Chapter 8

EIGHT

Unlike last night, Jamie was mostly asleep when the click of the hotel room lock nudged him toward awake. But only slightly. He stayed in that halfway dozing space while Aidan moved around the room, unloading his pockets, ditching his clothes, then using the bathroom before sliding into the bed behind Jamie, the big spoon to his little one. "He sleeps."

"Not well without you." Jamie snagged his arm and pulled it the rest of the way over his hip, hauling Aidan closer. "What time is it?"

"Just after one."

"Isabella get in?"

"Eventually, after some weather delays."

"What—"

Aidan kissed the back of his shoulder. "Tell me about the game. Did you win?" Another kiss. "Or did you lose? Is that why you're finally sleeping?"

"We won," Jamie said with a small smile that stayed in place even as he added, "We'll lose tomorrow, though. "

Aidan gave his behind a gentle knee tap. "Ye of little faith."

"Me of reality." He rolled over under Aidan's arm, biting back the wince that wanted to escape when he glimpsed Aidan's long, tired face. He pushed his top strands back instead and trailed his fingers over the red and silver stubble dotting his jaw. He also ignored the conversation he wanted to have in favor of the one Aidan seemed to need, for now. "Would I love for us to win tomorrow? Yes. But we're playing the future national champions."

"You can't know that."

Jamie leveled his husband with the knowingest glare he could muster at one in the morning.

Aidan chuckled. "Fine, but tonight was a good game?"

"One of the best." Jamie's smile grew wider. "Won by twenty."

"That's good, baby." Aidan scooted closer, tucking his head under Jamie's chin, nuzzling his throat, and burrowing closer. Jamie recognized the behavior, something Aidan was prone to do after particularly rough days at the office. Jamie held him tight, letting the silence wash over them, letting Aidan take the comfort he needed. There were plenty of days Jamie missed working for the Bureau, missed being Aidan's partner at work too, but there were more days when he was glad he could be this for Aidan, a quiet, separate port in the storm. He was almost back to sleep when he felt more than heard Aidan's words. "I'm sorry about earlier at the station."

"You don't need to apologize for how you feel. This was all a shock."

"For you too. I should've told you?—"

The last thing Aidan needed to do was apologize to him. He shifted so Aidan was on his back, Jamie stretched along his side, head resting on his folded arm beside Aidan's on the pillow. With his other hand, he lightly coasted his fingers over Aidan's chest, over his heart. "You didn't want to rip open a wound you'd barely stitched together. One you didn't want to create. I'm not gonna hold that against you."

"But I still should've?—"

Mirroring Aidan's gesture from earlier in the day, Jamie pressed his fingers against Aidan's lips, then waited for him to turn his head and meet his gaze. "If Izzy hadn't cut you out, would you have introduced me to them?"

"Of course," he mumbled against Jamie's fingertips.

Jamie lowered his hand and draped his arm over Aidan's chest. "Then stop beating yourself up over something you couldn't do."

"Don't logic me when you're still half asleep."

"I'm good like that." Jamie smiled and snuggled closer, pulling Aidan half under him the way Aidan liked.

"You are good," Aidan said and dropped a kiss on his forehead. He fidgeted into position, then, after another minute, stilled. Jamie thought he'd dozed off until he spoke again, quiet in the dark. "I think Angel would like to know how you pulled that maneuver in the Outback."

Jamie chuckled on the edge of sleep. "I don't think we want to teach him that." Then recalled something else he wanted to remind Aidan of before he drifted the rest of the way to sleep. "Not our kids either."

Aidan's "Eventually" sounded like hope to Jamie's ears.