Chapter Nine
Eric
Jamie tipped forward, one hand clutching her chest as her knees went soft.
I was already there, my arm locking around her waist before she hit the ground. Dylan reacted too, but he was a moment too late, letting out a disgruntled sound as I scooped her into my arms.
He could make whatever noise he wanted. I didn’t give a shit about his ego.
Jamie was mine to protect, not his.
She was light in my arms, her body sagging into mine like she’d run out of energy to hold herself upright. I drew her closer, instinctively shielding her, and kept her there when she started to protest, pushing weakly against my chest.
“I’m fine. You can put me down.” Her fingers curled into my shirt, contradicting her words.
“No.”
I didn’t believe her for a second. Not any more than I believed Dylan had shown up here with innocent intentions.
Jamie wasn’t fine.
I knew this posture. This stubborn refusal to admit weakness. The instinct to smooth things over, to shoulder it alone and keep moving because stopping felt dangerous. I’d lived there. Still did, most days.
She carried her troubles the same way I did—quietly, until they started to break her apart from the inside.
Ignoring her protests, I tightened my hold and carried her into the living room, Dylan on our heels. I set her on the couch where I’d kissed her only minutes earlier.
That kiss still burned through me. Ill-timed, but impossible to regret. I’d crossed the line deliberately, shut out everything else, and followed pure instinct.
Forget morals or consequences. The only thing in my sights was beautiful Jamie.
“I’m okay.” She was already trying to sit up.
I kept a hand on her shoulder, firm enough to stop her. She’d bolt if I let her. I could sense that she lived with a constant readiness to flee.
“Not yet.” I smoothed her hair back from her face. “Give yourself a minute.”
Dylan took a step back like he’d been shut out. Good. Maybe he was getting the fucking hint.
“What can I get you?” I asked her, keeping my focus where it belonged.
“I don’t need anything. Honest.” She looked more like herself with every breath.
“Then sit up slowly.” I slid my hand behind her head, ready to catch her if she tipped again.
I wasn’t going anywhere.
In fact, I needed to be closer.
I could’ve told myself it was to give her something solid to lean on. But the truth was simpler. I wanted her within reach. Her body tucked against mine.
I sat, pulling her gently into my side and wrapping an arm around her before she could argue. “How’s that?”
Color crept up her neck, blooming across her cheeks. It might’ve been embarrassment from almost fainting or the fact that she was beside me again. Didn’t matter. I liked the effect either way.
Dylan cleared his throat. “Jamie, you sure you’re okay, Princess?”
The asshole was persistent, I’d give him that. Oblivious too. He either didn’t notice the way she flinched at the name or didn’t care.
“Yes. You just surprised me.” She forced a smile, waving him off. “I’ve been stressed about Dad. It’s been a lot. But I guess, since you’re here…we should probably talk.”
Her gaze flicked to me, uncertain.
“I’ll grab you some water.” It felt like something a boyfriend would do. And I could play the part.
I’d never really done it before—not long-term, anyway—but I knew how to show up when it mattered. Protecting her already felt instinctive. Being present. Reassuring her without making a production of it.
Those parts came easily.
What didn’t make sense was how thoroughly Jamie had gotten under my skin in such a short time. A handful of conversations. A few moments where we’d both let the cracks show. And suddenly I was carrying feelings I couldn’t name.
Maybe it was grief. Fallout from everything that had blown apart with Caleb. Maybe I was reaching for connection because I was tired of surviving this all on my own.
Maybe she was just a distraction.
Except she didn’t feel like one.
Water took all of thirty seconds to find. There was a neat line of glasses in the first cupboard I opened, and a pitcher of filtered water in the fridge. No effort required.
I hesitated anyway, took my time filling the glass, and listened to their voices carrying through the open doorway.
“Tell me what you need from me.” The arrogance was gone from Dylan’s voice, replaced by something that sounded like genuine concern.
For a moment, I wondered if I’d misjudged him. If maybe he was more than just a cocky prick.
“It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” She sounded tired. Like this was a conversation they’d had before.
“It’s never too late, Jamie. I’m here. Right now, I’m here.”
“Dylan…” Her voice tightened. “I’m not the one who needs you. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“Oh, right.” His tone flipped, sharp with bitterness. “You don’t want me. I’m only good for a nice hard screw every now and then. My mistake. I’ve never been good enough for you, have I?”
My jaw locked. The idea of him touching her, of her ever letting him close like that, set something hot and ugly loose in my chest. Jealousy wasn’t my usual vice, yet it slammed into me without warning.
“If you felt used…” She sighed. “Well, maybe you were. It wasn’t intentional, but yeah. I probably was using you in those moments. I’m sorry.”
That stopped me cold.
Jamie was tough, resilient in ways that had impressed me from the start. But somewhere along the way, I’d started treating her like she needed protecting. Like she was fragile. Hearing her now, owning her choices without backpedaling or excuses, forced me to confront something uncomfortable.
I hadn’t been seeing her as helpless because she was weak. I’d been treating her that way because I wanted her to need me.
That should’ve eased something in me, but it didn’t. Because if I was honest, I wanted what Dylan wanted. Not just her body but her trust. Her reliance. I wanted to be the one she turned to when things got hard.
“There was a time I wanted more from you,” she continued. “You know that. But I don’t feel that way anymore.”
“I know. It’s been a long time since there was anything real between us. I get that. I just thought…maybe you’d change your mind.”
“I won’t,” she said. No hesitation. “I just want you to do the right thing.”
He sighed. “I don’t know how you expect me to do the right thing when you live so far away. I still have a life, Jamie. But I have put thought into it—I just wanted to make the whole thing work, with you too.”
Do the right thing? Make the whole thing work? What the hell did that mean?
“I really wasn’t prepared for you to have a new guy. He does seem good at taking care of you, though.”
“Yeah. Eric is good at that. He’s done a lot for me.” She hesitated, then added, softer, “He doesn’t even realize how much. He’s kind of amazing, actually.”
Unearned pride surged through me, settling somewhere deep in my chest. She meant it. I could hear it in her voice.
Dylan huffed. “Yeah, I get it. Doesn’t mean I’m giving up, though.”
“Dylan…”
“Relax. I’m not pushing. But what about Hunter?”
Hunter. My grip tightened around the glass. Was he the other man? The one she’d been missing?
“What about Hunter?” Jamie shot back.
“Does he know what’s going on here? You didn’t bring him.”
“No. I didn’t want him here. I didn’t know what to expect.” Her tone turned protective. Whoever Hunter was, she was shielding him from this mess. “I guess I expected a different kind of fight.”
Dylan chuckled. “Things change, Princess. People change.”
I’d had enough.
No more standing in the shadows, piecing together her life while he poked at old wounds like he still had the right.
Water in hand, I stepped back into the room and took in the scene.
She’d edged as far back into the couch as she could, arms crossed tight over her chest. Dylan sat on the edge of the coffee table, leaning into her space like he had every right to be there.
They weren’t touching, but Dylan could’ve changed that with the shift of a wrist.
And that pissed me off a hell of a lot more than it should have.
She’d introduced me as her boyfriend. Yes, she’d tossed it out like a shield, a line in the sand, but Dylan had stepped right over it.
Fuck him.
I walked straight over to her and held out the glass. She uncrossed one arm to take it, her fingers brushing mine for a second before she pulled it back in against her chest.
“Thank you, Eric.” She broke eye contact with Dylan and looked up at me as she brought the glass to her lips.
Those luscious fucking lips that had been under mine only minutes ago.
Necessary or not, convenient or not, being at her side and standing up for her felt right.
“Okay. Well, I should get going.” Dylan stood. “Are you staying here, Jamie?”
“Here?”
“Yes, here. Your dad’s place. Are you staying?”
The question hung there, weighted and intrusive.
Jamie hesitated, and I caught a flicker of conflict in her eyes. “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it. I’ll let you know.”
I didn’t like that. Cop or not, he didn’t need access to her choices. He’d already taken more space than he deserved.
Jamie walked him to the door, and I paced the living room while I waited, tension winding tight.
She came back in wearing a too-bright smile. “Well. That was fun.”
The forced cheer didn’t match the exhaustion written all over her face.
Fuck, the timing of this was a disaster. Whatever conversation I’d been gearing up for wasn’t happening tonight. She didn’t have anything left to give. And I sure as fuck wasn’t going to take anything from her the way Dylan had.
“I’m guessing you might have questions.” She rubbed a hand over her face.
Questions? Plenty. None of them appropriate right now.
“There are a few things I wouldn’t mind clearing up. But it’s late. We should get back to the hospital.” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “Tomorrow, though. We grab food, then talk.”
Her shoulders eased a fraction. “I feel like I owe you something. You kind of saved my ass.” Guilt crept into her expression. “I panicked. I’m sorry.”
“You handled it. But tomorrow, your boyfriend’s taking you out for a proper meal.”
The word landed between us.
She froze, her eyes going round. “You don’t mind keeping up the charade?”
“Is it going to help keep guys like Dylan off your back?”
Her face flushed. “It’s been ten years since I was last in this town. And I didn’t exactly leave under the best circumstances. So yeah…I wouldn’t mind having the backup.”
“Then it’s a deal.”
She laughed. “Okay, boyfriend. Where are you taking me?”
Even joking, hearing it again did something to me.
“You pick. I’ll handle the rest.”
She grinned. “Fair warning. I get impulsive when I’m hungry. First food sign wins. And you’re paying.”
“Deal.”
She turned for the door, lighter now, some of the strain easing.
I caught up to her in two strides, took her hand, and laced our fingers together without asking.
“Jamie,” I murmured at her ear. “It’s good to see that smile again.”
I squeezed her hand and didn’t let go.