Page 120 of The Way Home

Jamie reached over and placed a hand on her forearm. “How are things going with her?”

A shadow of a smile appeared on her lips. “Really good. She’s…” Her eyes met his. “She’s brilliant, J. I think I love her.”

“I’d really like to meet her,” Jamie said. “When we get back from the States, yeah? Double date.”

“I’d really like that.”

With a decisive nod, Jamie stood and ventured to the kitchen to make Caleb a hearty sandwich. Subtlety be damned, he needed to make sure Caleb ate before they spent seven hours on an airplane.

Chapter 32

Out of thecorner of his eye, Caleb watched Jamie rearrange his tray table for the third time. His book lay unopened beside a small paper cup of tea and an untouched bag of nuts. Jamie’s slim fingers moved the book back and forth before fiddling with the paper cup again.

“J?” Caleb leaned over. “You okay?”

Jamie’s eyes widened as they turned toward him. “Me? Of course. Yes.”

His gaze immediately darted to Caleb’s tray table—the empty nut wrapper and half-drunk Coke. “Do you need anything?” Jamie asked quickly. “I brought more snacks from home. Did you get enough?”

Caleb placed a hand on his thigh. In tight spaces like this, he was hyper-aware of people seeing him touch Jamie. He wasn’t ashamed by any means, but knowing they couldn’t just get up and leave made him feel strangely on edge. And if he were being honest, he was anxious as fuck to land already.

The anticipation of going to Ohio had run its course.

He’d had very little correspondence with his father this week, running most of their logistics through Bri, and now he just wanted to face the music.

“I’m fine. You need to get some sleep. We’ve still got over anhour. Have you gotten any?” Based on the dark smudges beneath Jamie’s eyes, the answer was clearly no.

Jamie frowned. “I am here to take care of you. Don’t worry about me.” He glanced back down at his tray table like the evidence was sitting right there—proof that he was perfectly calm and not seconds away from vibrating out of his seat.

“Excuse me?” A voice floated across the aisle, drawing both of their attention. On instinct, Caleb pulled his hand away from Jamie’s thigh. A young woman with jet-black hair and striking blue eyes leaned across the aisle toward Jamie. Her accent was thick and southern.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear,” she said to Jamie. “Are you British?”

Jamie glanced briefly at Caleb before answering. “Oh, erm, yeah. I am.”

She tucked a silky strand of hair behind her ear and fluttered her eyelashes. “Wow. Didn’t mean to interrupt y’all. Where are you from?”

Jamie responded politely, engaging in polite small talk. The woman was clearly flirting with him.

Caleb leaned back in his seat, a small surge of possessiveness vibrating in his chest. Jamie had always gotten hit on in public, often by women, but it hadn’t happened nearly as much when they were engaged. A dumb cultural thing, maybe, but at least when Jamie wore a ring, people understood he was taken.

“…and mypartnerand I are on our way to see his family.” Jamie’s hand settled warmly on Caleb’s leg. When Caleb glanced across the aisle, he caught the moment Blue Eyes’s expression shifted, realizing Jamie wasn’t available after all. She offered a polite goodbye and leaned back into her seat, popping in a pair of earbuds. Caleb looked back at Jamie and gave him a small, grateful smile.

“We’re almost there,” Jamie murmured quietly, brushing his thumb across Caleb’s thigh. “Which means we’re even closer to being on a flight back home, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Caleb said. His eyes drifted down to Jamie’s lips for a moment. Suddenly, he felt incredibly ready for a nap. And if hewas lucky, those soft, inviting lips would make an appearance in his dreams. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift into a restless airplane sleep.

What felt like two minutes later, the pilot was announcing their landing. Jamie squeezed Caleb’s hand as the plane touched down, and soon, they were filing off with the rest of the passengers to retrieve their bags.

“Are you always like this with luggage?” Caleb asked as Jamie dragged him toward baggage claim with an unnecessary amount of urgency. “You know we don’t have to rush. My sister said visiting hours for my dad aren’t even until six—”

“Hurry!” Jamie tugged harder, causing Caleb to stumble over his own feet. “If our bags get lost, we’ll have to talk to the attendants, and arrangements might need to be made—”

“Hey, whoa, Jamie!” Caleb shouted as his arm nearly detached from being dragged. “Our bags will be fine. Jesus, what did you pack? Gold?”

A grumble from his partner made Caleb roll his eyes and commit to jogging alongside him. As expected, the baggage carousel hadn’t even started yet. Jamie planted himself right beside the opening and stared at the dark rubber belt.

“For real,” Caleb said, dropping their carry-ons beside his feet. “What is up with you?”