Chapter 13
Jamie was not emotionally prepared for this morning.
He had woken up early, thrown on jeans and a hoodie, and headed to his favorite downtown coffee shop for something strong, sweet, and entirely not oat-based. The line was long, but the playlist was good and the smell of espresso was therapy enough.
Then the door opened.
And in walked Blake Sterling.
Dark sunglasses. Leather jacket. That smile.
Jamie’s stomach did something deeply unregulated.
Blake spotted him instantly.
Of course he did.
“Capulet,” Blake said, sliding into line beside him. “We really have to stop meeting like this or people will think I’m following you.”
Jamie smirked. “If you are, you’re doing a great job pretending it’s a coincidence.”
“Maybe I just have good taste,” Blake said lightly. “In coffee. And company.”
Jamie rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “You flirting with me in public now?”
“Only because I enjoy watching you turn red.”
That’s working. That’s very much working.
Jamie was, in fact, turning red when the universe decided to escalate.
The bell over the door jingled.
Jamie glanced up…
and nearly dropped his phone.
Sebastian.
Tall. Polished. Expensive watch. The kind of ex who still made Jamie instinctively stand straighter and wish he’d worn cologne.
“Oh no,” Jamie muttered. “That’s Sebastian. My ex.”
Blake didn’t even blink. “The one who said you were too messy to ever get married?”
Jamie turned. “You remembered that?”
Blake’s mouth curved. “I remember the things that matter.”
Oh, that was not the time to find that attractive.
Before Jamie could spiral, Sebastian spotted him.
And started walking over.
“Long time no see,” Sebastian said, all perfectly white teeth and subtle condescension. “How are you?”
Jamie opened his mouth…
And then Blake’s arm slid around his waist.
Warm. Steady. Certain.
Jamie froze.
Oh. Oh this is happening.
“We’re good,” Blake said smoothly, pulling him just a fraction closer. “Right, babe?”
Jamie blinked…
then caught on, heart kicking into overdrive.
“Yeah,” he said, forcing a grin. “Really good. How about you?”
Sebastian gave a polished shrug. “Oh, you know. Busy at the firm. Big case right now. Long hours, high stakes.”
Blake chuckled. “Talk about busy – Jamie’s lead on a major campaign. I barely get to see him during the day, but we always make time for our nights.”
Jamie inhaled sharply.
“Always time for date night,” he added, like a man who had absolutely lost control of his own storyline.
Sebastian’s smile flickered.
“So… how long have you two been a thing?”
Blake didn’t miss a beat. “Several months. Feels like forever. When you know, you know.”
We are lying. We are lying so much.
Jamie kept smiling like his life depended on it.
Sebastian looked Blake over, clearly recalculating. “Huh. Well. Jamie never really seemed… marriage material to me. Very messy. Loud.”
Blake didn’t hesitate.
He leaned in…
and pressed a kiss to Jamie’s cheek.
Slow. Warm. Deliberate.
Jamie’s brain shut down.
“Exactly,” Blake said, voice softer now. “It’s great. So real and open. I knew I could see forever in him the moment I met him.”
Sebastian looked like someone had just handed him a gluten-full croissant.
“Well… congratulations, then,” he said stiffly, before turning and retreating to the line.
Jamie stayed very still.
Very, very still.
Did that just happen?
Then he turned to Blake.
“Was that… too much?”
Blake took a sip of his coffee. “A little.”
Jamie burst out laughing, grabbing his side. “Oh my god. You were so convincing. Even I thought we were getting married for a second.”
Blake looked down at him.
Something softer slipped through.
“We might, you know.”
Jamie blinked.
That felt like it meant something.
Blake winked and stepped up to the counter. “Two lattes, please – one with foam, no oat.”
Jamie stayed where he was, flushed and flustered, heart doing something suspiciously hopeful.
God help him.
He was in trouble.