Page 106 of The Way Home

Caleb smiled, relieved and a little amused. His eyes slid to the bike and back. “Good. I’m glad you like it. I had to ask the woman at the shop for help. Did you know there are about ahundredtypes of gravel bikes, all with different—”

“I love you,” Jamie blurted. The words came out louder than intended, and his eyes widened as he realized that he’d practically just shouted something that was supposed to be sweet.

Caleb froze, hands tightening on Jamie’s back. A frown formed between his eyebrows. “You… you—?”

“Love you. Yes. I love you, Caleb.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “Which I probably should have said ages ago, because I think I’ve loved you for—” He opened them, glanced up at the sky for a moment, and then huffed a shaky laugh. Now that he’d said it, he felt like an idiot for not saying it sooner. “All I want isyou.For you to be happy, and taken care of, and to know that you’re loved. In fact, love feels like an incredibly inadequate word for how I really feel. Because…” He met Caleb’s eye once again. “Because of course I love you. I don’t think I everstoppedloving you.”

For a long second, Caleb just stared at him. Sometimes, Caleb was so hard to read, the only truly expressive part of him being his eyes. Right now, they were guarded.

“You don’t…,” Caleb started, then swallowed. “You don’t have to say that because I bought you a bike.”

Jamie snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Caleb searched his face, probably looking for the uncertainty that had lingered for so many months after the accident. Shoving away his nerves, Jamie held his gaze, willing himself to stay perfectly still. He would show him that there was no doubt left to find. “I’m so sorry I didn’t say it sooner.”

Caleb’s hands clenched and unclenched at his waist, still unsure. Or perhaps, in shock. Which sent a sharp pang of guilt through Jamie for everything he’d put this man through. But staring at Caleb now, with a drizzle of rain making his brown skin a bit damn, hislips downturned in a disbelieving smile—it all clicked for Jamie. All of it. And it felt so good to not be so fuckingafraid.

He wanted to be his forever. He wanted Caleb to wear a ring that showed the world he was Jamie’s. It felt wrong that there wasn’t one there right now. He wondered if their rings were still in Caleb’s nightstand. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he tried to focus. “Caleb, really, I—”

His words were cut off as Caleb pulled him into a fierce kiss.

“Fuck, J.” Caleb cupped the back of his head. “I love you so much. So, so much.”

Jamie brought both hands to Caleb’s jaw, wanting nothing more than to show him how precious he was. Howlovedhe was. He pulled his mouth away for a moment, resting his head against Caleb, before going right back for more.

They kissed in the garden, whispering their love against each other’s lips, and Jamie realized he didn’t give a fuck if his family saw.

Chapter 28

For once, Jamiewasn’t completely focused on the board game in front of him. He was half paying attention to the number of victory points Sally and Ang had—which was too many for his comfort—while keeping an eye on Caleb playing in the other room with Freya.

It had been a tough week for Caleb, to say the least, and Jamie was a little worried about his mental state. They had been together long enough now for Jamie to know that he was trying hard to seem fine when he wasn’t. The bullshit with Halcombe was weighing on him heavily, even if he didn’t talk about it much, and the pressure to go back to Youngstown soon was rising. It seemed that his dad was really ill.

Even from here, he could tell Caleb was moving slowly. A lot more sluggish than usual, and he had large circles under his eyes. Jamie just wanted to tuck him into bed and feed him soup…

“Ha! You’re distracted.” Sally grinned manically, rubbing her hands together. “Perfect. I’ll win for once.”

Ang snorted. “Very nice, Sal.”

“What? I never win.”

“That’s because J’s better than you. What? You feeling lucky today?”

Flicking her auburn ponytail over her shoulder, Sally replied, “Yes, actually! I have a second date with Ellie’s friend. The universe is on my side, and I’m going to kick Jamie’sarseat Catan.”

“Let’s not be dramatic,” Jamie replied dryly, one eye on the board, the other on the living room. Freya watched Caleb spread some markers out on the floor, correcting the way he was organizing them.

“Do you not know the rainbow?” she asked Caleb seriously. “Because you’re from the States?”

An amused snort came from Caleb, alongside a, “I know the rainbow just fine, little lady…”

Angie called to the living room, “Freya, be polite!”

“I’m just telling him the order they go in!”

Ang rolled her eyes. “A handful, my daughter. Caleb is a saint for letting her come.”

Jamie shifted in his chair. “Ang, she’s always welcome. It’s not a chore to have Freya around, I hope you know that.”