Page 113 of The Way Home

Angie chewed the inside of her cheek. Halcombe didn’t really care about her recovery. He just wanted his starting defensewoman back before they played Arsenal.

“Yes, Coach. Very soon.”

Halcombe’s gaze drifted back to Caleb, eyes narrowing slightly like he was a small insect and needed to decide if it was worth the effort to squash him. Ever since Caleb had sent that email, the energy between them had been taut with tension.

Caleb forced his friendliest tone. “How’d Nate like the cards?”

Halcombe moved toward the wall to study the training schedule. “The what?”

“The trading cards. I gave him a pack last week.”

Halcombe only grunted in response. Caleb slung his bag over his shoulder and glanced at Angie, who was in the middle of a spectacular eye roll.

“Alright then,” Caleb said. “Goodnight, Coach Halcombe.”

He held the door open for Angie and got the hell out of there. “Fucking prick,” Angie muttered as the door swung closed. Caleb wondered briefly if Halcombe had heard her as they climbed into his VW and headed toward the British Library to surprise Jamie.

Chapter 30

Walking home withhis bike was fine. He could take the Tube, of course, but it was a beautiful April day, and Jamie felt totally fine about this. Good, even. He didn’t need to bike the whole way.

This was perfectly normal.

Wheels squeaking beside him, Jamie kept his helmet perched on his head for lack of enough arms to both steer the bike and carry it. His bag took up most of the basket.

In the bike lane, a group of cyclistswhooshedpast, flowing easily with traffic, and the familiar sound made his stomach clench.

Would he ever be brave enough to do that again?

Of course he would. This was just the first day he’dtried.It would get better, just like most things had after the accident.

If his hands were free, he’d text Pippa and see what she thought. Or even just to hear her joke about the situation, because… he really felt like he needed a laugh right now. Would she tell him that trying to bike so soon after the accident was idiotic?

It had only been five months. After he’d gotten out of the hospital, the doctor’s advice had been to jump back into his normal life, so maybe this was exactly what he needed to do. If he wanted to bike again—which he did, hereallydid—maybe he just had to force himself through the awkward beginning.

As he rolled up to the stoplight at Judd Street, Jamie pausedand looked down the road. It was only two miles and really just two turns to make it back to his flat.

What was two turns? Two turns was nothing. His accident had happenedmilesaway from here, over near Hyde Park. He used to make this commute all the way from Islington, where the bike lanes were far less friendly.

Another group of cyclistswhooshedby. In a small burst of courage, Jamie swung onto the seat and pushed off.

“Ah,” he sighed as the wind tugged his curls back from his face. He caught a lull in the waves of traffic, so he pedaled slowly at first, letting himself warm up.

This felt good. Really,reallygood… until a car drifted slightly into the bike lane and Jamie felt a knot of fear form in his stomach.Completely normal,he reminded himself.Happens all the time.

Continuing to pedal, Jamie willed the knot in his stomach to go away and let his mind wander. He owed Pippa a reply after their conversation last night about him proposing. Of course, his sister was thrilled about the engagement. Re-engagement? Jamie wasn’t quite sure what to call it. Regardless, Pip was obsessed with Caleb, a fact that still brought him a ridiculous amount of joy and warmth. It made it so much easier to fall back in love with Caleb when he saw how much his mum and sister loved the man.

How could he not love Caleb? Looking back, he’d been with Jamie through the hardest few months of his life. He was patient, sweet, kind, and he made Jamie feel… brave.

He’d been brave before Caleb in some ways, but being with him made all the small things—the moments he felt allwrong—go away. Jamie felt comfortable existing and taking up space. Because he knew Caleb would be by his side to catch him if he fell.

These past few months with Caleb had been nothing short of magical. Getting back to work at the Library, watching Caleb help Chelsea into the finals, and spending every night in the arms of a man who loved him. Whoheloved.

And knowing Caleb was going through such a difficult season with his family and work, Jamie wanted more than ever to show him thathecould take care of him. When things got hard, Jamie couldstep up and be the protector. More than anything, Jamie wanted to show Caleb the love and acceptance that his family in Ohio didn’t show him.

Like a sneak, last night Jamie peeped into the safe to take a look at their old engagement rings and burst into tears when he saw them. He would make the worst spy because of his fragile emotions. But how could henotcry when he laid eyes on the two matching gold bands, one set with a blue sapphire and one with a green? Somehow, he knew that his was the green one.

Caleb always said he adored the shade of green of his eyes.