Page 38 of Tactically Tied

A lump lodged in her throat as the scenes played out, one after another, each moment more intimate than the last. The camera didn’t lie; it had captured the truth of what they shared. In each look, each touch, there it was. Something she had been too afraid to acknowledge until now.

Jed Winchester was in love with her. Jami knew it for a fact because the camera caught the exact same look in her eyes whenever they landed on him.

Jami stole a glance at Jed now. He was watching the screen. His hand still held hers, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand in soothing circles. She felt a surge of emotion, a wave of realization that left her breathless. She couldn’t see her life without him. Not now. Not ever.

Slowly, hesitantly, she reached for his other hand with her free one. He turned to her, his eyes locking on to hers, searching, questioning. She gave him a small smile, the kind that was just for him, and squeezed his hands.

Jed’s eyes softened, his gaze dropping to their joined hands. He took a breath, and the tension in his shoulders eased. The corners of his lips tilted upward in a way that made Jami's heart flutter. He lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles softly, never breaking eye contact. The gesture was tender, filled with promise and something that made her insides twist with hope.

The show continued, but Jami barely heard it. She was too focused on the man beside her, on the warmth of his body pressed against hers, on the way his thumb kept tracing those soothing circles on her skin. The room around them buzzed with excitement, with murmurs of speculation about who would win, but in this booth, it felt like they were in their own world, cocooned from everything else.

When the final moments of the show began to play, the announcement looming, she leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She didn't care about the outcome. Jed wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer, holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. And for the first time, she felt it. Truly felt it.

Home.

Jami smiled, a real, genuine smile that reached her eyes, and in that moment, she knew. No matter what happened next, she had already won.

"And the winner is…” the announcer’s voice boomed, then paused dramatically, the seconds ticking by in agonizing slow motion.

“... Monica and Derek!”

Jami's eyes widened, and she shot to her feet, the force of her movement nearly knocking over the table. “What?”

Beside her, Jed was already standing, his expression darkening, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he growled, glaring at the screen. His outrage mirrored her own, the same shock and anger swirling between them like a storm.

Rick shrugged, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “It’s not my call. The judges?—”

“The judges picked Monica and Derek? Did they not taste my husband's sauces? Did they not taste the fusion we put together?” Jami's pulse was racing, her face heating up with the fury of it all. It wasn’t supposed to matter, but it did. It mattered so much.

“We poured everything into those dishes,” Jed added, his tone low and seething. “My wife made me push boundaries and take risks. And they pick the safe option?”

The safe option. That's what Jami had chosen too.

"You promised Jami a show when we won," Jed demanded.

"I don't care about the show," said Jami. "I care about you. All I want is you."

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

Jed wrapped protectively around Jami’s shoulders as he glared between the television where Monica and Derek were celebrating, and Rick. The room was still buzzing from the displeasure of the townsfolk at the unexpected announcement. Jed felt the weight of their disappointment, the sting of what should have been his and Jami's moment, and the tension of what would come next.

“You promised Jami a show when we won.”

Rick opened his mouth, but Jed didn't hear what the producer said. His wife was speaking. Her voice was a soft, almost broken whisper. But her words to him were clear.

"I don't care about the show. I care about you. All I want is you."

Jed's heart stopped. The noise of the room faded into nothingness. He blinked, looking into her eyes, his own heart hammering against his chest. Was this real? Had he heard her correctly?

He searched her face, desperately looking for any hint of hesitation or doubt. There was none. Her eyes were steady, clear, and filled with a truth that struck him like a bolt of lightning. She wasn’t running. Not anymore.

Jami took a breath, her gaze never wavering from his. “I realize now that traveling the world won’t fulfill me the way I thought it would. I’ve been chasing something, always thinking it was out there—somewhere else. But it’s right here.” She placed her hand over his heart, and he felt the warmth of her touch seep into his chest. “It’s you, Jed. It’s us. It's my family. It’s this community. This is where I belong.”

Jed couldn't breathe. His throat tightened, his chest aching with the sheer force of what he was feeling. Jami wasn’t just saying it; she believed it. He saw it in her eyes, in the way her shoulders had relaxed, in the way her gaze held his with such raw, unguarded honesty.

He didn’t hesitate. He pulled her into his arms, crushing her against him. His mouth found hers in a kiss that was all-consuming. It was a kiss that spoke of every unspoken word, every fear, every hope. It was the kind of kiss that made the world disappear, that made time stop.

Jami melted against him, her arms winding around his neck, her fingers threading through his hair. He poured everything into that kiss—the relief, the joy, the love that had been building inside him for so long. Maybe it had been there all his life. It was as if they were both finally letting go, allowing themselves to be vulnerable, to be real.

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