Page 38 of The Way Home

Jamie had always had anxiety, and he’d always been slow to make decisions, but over the past few years, he had becomesomuch more confident in himself. He’d worked hard in therapy, gotten braver and more sure of himself. It would break Caleb’s heart if he lost all that confidence—

“I’ll think about it,” Jamie said quietly.

Fuck. That stung. But what the hell had he expected?

“Okay.” Caleb stood, feeling the dismissal in Jamie’s voice. A combination of hurt, frustration, and despair tangled in his chest.

He took a moment, glancing around the living room. It looked exactly the same as it always did. Worn, cozy sofas with thick blankets draped over the backs. Family photos hanging on every inch of thewalls. Everything Caleb had imagined a British countryside house would look like when Jamie had first brought him here.

Everything he’d once thought a real home should feel like.

And maybe that’s what pissed Caleb off the most. Nothing in this room had changed, but everything else in the fucking world had.

“You can call me anytime. I, uh, I always have my phone.” He backed awkwardly out of the room. After a round of polite goodbyes to Pippa and Maggie, he grabbed his coat and headed for the door. But just before stepping outside, he glanced back into the living room.

Jamie was still on the couch, hunched over the canvas bag with the dumb little carrot logo. He pulled out his skincare products that Caleb had brought and set them on the side table. Then he lifted the bakery box and opened it.

A smile tugged at his mouth at the sight of the jam tart. A dimple appeared in his cheek. It was a small win, and Caleb was pathetically happy about it, but it shoved a little warmth into the heartache in his chest.

Just enough to get him out the door.

Chapter 9

“It will befine, Mum,” Jamie muttered as she saged him for the hundredth time. Waving the fragrant smoke from his face, he added, “Also, could youpleaseget that out of my face?”

“Just in case!” she exclaimed as she looped the smudge stick around Jamie’s suitcase. He covered his nose with the back of his hand. “I just want you to be safe and healthy andhappyand…” She sniffed a few times, wiping her eye with the back of her hand. “Are you sure you’re ready to go? You could stay a tad longer. Caleb can stay here, yeah?”

His chest tightened. “Yes, Mum. I’m sure I’m ready.”

A big, fat lie. He wasn’t sure.

February had arrived, and facing whatever was waiting for Jamie in London made him want to vomit. Caleb had come by a few more times, always bringing a tote full of some of Jamie’s favorite things, and it eased his nerves a bit. Pippa tried to help as well, telling Jamie as much as she could about his relationship with Caleb.

It helped a bit.

It was just so unsettling that Calebknewhim so well—knew that he would want his skincare products, his wool cap, and his reusable bottle. That his favorite treat was a jam tart. Last time, he’d also brought a few other things that Jamie didn’t recognize, but still appreciated. Books that he would have to start over from the beginning, a notebook…

“J! Caleb is here!” Pippa’s voice boomed up the steps and, before he could lose his nerve and get back into his childhood bed, he hugged his Mum and rushed downstairs.

Caleb stood near the door, awkwardly fidgeting with a small bouquet of flowers. His tight curls had been trimmed since his last visit, and he wore a forest green jumper that hugged his lean muscles. His brown skin had a flush to it from the cold.

The most dazzling part of the entire ensemble was the enormous grin he had on his face as his eyes found Jamie, then traveled down to the suitcase in his hands.

“You all packed?”

Jamie closed his mouth, realizing it had been hanging open. “Yeah, I think so.”

That earned him a pleased smile. Caleb’s excitement about Jamie coming back to London was palpable in their tiny foyer. He looked like he wanted to scoop him up and toss him in the car. It made Jamiewantto be brave enough to take this next step.

“Jamie, your fiancé is thebest.”Pippa’s voice snapped him back into the room. “Mum! Caleb brought us pastry! And flowers!” With absolutely no manners at all, she opened a small box and bit into a flaky pastry. “Jesus fuckin’Christ.”

“Pippa Louise!” Mum scolded as she trekked down the stairs behind Jamie. “Language. Caleb is still aguest.”With a huff, she ushered Pip into the kitchen, with eyes that said,sorry, I raised her better than this.

Jamie turned to Caleb. “Sorry about her.”

“Oh, it’s totally fine,” Caleb laughed fondly. “I’m used to it.”

“Right.”