Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
J ed sat in the booth of Chow Town, his arms stretched out across the back of the bench. He felt the weight of every stare in the room. He'd never had a bad reputation growing up in this small town. His family was respected and well liked. He earned good grades and kept out of trouble. Of course, they all heard the stage name of Culinary Casanova, but Jed hadn't dated much as a youth. If anyone had studied where his gaze always tracked, they'd understand why.
Right now, just like they always were, his eyes were locked on one thing—her. Jami Chou. No, Jami Winchester. His new wife.
She stood near the hostess stand, talking in hushed, intense tones with her eldest sister. Jacqui glared daggers at him. The eldest Chou's anger didn’t faze Jed. He was used to the overprotective big sister routine. What did catch his attention was the faint sheen of perspiration on Jami’s forehead, making her skin glisten. The sight of it made his heart do a strange flip in his chest.
How could the woman be so beautiful after walking a half mile in the afternoon sun? Even flushed and probably fuming from their earlier encounter, she looked incredible. There was something about the way her skin caught the light. How her eyes sparkled with frustration. How her cheeks were rosy without a lick of makeup. Jed had the wild urge to stride over there, wipe the sweat from her forehead with his sleeve, and then kiss her there, right where her skin was warm and glowing.
He leaned forward, about to make his move, when he caught Jacqui’s glare again. She was definitely not happy, and Jed had no doubt she was grilling Jami about their sudden courthouse wedding. But that wasn’t his problem.
His only focus was on Jami—his wife. His. The idea settled over him like the slow, steady smoke from a perfectly tended barbecue, wrapping around him and sinking deep, filling him with warmth and certainty.
The lunchtime rush of Chow Town buzzed around him. The movement, not the sound. The restaurant was absent clinking silverware and murmured conversations. Even the fires from the kitchen were quiet, the grease quieted its sizzling to listen to the drama.
Jed was oblivious to the nosy neighbors glancing at him, whispering behind their hands. Small-town gossip was nothing new. He’d been a part of it for years—first as the golden boy, then the town’s so-called playboy. But the truth was there’d only ever been one woman he’d wanted. Now, after years of waiting, he finally had her. He had every right to be near her.
He rose from the booth, his pulse working overtime as he took each step toward Jami. But before he could close the distance, two familiar figures intercepted him—Noah and Fish. His buddies moved in fast, flanking him on either side and steering him toward the door before he could say a word.
"Whoa, whoa, cowboy," Fish said. "Let’s not do this in the middle of the restaurant, all right?"
"You don’t want Jacqui to make a scene, trust me," Noah added with a knowing grin directed at his wife.
Jed could've taken them. Maybe? One on one? But with two hulking vets on either side of him, he didn't like his chances. So he let them corral him out the door. But only just outside the door where he could still keep his eyes on Jami.
There was no way he could go too far from her. His mind was still spinning from the kiss, the vows, and now the overwhelming need to touch Jami again. Noah and Fish finally released him once they were out on the sidewalk, both of them folding their arms over their chests and looking at him like he had a lot of explaining to do.
“So,” Noah said, raising an eyebrow. “Care to tell us what’s going on? Or should we just make some educated guesses?”
Fish smirked, leaning against the side of the building. “I’m guessing it’s not all that different from the both of us.”
Jed crossed his arms, trying to play it cool, but his pulse was still racing. “I don't know what you mean.”
But Jed did know what they were talking about. Noah had swept into town to fix Jacqui's plumbing, and within a week, he had a ring on the eldest Chou's finger. Fish had been here a year longer, but everyone caught the glances he swung Jules' way. Jules had been in a long-term committed relationship. With the wrong guy. A couple days after her bakery burned down, it was Fish and not the boyfriend who had his ring on her finger.
“Come on, man," Noah said. "You don’t think we can figure this out? You and Jami getting hitched out of the blue. It's the inheritance thing, isn't it? I’m guessing this marriage is more about convenience than anything else.”
Fish nodded sagely. “Been there, done that. I might be a feminist, but I thank God every day for Jules' grandfather putting that archaic stipulation in his will.”
The only way the three men had locked down the women of their dreams was that will. But Jacqui and Jules didn't have a longstanding family feud with either of their husbands. Jed did.
Or at least Jami thought so. Jed had nothing against the Chous. Especially Jami. He’d been in love with her for too long, even if he’d never had the guts to admit it out loud.
"You're in love with her, aren't you?" asked Noah.
Jed met his friend’s gaze, the truth settling heavily on his chest. “Yeah. She’s... she’s the one I’ve always wanted. I wasn’t going to let her marry Ryan just to get the money. She deserves better.”
“Ryan Daniels?" asked Fish. "That guy owes me money."
"Good luck getting it," said Jed. "I paid his debt, and he hightailed it back to Vegas last night. The guy will never learn."
"And you got Jami." Noah slapped him on the back in congratulations.
“Now comes the hard part,” Fish added. “Making sure she knows you didn’t just do this for her inheritance.”
They were right. Getting married was just the beginning. Now he had to prove to Jami that this was real for him—that it had always been real. Jed opened his mouth to answer, but before he could come up with a quick reply, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen—Rick Landers. Of course.
Jed excused himself and took the call. Rick’s voice came through, chipper and persistent as always.
“Jed, my man. Listen, I know you’ve been on the fence about the show, but this is your last chance. That last spot is still open, and it’s yours if you want it. This is huge for you, man. National coverage, prime time exposure. Come on, you can’t pass this up.”
“Rick,” Jed said, once the man took a breath and he could get a word in edgewise. “I’m in.”
There was a beat of silence on the other end, then Rick’s excited voice burst through. “Wait—what? You’re in? You’re doing the show?”
Jed glanced down at his wedding ring, the weight of it suddenly feeling heavier. “Yeah. I just got married.”
More silence on the other end, followed by a sputter of disbelief. “Married? As in... like, you actually got married?”
“Just came from the courthouse.”
Rick’s voice practically squeaked with excitement. “Holy hot peppers, this is perfect. This is gold, Jed. Absolute gold!”
Jed could hear Rick already formulating the pitch in his head, could imagine him pacing around his office, thinking about catchphrases and marketing to sell the idea to the network. But right now, all Jed cared about was the fact that he had actually pulled this off. He had married Jami, and now they were about to enter into a whole new kind of chaos.