Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
F ish sat at the bar nursing a beer, his hand clenched tightly around the cool glass. He stared into the amber liquid, but his thoughts were anything but clear. It felt like his mind was spinning, like someone had taken a whisk to his thoughts, leaving him disoriented and off balance.
Why was Jules upset with him?
He had thought he was doing the right thing, signing that contract to sell her bakery recipes to local grocery stores. It seemed like a perfect solution—financial security for her, a chance to rebuild the bakery without touching her inheritance, and the opportunity to spread her talent far and wide. But she had stormed out, her face flushed with anger, leaving him bewildered.
Fish took another sip of his beer. The bitterness coated his tongue and burned his throat. It did nothing to dampen the turmoil inside him.
A realization crept in, tightening his chest. If Jules took the deal, she wouldn’t need their marriage of convenience anymore. The thought twisted in his gut like a knife. He couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not when she'd admitted her feelings for him. He had everything he'd never dared to dream in his hand, and somehow it had slipped through his fingers.
Maybe he should go and rip the contract up. Then she would need him again. But no, that wasn't the answer. As much as he wanted to be the man to move obstacles out of her way, he wanted most to see her happy, and he knew that she smiled brightest when she won her battles on her own terms.
Fish rubbed a hand over his face, trying to gather his thoughts. He had been a soldier, trained to make quick decisions in the heat of battle. But this was different. This was the most important battle of his life, and he didn’t know how to fight it.
"Man, don't make decisions for a woman's business," Noah said, shaking his head. "You’ve got to let her take the lead."
Fish turned to his friend with a scowl. "Aren't you the man who rewired Jacqui's entire restaurant while also handling the plumbing without asking?"
"Well, yeah. But she doesn't know I fixed the plumbing." Jed pointed a finger to the ceiling as though that was the secret of the universe.
Jed sat his beer down on the bar, then made a slicing motion with his hand. "You both have it wrong. It's about women’s agency. You can’t do anything that will threaten their agency."
Fish looked at him, baffled. "What does that even mean?"
Jed shrugged, a bemused look on his face. "I don’t know. Just don’t do it."
"I think what Jed’s trying to say is that you have to respect Jules’ decisions. The Chou women are fiercely independent. Take it from the first man who's managed to snag one."
"You're not the first," Jed muttered, but Noah didn't hear him.
"This community, and their place in it, is a big deal to them."
"The community isn’t so important to Jami," Jed grumbled, circling his fingers around the neck of his beer. "She’s off traveling the world."
Fish frowned, trying to make sense of it all. "So what should I do?"
"If it were me?" Noah cocked his head to the side, thinking. "I'd go home, throw Jacqui over my shoulder, and kiss her senseless. It's best when you catch them off guard. Even better when you can occupy their mouths so they can't get words out."
"I'll drink to that." Jed laughed, clinking his bottle against Noah's.
"Your answer is for me to manhandle my wife?" Fish asked, raising an eyebrow. But even as the words left his lips, he found the idea more than appealing.
It had been hours since he'd last tasted the sweetness of Jules' lips, and the two days he'd spent without seeing her beautiful face had felt like an eternity. The idea of showing up at her door, sweeping her into his arms, and kissing her until she forgot why she was mad seemed like the best course of action he'd heard all night. A little manhandling wasn't out of the question. That is, if she’d even let him in the door.
Fish sighed, his gaze drifting back to his beer. He knew he’d have to tread carefully. Jules was strong-willed and independent, and while he wanted to take charge, he didn’t want to bulldoze over her feelings.
But Noah and Jed had a point. Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words. Right now, all he wanted to do was show her how much she meant to him.
With that thought, Fish downed the rest of his beer in a single gulp. The liquid burned a new path down his throat. This time, the burn lit a fire in him.
He looked over at the men beside him. It was good to have friends like Noah and Jed to talk to. It had been a long time since he’d let himself get close to anyone, not since losing a friend in battle. He got the sense that these two would have his back if it came to it. And tonight, it had come to it. He was about to head home for the fight of his life.
Fish stood, slapping a few bills onto the bar to cover his drink and theirs. He was done waiting, done second-guessing himself. He was going to find Jules, and he was going to kiss her senseless. He was going to remind her that he wasn’t just her business partner; he was her husband. And more than anything, he was the man who was head over heels in love with her.