Chapter 7 Falling in Love
Their kiss changed everything between them.
And absolutely nothing.
The morning after their first kiss, Tessa still had to go to work.
Jamison still had board meetings.
Patients still needed care.
Bills still had to be paid.
Life continued moving forward.
Yet somehow the world felt different.
Brighter.
Softer.
Full of possibilities.
Tessa had even woken up before her alarm went off.
She stretched lazily across her bed and immediately smiled when she remembered the previous night.
Then her phone buzzed.
A text.
Jamison.
Her smile widened.
Jamison: Good morning, Beautiful.
Tessa stared.
Read it again.
Then again.
Heat flooded her cheeks.
Beautiful.
Such a simple word.
Yet after everything Anthony had said to her, it carried enormous weight.
Tears unexpectedly filled her eyes.
Not sad tears.
Healing tears.
The kind that appeared when old wounds finally started closing.
She typed back.
Tessa: Good morning.
Three dots appeared.
Jamison: That's it?
Tessa laughed.
Tessa: I'm still recovering.
Jamison: From what?
Tessa: Being called beautiful.
Several seconds passed.
Jamison: Get used to it.
Tessa stared at the message.
Then smiled so hard her face started hurting again.
Over the next several weeks, their relationship began growing naturally.
Not rushing.
No pressure.
Neither forced anything on the other.
They simply enjoyed each other’s company.
And that was new for both of them.
Especially Jamison.
For years his relationships had been convenient.
Beautiful women.
Luxury dates.
Only physical attraction.
Absolutely no emotional investments.
No vulnerability.
No real connection.
Everything had always remained surface level.
Safe.
Predictable.
Controlled.
Then Tessa Johnson walked into room 415 carrying a turkey sandwich and a paperback novel.
And somehow turned his entire world upside down.
One Saturday afternoon, Jamison invited her to lunch.
Not at an expensive restaurant or an exclusive club.
Instead, he surprised her by taking her to the small bookstore in Atlantic Station.
The same bookstore where she had bought Thomas.
Tessa stopped in the doorway.
"How did you know about this place?"
Jamison smiled.
"You told me."
Her eyebrows rose.
"I did?"
"You talk in your sleep."
Tessa gasped.
"I do not."
"You absolutely do."
She swatted his arm.
Jamison laughed.
The sound immediately made her smile.
Over the past month, she'd discovered something unexpected.
She loved hearing him laugh.
Because it happened more now.
Much more.
The cold businessman she first imagined no longer existed around her.
With her, Jamison was warm.
Playful.
Patient.
Sometimes even silly.
The bookstore owner greeted them warmly.
Soon Tessa was wandering through shelves while Jamison followed carrying an increasingly large stack of books.
"Jamison."
"Hmm?"
"You don't have to buy every book I touch."
"Why not?"
She laughed.
"Because there are twenty-two books in your arms."
He glanced down.
"Twenty-three."
Tessa shook her head.
You’re hopeless.
Completely hopeless.
Yet somehow unbelievably sweet.
Later that afternoon they sat together in a small café attached to the bookstore.
Looking through some of the books he had brought her.
Having a fun conversation about them.
While drinking coffee and trying different pastries.
It was perfect.
Tessa looked up from her latte.
"Can I ask you something?"
Jamison nodded.
"Anything beautiful."
"What happened?"
His expression shifted.
Slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"Before me."
The question lingered.
Jamison stared into his coffee.
For several moments he remained quiet.
Tessa immediately regretted asking.
"You don't have to answer."
"No."
His voice was soft.
"It's okay."
He exhaled slowly.
Then leaned back in his chair.
"My father left when I was ten."
Tessa's heart tightened.
Jamison rarely talked about his family.
"My mother worked three jobs to put me through school."
His eyes focused somewhere far away.
"We struggled everyday for years."
He smiled sadly.
"I promised myself that one day I'd never worry about money again."
Tessa listened carefully.
"Eventually I built my first company."
His smile disappeared.
"Everyone started showing up."
She frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Family who never helped us out."
The words sounded bitter.
"So called friends who never came around."
Another pause.
"People who never called suddenly remembered my number."
Understanding filled her eyes.
"They wanted something."
He nodded.
"Most of them did."
The pain hidden beneath his calm voice broke her heart.
No wonder he didn't trust easily.
No wonder he kept walls around himself.
No wonder loneliness felt familiar.
Tessa reached across the table and squeezed his hand.
"I'm sorry."
Jamison looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And realized something.
She never asked about his money.
Never cared about his status.
Never treated him differently.
She simply cared about him.
The realization was both beautiful and terrifying.
Because he was falling.
Hard.
The following Friday, Tessa invited Jamison to her apartment for dinner.
Nothing fancy.
Just a home cooked meal.
Netflix Movies.
And an amazing conversation.
Jamison arrived carrying flowers.
Again.
And dessert.
Again.
Tessa laughed when she opened the door.
"You know flowers aren't required every time."
"They are if I want them to be."
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever lover boy,” smiling.
Then kissed him.
Quickly.
Softly.
Jamison immediately forgot what he was about to say.
Tessa noticed.
And winked.
Their dinner was simple.
Baked chicken.
Yellow Rice.
Mixed Vegetables.
Sweet tea.
Yet Jamison enjoyed it more than meals he'd spent hundreds of dollars on.
Everything was done with love, so it felt genuine.
He felt loved when she kissed him.
For once nobody expected anything from him.
Halfway through dinner, Tessa's phone rang.
Her mother's name appeared.
"Sorry."
Jamison smiled.
"Take it."
Tessa answered.
"Hey Mama."
The conversation lasted only a few minutes.
When she returned, she found Jamison staring thoughtfully at a framed photo sitting on a nearby shelf.
The picture showed Tessa surrounded by family.
Smiling.
Laughing.
Loved.
"You have a beautiful family."
Her smile softened.
"Most days."
Jamison continued studying the photograph.
Something painful flickered across his face.
Tessa immediately noticed.
"What's wrong?"
He hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
"I've never really had that."
Her heart broke a little.
Without thinking, she moved beside him.
"You do now."
The words slipped out naturally.
Neither expected them to.
But they both felt their impact.
Jamison turned towards her.
The emotion in his eyes stole her breath.
"Tessa..."
She suddenly realized what she'd said.
And how much she really meant it.
"You matter so much to me."
His throat tightened.
Because nobody had said those words to him before that he could remember.
Maybe never.
Slowly, he reached for her hand.
Then kissed it.
A simple gesture.
Yet it made her heart race as fire burned between her thighs.
Weeks continued passing.
Their relationship deepened.
They learned each other's routines.
Favorite foods.
Dreams.
Fears.
Strengths.
Weaknesses.
And slowly something bigger began forming.
Something they couldn’t ignore anymore.
Love.
Though neither had said the words.
Not yet.
One evening after work, Tessa sat with Lizzie in the hospital cafeteria.
The older nurse studied her carefully.
"You love him."
Tessa nearly choked on her drink.
"What?"
Lizzie grinned.
"You heard me."
Tessa looked down.
Immediately shy.
Which was all the answer Lizzie needed.
"Oh my goodness."
"Stop it."
"You are seriously in love with him."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
Tessa smiled despite herself.
Because deep down...
Lizzie was right.
She was without a doubt in love with him.
His kindness.
His intelligence.
His loyalty.
His patience.
The way he listened.
The way he cared.
The way he looked at her.
As if she were the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
The realization should have scared her.
Instead it felt right.
Like coming home.
Across town, Jamison sat alone in his downtown office.
A business proposal lay open on the table.
Unread.
His phone displayed a photo.
Of Tessa.
Smiling.
Holding a stack of books.
Completely unaware he'd taken the picture.
Jamison stared at it.
Then smiled.
Because he knew.
Finally,
Completely.
Absolutely. That he was in love with her.
The realization didn't frighten him anymore.
It comforted him.
Now, his future wasn't filled with board meetings and profit charts.
It was filled with possibilities.
Sunday dinners.
Bookstore visits.
Laughter and coffee.
Family.
Tessa.
Always Tessa.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
Lauren entered carrying paperwork.
Then stopped.
Immediately she noticed.
"Oh wow."
Jamison looked up.
"What?"
Lauren laughed.
"You've got that look."
"What look?"
"The one people get when they're hopelessly in love."
Jamison froze.
Lauren's eyes widened.
"Oh my goodness."
He rubbed a hand across his face.
Lauren started laughing.
"You definitely are."
For several seconds, neither one of them spoke.
Then Jamison surprised himself.
Because instead of denying it...
Instead of changing the subject...
Instead of running from it...
He smiled.
And nodded.
"Yeah I guess I am."
Lauren looked genuinely happy.
"About time."
After she left, Jamison glanced back at the photo.
His smile returned.
Because she was right.
It was about time.
The only questions now were...
When would he tell Tessa?
What would happen when he did?
And did she feel the same way?