Page 31 of The Way Home

“Happy Moving Day!”

“Thanks,” Jamie said, hugging her back. “You conveniently came rightafterwe finished carrying boxes up all the stairs.”

“You moved from Caleb’s flatonefloor down, J…”

“Hey! I had boxes back at my place with Ellie, too.”

Pippa waved her hand dismissively. “You’re fine. We’re here now.”

When he turned, he saw his mum speaking low to Caleb, gently cupping his cheeks. He caught the tail end of her sentence.

“... part of our family, you do know that, yeah?”

Caleb’s throat bobbed as he nodded.

Over the past year, Jamie learned that Caleb’s relationship with his own family was… complex. His dad sounded rough around the edges, along with his sister, Bri. The only family member Caleb talked to regularly was his sister, Tay, in California.

Jamie hoped to meet her in the near future.

After they unpacked most of the boxes, his mum pulled out a smudge stick and saged the apartment. The smoke would probably set off the smoke alarm—something he warned her about,twice—so Jamie took the opportunity to pull Caleb out onto their balcony.

“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked, concern creeping into his voice as Jamie stared out over the streets of Soho. “Everything okay, sweetheart?”

Jamie watched a group of cyclists weave through traffic below. His gaze drifted to an older man carrying a bundle of flowers down the pavement, whistling softly to himself.

With a deep breath, he looked back at Caleb.

A line of sweat traced its way from Caleb’s temple to his neck. They’d been at it for hours and could probably both use a shower, yet Caleb looked completely content. His cheeks were flushed, a smile lingering on his face as sunlight caught in his honey-brown eyes.

The sight made something tighten in Jamie’s chest.

“Thank you.”

The words escaped before he could stop them.

Caleb stilled. “For what?”

“You’ve changed everything for me, Caleb.” Jamie swallowed. “I don’t think I say thank you enough.”

Caleb’s smile softened.

For a moment, his gaze flicked between Jamie’s eyes and his lips. Then he reached up and tucked one of Jamie’s damp curls behind his ear.

“I’d do anything for you, J,” he said quietly.

His thumb brushed Jamie’s cheek.

“Anything.”

Chapter 7

Present Day

One moment, Calebwas taping Angie’s sprained ankle; the next, he was sprinting from the training facility and speeding to the hospital.

The rest was a blur. Hospital personnel yelling at himnotto park there. Frantically asking nurses and whoever would listen where thefuckthe Level Two Trauma Care unit was.

“Who are you?”