Chapter 32
Out of the corner 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 an hour. 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 my partner and 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 he was 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?”
Jamie glanced over his shoulder at him, then back to the empty mouth of the conveyor. “I just don’t want you to worry about anything. I want everything to go smoothly, and if it doesn’t, I will handle it. I just want to make sure—Oh! Here they come.”
The machine let out a loud ding, and suitcases began rolling down the chute and onto the conveyor belt. Jamie watched it like a hawk until both of their bags appeared and were safely in his hands.
“Alright,” he sighed, visibly relaxing. Caleb studied him for a moment. He’d never traveled internationally with Jamie before. Maybe he was always like this.
It had at least been a decent distraction, because now, Caleb realized the only thing standing between him and his father was a rental car and Interstate 80.
Youngstown, Ohio was quite odd.
Sure, it was the only town in the States that Jamie had actually seen outside of films, but there were certain things about America that he’d always assumed were exaggerations.
Like… why were there so many shops selling firearms? And fireworks? And every house seemed to have some kind of patriotic symbol on it…? What was that about?
He snorted, imagining his mother hanging the flag of England outside their house. That would be completely barmy.
Tamping down his many, many questions, Jamie kept up a steady stream of conversation to keep Caleb’s mind off the fact that they were thirty minutes away from the hospital. Thirty minutes away from seeing the dying father he didn’t get along with.
“Do you have a favorite restaurant here?” he asked. Caleb grunted. He’d been getting tenser and tenser the closer they got to their destination.
“There’s a good Italian place near our neighborhood,” Caleb said after a moment. “Lucini Brothers is pretty good.”
“Can we go there?” Jamie brightened. “Maybe we could invite Bri and her boyfriend.” This earned him a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel from Caleb. Jamie blinked.
“Or just us,” he added quickly. Caleb’s grip loosened. “Just us, then.”
Caleb let out a slow breath. “I’m sorry, J. I know I’m moody as fuck. It’s just—”
“Hey,” Jamie interrupted gently. “How about for the rest of our time here, you don’t apologize, yeah? No apologies. I’m here for you. Whatever you need.” He glanced out the window. “Oh! Is that a Hooters? I’ve heard of those…”
Caleb snorted. “I have a feeling you won’t like that place as much as some other men do.”
“I’d still like to go. That and Waffle House are on my list.” That earned him a real laugh from Caleb. Truth be told, Waffle House sounded rather horrifying—and possibly dangerous, judging by what Jamie had seen on Reddit—but he’d go. If only to hear Caleb laugh like that again.
St. Elizabeth’s Hospital was quite an experience for Jamie.
Trying his best to regulate in what could only be described as an extremely chaotic lobby, he stayed close to Caleb while he navigated where they needed to go and who they needed to talk to.
After what felt like hours, they were directed to a smaller waiting room where a young woman with dark eyes and dark hair, very similar to Caleb’s, spotted them and rushed over.
By her smooth, dark skin and expressive eyes, Jamie guessed this was his sister, Bri.
She was trailed closely by a tall blond man.
Caleb approached, and they embraced in a hesitant, somewhat awkward hug. If not for their similar looks, you might think they were distant acquaintances rather than siblings.
“Hey, you,” Caleb muttered softly.
“Mike, this is my brother Caleb,” Bri said to the blond man. Caleb reached out and shook his hand before turning to introduce Jamie.
“Hi Jamie,” Bri said with a small smile. Her teeth were white and straight, her skin a shade lighter than Caleb’s. She seemed a little nervous when she shook Jamie’s hand, like she expected him to already be angry with her.
In an effort to be friendly, and utilizing every bit of knowledge he could about the Reed family, Jamie said, “It’s so nice to meet you, Bri. May I hug you?” Her face lit up, and she nodded immediately. As he pulled her into a warm embrace, he repeated, “Very, very nice to meet you.”
One family member down, one to go. Turning to Mike, Jamie introduced himself. Mike gave off surfer-dude vibes. “Nice accent, bro!”
Bri rolled her eyes.
“Oh, thank you,” Jamie replied, feeling slightly foolish. They all settled into the waiting room, making small talk. Jamie tried to shoulder most of it, noticing how Caleb’s leg bounced anxiously, his eyes glued to the red door the nurses kept flowing in and out of.
Jamie pulled out his best British anecdotes to keep Mike entertained and the conversation moving. His very normal life story earned him an enthusiastic, “The British Library? Sick, dude!” followed by, “Ha! British people really do say bloody!”
Jamie smiled and squeezed Caleb’s hand, letting Mike fill the silence with talk of growing up in New Jersey before moving here. Jamie leaned toward Caleb and murmured quietly, “How do you feel about a nap when we get back to the house? You look knackered.”
Across from them, he heard Mike whisper under his breath, “Knackered, Bri. Knackered.”
Just then, a tall nurse approached them. “Family of Derrick Reed?” The room fell quiet as she gestured for them to follow her through the red doors. Caleb looked like he was ready to vomit. Jamie paused, pulling Caleb gently to a stop.
“We’ll be right there.”
His face had gone ghostly pale. Jamie placed his hands on Caleb’s shoulders and dipped his head slightly.
“Caleb, listen to me.” He waited until those brown eyes finally met his. “You are a good son,” Jamie said firmly. “You are here to support your father, and that is incredible.” His fingers tightened around Caleb’s shoulders, wishing he could squeeze the fear right out of him.
“You do not owe anyone any explanations,” he continued softly. “You are here. You showed up. And that makes you a good son.” Jamie squeezed his shoulders once more. “Whatever happens in there, I’m right behind you.”
When Caleb’s eyes cleared, and he finally took a full, steady breath, he muttered, “Thank you.”
A swell of pride lit up Jamie’s chest. For the first time in a long while, he felt like he could be the partner Caleb needed. Taking charge didn’t come naturally to him, nor did leading. But he could, and he would, for Caleb.
Hand in hand, they walked down the hall and into his father’s hospital room.