s a reason I slide my pillow beneath her arm every morning, and it isn’t just because she looks so adorable squeezing it to death.

“Where is she?” I ask, already shoving the blankets off.

Nate steps to the side so I can get up and grab the jeans lying on the floor. The pile of clothes that were on the dresser when I came upstairs last night is gone, and I rip open the first dresser drawer as fear claws at my chest.

“Fuck,” I curse, staring down her clothes still mixed in with mine. The sight of her clothes only relaxes me so much. “What’s going on, Nate?”

“That’s what I’m asking you. She woke me up this morning way too early and was asking me weird questions.”

“Like what? How long ago was this?”

He frowns. “Like twenty minutes. She asked if I thought she did a good job looking out for me. I think she was trying not to cry the entire time.”

“Something must have happened yesterday.”

It was obvious last night. She wasn’t the same from the moment we picked her up from the stadium. Her behaviour was off, but I thought it was because of me. That I’d annoyed her by texting her too often at work and then overstepped with the jerseys. I assumed us having sex instead of talking about everything was her way of telling me that she still wanted me, but not quite that much yet. I let her shut down and close me out without a fight because I assumed she needed some time to collect her thoughts without me breathing down her neck.

That was the wrong move. One I won’t make again.

She cut herself off before telling me she loved me, and it hurt. Still, I was serious when I told her I wanted her for keeps. Whatever she’s gone off to do now is something we’ll handle together. Those tears in her eyes in the shower weren’t enough to push me away. All they did was make me surer that I want to be the only one to dry them from now on.

My gut reaction is that all of this has something to do with her mother. Blakely might have been able to do a great job of pretending the run-in with her didn’t happen, but I doubt it was a coincidence that the woman who abandoned her kids just so happened to show up after I’d dragged her daughter into the public eye.

“I think she took the bus too,” Nate says .

I bite back a smile. “Of course she did.”

“Do you know where she went?”

“I’ve got a spot to check, but you’re going to school. She wouldn’t want you to miss class for this.”

His groan is oh so very teenager. “Actually?”

“Yeah, actually. I can’t be the cool guy right now.”

“Well, if you don’t find her, can you come get me so I can help?”

“Fine. If I don’t find her by lunchtime, then I’ll come get you. But you’ve got to have my back if we get her together and she yells at me for letting you skip school,” I barter.

“Deal.”

“Alright. Go finish getting ready. We leave in—” I check my watch and nearly crap my pants at the time. “Ten minutes.”

He’s quick to jog out of the room and stomp down the stairs. I get dressed and join him. Half an hour later, he’s at school with money for lunch in his backpack, and I’m turning into the player and employee lot at the stadium.

It’s empty this early, with only the same few cars that are always here, most of which belong to security. The place is guarded like a fortress, and today, that plays in my favour. One of the guards must have noticed something going on yesterday.

I park quickly and head up to the stadium doors. The construction happening a couple of blocks over hides any voices nearby, but noises don’t disguise the sight of a security guard lingering at the doors with a rigid jaw and his hands cupped in front of him.

My instincts have me abandoning the doors and going to the guard. I recognize him the second he turns, noticing me.

“What’s going on, Jake?” I ask stiffly.

“Mrs. Bateman is?—”

I’m moving before he finishes.

Hidden out of view from the street behind the wall painted with the Pythons mascot, I find Blakely and her mother. The small black pouch in my wife’s hand sparks alarms, but I slow my pace, taking in every aspect of what’s in front of me.

The older version of Blakely has her back to the wall while her daughter is shaking the bag between them. I force myself not to run over and drag them apart, choosing to listen instead.

“Take the money. It’s all you’re getting,” Blakely pleads.

Her mom shakes her head, scoffing. “It’s worthless. He’ll laugh and haul me out of the apartment himself.”

“Use it as a down payment or a show of good faith. Use it for anything , just please take it and leave me alone.”

“The only way I’m leaving you alone is if I get every dollar that I asked for. Not this pathetic attempt of a savings fund. Don’t you see? We’re the same, sweetie. We’ll chase and chase forever without getting to the top. You might as well accept it now.”

Blakely’s lip wobbles before it pulls flat, and she sniffs, collecting herself. “Take. The. Money. Let me have this one good thing, Mom. Don’t take him from me. If you want me to beg, I’ll get on my knees and do that. All I want in return is to never see you again.”

“I’m not taking anyone or anything from you unless it’s the ten thousand I need. All you need to do is bring me the money, and I’ll take your secret to the grave.”

I run through her words, trying to make sense of them. From the way Blakely’s mask is slipping further and further by the second, her fear so sharp it pricks my chest from a distance, my first guess is that this is about Nate.

“If you’re trying to punish me for something, this isn’t the way to do it. This won’t ruin my life. It will ruin Jamie’s. He doesn’t deserve that. Please, don’t make me do that to him,” she begs, voice cracking as it drops. “I love him.”

I may as well have taken a football directly to the chest.

It’s the wrong place and the worst timing, but her statement rams right into me, knocking the air from my lungs. I want to scoop her up and kiss the fuck her until our lips are too swollen to keep going.

It’s not time for that yet.

Blakely’s mom laughs at her while swiping the pouch out of her hands. She peels it open and pulls out a handful of colourful bills.

“Did you even try to take his money? Or did you hand him your backbone when you sold yourself for a nice place to live and a bit of publicity? It doesn’t matter now. At least if you’d taken his money, he wouldn’t suffer the consequences. Money means nothing to those who have too much of it.”

“I did think about it, but it was your son who changed my mind. He reminded me that there is always a second option,” Blakely says, voice low and sharp. “I used to wonder how you could be so cold-hearted. How there could be no affection or love in your entire body when it came to us. It turns out that the answer has always been right in front of me. We stole it from you. Nate and I are nothing like you because we have double the ability to love and desire to care for others. He wears his heart on his sleeve and, despite everything we’ve gone through, doesn’t fear love. And me . . .”

She rips the pouch and cash from her mom’s hands and zips it up, gaze hot with fury. “I have never been afraid to protect those I love. I’ll kick and scream and fight every day to keep my family safe and taken care of. I was prepared to steal from my husband and lose him if it meant he didn’t have the chance of losing his career after you told the world about us. It was a sacrifice that I would have made if it weren’t for Nate being so open with his love and reminding me that the best rewards come after taking a risk. We’re everything you’ve never known how to be, and despite our struggles, I’m so happy that you left when you did. We’ve always been better off without you.”

Pride explodes inside of me as I start walking toward her, done with watching. Staying away any longer may just kill me when all I want to do is tell her how incredible she is .

How incredible she’s always been.

Blakely’s mom stares at her, stunned, and I use her surprise to interrupt. My wife looks at me before I even open my mouth to speak, as if she’s as in tune with me as I am with her.

I hold her stare, pushing every ounce of the love I have for her into a single look. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that for weeks.”

“Jamie,” she whispers, biting at her cheek.

“You cut yourself off last night, Bandit. I thought I’d have to wait months to hear those words for real.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just say them again. To me this time.”

She shakes her head, visibly overthinking. “How much of that did you hear?”

I step in front of her, guarding her with my body while taking her face in my hands. She releases a shaky breath and carefully rests a hand on my chest.

“I’d have given you every dollar in my bank account if you needed it. I could lose football tomorrow, and it would be fine because I have you.”

“Don’t—”

“No. You don’t. Not yet. I’ve been telling you for weeks that you’re my wife. I told you that I love you, and I don’t take that lightly. My parents have been married for nearly thirty years, and I’ve always known that when I find my person, I’m going to take after their example.

“My love doesn’t come with strings. There are no conditions in this relationship. I want to be your safe place, the person you know won’t ever run, no matter what. We don’t have secrets, and we don’t self-sacrifice for one another. You can have my family, my name, everything I’ve ever had and will ever find. Do you get it now?”

Wonder streaks through her gaze as she slowly nods and reaches up to hold both of my wrists, her thumbs stroking my pulse .

“I love you, Jamie Bateman,” she declares, a smile forming on her pretty pink lips. “I’m sorry it took me so long to catch up.”

“I’d have waited years.”

“It won’t last. Once the truth comes out, he’ll leave, Blakely. Be smart,” her mom snarks behind me.

I distract my wife, bringing our mouths together in a gentle caress. A soft sigh escapes her while she squeezes my wrists.

I steal a second kiss before pulling my hands away from her face and linking our fingers together instead. It’s an anchor for the both of us but also a promise that I meant what I said. I’m not going anywhere, regardless of what comes next.

When I turn around, Blakely’s mom is watching from a few feet away. The security guard lingers closer now, watching me like he’s ready to take the woman away from here. I’m not ready for her to go quite yet.

“You should have come to me instead of Blakely,” I tell her mom. “I’d have done anything to keep you out of my wife’s life. Including giving you your money. I probably would have given you more than what you needed to keep her safe from you. Now, though? You get nothing.”

She glares at me before flicking her eyes to where her daughter stands at my side. “You won’t feel that way when I tell everyone that you’ve been lying.”

I wet my lips and flash a crooked grin. “Do you really think anyone will believe you? Without any proof? You can try it, but I’m not concerned. There’s always someone trying to break a story for a quick buck. You won’t be anyone memorable.”

I’d never have expected Blakely to share my confidence. Not with her back up against the wall and fear driving her decisions. Though I do wish that she would have brought this to me the night her mom showed up at Nate’s game or last night when she was upset. I could have saved her a lot of stress and worry.

I’m not shocked in the slightest that she considered taking the money to pay her mom off so she wouldn’t talk. My Blakely would rather be miserable for the rest of her life than see someone she cares about struggle.

At least we’ll have time to talk about everything that’s happened once her mom is dealt with.

“I’m taking my wife home now. So, if you’ll excuse us,” I say, tugging at Blakely’s hand.

Her mom reaches for us, but Jake is there in a flash, smacking her hand out of the way.

“I told you if you came here again that I’d call the authorities,” he says bluntly.

“Don’t bother, Jake. She’s leaving.” I keep my wife tucked into my side, not wanting even an inch of space between us after waking up without her. Her mom has frozen in place when I shift my gaze toward her. “The Pythons have a legal team that I wouldn’t suggest pissing off. If you come near my family again, a public jail cell is going to be the least of your problems. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what you decide to do next.”

I give Blakely the opportunity to add anything, but she simply glides an arm across my front and holds me, staring in the direction of the parking lot.

It’s good enough for me.

Now, it’ll be just us. And I’m not letting her out of my arms again until I know every single thought in her beautiful head.